Departure boards

[dcbwhaley]

What does it mean if the platform number on a departure board is flashing?

 

[The exile]

Round here it’s a platform change

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Round here it’s a platform change

I concur. Quite often happens at Preston, when trains are sometimes switched from Platform 3 to Platform 4, or vice-versa, which is a fairly straightforward and uncomplicated cross-platform change. Similarly so at somewhere like Haywards Heath.

Doesn't happen so much on single track lines, to be fair.

 

[The exile]

I concur.

Doesn't happen so much on single track lines, to be fair.

Well - if there's only 1 platform, it's difficult to have a platform change!

 

[Theburritoz]

At Edinburgh platform 8/9 the boards flash any number that isn't on those two platforms (or at least they were when I was last there)

 

[ThameslinkUser]

Noticed it for the first time at London Victoria today. Think it must be new; it gives no information to the travelling public as all platforms are suppressed until confirmed so while, yes, there may be a change to the WTT, the public don’t care.

 

[occone]

A bugbear of mine is when a platform number is flashing on the old LED displays, and the number spends more time off than it does on.

When this happens at Birmingham New Street you get precisely 200ms to see what platform you're now on before having to wait another two seconds to confirm it was definitely a 6.

 

[WestCountry]

Noticed it for the first time at London Victoria today. Think it must be new; it gives no information to the travelling public as all platforms are suppressed until confirmed so while, yes, there may be a change to the WTT, the public don’t care.

Regular commuters will know which platform their train usually departs from. Having a flashing sign to get their attention is probably a good idea.

 

[ThameslinkUser]

Regular commuters will know which platform their train usually departs from.

In the case of Victoria, I disagree. WTT platforms are incredibly rarely kept to outside of the early mornings. Commuters are only likely to know which side (e.g. central vs sussex) their train will depart from but the board in its current state doesn’t assist with this. A train booked to depart from the central side, despite its destination typically being a sussex side, will not flash, but a train changing from platform 17 to 18 will despite no practical difference in location. It’s unhelpful at best, and confusing at worst.

 

[Horizon22]

In the case of Victoria, I disagree. WTT platforms are incredibly rarely kept to outside of the early mornings. Commuters are only likely to know which side (e.g. central vs sussex) their train will depart from but the board in its current state doesn’t assist with this. A train booked to depart from the central side, despite its destination typically being a sussex side, will not flash, but a train changing from platform 17 to 18 will despite no practical difference in location. It’s unhelpful at best, and confusing at worst.

I think you mean Eastern (Kent) and Central (Southern).

Whilst the Southern platforms are more variable - particularly 15-19 - Southeastern services tend to stick to a fairly regular pattern.

 

[ThameslinkUser]

I think you mean Eastern (Kent) and Central (Southern).

No I mean Central (platforms 10-14) and Sussex (15-19). The board in question is for these stations given it is on the Southern side of the station.

Whilst the Southern platforms are more variable - particularly 15-19 - Southeastern services tend to stick to a fairly regular pattern.

My post is only related to Southern and not Southeastern.

 

[dcbwhaley]

Regular commuters will know which platform their train usually departs from. Having a flashing sign to get their attention is probably a good idea.

For the last year my train from Stockport to Buxton always departs from platform 1 so why is the 1 flashing?

 

[plugwash]

I suspect it's booked to go from 0 in the timetable, but someone locally is sending it from 1 instead.

 

[David M]

Last Saturday had checked the Scotrail app and RTT about 40 minutes before departure to determine the platform a train to Tweedban was leaving from - both said platform 11.
Arrived at Waverley 15 minutes before departure and main display confirmed platform 11 but all the smaller displays, including the one on the empty platform 11 were flashing which suggested an imminent platform change.
They continued to flash right up until departure...from platform 11.
Like others, I thought it meant a platform change.

 

[Lewisham2221]

It means a platform change from the "booked" platform in the timetable data. Sometimes it's a last minute thing due to congestion, other times it's pretty much routine.

On RTT, a grey platform number is just the booked platform, a black platform number is confirmed, a red platform is a change from the booked platform.

Looking at the post above, last Saturday's 1513 departure from Edinburgh to Tweedbank is showing P11 in red, suggesting it was indeed a platform change, although I have no idea what the booked platform would be, and there doesn't seem to be any pattern to which platforms the Tweedbank services use.

As already mentioned, most trains booked to use Stockport P0 actually use P1 in the main station. At Crewe, the xx10 Avanti to Manchester is booked to use P6 and the xx10 TfW to South Wales is booked to use P5, but in practice they almost always switch.