Greater Anglia Information Systems

[gingerheid]

I'm on a Greater Anglia service that says it's going to call at Cambridge South.

What is it about Greater Anglia's data systems?

There's still departure boards at Ipswich showing incorrect information years later, passengers often know about cancellations / stop shorts before drivers and station staff, and disruption information on boards is often hopeless.

Why is it so hard to get this right?

Edit: In addition to the above...

Also my ticket says I need to change at Cambridge, but the change is onto the same train!

 

[parrot]

I have noticed on the Stansted Express when approaching Tottenham Hale it always says the Victoria line is disrupted, even when its fine. PIS systems seem to be difficult to get right.

 

[ollyrogers]

I have noticed on the Stansted Express when approaching Tottenham Hale it always says the Victoria line is disrupted, even when its fine. PIS systems seem to be difficult to get right.

Surely that’s just an example of the PIS playing the percentages game. I used to commute on it and it was generally 50/50 odds it would be heavily disrupted!

 

[dk1]

Won’t be long now.

 

[Jim the Jim]

Perhaps part of the same issue as discussed here https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/station-stop-missing-in-journey-planner.296921/ ?

I wonder if the ticket issue is connected to the engineering blockade? What would normally be one service had to be inputted as separate ones north and south of Cambridge and for some reason that's persisted into this week? So the journey planner thinks your one train is actually two separate trains.

 

[saismee]

There's still departure boards at Ipswich showing incorrect information years later

Such as what?

 

[dk1]

Such as what?

Probably the platform 3C thing. Both staff and passengers have repeatedly reported it but it seems to difficult to change.

 

[saismee]

Probably the platform 3C thing. Both staff and passengers have repeatedly reported it but it seems to difficult to change.

I'm not sure what you mean. I know that some services love to say "Delayed" such as the 0921 to Cambridge, though.

 

[dk1]

I'm not sure what you mean. I know that some services love to say "Delayed" such as the 0921 to Cambridge, though.

Platform 3C often shows the following Norwich service even though a Peterborough or Cambridge is waiting to depart. Been like that for years. Trains showing delayed are normally down to the ECS moves on the diagram getting cancelled. The 12:28 Stansted departure from Norwich was another that shew this confusing everyone not a regular traveller.

 

[saismee]

Platform 3C often shows the following Norwich service even though a Peterborough or Cambridge is waiting to depart. Been like that for years.

Ah I think that's because the boards are solely for "platform 3" and therefore don't display the "separate" 3B/C. Yes that has always seemed strange to me, especially as it works fine on 2/2B.

 

[Horizon22]

passengers often know about cancellations / stop shorts before drivers and station staff, and disruption information on boards is often hopeless.

Hardly unique to just Greater Anglia.

It is easy to click a few buttons in a control room to update various systems (although exponentially harder the more services that are impacted) but contacting staff members may take more time, or they may not be looking at internal apps 24/7/

 

[Geeves]

I'm not sure what system Anglia use but as far as Ketech goes as DK1 says any alterations to the diagram that have ECS work or a new start point will just lead to eternally showing "delayed", it's not possible to remove it and we have tried for years! It really isn't the best and you can be sure the folks trying to show the correct screens are equally as incredulous!

We now have the situation where the train says "see station Displays" on the front and the screen next to the train in a bay platform says "train does not stop here" ha!

 

[Horizon22]

I'm not sure what system Anglia use but as far as Ketech goes as DK1 says any alterations to the diagram that have ECS work or a new start point will just lead to eternally showing "delayed", it's not possible to remove it and we have tried for years!

They use Blackbox. One of the only TOCs to do so; most are on Worldline systems that tend to process ECS moves better.

 

[saismee]

Ipswich now has a snazzy new departure screen to match the one installed in Norwich. Key notes:

• No arrivals are shown anymore
• It shows twice as many departures as before
• Buses are a waste of space as they aren't shown
• New clock! It's really not as offensive as people made it out to be
• There's a smaller board off to the side that shows  some departures, but not all. I'm not entirely sure why. It also fully obstructs the mini ticket office desk, though I don't think its staffed anymore anyway

 

[Vexed]

There's a smaller board off to the side that shows  some departures, but not all. I'm not entirely sure why...

I guess it's supposed to show multiple later departures in a more compact format than the ones closer to departure time on the left. Bit pointless to only show one...

 

[londonmidland]

They use Blackbox. One of the only TOCs to do so; most are on Worldline systems that tend to process ECS moves better.

West Midlands Trains (WMR & LNR) also use BlackBox CIS.

I wonder how long this will last for, with, as you mentioned, most TOCs use the Wordline system?

I believe the BlackBox contract comes up for renewal around October time this year, if I remember correctly.

 

[saismee]

West Midlands Trains (WMR & LNR) also use BlackBox CIS.

I wonder how long this will last for, with, as you mentioned, most TOCs use the Wordline system?

I believe the BlackBox contract comes up for renewal around October time this year, if I remember correctly.

The new ones are BlackBox so I expect them to stay for a while.

I guess it's supposed to show multiple later departures in a more compact format than the ones closer to departure time on the left. Bit pointless to only show one...

It's not, it started showing random departures and is now correct. BUT... the big screen has since conked out for about an hour.

 

[Horizon22]

West Midlands Trains (WMR & LNR) also use BlackBox CIS.

I wonder how long this will last for, with, as you mentioned, most TOCs use the Wordline system?

I believe the BlackBox contract comes up for renewal around October time this year, if I remember correctly.

I have heard that WMT really dislike BlackBox and are considering going back to Worldline.

The new ones are BlackBox so I expect them to stay for a while.

It's not, it started showing random departures and is now correct. BUT... the big screen has since conked out for about an hour.

The physical screens and software are somewhat different. Although BlackBox do have their own screens too, Worldline often partner with Infotec for the CIS assets.

 

[jamieh27]

I have heard that WMT really dislike BlackBox and are considering going back to Worldline.



The physical screens and software are somewhat different. Although BlackBox do have their own screens too, Worldline often partner with Infotec for the CIS assets.

Alot of staff preferred Anne than Ivona Amy also her announcements at stations are very quiet and not easy to hear. I think WMR made a big mistake replacing Anne. I do hope they bring her back.

 

[Horizon22]

One issue I do have with these screens is that if your train is delayed and has a new "expected" time, it is nearly impossible to see what it is without being right up close. Also the colour coding could use some finessing; going orange immediately at a 1 minute delay isn't really neccessary.

 

[saismee]

One issue I do have with these screens is that if your train is delayed and has a new "expected" time, it is nearly impossible to see what it is without being right up close. Also the colour coding could use some finessing; going orange immediately at a 1 minute delay isn't really neccessary.

The old ones would go orange too, though tiny delays like that usually don't even appear as our timetable isn't ridiculously tight. I have no trouble reading the boards without my glasses from across the room, the orange is perfectly legible to me.

In fact, showing 5 next departures with details alongside departures 6-10 without any details is really handy. If you know the Lowestoft train is what you want, you can just check the platform number without waiting for a page to cycle around. Arrivals is a problem, but they are fiddling with it tonight and it should be back, hopefully tomorrow morning.

 

[dk1]

Ipswich now has a snazzy new departure screen to match the one installed in Norwich. Key notes:

• No arrivals are shown anymore
• It shows twice as many departures as before
• Buses are a waste of space as they aren't shown
• New clock! It's really not as offensive as people made it out to be
• There's a smaller board off to the side that shows  some departures, but not all. I'm not entirely sure why. It also fully obstructs the mini ticket office desk, though I don't think its staffed anymore anyway

That’s odd. Norwich has both arrivals & local bus services.

 

[abn444]

Alot of staff preferred Anne than Ivona Amy also her announcements at stations are very quiet and not easy to hear. I think WMR made a big mistake replacing Anne. I do hope they bring her back.

Must be pretty bad then if Worldline and Anne are better

 

[londonmidland]

I have heard that WMT really dislike BlackBox and are considering going back to Worldline.

That would be great if true. BlackBox just screams 'cheap' all around and the text-to-speech voice is totally unsuitable for stations, as it easily gets drowned out.

All of the customer information displays would have to be replaced with Infotec displays, as BlackBox displays are not compatible with Wordline CIS.

 

[saismee]

That’s odd. Norwich has both arrivals & local bus services.

It's also bigger and double-sided. I don't see any reason the Ipswich one was changed at all.

 

[paulmch]

I never pass up an opportunity to complain about GA's information screens! They're a nightmare for staff and passengers alike for a number of reasons:

1) When there's a delayed train at the platform they will often display whatever the next booked service is rather than the one that's actually there. A big problem at Cambridge with very intensively used platforms.

2) It really struggles to cope when trains arrive outside of their booked order and will often announce the wrong one.

3) When a train terminates it will usually just display the next public service. Locking up a train on a Saturday night when the platform is full of drunk punters waiting for another train 10 minutes behind can be extremely challenging sometimes.

4) Some of the departure boards only show 3 services at a time and scroll through all the calling points before moving onto the next three. If the status of any of those 3 trains changes during that time you have to wait for all the calling points to be listed again, which for a Thameslink or Kings Cross stopper can take a minute or two!

5) A few other posters have mentioned this but the announcements are far too quiet. At Ely it seems that the staff duplicate all announcements as the automated ones are barely audible, especially if there's any diesel traction around.

 

[saismee]

4) Some of the departure boards only show 3 services at a time and scroll through all the calling points before moving onto the next three. If the status of any of those 3 trains changes during that time you have to wait for all the calling points to be listed again, which for a Thameslink or Kings Cross stopper can take a minute or two!

The new boards solve this by only having one page, and the smaller one scrolls vertically quite quickly. Definitely a sore point from before that has been/is being resolved.

3) When a train terminates it will usually just display the next public service. Locking up a train on a Saturday night when the platform is full of drunk punters waiting for another train 10 minutes behind can be extremely challenging sometimes.

Sometimes on football days there will be an XX01 arrival from London Liverpool Street to Ipswich which terminates and shunts out of the way, but when big football crowds see long train, their first (reasonable) instict is to attempt to board it. I don't think I've ever seen an XX10 Norwich to London Liverpool Street depart Ipswich on time in this situation. The boards don't say anything about the train being out of service, so it's all on manual announcements which people seem to just ignore.

The terminator: https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:F07890/2026-03-07/detailed
The shunt: https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:F07873/2026-03-07/detailed
The intercity: https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:P47596/2026-03-07/detailed#allox_id=0

Not a huge delay, but it's longer than it should be. Still seems to put TSGN terminators to shame

 

[londonmidland]

I forgot to mention - if you miss the first announcement, the second announcement, as the train arrives into the station platform, only announces its destination. It does not advertise its calling points.

 

[Horizon22]

3) When a train terminates it will usually just display the next public service. Locking up a train on a Saturday night when the platform is full of drunk punters waiting for another train 10 minutes behind can be extremely challenging sometimes.

I've seen issues at Shenfield with this. Elizabeth line ECS train on Platform 4 clearly there and still advertising the next Southend service!

In addition, Blackbox appears to struggle with platform changes and unit swaps during disruption.

 

[saismee]

Buses and engineering works now exist at Ipswich, but I couldn't begin to explain what's going on with departures. The small board is gone and still no arrivals.