Euston departure board to be moved

[Bletchleyite]

I may have posted this already, but clearly someone at TfL has noticed this, as it appears that "their" section of the board does indeed show "Please wait". Why that change wasn't applied on the whole thing I have no idea.

Suppressing platforms for TfL services at Euston is THE most stupid operational decision I have ever seen there, though. It can't be anything other than 9 or 10, so in the unlikely event of an alteration it is easy to move between them. This only I think started with the new boards.

Most people seem to be ignoring it and just going to 9 anyway, which it mostly is, and walking around to 10 if they see it arrive there.

 

[modernrail]

These boards seem to be the latest badly thought through change at Euston. You can’t see them from the very new balcony area and you they seem to be causing the sides to become even more congested.

 

[Nippy]

Suppressing platforms for TfL services at Euston is THE most stupid operational decision I have ever seen there, though. It can't be anything other than 9 or 10, so in the unlikely event of an alteration it is easy to move between them. This only I think started with the new boards.

Most people seem to be ignoring it and just going to 9 anyway, which it mostly is, and walking around to 10 if they see it arrive there.

Well they are booked to be platform 9 all day with 10 used if 9 isn’t available for any reason. But they could use any platform - I put one in 12 the other day as 9 and 10 weren’t available. It is a bit of a pain though as we have to stop them at Camden to confirm they’ve changed over to DC mode.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Well they are booked to be platform 9 all day with 10 used if 9 isn’t available for any reason. But they could use any platform - I put one in 12 the other day as 9 and 10 weren’t available. It is a bit of a pain though as we have to stop them at Camden to confirm they’ve changed over to DC mode.

Do they only use dual electrified stock these days then? Didn't know that, I thought some of the LO units were third rail only.

Still doesn't make sense to suppress in normal operations.

 

[450.emu]

Do they only use dual electrified stock these days then? Didn't know that, I thought some of the LO units were third rail only.

Still doesn't make sense to suppress in normal operations.

I've seen the LO units with their pans up in the sidings near Wembley Central, IIRC... most of the units are dual mode either 3rd rail or OHLE, only those on the South London routes out of Shoreditch that run towards West Croydon seem to be 3rd rail only.

 

[sot]

Terrible if coming from the west side of the station e.g. STP or the out and in underground near WHSmith. You can't see them at all in that position with the final one being in off state.

Old boards much better, could see as soon as you entered concourse.

Our came the phone and just checked it that way instead. Waste of money. Still hasn't stopped them with the aceum, two or three last minutes calls whilst I was there!? Why call them so late if they are waiting on the platform? I know some lates have to have some disembark time but when it's on the platform for 40 minutes it takes the biscuit.

 

[Nippy]

Do they only use dual electrified stock these days then? Didn't know that, I thought some of the LO units were third rail only.

Still doesn't make sense to suppress in normal operations.

We have a daily list come out if any are DC only. I agree it doesn’t make sense to suppress the platforms normally.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Terrible if coming from the west side of the station e.g. STP or the out and in underground near WHSmith. You can't see them at all in that position with the final one being in off state.

I doubt that will be off permanently. I guess it's while they work out what should change.

I do note that the entrance by the Tube has a "one line per train" orange display, as does the left hand entrance. Perhaps one should be added by the St P and Sainsburys side entrance as well? Those displays are useful for a quick check when you know which train you're catching.

There's one in the tunnel by the bogs which has been turned off for several years now, I believe to prevent people crowding there and blocking the corridor. Would it be possible/sensible to move it to that side entrance?

Our came the phone and just checked it that way instead. Waste of money. Still hasn't stopped them with the aceum, two or three last minutes calls whilst I was there!? Why call them so late if they are waiting on the platform? I know some lates have to have some disembark time but when it's on the platform for 40 minutes it takes the biscuit.

The scrum does need fixing and there are a number of fixes - all of them together would probably be best. Maybe one for a new thread though.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 17 Dec 2022 ==

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So from more observation of where people are standing and which way they are looking (including today) I would say they should remove the display structure on the P1 side and leave the other one where it is. I reckon that would work fine. That reflects that most people come in from the Tube side.

The spare one could then be put outside or used elsewhere.

 

[sot]

I doubt that will be off permanently. I guess it's while they work out what should change.

I do note that the entrance by the Tube has a "one line per train" orange display, as does the left hand entrance. Perhaps one should be added by the St P and Sainsburys side entrance as well? Those displays are useful for a quick check when you know which train you're catching.

There's one in the tunnel by the bogs which has been turned off for several years now, I believe to prevent people crowding there and blocking the corridor. Would it be possible/sensible to move it to that side entrance?



The scrum does need fixing and there are a number of fixes - all of them together would probably be best. Maybe one for a new thread though.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 17 Dec 2022 ==

---
So from more observation of where people are standing and which way they are looking (including today) I would say they should remove the display structure on the P1 side and leave the other one where it is. I reckon that would work fine. That reflects that most people come in from the Tube side.

The spare one could then be put outside or used elsewhere.

Was the same again this week platform one end turned off. Genuinely terrible. Imagine being in between the two boards now, to see what platform you are on.

50:50 chance you are facing totally the wrong way for your departure. Scrum is even worse.

 

[thedbdiboy]

What's changed from then to now is Advance tickets. Back then you'd just take the next train (even given that they weren't anywhere near as frequent so missing one was a mild annoyance). Now, the cost of missing your Advance ticketed train is swingeing, and so people arrive far earlier and need stuff to do. Plus there's no restaurant car like there once was, so they'll want to buy food and drink too.

While I could probably do without the random clothes and accessories shops by the bog, one reason I like Euston is that if you need something you can get it. The retail and food/drink choices are great (even with a few units lost to the seating area and expanded 8-11 ramp) when compared to many other main stations (yes, you, Bristol Temple Meads), and because there's little else directly near the station are very useful.

What's changed is 54 years of passenger growth and the evolution of society. Euston is a product of it's time, and half a century of time passing is enough for anything that was once 'modern' to have been altered and messed around with to adapt to changing needs.

 

[Bikeman78]

Deleted

 

[Trackman]

Was the same again this week platform one end turned off. Genuinely terrible. Imagine being in between the two boards now, to see what platform you are on.

50:50 chance you are facing totally the wrong way for your departure. Scrum is even worse.

As I've said this up thread and I was ranting again in the pub about it the other night... if it's not broke don't fix it.
Don't get me started on the Man Picc departure boards.
Why, oh why!!?

Let's say I'm at Charing cross (without looking at RTT) and wanted to know the next train home, it's a few seconds of a job as I'm walking in the right direction to the gates. In fact I dont check RTT there.

 

[nlogax]

What's changed is 54 years of passenger growth and the evolution of society. Euston is a product of it's time, and half a century of time passing is enough for anything that was once 'modern' to have been altered and messed around with to adapt to changing needs.

Totally understand that changes have been necessary over time. The departure display changes appear to have no relevance to changing needs, certainly not those of passengers.

 

[dosxuk]

Totally understand that changes have been necessary over time. The departure display changes appear to have no relevance to changing needs, certainly not those of passengers.

Network rail thinks it will improve passenger flow at the station - hence the trial.

Computer modelling has taken place to analyse how shifting passengers’ focus from the front to the centre of the concourse can improve people flow at the West Coast main line’s London terminus.

The screens are fitted with cameras to monitor the results of the trial - and clearly they have already identified one issue with the bank nearest platform one causing more congestion than predicted resulting in it being regularly disabled.

 

[sot]

Had some info on the strike day services today, so without online info would have had to go around to the middle boards to look where to go.

Could it be that they are doing the displays to force serious travellers to use other means to check platforms... Maybe to get rid of the scrum!?

Of course not, it is just they had no idea what they were doing.

An honest question arises -> where do the majority of the interchange pax come from?
Euston UG and walking from STP? I've always thought that entrance was busier.
Am I imagining things or could the long escalators be accessed from on the concourse about 15 years ago?

Euston Square too I imagine, I haven't used the ticket office since the screens, do they turn off that side too?

 

[Horizon22]

Not sure if worthy of a new thread or to add to this - but Charing Cross has been fully replaced with the RGB style boards.

#lms #charingcross #cis #collaborativeworking #siemens | David Crilly MIRSE | 45 comments

Charing Cross RGB…..WE DID IT!! What an amazing team effort, achievement and milestone for London Managed Stations Project! We recovered and replaced the 2 x CIS main boards above gate lines at platforms 1-4 (14m x 3m) and Platforms 5 & 6 (7.5m x 3m) with new Infotec RGB Screens. Works...

www.linkedin.com

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Not sure if worthy of a new thread or to add to this - but Charing Cross has been fully replaced with the RGB style boards.

#lms #charingcross #cis #collaborativeworking #siemens | David Crilly MIRSE | 45 comments

Charing Cross RGB…..WE DID IT!! What an amazing team effort, achievement and milestone for London Managed Stations Project! We recovered and replaced the 2 x CIS main boards above gate lines at platforms 1-4 (14m x 3m) and Platforms 5 & 6 (7.5m x 3m) with new Infotec RGB Screens. Works...

www.linkedin.com

Looking just as unattractive and awkward to read as the Euston ones, and potentially broken - unless there really were only two remaining departures for the day (you never know these days)

 

[Horizon22]

Looking just as unattractive and awkward to read as the Euston ones, and potentially broken - unless there really were only two remaining departures for the day (you never know these days)

They are in exactly the same place as the old boards. I also presume that’s a picture taken on test (the time says 10:48).

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

They are in exactly the same place as the old boards.

I never said they weren’t

 

[nlogax]

They are in exactly the same place as the old boards.

Which is where they belong. I think they'll look fine once they're populated with actual train information.

 

[Stephen42]

They are in exactly the same place as the old boards. I also presume that’s a picture taken on test (the time says 10:48).

Probably this morning, those trains at 12:10 and 12:12 were the first from Charing Cross. The next ones not shown are 12:40 and 12:42 which could be due a configured cut off or not showing a later service with the exact same calling pattern.

 

[greaterwest]

Most large stations have a 75 to 90ish minute cut-off for showing later trains on CIS boards. Showing only two trains at 10:48 would be correct as services started much later today.

 

[Bletchleyite]

They are in exactly the same place as the old boards. I also presume that’s a picture taken on test (the time says 10:48).

The Victoria one had a huge chunk broken last week.

I also note none of the new layouts have an arrivals display - Victoria seems now to lack one entirely. Is this now to be a state secret? It's quite useful when meeting people at stations with more than one platform access.

 

[WizCastro197]

The Victoria one had a huge chunk broken last week.

I also note none of the new layouts have an arrivals display - Victoria seems now to lack one entirely. Is this now to be a state secret? It's quite useful when meeting people at stations with more than one platform access.

Does the Southeastern side not have one (arrivals display)?

 

[Horizon22]

Probably this morning, those trains at 12:10 and 12:12 were the first from Charing Cross. The next ones not shown are 12:40 and 12:42 which could be due a configured cut off or not showing a later service with the exact same calling pattern.

Makes sense. Normally 90-120 minutes.

 

[Trackman]

Looking just as unattractive and awkward to read as the Euston ones, and potentially broken - unless there really were only two remaining departures for the day (you never know these days)

No they are not, they are easier than the old orange boards.
This is what they should have done at Euston, big huge easily readable screens in front of the gates.

as I said up-thread:

Let's say I'm at Charing cross (without looking at RTT) and wanted to know the next train home, it's a few seconds of a job as I'm walking in the right direction to the gates. In fact I dont check RTT there.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Has anyone been to Euston yesterday or today, and is it the same or have they made any changes over Christmas? I still think removing the set nearer the Tube entrance (put it outside) and having only the other set would make it work.

 

[AJDesiro]

Has anyone been to Euston yesterday or today, and is it the same or have they made any changes over Christmas? I still think removing the set nearer the Tube entrance (put it outside) and having only the other set would make it work.

I was at Euston the other day, admittedly before Christmas. But I had noticed a change in the way the station is operated. It seems that some of the ever-worsening SES group agency “security” staff are now stopping access to the ramps for the platforms before a train is announced, causing ever bigger, arguably dangerous, crowds on the ‘corridor’ underneath the old boards. Although, they don’t seem to have managed to get it working completely, as I’ve seen plenty of commuters running past the SES group staff onto the ramp when they’re not looking.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I was at Euston the other day, admittedly before Christmas. But I had noticed a change in the way the station is operated. It seems that some of the ever-worsening SES group agency “security” staff are now stopping access to the ramps for the platforms before a train is announced, causing ever bigger, arguably dangerous, crowds on the ‘corridor’ underneath the old boards. Although, they don’t seem to have managed to get it working completely, as I’ve seen plenty of commuters running past the SES group staff onto the ramp when they’re not looking.

The 8-11 ramp, or just the others? If just the others, then why not just shut the gates when a train isn't boarding?

There's almost always a train boarding on the 8-11 ramp anyway so I don't see how this could work. Plus it's legitimate Tube access.

I did wonder what those security staff were about, they seem to do nothing of any significant benefit. Their passes seem to suggest they are contracted by LNR, or am I thinking of different ones? One side of me wondered if it had to do with that new anti terror law, just like the way I was asked by BTP why I was going "down and back on myself" into P8 when no train was on the display (but did accept my answer after a slightly odd conversation). This has never happened to me before and I do it just about every time I board a train there.

 

[AJDesiro]

The 8-11 ramp, or just the others? If just the others, then why not just shut the gates when a train isn't boarding?

There's almost always a train boarding on the 8-11 ramp anyway so I don't see how this could work.

it seemed to be just the 12-15 ramp, it was absolute mayhem when passengers where getting of an Avanti train meeting with the crowds of regular commuters who know the platform for their LNWR service already. I agree with withholding platforms at most London termini, but Euston is an exception given that the platforms are huge and the concourse is tiny in comparison.