Passenger operated door controls

[strange6]

With one button for opening and one button for closing, you would think all passengers could open the doors quick enough to get off the train. Not a bit of it. How many times have you seen somebody getting all muddled up, pressing the wrong button in a panic and missing their stop? Happened to me again this morning when somebody had just figured out which was the correct button for opening, only for the guard to close them again after they had half opened and said gentlemen nearly got trapped in between them. A few expletives were said when train started to leave, face turned red because half the passengers were laughing resulting in him racing to the back of the train to confront guard hahaha So funny

 

[Wyvern]

Wasnt a 153 was it.

The lights are so dim you can hardly see them and without my glasses I cant read what's written on them.

Top button if I remember correctly?

 

[northwichcat]

pressing the wrong button in a panic

First thing to say there is the open and close buttons should follow a standard convention but they don't some trains have the open button above the close and others (with the same operator) have it the other way around. This is a fault of the train manufacturers/fitters for not following a standard convention.

 

[strange6]

Wasnt a 153 was it.

The lights are so dim you can hardly see them and without my glasses I cant read what's written on them.

Top button if I remember correctly?

This was a 142. Open buttons are at the top

Not sure about 153's but 156's and 158's the open button is at the bottom

 

[me123]

Whilst I do agree with you, and have seen instances of people pressing the wrong button (especially on my local North Clyde Line, where the 320s and 334s in use both have them different ways around...). However, with the introduction of the new style buttons on almost all trains, which include raised arrows and braile, surely there's no excuse nowadays?

 

[northwichcat]

Wasnt a 153 was it.

The lights are so dim you can hardly see them and without my glasses I cant read what's written on them.

If you think a 153 is bad you've not seen the buttons on a 142. Hidden on the side of a pole, smaller than the size of a button on a mobile phone.

 

[strange6]

If you think a 153 is bad you've not seen the buttons on a 142. Hidden on the side of a pole, smaller than the size of a button on a mobile phone.

I always keep my finger pressed on the button so doors open when guard releases them. Other people nearly break their necks trying to watch for it lighting up so they can press it. really quite funny at times watching people trying to open the door.
Elderly couples are often quite funny to watch when the chap starts to lose patience with the missus dithering about.

 

[northwichcat]

I always keep my finger pressed on the button so doors open when guard releases them. Other people nearly break their necks trying to watch for it lighting up so they can press it. really quite funny at times watching people trying to open the door.
Elderly couples are often quite funny to watch when the chap starts to lose patience with the missus dithering about.

I frequently have to reach across and press the button to open the door on a 142 when I'm the second or third person from the door as the people closest to the door fail to even realise there is a button.

Some children alighting at the door which the guard is opening on a 142 like to play with the buttons as the guard is releasing them and sometimes it almost results in the guard being smacked in the face by the doors.

 

[ApAp]

I always keep my finger pressed on the button so doors open when guard releases them. Other people nearly break their necks trying to watch for it lighting up so they can press it. really quite funny at times watching people trying to open the door.
Elderly couples are often quite funny to watch when the chap starts to lose patience with the missus dithering about.

Some trains (like the 378's used on the ELL) won't open the door if you keep your finger held down on the button before the doors are activated. You have to lift your finger off and press again.

 

[northwichcat]

Some trains (like the 378's used on the ELL) won't open the door if you keep your finger held down on the button before the doors are activated. You have to lift your finger off and press again.

He's talking about on 142s with the folding bus doors not proper trains with proper doors.

 

[moonrakerz]

I think a lot of doors are not labelled in a very "user friendly" way to start with. How often do you see someone stood in front of a door which says "Automatic Door" waiting in vain for it to magically open - when it actually is a "power assisted" door.

Trains in general are no better. All have different buttons, different locations, different pictograms on the buttons; some internal doors are automatic, others have a button to press. On my line people get on a "train"; on one, the doors open all by themselves, on another they stand there looking lost when the doors don't open.

 

[LE Greys]

The Paris Metro has a weird one, lift a sort of lever to open the door, which I think 313s used to have as well. Then there's the Networker gangway doors where you have to wave at the sensor to open them. Of course, the really strange one is the HST, with automatic in-coach doors (that keep opening and closing if a suitcase gets anywhere near the pressure pad) and slam outside doors. No wonder people get confused.

 

[philjo]

The 317s have the large rubber buttons (which are not illuminated so you don't know if the doors are unlocked other than the orange lights on the outside of the train). Quite frequently people don't press it long enough for the door to fully open. if you press it for a short while the door starts to open then closes again.

 

[trainophile]

What annoys me is on trains with internal doors between the carriage where the seats are and the "lobby" to the exits, the doors can't be held open even by keeping a finger on the button. If there are lots of people waiting to get off as the train pulls into a station, some get trapped behind the doors, having to keep pushing the button every few seconds, or even caught unawares by them shutting. I had a good pair of shoes ruined once by a door closing over my foot! (Well I pulled my foot out of the way but the shoe was badly scuffed).

As for external doors opening at stations, I don't know why there is (usually) such a long delay between the train coming to a halt and the 'open door' lights going on. It reminds me of a washing machine that makes you wait a full minute after the thing has completely finished its cycle! It's no wonder people start to panic and get confused.

 

[northwichcat]

The Paris Metro has a weird one, lift a sort of lever to open the door.

The newer trains on Paris Metro have push buttons, the older ones have as you described but then some of the older ones date back to 1967 - so they have a much simplier door operating system than British slam doors from that period. They also let you open the door when it's slowed down to 5mph, opposed to like most trains where it's stopped and been released by rail staff.

 

[Wyvern]

What annoys me is on trains with internal doors between the carriage where the seats are and the "lobby" to the exits, the doors can't be held open even by keeping a finger on the button.

That's the beauty of the foot pads of the HST. If you're stuck in the doorway it stays open as long as you're standing on the pad.

 

[WestCoast]

That's the beauty of the foot pads of the HST. If you're stuck in the doorway it stays open as long as you're standing on the pad.

I do like the fact that the doors open automatically, but I thought it was a sensor as opposed to a foot pad!

I wonder why the doors are not designed like this anymore, they do use movement sensors on the Siemens Velaros (ICE3s).

It's annoying when you're queuing to get off a Pendolino/Voyager and you can't stop the internal door from closing.

 

[142094]

Always seems to happen on 142s. I don't understand why people, who normally stand up a good minute or two before their stop (thinking they'll get to work that little bit faster than everyone else), don't actually look around for the button first. Some wait until the train is in the station at a standstill before looking around quickly in a panic.

 

[Ivo]

If I remember rightly, one of the differences between 357/0s and 357/2s is that on the former, the open button is the top one, whereas on the latter the close button is...

 

[WestCoast]

Always seems to happen on 142s. I don't understand why people, who normally stand up a good minute or two before their stop (thinking they'll get to work that little bit faster than everyone else), don't actually look around for the button first. Some wait until the train is in the station at a standstill before looking around quickly in a panic.

It's the standard scenario, yesterday I saw three people looking for the button, getting panicky, they couldn't find it! I walked up and opened it for them.

 

[CosherB]

Why have 2 buttons (open / close)? Why not just one button (if the doors are closed, it will open them once the guard has activated them, if the doors are open, it will close them)? Far simpler!

 

[WestCoast]

Why have 2 buttons (open / close)? Why not just one button (if the doors are closed, it will open them once the guard has activated them, if the doors are open, it will close them)? Far simpler!

Most modern trams have this layout, but for some reason trains don't. May be something do with the disability regulations although I don't know..

 

[LE Greys]

Why have 2 buttons (open / close)? Why not just one button (if the doors are closed, it will open them once the guard has activated them, if the doors are open, it will close them)? Far simpler!

Imagine if some idiot kept hitting the button
<==> >==< <==> >==< <==> >==< <==> >==<

 

[MCR247]

But they could just do that with two buttons?

 

[LE Greys]

But they could just do that with two buttons?

What I mean is what sometimes happens when the door is a bit slow in opening. They hit the button, think it hasn't notice, hit it again, the system interprets that as a "close" command. When the door starts to close, they panic and hit it again several times, so the door gets the commands "open", "close", "open", "close". Every time it tries to close, they try to make it open. My telly does this to me all the time, I try to make it change channels, think it hasn't read the "swap" command, so try it again a couple of times, then end up watching a screen flicking back and forth for the next five minutes. Either that, or it ends up on the wrong channel.

 

[Blindtraveler]

i have nothing against older people but its them often who are guilty, both on boarding and alighting and also using the loo! Pass com anyone? equally, you'd think, having been brought up in the days of slammers that when confronted with an mk2/3 with a pull down window and external handle that they'de be in there element but clearly not!! On a different note, been blind all my life and relie on what tactile markings are on buttons to opperate doors, loo flushes etc. Only one thats got me muddled ever is the rubber things on 317s!

 

[jon0844]

First thing to say there is the open and close buttons should follow a standard convention but they don't some trains have the open button above the close and others (with the same operator) have it the other way around. This is a fault of the train manufacturers/fitters for not following a standard convention.

I think all new trains, and those refurbished, will have open at the bottom as it aids wheelchair users and children who are lower down. They aren't as likely to want to shut the doors as open them.

So, one day, they will be standard!

Oh and the 317s are a PITA because people tap the buttons and then panic and try to run down the aisle to the other set causing everyone to panic too! It can be amusing at times though, I suppose!!

Sent from my MB525 using Tapatalk

 

[BestWestern]

...As for external doors opening at stations, I don't know why there is (usually) such a long delay between the train coming to a halt and the 'open door' lights going on. It reminds me of a washing machine that makes you wait a full minute after the thing has completely finished its cycle! It's no wonder people start to panic and get confused.

This will generally be down to the necessary 'Local Door' procedures on power-operated door stock with a Guard releasing the doors. The Guard is obliged to open whichever door he/she is operating from - the 'Local' door - first, check the train is safely platformed, and only then give a full door release. However this is not always obeyed, which explains why sometimes the doors will release immediately. This shouldn't apply on DOO trains, and doesn't usually on HST's either, as the Guard will usually be 'window hanging' as the train rolls in and can see to release the doors straight away.

The problems with Pass-comms being yanked by people trying to flush the lav is annoying, but I've usually found it's because the label is missing, and people think it's a flush or a door open handle; can't blame them really!

 

[142094]

You see a delay in a lot of areas that have unstaffed stations that are quite close together. Guard is normally either finishing off a ticket or on way back to the local door, so that is mainly why sometimes you can be standing for a while until the doors are released. Brings up the interesting point - what is better, a one minute delay and a few more £s from another ticket, or a train on time and a few less £s?

 

[Twoonthebuzzer]

Why have open and close buttons at all?

When the Guard releases the doors, they automatically open, and when the Guard closes the doors, they automatically close!

Saves the passengers having to do anything then!!