Displaying the trains speed for passenger interest?

[zwk500]

I agree (and would also go further as to say that unless on a very long journey there are relatively tiny benefits from speeding anyway, at least if driving safely) but I'm not sure of the relevance - it's all about the "impressiveness" (I also think the outside temperatures on aircraft are more impressive than it doing 500mph or whatever but that might be me).

I think the proportion of people 'impressed' by any speed is going to be vanishingly small. The overwhelming majority won't care, a few small children might be interested in it for about 5 seconds, but most people will be buried in their devices/books/etc. Certainly in outer suburban land, I don't recall hearing anybody ever ask how fast we were going on a MKC-Euston semi-fast.

I know quite a few people who would need to be specifically drawn attention to the speed display, and then at most they would say 'huh' and go back to whatever we were doing before.

 

[Starmill]

I agree (and would also go further as to say that unless on a very long journey there are relatively tiny benefits from speeding anyway, at least if driving safely) but I'm not sure of the relevance - it's all about the "impressiveness" (I also think the outside temperatures on aircraft are more impressive than it doing 500mph or whatever but that might be me).

Well the relevance is that most people who speed will if asked state that they always follow the speed limit rather than incriminating themselves, not that I'd blame them for that in particular. But because they also only break it within a variance of around 10 - 25%. Therefore any train with a sustained speed over 100 is still faster.

How many drivers do you actually see doing 125 on the motorway? Not that many.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 18 Dec 2022 ==

I think the proportion of people 'impressed' by any speed is going to be vanishingly small.

I think that perhaps a better way to put it would be to ask what speeds people would or wouldn't expect to see from a rail service. If they'd generally expect it to be at least a little bit better than a typical speed achievable in their car then on plenty of routes that'd be easily exceeded. Of course on plenty of others it absolutely wouldn't! And that brings us full circle back to the suggestion about the 150 doing 39 in South Yorkshire

 

[Egg Centric]

I think the proportion of people 'impressed' by any speed is going to be vanishingly small. The overwhelming majority won't care, a few small children might be interested in it for about 5 seconds, but most people will be buried in their devices/books/etc. Certainly in outer suburban land, I don't recall hearing anybody ever ask how fast we were going on a MKC-Euston semi-fast.

I know quite a few people who would need to be specifically drawn attention to the speed display, and then at most they would say 'huh' and go back to whatever we were doing before.

Well quite, but this is pretty much why displaying the speed in the first place is unnecessary. It would only be worth it if it were impressive.

 

[zwk500]

Well the relevance is that most people who speed will if asked state that they always follow the speed limit rather than incriminating themselves, not that I'd blame them for that in particular. But because they also only break it within a variance of around 10 - 25%. Therefore any train with a sustained speed over 100 is still faster.

How many drivers do you actually see doing 125 on the motorway? Not that many.

You'd have a hell of a job doing 125mph because of some bugger in front of you lane hogging. Unless you only drive on the M18 and surrounding area. I usually drive around 75-80mph when able and quite often find myself having to lift off for traffic ahead, or when I do get overtaken it takes the person a long time to go past, so they aren't doing more than 85mph.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 18 Dec 2022 ==

I think that perhaps a better way to put it would be to ask what speeds people would or wouldn't expect to see from a rail service. If they'd generally expect it to be at least a little bit better than a typical speed achievable in their car then on plenty of routes that'd be easily exceeded. Of course on plenty of others it absolutely wouldn't! And that brings us full circle back to the suggestion about the 150 doing 39 in South Yorkshire

On this specific point - 'Commuter' type units 100mph, Long-Distance trains 110mph+. If you're doing it, have it in the cycle between 'See it, say it, sorted' and 'the next station is x' on the carriage displays, just a brief 'Current Speed: 110mph' or something.

 

[Egg Centric]

Well the relevance is that most people who speed will if asked state that they always follow the speed limit rather than incriminating themselves, not that I'd blame them for that in particular. But because they also only break it within a variance of around 10 - 25%. Therefore any train with a sustained speed over 100 is still faster.

How many drivers do you actually see doing 125 on the motorway? Not that many.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 18 Dec 2022 ==

Partly that's because anyone doing 125mph in standard motorway traffic is very likely to be driving dangerously. Those who do such speeds safely will not be doing so next to other vehicles.

I do appreciate that most people do not do 125mph obviously. But those who do who haven't Darwin-ed themselves off the road one way or another won't be very visible.

I am not going to say what speeds I may do on UK roads but I am fortunate enough to have plenty of experience driving in the two European jurisdictions with de-restricted roads and have taken full advantage. In neither of those places would I be doing 125mph next to someone doing 70!

 

[Starmill]

You'd have a hell of a job doing 125mph because of some bugger in front of you lane hogging. Unless you only drive on the M18 and surrounding area. I usually drive around 75-80mph when able and quite often find myself having to lift off for traffic ahead, or when I do get overtaken it takes the person a long time to go past, so they aren't doing more than 85mph.

Indeed - the vast majority of people who are technically breaking the speed limit have just set their cruise control to something between 70 and 80, and are only very slightly over the true limit, probably not by enough for it to be accurately detected even.

 

[Egg Centric]

Presumably. Do the 350s still show the News headlines? I get the intent, although with phones now I'm not sure how necessary it really is.

I couldn't say for sure - While I have used a 350 as recently as, erm, 4 hours ago I am usually in the North East and my usual journey on one is Watford-Euston packed in with others. I do not recall seeing news recently though.

 

[zwk500]

I couldn't say for sure - While I have used a 350 as recently as, erm, 4 hours ago I am usually in the North East and my usual journey on one is Watford-Euston packed in with others. I do not recall seeing news recently though.

maybe @Bletchleyite can confirm?

 

[stuu]

I am trying to remember if the Volo TV Screens in the Great Western HST's displayed the speed. I can recall they had a GPS map and I think it included the speed.

Yes, they definitely did

 

[Bletchleyite]

maybe @Bletchleyite can confirm?

I don't recall seeing news on the displays recently, now you mention it.

 

[Trainlog]

Though yes as much as it would be an interesting feature, the fact that apps exist and are reliable enough to show the speed for you is probably the next best thing. If you go on railtours a common thing some do to pass the time when the sun is setting is to look at what speeds the loco is doing and following where they are on the guidebook - In fact this was how Tornado was clocked at doing 100mph onboard the train in 2017.

Though unrelated, I will say that i do think it is great with onboard information that it can show you what the services on TFL are currently like before you get to the capital which is a great touch on Thameslink services.

 

[6Gman]

I think the new TfW units (196? 197? Always get them mixed up) have this facility.

 

[Shimbleshanks]

Reading the "speeding" thread, I use an app which shows - with s little lag - the speed of the train or bus I am on; and it's nice to know I am going at 98mph when it feels a lot less!

Wow! Who is your local bus operator?

 

[PG]

Wow! Who is your local bus operator?

Maybe this one
"Safe, speedy, comfortable" - Albion Motors of Glasgow - bus advert, 1928 by mikeyashworth, on Flickr

 

[Sad Sprinter]

No idea. At the time it was alleged it was because it was often a bit embarrassing

That would make sense, seeing in 2002 the top speed would have been a whopping 110 miles an hour, but I was surprised that they didn't even do it on the new Eurostar trains, which would have been really interesting to see.

 

[Mat17]

Transpennine have a map showing where the train is...

In the sidings then.

 

[zwk500]

That would make sense, seeing in 2002 the top speed would have been a whopping 110 miles an hour, but I was surprised that they didn't even do it on the new Eurostar trains, which would have been really interesting to see.

The e320s 100% do show the current speed, as I was on one last night. However it cycles through as part of other displays.

 

[pokemonsuper9]

I think the new TfW units (196? 197? Always get them mixed up) have this facility.

I saw a video of their first day in Manchester and the 197s do appear to have a speed section on their display