Platform Changes Yeovil Pen Mill

[Kath123]

The train planners decide which platform the trains use. Control or the Signaller can change it on an ad-hoc basis, or station staff can request it.
The change can be made just for you if it doesn't clash with another train. Platform changes are regularly made at stations for wheelchair users, for example, when lifts are out of action

Thank you for this information - very useful and much appreciated.

For southbound trains to use P1 there is approach-control signalling (with a time penalty on paper) which means that during the daytime, there isn’t quite enough time in the timetable to allow services to do this, without impacting the very tight cross at Maiden Newton. if you caught one of the late evening southbound services it probably wasn’t booked to cross anything so there is time.

Thank you very much for this info. It has helped me to understand a bit more. Unfortunately I am not likely to be using the station late evenings.

Some of these could be last minute changes due to there being no barrow crossing at Pen Mill - if there's a passenger who can't use the footbridge then platform 1 has to be used

Hi there is a crossing at Yeovil Pen Mill (I’ve been guided across it a few times in the past few weeks) but generally in my situation I’m escorted over the footbridge. The crossing doesn’t seem to be used much and I’ve been told by one member of staff it isn’t supposed to be used by passengers (not sure why?) but I’m confused about this as sometimes when I tell guards I’m worried about the footbridge they re-assure me by mentioning the crossing.

 

[swrcommguard]

There is an open, ungated barrow crossing at Pen Mill at the Castle Cary end of the platforms. If I am booked to use P3 and have a wheelchair user or other customer with accessibility needs I call the YPM signal box and ask if I can be routed into P1 and, if that's not possible, either me or the signaller will see the customer across the barrow crossing.
So OP you don't need to use the Footbridge if you alight on P3.

 

[Kath123]

There is an open, ungated barrow crossing at Pen Mill at the Castle Cary end of the platforms. If I am booked to use P3 and have a wheelchair user or other customer with accessibility needs I call the YPM signal box and ask if I can be routed into P1 and, if that's not possible, either me or the signaller will see the customer across the barrow crossing.
So OP you don't need to use the Footbridge if you alight on P3.

Hi

Thank you so much for replying. I am guessing you may be an SWR guard from Salisbury and seem to know the layout of Yeovil Pen Mill well which is helpful. Please can I ask you a few questions? I understand that you may not feel able or want to answer all of them.

1. When the Ticket Office staff are there at Yeovil Pen Mill they tend to assist me over the footbridge if I need to go to/from platform 3. Do you know why they don’t tend to use the barrow crossing? At Yeovil Junction the staff there use their barrow crossing with me quite a lot.

2. Do you know what is happening with the station staffing at Yeovil Pen Mill? I know what the scheduled hours should be but it seems the station often can’t keep to these.

3. You mention the signaller. They have provided my assistance at Yeovil Pen Mill before and been very good but the GWR Passenger Assist Team have told me before that this shouldn’t happen/they aren’t allowed to provide it so I worry I’m placing the signaller in a difficult position? It would be so good if they could always do it though because then I wouldn’t have to worry whether the Ticket Office is staffed.

4. I’m worried I’m going to get in trouble for going off topic but at the beginning of August I had a difficult experience at Yeovil Pen Mill regarding assistance and I have not felt able to return to the station since. There is another thread on here about it. Basically I turned up having booked assistance and been told the station would be staffed to turn up and find the Ticket Office closed and no staff. I needed to get to platform 3 for my train but I didn’t feel confident using the footbridge. Eventually I managed to shout across the platform to attract the attention of the signaller who gave me permission to cross the crossing but then I had to run for the train. What should I have done in those circumstances? I really need to find a way to feel able to feel ok to return to the station after what happened because it is impacting my life while I don’t feel able to go there but I don’t know how to move forward.

Thanks for any help you can give.

 

[infobleep]

Norwood Junction and Finsbury Park were others, either to allow interchange with trains on either side, or to allow both interchange and direct access to/from the entrance/exit. Stratford Central Line westbound is another, very recent, example.

I appreciate why they don't open both doors now but it can lead to people missing their train.

Earlier this summer or late spring, 5he last train towards Woking and London pulled into Guildford.

The signaller must have routed it into platform 6. The guard opened the doors as if it was platform 5 but it was in fact platform 7. I got off and filmed or photographed the unusual occasion for my own records and to mention it to friends, as such things interest me.

I thiught thought the guard would realise the issue and open the other doors. Alas, the guard didn't realise the mistake and the train departed. Probably 30+ people on platform 5 needing the last train. Looked a lot. The guard is only human so no one is perfect.

Station staff became aware very quickly and told passengers to head to platform 2. I left so had no idea what happened next for the passengers. I'm guessing taxis.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 25 Aug 2024 ==

Accessibility for disabled people was not a consideration - but ease of loading/unloading/ transferring the mails etc might well have been.

The Guildford platforms 6 and 7 were for parcels and other goods unloading.

 

[swrcommguard]

Hi

Thank you so much for replying. I am guessing you may be an SWR guard from Salisbury and seem to know the layout of Yeovil Pen Mill well which is helpful. Please can I ask you a few questions? I understand that you may not feel able or want to answer all of them.

1. When the Ticket Office staff are there at Yeovil Pen Mill they tend to assist me over the footbridge if I need to go to/from platform 3. Do you know why they don’t tend to use the barrow crossing? At Yeovil Junction the staff there use their barrow crossing with me quite a lot.

2. Do you know what is happening with the station staffing at Yeovil Pen Mill? I know what the scheduled hours should be but it seems the station often can’t keep to these.

3. You mention the signaller. They have provided my assistance at Yeovil Pen Mill before and been very good but the GWR Passenger Assist Team have told me before that this shouldn’t happen/they aren’t allowed to provide it so I worry I’m placing the signaller in a difficult position? It would be so good if they could always do it though because then I wouldn’t have to worry whether the Ticket Office is staffed.

4. I’m worried I’m going to get in trouble for going off topic but at the beginning of August I had a difficult experience at Yeovil Pen Mill regarding assistance and I have not felt able to return to the station since. There is another thread on here about it. Basically I turned up having booked assistance and been told the station would be staffed to turn up and find the Ticket Office closed and no staff. I needed to get to platform 3 for my train but I didn’t feel confident using the footbridge. Eventually I managed to shout across the platform to attract the attention of the signaller who gave me permission to cross the crossing but then I had to run for the train. What should I have done in those circumstances? I really need to find a way to feel able to feel ok to return to the station after what happened because it is impacting my life while I don’t feel able to go there but I don’t know how to move forward.

Thanks for any help you can give.

Hi there, no problem at all, and yes I am a Guard for SWR.

1) I am not sure why this would be there preference as I imagine the barrow crossing would be easier for you. It maybe they are not PTS trained but even if they aren't it shouldn't be an issue as the barrow crossing is open and for public use in the same way as many foot crossings are.

2) I don't know I am afraid as it is a GWR managed station. I always assume it's unmanned in the afternoon and evenings.

3) It's not officially part of the signallers job to provide passenger assistance but they do monitor use of the barrow crossing for obvious reasons and it's right in front of the box. I think we usually come to a clear understanding with them about who is doing what to provide good passenger assistance in a safe way.

4) I think really all you can do is complain and see what they say. I am very sorry you had this experience, though.

Hope this helps!

 

[Kath123]

Hi there, no problem at all, and yes I am a Guard for SWR.

1) I am not sure why this would be there preference as I imagine the barrow crossing would be easier for you. It maybe they are not PTS trained but even if they aren't it shouldn't be an issue as the barrow crossing is open and for public use in the same way as many foot crossings are.

2) I don't know I am afraid as it is a GWR managed station. I always assume it's unmanned in the afternoon and evenings.

3) It's not officially part of the signallers job to provide passenger assistance but they do monitor use of the barrow crossing for obvious reasons and it's right in front of the box. I think we usually come to a clear understanding with them about who is doing what to provide good passenger assistance in a safe way.

4) I think really all you can do is complain and see what they say. I am very sorry you had this experience, though.

Hope this helps!

That’s all very useful thank you.

I know this would maybe go against official advice but if the crossing is public (and its use monitored) then I’m almost tempted to try and use it myself if the station isn’t staffed……

 

[swrcommguard]

That’s all very useful thank you.

I know this would maybe go against official advice but if the crossing is public (and its use monitored) then I’m almost tempted to try and use it myself if the station isn’t staffed……

It's a very different situation to the barrow crossing at Yeovil junction, which is gated and locked and can be accessed only when accompanied by PTS trained staff who have to get a line block from the signaller before it is used.
I would always try to get proper staff assistance if possible. The Guard should be able to provide sighted guidance if there is no one at the station available. Use the help point at the station if there is no-one there, this will take you directly to Control who can then inform the Guard/Conductor of the train that you need assistance to board.

 

[Kath123]

It's a very different situation to the barrow crossing at Yeovil junction, which is gated and locked and can be accessed only when accompanied by PTS trained staff who have to get a line block from the signaller before it is used.
I would always try to get proper staff assistance if possible. The Guard should be able to provide sighted guidance if there is no one at the station available. Use the help point at the station if there is no-one there, this will take you directly to Control who can then inform the Guard/Conductor of the train that you need assistance to board.

Hi thanks again. Do you know where the Help Point is at Yeovil Pen Mill? I didn’t realise there was one!

 

[randyrippley]

It's a very different situation to the barrow crossing at Yeovil junction, which is gated and locked and can be accessed only when accompanied by PTS trained staff who have to get a line block from the signaller before it is used.
I would always try to get proper staff assistance if possible. The Guard should be able to provide sighted guidance if there is no one at the station available. Use the help point at the station if there is no-one there, this will take you directly to Control who can then inform the Guard/Conductor of the train that you need assistance to board.

interesting, how long has Yeovil Junction been like that? It's a long time since I was last there, but it used to be open for all to use

 

[Taunton]

Alterations to platform usage to assist a passenger who needs assistance are not unknown. Dalwhinnie on the Highland line is the same, this was described in the report into the recent accident there (unrelated to this procedure). But it does depend on the alternative platform not being needed for something else.

British passing stations on single lines have always tended to stick to left hand running. In Ireland (both North and the Republic) they have long arranged one straight line through the principal platform, signalled both ways and able to be used at speed for nonstop services, and the loop to the second platform, only used if there is a passing movement to be made, and also signalled both ways, with the lesser service put in there. It facilitates all sorts of other aspects such as the handling of mails. This is also common in onetime "Colonial" countries, in Africa and elsewhere, developed by British engineers.

For southbound trains to use P1 there is approach-control signalling (with a time penalty on paper) which means that during the daytime, there isn’t quite enough time in the timetable to allow services to do this, without impacting the very tight cross at Maiden Newton.

This I find surprising, given that traditional single line signalling, if there was a cross to be made, always had one train brought to a near stand at the home signal, given there was no full overlap in both directions. It was never an issue for timekeeping. One wonders what happens if the three little-used request stops between Yeovil and Maiden Newton are all called for.

 

[Wilts Wanderer]

This I find surprising, given that traditional single line signalling, if there was a cross to be made, always had one train brought to a near stand at the home signal, given there was no full overlap in both directions. It was never an issue for timekeeping. One wonders what happens if the three little-used request stops between Yeovil and Maiden Newton are all called for.

In past timetables yes, but the ‘Metrowest’ 2-hourly service pattern has trains crossing at Maiden Newton and somewhere in the Frome area, so for much of the day Pen Mill only gets one train at a time. (With crosses it depends which train arrives first and the margin between them, as to whether the down train will get a clear run or not.)

 

[Haywain]

Alterations to platform usage to assist a passenger who needs assistance are not unknown.

Another example of this is Dorchester South, where SWR down trains will use the up platform sometimes if they have a need for accessibility.

 

[swrcommguard]

Hi thanks again. Do you know where the Help Point is at Yeovil Pen Mill? I didn’t realise there was one!

Yes it's on P1 next to the door to the old cafe - large white circular consols at about chest height. Or it was the last time I noticed it!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 26 Aug 2024 ==

interesting, how long has Yeovil Junction been like that? It's a long time since I was last there, but it used to be open for all to use

I am not sure tbh, certainly as long as I have worked here which is a good 7 years or so

 

[Kath123]

Yes it's on P1 next to the door to the old cafe - large white circular consols at about chest height. Or it was the last time I noticed it!

That’s interesting - thank you. I’m feeling quite disappointed with myself I’ve not picked up on this as I’ve travelled quite a lot from Yeovil Pen Mill but I guess that’s the problem being visually impaired - I’m lucky I have a little bit of sight but I often find I walk straight past things without realising they are there unless someone points them out to me.

I’m guessing GWR may well come back to me then and say that’s one of the things I could have done on the day I arrived at the station to find it unstaffed.

If I manage to go back to the station soon I’ll try and find it! Failing that I might ask the staff if they can point it out to me.

Thanks for your time and help - I’ll try and stop asking questions now.

Thanks everyone else for the responses too.

 

[sjm77]

Some of these could be last minute changes due to there being no barrow crossing at Pen Mill - if there's a passenger who can't use the footbridge then platform 1 has to be used

This cannot happen if trains are passing as they currently do ~07:30 each weekday.

 

[Parallel]

Worth noting that the line is hardly the most punctual. Looking at yesterday on RealTimeTrains shows at least 4 services in each direction crossing at Yeovil Pen Mill.