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Is There a Limit to Simpleness for Delay Reasons?
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The_Train
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But wouldn't 'poor rail condition' cover a wide variety of potential issues, whereas 'slippery rails' actually gets to the point of the issue and leaves no doubt as to what the actual problem is?
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Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
It's more detail, not less.
Exactly. A frequent comment on here is that people want simple and direct information. When the railways provide just that they are then seen as babying people....cant win.
Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
I don't see this as babying at all. It's simple, accurate and detailed. What's not to like?
We apologize for the delay. Loss of traction due to reduction of friction between the contact point of the train and the rail has been affecting all units with 'smart sander™' capability and the RHTT circuit has not yet been completed. Should operational staff report low adhesion conditions that are 'reportable' then we will ensure that sandite™ or trackgrip 60™ will be laid and conditions will therefore improve slightly.
Steam buff
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Would love to hear the station announcer or guard read that out without laughing!!!
DarloRich
Veteran Member
The opening statement seems to be direct, punchy and accurate - gets a tick here!
whilst you jest i suspect that is exactly what some posters here would like!
whilst you jest i suspect that is exactly what some posters here would like!
the Rat
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Whilst we are, quite rightly, defending our wonderful language against the onslaught of 'Americanisation', I would like to point out that 'simplicity' is the word.
The irony of someone complaining about the inaccuracy of an announcement whilst, themselves, making up their own words is pure Britain 2018.
The irony of someone complaining about the inaccuracy of an announcement whilst, themselves, making up their own words is pure Britain 2018.
What difference would it make if it was water, leaves or even KY?
Maybe you would also like to know between which mileposts it is located.
Quite!
Maybe "simpleness" referes to a person.
Yobashios indeed!
edwin_m
Veteran Member
You're obviously in a state of some mifflement, and certainly not gruntled.
Actually I would like to know where a problem exists, just so i know what to expect if I become stick in a queue, and how far we have got to go before we start moving again. What is wrong with being told that, say, trains are being delayed by a bridge strike just south of Sharnbrook whereas the norm nowadays seems more likely to be "between Bedford and Leicester".What difference would it make if it was water, leaves or even KY?
Maybe you would also like to know between which mileposts it is located.
In fact looking now, we have on the National Rail website, " A safety inspection of the track is taking place between Milton Keynes Central and Rugby. Consequently, trains between these stations may be delayed by up to 30 minutes or deiverted (sic) via Northallerton" (sic again). So if my train is crawling along, when can I expect it to pick up speed again. Well, somewhere north of Roade I would suppose, assuming that the person who wrote the message meant Northampton when they said Northallerton.
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tsr
Established Member
Most people not familiar with an area would know where somewhere prominent like Bedford or Leicester was, but there is no need for them to know about the geographical minutiae of local place names like Sharnbrook which are nothing to do with the public operation of the railway and are only any use to enthusiasts or staff. The official guidance dictates the use of easily-understood locations when describing a “line problem” (disruption) to the public.
One of my small bugbears with onboard announcements on the north WCML and most of the ECML is that the intercity operators’ train managers tend to use their route knowledge to identify the problem but don’t translate it to passengers’ terms. Some of the crews’ recognised waypoints are obviously significant in railway terms but are so socially insignificant as not to even appear on a search of multiple public maps (eg. OpenStreetMap, Google Maps etc.). It would be acceptable to relate it to a really well-known landmark or state “obscure location z, between station x and station y”, and indeed that’s what I’d be expected to do when dealing with passengers.
One of my small bugbears with onboard announcements on the north WCML and most of the ECML is that the intercity operators’ train managers tend to use their route knowledge to identify the problem but don’t translate it to passengers’ terms. Some of the crews’ recognised waypoints are obviously significant in railway terms but are so socially insignificant as not to even appear on a search of multiple public maps (eg. OpenStreetMap, Google Maps etc.). It would be acceptable to relate it to a really well-known landmark or state “obscure location z, between station x and station y”, and indeed that’s what I’d be expected to do when dealing with passengers.
philthetube
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poor rail conditions are not necessarily restricted to a specific location, a bad day can be a bad day all over part of the issue is that drivers have to expect bad rails everywhere in order to avoid incidents, so very difficult to put locations into words.
johnnychips
Established Member
In the same respect, an announcement that 'somebody has been hit by a train on the line between X and Y and we and the emergency services are trying to sort it out' will gain so much more respect and understanding than 'operational incidents'. When such an event occured in Doncaster station last June, and it was absolutely evident what had happened, there was almost complete understanding from passengers that they would be delayed. But in addition, an unautomated human voice frequently gave updates, even if it was 'we're not sure ourselves what is happening yet'.
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actually, finger trouble typing on a tablet's touch screen.
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Here's another one from this evening "All lines between Plymouth and Totnes have reopened, following damage to the overhead electric wires between these stations. However, whilst services recover, trains may be cancelled or delayed". I begin to wonder if its me, but a quick look at Flying Scotsman on the South Devon Banks on Youtube quickly confirmed that there was no overhead line there, at least, not last weekend. So what overhead electric wires are they referring to? There are some overhead transmission lines crossing the railway at Hemerdon and two more 4 or 5 miles west of Totnes, (and maybe more not on the OS maps): if there was a problem with one of these where it crossed the railway, why not say so?
krus_aragon
Established Member
That strikes me as being a case of someone selecting the (wrong?) attribution code, and a human-readable explanation automatically generated from that code.
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If I recall correctly, the specific wording used in such incidents was carefully agreed upon by a number of interested parties including the British Transport Police and The Samaritans. Having been involved in an incident, I agree with their position.
I wonder whether some regular passengers are more interested in the reason for a delay than its impact. Excluding enthusiasts who have an interest in anything unusual, it seems that they want to know the reason so that they can pass judgement on those giving it.
If the journey is important, I would regard information about the likely impact far more necessary than finding an excuse to whinge about various parts of the railway/passenger behaviour/selfish (desperate) depressed people. The most important information when you are waiting on a station is when/if your train will run and what you can do to mitigate the delay if necessary.
If the journey is important, I would regard information about the likely impact far more necessary than finding an excuse to whinge about various parts of the railway/passenger behaviour/selfish (desperate) depressed people. The most important information when you are waiting on a station is when/if your train will run and what you can do to mitigate the delay if necessary.
Looking for something else on Tyrell Check last night, I did see an incident noted in that area involving overhead power lines that had come down. So what has been said is correct but could maybe have been worded better.
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