Boards not announcing trains just before departure

[DynamicSpirit]

Travelling in London, mainly on the Elizabeth line, I've noticed it's very common for departure boards not to advertise trains that are due to depart within the next few minutes. I understand the intention is presumably to try to avoid people running to get trains, but the extent to which it is done seems absurd. To take a couple of examples:

• At Abbey Wood, I've seen the departure boards on the platform stop showing a train a minute or so before departure when the train is literally waiting right next to the display and therefore it's easy to simply step on the train.
• At Whitechapel, yesterday the display in the main concourse was not showing a train that was due in 3 minute's time. But an able-bodied person could easily walk from the concourse to the platform in less than 3 minutes without even rushing (as I did - got the train with ample time to spare).
• At various stations (Farringdon, Tottenham Court Road) the displays in the ticket hall area seem to stop showing trains at least about 2 minutes before departure. But it doesn't take 2 minutes to get to the platforms from either ticket hall.

Before I'd wised up to this problem of not showing trains, those displays caused me on a couple of occasions to miss trains I could easily have caught. Now they mostly cause me to do extra mental work: For example, if the display claims that the next train to Abbey Wood is in 10 minutes, I'm likely to deduce that with a 7-8 minute frequency, the next train will probably be due in 2-3 minutes, not 10 minutes - and proceed to the platform accordingly.

One other problem with this is that I would say not showing the information actually causes me to run/hurry more often than I would otherwise do: Because if I have any doubt about whether the next train is about to show up imminently then I'll always rush to the platform as fast as I can, whereas if the display told me exactly when the next train was due, I'd be more likely to either walk normally to the platform (if I can see I can comfortably do so) or wait for the following train (if it's obvious from the display that I have no chance of making it to the platform in time for the first train).

What do others think? It seems to me that TfL are far too aggressive about not showing imminent departures, to the point where it must be inconveniencing a lot of passengers. Do any other places on the rail network have this problem?

 

[The exile]

Travelling in London, mainly on the Elizabeth line, I've noticed it's very common for departure boards not to advertise trains that are due to depart within the next few minutes. I understand the intention is presumably to try to avoid people running to get trains, but the extent to which it is done seems absurd. To take a couple of examples:

• At Abbey Wood, I've seen the departure boards on the platform stop showing a train a minute or so before departure when the train is literally waiting right next to the display and therefore it's easy to simply step on the train.
• At Whitechapel, yesterday the display in the main concourse was not showing a train that was due in 3 minute's time. But an able-bodied person could easily walk from the concourse to the platform in less than 3 minutes without even rushing (as I did - got the train with ample time to spare).
• At various stations (Farringdon, Tottenham Court Road) the displays in the ticket hall area seem to stop showing trains at least about 2 minutes before departure. But it doesn't take 2 minutes to get to the platforms from either ticket hall.

Before I'd wised up to this problem of not showing trains, those displays caused me on a couple of occasions to miss trains I could easily have caught. Now they mostly cause me to do extra mental work: For example, if the display claims that the next train to Abbey Wood is in 10 minutes, I'm likely to deduce that with a 7-8 minute frequency, the next train will probably be due in 2-3 minutes, not 10 minutes - and proceed to the platform accordingly.

One other problem with this is that I would say not showing the information actually causes me to run/hurry more often than I would otherwise do: Because if I have any doubt about whether the next train is about to show up imminently then I'll always rush to the platform as fast as I can, whereas if the display told me exactly when the next train was due, I'd be more likely to either walk normally to the platform (if I can see I can comfortably do so) or wait for the following train (if it's obvious from the display that I have no chance of making it to the platform in time for the first train).

What do others think? It seems to me that TfL are far too aggressive about not showing imminent departures, to the point where it must be inconveniencing a lot of passengers. Do any other places on the rail network have this problem?

It is plain wrong - certainly for platform monitors not to display a train which still has doors open. Mind you, I’ve known worse - seeing late-running trains disappear from the boards before they’ve even arrived. (I don’t mean because of cancellation)

 

[Taunton]

Only this last week I wrote here about a Paddington to South Wales train cleared off the Paddington board which then waited at the platform for 25 minutes, door open, for a driver to come. But for the general public, nobody knew it was there. Furthermore the following departure had been cancelled, so there were doubtless many arriving for that service who had no idea that a previous one was still sat there.

There seems no way to communicate that departure is delayed in this circumstance.

 

[MrJeeves]

Only this last week I wrote here about a Paddington to South Wales train cleared off the Paddington board which then waited at the platform for 25 minutes, door open, for a driver to come. But for the general public, nobody knew it was there.

Likewise at Euston yesterday afternoon, two trains to Manchester were announced, boarded, then sat waiting for dispatch due to a failed train. Neither on the departure boards.

I saw one of them on RTT, walked down to the platform, past the Avanti staff, and boarded. One of the on-board staff were surprised and remarked that I was late and asked me if they had reannounced the train! I just quipped back that I wasn't late, but the train was