Misleading Announcements/Boards

[LE Greys]

I was in London today, and found myself at Earl's Court at about four thirty. A train arrived with 'WIMBLEDON' on the front, which agreed with the platform indicators. Next thing I knew, I was in West Kensington (having just come from Baron's Court). As a result, I didn't make the Southern service from West Brompton, and have one curve at Willesden Junction still not done. I've never known this destination-switching happen before.

After all this, for some reason, they announced the 20:06 from King's Cross as a semi-fast.

This is probably in the wrong section (so feel free to move it) but does anyone else have any examples of announcements that seem to mislead?

 

[ainsworth74]

A few years ago I was waiting in Leeds for a TPE service to Yarm (it was still 158s back then so quite a few years ago!), there was some service disruption due to the unusually warm weather messing up the track. Anyway the station annoucer says that the next service into 15B (my platform) which should be the service to Yarm will terminate here and then carry onto Scarbrough to make up for the cancelled Scarbrough service earlier. Another train will then arrive to continue the Middesbrough service. Sounds simple right? Well in comes the train the head board says Middlesbrough and sure if enough the depature board also says Middlesbrough, which confuses matters somewhat. Thankfully I didn't board (having heard the annoucement and to be sure checking with the guard) but I have wondered how many who might not have heard the annoucemnet did board only to realise they were stuck on that train till Malton!

 

[142094]

Confusion the other day with an East Coast carriage, labelled 'M' on the outside yet inside labelled 'M' at one end and 'L' at the other. Turns out it was coach L. Lot of confused pax that day.

 

[Ivo]

When I was in Brum a few weeks ago the computer system had failed. Trains were showing as leaving five hours late everywhere. And some were showing as cancelled. They had to put out an announcement every couple of minutes saying the system was faulty! They even had shut it down in the end, and you can imagine what that would be like at New Street...!

 

[Drsatan]

Yesterday at Brockenhurst station at about 14:00 the departure boards were showing trains departing between 08:00 and 09:00!

A couple of months ago at Westbury I got on the 19:27 (ex Worcester Foregate Street) to Southampton which was formed of two 153s. The driver said that the front 153 would be going to Southampton, but the train dispatcher said that the rear 153 would be going to Southampton. Anyway, he checked with the driver and it turned out the driver was right. So everyone clambered on board the front 153.

Lo and behold, as soon as everyone got on board there was an announcement saying that the rear unit would be going forward!

 

[LE Greys]

We shouldn't forget the old board at the Cross. I once saw it display this

27:58
Leeds
Operated by
Hull Trains
Calling at
Peterborough
Doncaster
York
Darlington
Grantham
Newark
Doncaster
Selby
Wakefield Westgate

 

[royaloak]

Or the CIS screen at Woking platform 3 showing the time as- 38:22:38 as the 18:33 was ready to leave.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

The old Solari flip boards at Waterloo were notorious for mangling the routes of services!

And I can sympathise with the OP having once boarded a train at Raynes Park for Epsom, the indicators and train front matched. Indicators at Motspur Park agreed as well.

And the next station it actually called at was Tolworth...:roll:

 

[142094]

Not misleading, but inaccurate. Sign at Penistone, points to the right and underneath says:

"Trains to Hudderfield"

Wonder where that is then...

 

[TGV]

July 7th - the day of the London bombings, I was one of many trying to get out of the capital and get home. Because my usual station for beginning the journey (Kings Cross) was closed, I got to Finsbury Park (after a 2 hour car journey!) which was deputising as Kings Cross that day. There was no timetable, no real plans, but to shift as many people as possible out of London.

The idea was that there were 2 departures alternating out of Finsbury Park: One went to Stevenage via the Hertford loop and stopped at every station. The other was for passengers going further north, but was to call at every station to Welwyn Garden City. From there you'd get onward connections to Peterborough and further on, but not stopping at Stevenage - if you wanted Stevenage, you had to use the loop... anyway....

4 hours after arriving at the back of the queue at Finsbury Park I got to Welwyn (a record?!) where the information displays were only displaying the time - no trains or destinations. It was all done the old fashioned way - by tannoy. I vividly remember one announcement went like this:

"The next train will be departing from platform....umm....3... yes, platform 3 to.....Peterborough.... I think.... No.... it's terminating at Huntingdon... If you want Peterborough I suggest you take this train anyway as there is onward connections from Huntingdon for GNER passengers. Either way you're heading in the right direction."

Nobody complained though. It was clear the staff were doing their very best under the circumstances and we all appreciated what they were doing. Big up to the WAGN staff for handing out free bottles of water to what was surely the busiest WGC station has ever been!

I have so many memories of that day and that journey. I might share them here some time.