Short platform without gangway at The Lakes

[trainJam]

At The Lakes, only the doors on the front coach open. There is an on board announcement to this effect.

I usually see the guard towards the rear of the train and they walk to coach 1 to do the doors.

Although the non-gangway units were introduced a few years ago the question has just sprung to mind now:
What happens when there is at least one 172/0 or 172/1 (non gangway) in a consist of 2 units?

I assume the guard and passengers just have to be in the front unit before departing the previous stop. I don't remember hearing an announcement at the stations (Stratford WMR or Moor Street Chiltern - perhaps there is one and I haven't paid attention to it!) due to the quiet nature of The Lakes.

 

[ijmad]

In the South West this happens on the GWML with the joined 5-car Class 802 units, for example stops like Ivybridge where you can only alight from the front unit. Usually the guard makes a number of announcements at stations prior where there's expected to be a little bit of dwell time (e.g. Exeter) to ensure any passengers move from the rear coaches.

I believe the 802s can do announcements to just particular coaches? So you don't hear it if you're already in the right section.

 

[172007]

At The Lakes, only the doors on the front coach open. There is an on board announcement to this effect.

I usually see the guard towards the rear of the train and they walk to coach 1 to do the doors.

Although the non-gangway units were introduced a few years ago the question has just sprung to mind now:
What happens when there is at least one 172/0 or 172/1 (non gangway) in a consist of 2 units?

I assume the guard and passengers just have to be in the front unit before departing the previous stop. I don't remember hearing an announcement at the stations (Stratford WMR or Moor Street Chiltern - perhaps there is one and I haven't paid attention to it!) due to the quiet nature of The Lakes.

Conductor makes an announcement that passengers need to be in the front carriage. If it's non gangwayed the pasengers use Earlswood (WM) or Wood End to move between units. Some conductors point out that passenfers might need to use the platform in their announcement.

90% os passengers using the station are locals or visiting locals so are already fully aware of what to do. It seems to work well.

The trains are formed of non gangwayed stock routinely / daily.

 

[BAFRA77]

In previous journeys up that way - the conductor has also come through the train earlier in the journey asking passengers if they were going to those stations whilst checking tickets and then advising those who need to that they’d need to decant to the correct carriage

 

[Russel]

In previous journeys up that way - the conductor has also come through the train earlier in the journey asking passengers if they were going to those stations whilst checking tickets and then advising those who need to that they’d need to decant to the correct carriage

I haven't had a ticket check on a WMR 172 service for a long time.

 

[Purple Train]

A slight tangent, but back in the days when there were request stops on the line, I seem to recall that they were treated as compulsory when the train was formed of non-gangway stock, presumably because the conductor couldn't take requests from the entire train. Presumably the fact that most trains are now non-gangwayed is why they were made compulsory recently?

Presumably the situation is little different to portion working involving non-gangway stock, where passengers potentially having to get off and move units is just a regular occupational hazard?

 

[172007]

A slight tangent, but back in the days when there were request stops on the line, I seem to recall that they were treated as compulsory when the train was formed of non-gangway stock, presumably because the conductor couldn't take requests from the entire train. Presumably the fact that most trains are now non-gangwayed is why they were made compulsory recently?

Presumably the situation is little different to portion working involving non-gangway stock, where passengers potentially having to get off and move units is just a regular occupational hazard?

Never treated as compulsory stops. Bearley and Claverdon are still request stops and often have non gangway units and there is no such requirement / restriction for non gangway stock.

The only instruction for a driver is stop if you have not heard from the conductor. if you have told there is no one to allight only stop if a person Clearly indicates on the platform* they want you to stop.

*Single line bi-directional platforms and Chilterns await the WMT service to clear the single line therefore often people are awaiting the service in the opposite direction when we slow down for the request stops and don't require us.

 

[birchesgreen]

Top tip, if you are not in the front car, move to be earlier on during the journey not as the train is approaching The Lakes. On one time i went to the Lakes i was nearly caught out as the door between two cars was either locked or broken. Luckily i was able to get out at Earlswood and travel to the next car via the platform.

 

[Purple Train]

Never treated as compulsory stops. Bearley and Claverdon are still request stops and often have non gangway units and there is no such requirement / restriction for non gangway stock.

The only instruction for a driver is stop if you have not heard from the conductor. if you have told there is no one to allight only stop if a person Clearly indicates on the platform* they want you to stop.

*Single line bi-directional platforms and Chilterns await the WMT service to clear the single line therefore often people are awaiting the service in the opposite direction when we slow down for the request stops and don't require us.

That's interesting, thank you. I went on a mini request stop binge on the line in 2019, and, on the journey between Stratford and Wood End, the conductor announced that the train would stop at all request stops. At this point the 172/0 fleet was fairly new to the West Midlands, and I think my other trains were formed entirely of gangwayed 172s (though I don't think I took any records; either that or I've lost them), so I'd assumed it was official.

 

[edwin_m]

They are pretty diligent in announcing for the front door at Avoncliff. Usually they also call out as they pass through the train to get to the front door, unless it's so crowded that they have to walk along the platform at the previous stop instead. However, I don't recall seeing any coupled 16x units calling there.

 

[Parallel]

They are pretty diligent in announcing for the front door at Avoncliff. Usually they also call out as they pass through the train to get to the front door, unless it's so crowded that they have to walk along the platform at the previous stop instead. However, I don't recall seeing any coupled 16x units calling there.

Most of the Avoncliff calls are now on the Bristol-Westbury/Salisbury services which are rarely doubled up, but it is more common on Sundays as Avoncliff is usually picked up by either the Weymouth or Portsmouth services which are more often doubled up, especially in summer for the former. Dilton Marsh is also local door only but also a request stop, served largely by Portsmouth services on Sundays.

 

[43095john]

Same applies at Long Eaton with 10 car Meridians, announcement is made on approaches to Derby for Long Eaton passengers to move to front unit

 

[ruaival]

Top tip, if you are not in the front car, move to be earlier on during the journey not as the train is approaching The Lakes. On one time i went to the Lakes i was nearly caught out as the door between two cars was either locked or broken. Luckily i was able to get out at Earlswood and travel to the next car via the platform.

On an early 80s Sleeper train journey from Crewe to the Highlands, the only seated carriage (4 compartments and guard/luggage area) went to Fort William and Inverness seated passengers needed to be in the other portion before the split outside Glasgow.

When they got that far down the train the connecting door had been locked in readiness for the train splitting so at the next red signal... they alighted down to trackside and climbed back up into next carriage if I recall.

(At Glasgow Queen Street it was a quick hop off for us to get a fresh seat in the extra carriages added for the West Highland Line bit of the journey)

 

[stadler]

It used to happen all the time on the Uckfield line until the 2016 platform extensions. Many of the platforms at these stations could only hold five or six coaches but it was very common to get 2+4+2 or 2+2+4 or 4+2+2 formations. This meant that at some stations the entire rear two coach unit was not accomodated and the 171 units have no gangway. So anyone in those rear two coaches would often have to swap units at a previous station.