Getting passengers to spread out along the platform

[absolutelymilk]

On most trains outside of peak hours, passengers seem to stay fairly near the entrance to the station, meaning some doors are very busy, whereas others further away from the entrance are much less busy.

Gatwick is the most extreme example I can think of, but it seems to happen at most stations. It seems like station staff very rarely do much to change this - they sometimes say "Please use the full length of the platform", but most people don't know why they are saying this.

I've never heard station staff say "there will be much more room if you go to the front of the platform" or something similar, why is this?

 

[ValleyLines142]

Because the travelling public seem to lose all function of their brain cells when they enter the station. You should see them when they're trying to scan their e-tickets at the gateline; that's why I lasted 5 months on the gates.

In an ideal world, it just takes platform staff to tell passengers to move down the platform, by emphasising examples you just said such as more room being available. Generally, if you tell the public they're more likely to get a seat if they move further down, they'll go along with it!

 

[pokemonsuper9]

I've never heard station staff say "there will be much more room if you go to the front of the platform" or something similar, why is this?

I have heard stuff to that effect said by the guard once on the train, but nothing so committal other than just being told to spread out from platform staff.

Works for me, given Piccadilly 13/14 is usually quite annoying but the far front (or back of 6 cars) isn't usually a bad spot to board (especially if it's raining barely anyone will venture beyond the shelter), likewise Wigan Wallgate with 4 cars.

 

[zwk500]

I've never heard station staff say "there will be much more room if you go to the front of the platform" or something similar, why is this?

I have heard this, but passengers are generally talking to friends, listening to headphones, or using their phones on speaker so don't pay attention to announcements.

To be honest, the bigger delay in boarding is usually passengers standing right in the centre of the doorway, blocking alighting passengers from leaving the train. And then they get annoyed if you say 'excuse me'. Even on the underground, letting people off first is a behaviour that seemed to get lost in COVID. I have very rarely heard any attempt to encourage passengers to leave a clear path recently.

 

[JamesT]

On most trains outside of peak hours, passengers seem to stay fairly near the entrance to the station, meaning some doors are very busy, whereas others further away from the entrance are much less busy. Gatwick is the most extreme example I can think of, but it seems to happen at most stations. It seems like station staff very rarely do much to change this - they sometimes say "Please use the full length of the platform", but most people don't know why they are saying this. I've never heard station staff say "there will be much more room if you go to the front of the platform" or something similar, why is this?

When the announcer at Oxford is asking people to move along, they generally do say that it is because the train is that long.

 

[CaptainHaddock]

Personally I don't want other passengers spreading out along the platform. If they're all stood at one end, I can happily board at the other end of the train and have several seats to myself!

 

[westv]

Personally I don't want other passengers spreading out along the platform. If they're all stood at one end, I can happily board at the other end of the train and have several seats to myself!

My thinking too

 

[speedy1]

People are glued to their phones. Nothing else around them matters. When not looking at their phone (for a few brief seconds), they're thinking about the next thing to watch on their phone.

No announcement will overcome it.

You could ask "why do people bump into me?" or "why do people wait until they're at the gate to get out their ticket" or "why do people take ages to get off the train these days"?...It's all the same answer

They're not thinking "hm let me look at the board for the formation, see if it's long, and spread out along the platform - this will help me and others, and the train company to get away on time". Nah, "just going to stand here, watch a tiktok and vape"

 

[Ediswan]

In my experience, passenger information boards tend only to be near the entrance.

 

[Torfaen]

I frequently hear dispatch staff at Bristol Parkway telling passengers to use all available doors because the train is about to leave. Who is going to walk on down to the next carriage if the train really is about to leave, and they could be left behind on the platform if they did so?
It is particularly unhelpful that some of the Paddington-bound trains at Bristol Parkway were switched to platform 4. The stopping position for a 9-car means that the back of the train is 50 metres from the bottom of the stairs (and even further from the lift) so many passengers are not even waiting where the train is going to stop. Yet I've rarely seen the dispatch staff proactively suggesting that passengers move along the platform.

 

[ainsworth74]

Personally I don't want other passengers spreading out along the platform. If they're all stood at one end, I can happily board at the other end of the train and have several seats to myself!

Absolutely! If they're too oblivious to think of spreading out themselves then I certainly don't see why those of us that benefit should be made to suffer

 

[Andyh82]

Probably because unless it’s a station with zones marked up, passengers won’t know where the train will stop, but will guess some of it will be in the middle. I.e where would a 4 car train stop on an 8 car platform, in the middle or at one end?

Most of us in this forum probably look for the car stop boards, but normal members of the public wouldn’t

 

[ivorytoast28]

You even see it on the tube, despite the trains fitting the exact platform length so never an issue of being in a place where doors don't open.

Instinctively I move to the far end

 

[py_megapixel]

In my experience, passenger information boards tend only to be near the entrance.

Was about to say - it would help in general if there were good waiting facilities far from the platform entrances. This seems to particularly be an issue at stations where short platforms have later been extended. The extensions often open without so much as a bench, let alone shelters, information boards etc.

I can only assume it it's a cost-saving measure, but platform extensions are multi-million pound projects (though, to be fair, the project often includes multiple platforms on a line). My local authority uses this supplier for street furniture, and they will apparently sell me a steel bench directly online for about £700, pocket change in comparison. Plus I would hope the railway could get a better deal than that if they ordered in bulk.

 

[flitwickbeds]

Probably because unless it’s a station with zones marked up, passengers won’t know where the train will stop, but will guess some of it will be in the middle. I.e where would a 4 car train stop on an 8 car platform, in the middle or at one end?

Most of us in this forum probably look for the car stop boards, but normal members of the public wouldn’t

Exactly this.

Also on a two-platform station, or at least ones where you can guarantee your train will definitely arrive on that platform, it's fine to spread out.

The amount of times I've been given 20 seconds' notice of a platform alteration at various stations, especially West Hampstead Thameslink, has given me the experience to hang by the stairs - if I was at the end of the platform I would have missed the train!

 

[Mcr Warrior]

You even see it on the tube, despite the trains fitting the exact platform length so never an issue of being in a place where doors don't open.

Is that always the case? Didn't it used to be the case (maybe still is) that Circle line trains are/were shorter than District line trains?

 

[absolutelymilk]

Absolutely! If they're too oblivious to think of spreading out themselves then I certainly don't see why those of us that benefit should be made to suffer

Sadly it will delay other trains, meaning that I am delayed. I would ideally like staff to make this announcement for trains before mine, but not for my train!

 

[flitwickbeds]

One long-term solution might be to spread footbridge entrances out along the whole length of the route so that even if people continue to bunch up on the platform, they are better spread out on the train itself.

Eg from Bedford to London, most of the platform entry points are in the middle of the platform. If some were at the north end, some at the south end, some in the middle, and other in-between these points, then the train loading would be evenly spread even if the people on each individual platform are not!

(Though this doesn't account for those passengers who select a carriage near to the *exit* platform, but in the case of Thameslink then central London core stations are relatively diverse in where the exit points are on the platforms)

 

[Tracked]

Probably because unless it’s a station with zones marked up, passengers won’t know where the train will stop

Doncaster station has zones, every time I've been out on an LNER service in the last few years there's been quite a lot of people who still manage to stand in the wrong place

occasionally there's announcements to move down the platform, Platform 3 is usually the one where this happens; London village services pull up at the southern end, most of it not under the canopy, but whatever the weather people wait near the stairs.

Back when I was commuting pre-Covid, I'd get the Sheffield to Adwick service, usually platform 4, and two coaches with the one nearest the stairs around 80-90% full, and the one at the front with a handful of passengers in it.

 

[3141]

It's been happening for decades on the Underground. Many people move only a short distance from the point where they entered the platform. In a few cases that might be because it's also near the exit at their destination station, but mostly it's just inertia.

Similarly, people ignore the "Pass right down the car" exhortations, thus leaving the vestibule more crowded than necessary and sometimes making it difficult for others to get on board.

 

[ainsworth74]

Doncaster station has zones, every time I've been out on an LNER service in the last few years there's been quite a lot of people who still manage to stand in the wrong place

I do wonder if there's an issue with people a) not noticing the existence of zones (and I guess LNER is perhaps more likely than others to have large numbers of people not familiar with the system?) and attendant information on where the train stops along with b) people perhaps just don't trust the information anyway (the industry I think has quite a problem with trust when it comes to the provision of information)?

occasionally there's announcements to move down the platform, Platform 3 is usually the one where this happens; London village services pull up at the southern end, most of it not under the canopy, but whatever the weather people wait near the stairs.

In fairness that's due to LNER not trusting their highly trained drivers to be able to remember not to stop in the wrong place when driving a 9/10-car versus a 5-car. Seems barmy to me when plenty of other highly trained drivers get it right but it is what it is I suppose! You see similar at Darlington (though at least there the canopy and roof does cover the whole platform still!) with people waiting in what would normally be the right place but the train stops down the far end of the platform instead.

Similarly, people ignore the "Pass right down the car" exhortations, thus leaving the vestibule more crowded than necessary and sometimes making it difficult for others to get on board.

That one I do understand a bit better. Many of them will be nervous about being able to get off the train if it's crush loaded so want to stay near the doors. Certainly I've been a bit nervous about it before though I have the advantage of being a large gentlemen so once I start moving I have quite a lot of inertia behind me. People who aren't quite so confident however...

 

[pokemonsuper9]

Is that always the case? Didn't it used to be the case (maybe still is) that Circle line trains are/were shorter than District line trains?

now, all the Circle, District, and Hammersmith & City run with the same S7 stock which has 7 carriages, the Metropolitan line runs with S8 Stock with 8 carriages.

 

[CyrusWuff]

The next train to arrive at Platform 3 is formed of 12 coaches and has 24 sets of doors. As such, there is no need for everyone to try and board through just one door...

 

[D1537]

I did actually see a staff member telling people to move down the platform last week, this was at Leeds when a 6-car Redcar train was approaching and everyone was clustered somewhere around where the last two carriages would have ended up. I agree you don't often hear it, though.

 

[WillC]

Also heard at Oxford, often by an exasperated announcer. But passengers are distracted by a cacophony of announcements and printed information, most of which is unnecessary or overdone, such that they ignore it. Less is more. We’re herd animals and I don’t see this changing.

 

[ainsworth74]

But passengers are distracted by a cacophony of announcements and printed information, most of which is unnecessary or overdone, such that they ignore it. Less is more.

Well yes that comes back to one of my perennial complaints. So much time is spent telling us about "todays inclement weather", "stand back from the edge fast trains can pass at any time", and so on to make sure that the relevant risk assessment boxes are ticked and that a hazard is controlled (it isn't, this is a nonsense, it does no such thing but for legal purposes it is and that's what really matters). So actually useful announcements such telling people where to stand for the next train get filtered out by people automatically headphones or not!

 

[Trainfan2019]

Absolutely! If they're too oblivious to think of spreading out themselves then I certainly don't see why those of us that benefit should be made to suffer

Totally agree with you there! I always plan to be in the least filled carriage, even a class 170 with 2 carriages can be doable.

 

[DarloRich]

London commuters know where to stand. You see knots of people at each door location.

 

[Torfaen]

Absolutely! If they're too oblivious to think of spreading out themselves then I certainly don't see why those of us that benefit should be made to suffer

Passengers trying to get off shouldn't be made to suffer, though. Unless they are regular travellers on a particular service, it's not their fault there's a hoard of passengers all wanting to get on at the door where they need to get off - and everyone (especially anyone with luggage) is struggling to move.

 

[speedy1]

I did actually see a staff member telling people to move down the platform last week, this was at Leeds when a 6-car Redcar train was approaching and everyone was clustered somewhere around where the last two carriages would have ended up. I agree you don't often hear it, though.

They need someone on Platform 16 permanently herding people down the platform . Especially as quite a few 6-car and 5-car services leave from there, and there is heavy traffic to/from P17.

People also need telling to queue more /along/ the platform instead of across, almost totally blocking the way for arriving passengers to exit.