Gatelines without EMO

[kijeta]

Having travelled extensively on the TfL network, I noticed that the vast majority of gatelines have an easily visible EMO plunger (Not sure what it stands for - the emergency red panic button that turns the barriers off and sometimes disallows tap-ins) on the in-gateline side.

However, Hampstead Heath and Tottenham Court Road (lift-only wide aisle gate near the centre of the concourse), and possibly others I've missed, do not. Hampstead Heath's gateline has a station control unit, but is physically located on the wrong side (facing the outside of the station).

Are there other similar examples anywhere in the country? Would anyone be able to advise if this is in accordance with safety policies/guidelines/regulations?

The situation at Tottenham Court Road is especially concerning, as customer-operated lifts are prone to failure at anytime, meaning passengers who have just exited prior (leading to passback when trying to exit again) would be effectively trapped.

 

[Haywain]

Hampstead Heath's gateline has a station control unit,

Every station has a SCU.

 

[kijeta]

Every station has a SCU.

Even those without gatelines?

 

[Haywain]

Even those without gatelines?

I think you know full well what I mean.

 

[Wallsendmag]

I think you know full well what I mean.

Even those with the superior gates?

 

[RPI]

Even those with the superior gates?

Superior gates?

 

[CyrusWuff]

Superior gates?

LNER have Scheidt & Bachmann gates at most of their gated stations. Kings Cross being the exception, given it's in London so (currently) has to have Cubic gates for Oyster and CPAY compatibility.

 

[Deerfold]

Every station has a SCU.

SCU?

 

[RPI]

LNER have Scheidt & Bachmann gates at most of their gated stations. Kings Cross being the exception, given it's in London so (currently) has to have Cubic gates for Oyster and CPAY compatibility.

Phew, I was thinking that @Wallsendmag may be referring to Vix gates, which are absolutely terrible

 

[sharpley]

SCU?

Station Control Unit. A touchscreen that can control Cubic gates. Validators and POMs (Passenger Operated Machines). Often located in the SCU cabinet next to a gateline, which also has the EMO (Emergency Open) plunger in it. Plungers and SCUs can also be located in ticket offices, control rooms or (plungers only) in small boxes mounted on a wall.

Just to add that a Cubic gate won't go into service if its not connected to the EMO circuit. Fire alarm interface as well as the EMO plungers all make up the EMO circuit on a Cubic gateline

 

[MikeWh]

I think you know full well what I mean.

And if you read the rest of the sentence beyond what you quoted, I think you know full well what is being talked about.

 

[saismee]

Even those without gatelines?

Some yes. Stowmarket, Newmarket, and Watlington to name a random few. The platform validators need a station control unit/computer to talk to.

Ipswich has two SCUs, one for the gateline and one for half of the barcode scanners. Not sure why.

 

[sharpley]

Some yes. Stowmarket, Newmarket, and Watlington to name a random few. The platform validators need a station control unit/computer to talk to.

Ipswich has two SCUs, one for the gateline and one for half of the barcode scanners. Not sure why.

A SCUs only purpose is as in interface so operators can open / close / reverse direction of a gate, set revenue monitoring or view any errors on individual devices.

A gateline or validator doesn't need a SCU to operate as some functions like direction of travel or viewing errors can be done via the device keypad, but obviously a working SCU makes life easier for staff.

A SCU doesn't deal with handling transactions, table updates and the like. It's purely a staff interface

 

[saismee]

A SCUs only purpose is as in interface so operators can open / close / reverse direction of a gate, set revenue monitoring or view any errors on individual devices. A gateline or validator doesn't need a SCU to operate as some functions like direction of travel or viewing errors can be done via the device keypad, but obviously a working SCU makes life easier for staff. A SCU doesn't deal with handling transactions, table updates and the like. It's purely a staff interface

The SCU is the box containing the station computer and screen. Smartcard validators and gates need a computer to talk to, they're quite dumb on their own.

The screen has its own computer which handles the local barcode server (LBS), for validating barcode tickets.

The SCU is both an interface for staff  and Cubic technicians, so they can remotely check faults.

 

[CyrusWuff]

Ipswich has two SCUs, one for the gateline and one for half of the barcode scanners. Not sure why.

Technically it will likely be a second Local Barcode Server rather than a SCU. With the massive increase in the use of barcode tickets in recent years, only having one can cause performance issues at busier stations. Installing a second helps spread the load.

There are also physical limitations on how many gates one LBS can handle. Waterloo has over 200 gates, for example, so I'm pretty sure they're not all on a single LBS.

 

[saismee]

Technically it will likely be a second Local Barcode Server rather than a SCU. With the massive increase in the use of barcode tickets in recent years, only having one can cause performance issues at busier stations. Installing a second helps spread the load.

There are also physical limitations on how many gates one LBS can handle. Waterloo has over 200 gates, for example, so I'm pretty sure they're not all on a single LBS.

It's in its own SCU cabinet in a building down the end of platform 2.

The tech is pretty dated in general so I'm unsurprised, it just seems weird to do it this way.

 

[sharpley]

It's in its own SCU cabinet in a building down the end of platform 2.

The tech is pretty dated in general so I'm unsurprised, it just seems weird to do it this way.

The SCU and the SC (Station Computer) are two separate PCs, possibly located in the same cabinet maybe at the location your talking about. When I worked for Cubic I only dealt with TfL setups. The SC was either locked away in the SCR room on LUL stations, or a secure cabinet in NR stations. The SCU is just a touchscreen and PC that then connects to the SC. A station can function without a SCU and all gates would be online, gates would be offline without an SC

 

[Failed Unit]

I remember once arriving at Northwick Park (Met line) The gates were closed and no staff where there. Ticket wouldn’t open the gate so I needed to climb of the top of them. I must say TfL are much better at have visible staff then other countries (Paris on the RER springs to mind)