Platform Display Errors

[Skoodle]

The departure boards at Paddington always show the Reading trains as being for Twyford and Oxford as Radley as the destination. Surely after a year at least minimum of it being like that they'd notice or get a fix for it?

 

[jopsuk]

Is that for slow trains that get overtaken? If so, it'll be deliberate rather than an error, like trains at Kings Cross for "Foxton" (actually going to Cambridge) or ones at Cambridge for "Finsbury Park" (actually going to Kings Cross). The idea is to steer passengers going all the way onto the faster service.

 

[The Planner]

That is deliberate so people dont use them as trains to Oxford and Reading, they are trying to force them to use other trains, that isnt an error.

 

[jopsuk]

The vast majority of passengers after all want to know which train will get them to their destination first, not which train is leaving for their destination first. Almost anyone that wants to spend more time than nescesary on a Turbo will probably know about them going all the way.

 

[swadbus]

Despite Barking only having 8 platforms, the LED display on platform 8 tells everybody it is actually platform 12b, it's been like it for months. :roll:

 

[Schnellzug]

The departure boards at Paddington always show the Reading trains as being for Twyford and Oxford as Radley as the destination. Surely after a year at least minimum of it being like that they'd notice or get a fix for it?

They do that routinely, so that people for Oxford and Reading get faster trains rather than stoppers.
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Despite Barking only having 8 platforms, the LED display on platform 8 tells everybody it is actually platform 12b, it's been like it for months. :roll:

Surely they mean platform 9 3/4?

 

[LexyBoy]

I've got a picture of the display on P1 at Swindon with

1st  1111  London Paddington   On Time
2nd  1111  Cheltenham Spa      On Time

Fortunately it did not come to pass

That is deliberate so people dont use them as trains to Oxford and Reading, they are trying to force them to use other trains, that isnt an error.

Indeed, though it does lead to confusion with Oxford stoppers advertised as "Didcot Parkway". Also, it seems that each service must be programmed in separately, some morning stoppers from Reading and Didcot are shown with Paddington as the destination, despite there being faster trains.

 

[starlightEXPRESS]

Also, it seems that each service must be programmed in separately, some morning stoppers from Reading and Didcot are shown with Paddington as the destination, despite there being faster trains.

Is that because passengers with certain ticket types are not permitted to catch the limited stop services during the peaks and they would therefore need to take the slower services? (Certainly this is the case in the evening peak, but I'm not sure about the morning.)

 

[jon0844]

And it might help balance the load a little.

Another option might be to show the arrival time at the destination (even in an abbreviated format) so people can see they have choices.

I've deliberately taken a semi-fast to Cambridge instead of the fast, simply as I'm going to easily get a seat. Mind you, that's less of an issue these days.

Actually, thinking about it, given I can make this knowledge work to my advantage - don't go telling people after all.

 

[jopsuk]

the semi-fast's don't get overtaken, it's the really-bloody-slows that do...

 

[NLC1072]

Info screens used to be certain that Brentwood is Barking in Brentwood when they had their temporary ticket office!

 

[caliwag]

Now that York's platforms 3 and 5 are truly bi-directional (on a timetabled basis as opposed to the occasional Sunday working) the passenger does need to be very alert. I have seen Northbounds awaiting departure whilst the monitor still indicates the previous Southbound and vice versa.

These platfrorms are regularly used by TPE, EC, GC, XC and even Northern stock at odd times. Luckily there's quite a lot of staff present for dispatch (as much because of the platform curves).

What's needed near the emergence point from subway/footbridge is a timber board that could be maually slotted into a casting on a post or column, indicating the next departure and thus its direction! Heavens they've even got one of them at Ingrow on the KWVR!...what a brilliant idea I thought.

I'll get my coat.

 

[LexyBoy]

Is that because passengers with certain ticket types are not permitted to catch the limited stop services during the peaks and they would therefore need to take the slower services? (Certainly this is the case in the evening peak, but I'm not sure about the morning.)

No, the morning peak restrictions apply to arrival times in Paddington, rather than being a list of barred (fast) trains as in the evening. So you'd be valid on an earlier departure on a slow train, but couldn't arrive into London any earlier (1000 for an Off Peak Day Return from most of the Thames Valley, for instance).

Either way, in the evening peak most trains are shown as Twyford/Radley/Didcot (which has the happy - for FGW - effect of making it appear that there are very few trains to Reading for which Off Peak tickets are valid).

 

[imagination]

Also, it seems that each service must be programmed in separately, some morning stoppers from Reading and Didcot are shown with Paddington as the destination, despite there being faster trains.

Aren't these only the ones that stop at Twyford and Maidenhead before pulling onto the fast tracks? Because if so they usually only get overtaken once or occasionally twice between Reading and London, so it doesn't really matter if people get on them at Reading, unlike the real stoppers which stop (usually) 9 times before reaching London and go along the slow tracks the whole way.

 

[northwichcat]

Is that for slow trains that get overtaken? If so, it'll be deliberate rather than an error, like trains at Kings Cross for "Foxton" (actually going to Cambridge) or ones at Cambridge for "Finsbury Park" (actually going to Kings Cross). The idea is to steer passengers going all the way onto the faster service.

It's confusing if you aren't familiar with the local area though.

At Leeds the York via Knaresborough services say Poppleton. If you're a cricket fan from outside the area and your journey planner has told you to get the xx: xx to York as far as Headingley, how do you know the Poppleton one is the one to catch?

In Manchester slow trains appear on the display screens with their correct destination but alongside appears 'Local Stopping Service.'

 

[Pyromaniac]

Not so much a station announcement but its close. I was at Shenfield station sitting on a train waiting to head to Southend (Platform 1 actually, when all the heat related issues came about this summer...by heck that was a hard journey home)!

Anyway I watched a 360 come rolling into Platform 3 heading to Ipswich or Clacton i'd assume, couldn't say which as the side display said "NO SIDE DISPLAY ON 321". Now that statement is true on a 321, but on a 360 was suprising to say the least. Sadly only caught it seconds before the train left so couldn't grab a picture!

 

[eastwestdivide]

At Doncaster at the weekend, one of the info screens was displaying "Firefox can't find the server at xxx.xxx" with some long web address, and the usual "Check the address for typing errors" messages.

 

[fairysdad]

At Doncaster at the weekend, one of the info screens was displaying "Firefox can't find the server at xxx.xxx" with some long web address, and the usual "Check the address for typing errors" messages.

Nice to see a company not using IE... I did once see a cash machine with the Windows log-on screen showing...

 

[jon0844]

Not a platform display error, which was actually right, but yesterday I took the new DLR line from Stratford and stupidly planned ahead using an app that gets a feed from TfL.

Now, for your information if you should ever think to check the app to check times AND the platform, the app has platforms 16 and 17 mixed up! Not sure how/why.

 

[LexyBoy]

Aren't these only the ones that stop at Twyford and Maidenhead before pulling onto the fast tracks? Because if so they usually only get overtaken once or occasionally twice between Reading and London, so it doesn't really matter if people get on them at Reading, unlike the real stoppers which stop (usually) 9 times before reaching London and go along the slow tracks the whole way.

No (though these are indeed shown as 'London Paddington'); I remember looking quizzically at the destination boards for P4 and P5 at Didcot once – two stoppers departing within half an hour of each other, one advertised as London and one Ealing. IIRC the only difference was one stopped at West Drayton and the other not.

Anyway, that’s enough OT!

 

[t0ffeeman]

Once took a stopper from Slough to Twyford thinking it went to Reading and it finished at Twyford. evening peak 1993 ish...

 

[jha4ceb]

It's confusing if you aren't familiar with the local area though.

At Leeds the York via Knaresborough services say Poppleton. If you're a cricket fan from outside the area and your journey planner has told you to get the xx: xx to York as far as Headingley, how do you know the Poppleton one is the one to catch?

In Manchester slow trains appear on the display screens with their correct destination but alongside appears 'Local Stopping Service.'

Indeed. IMO Manchester has it right on this one.

 

[driver9000]

The platform monitors at Blackburn show Chaffers level crossing as a calling point on the Colne service. It shows as CHAFRSS.

I suppose technically it is correct as the train does stop there but only for the Driver to pull the rope to lower the barriers. No one can get on or off.

 

[Ivo]

I have some pictures from Ireland of two plaform monitors next to each other, reading completely different times! I will try to upload one later...

 

[Robinson]

I recall when I did my All Line Rover just over a year ago, having arrived in Darlington from Middlesbrough checking the departures/arrivals boards and couldn't help but notice an arrival from Saltburn that was being shown as delayed, and the delay kept steadily going up - and feeling sure that it was in fact the one I'd just come in on...

 

[Michael.Y]

At one of the stations on the way down the HoWL today, one of the displays told the time as 18:25 when we were more like 09:45. As we pulled away it seemed to "reset" itself as it went blank then some characters appeared in the top left.

Also when we got to Swansea, our platform boards were completely blank, and the Cardiff service was advertised as the Milford Haven service. Cue driver, conductor, steward (me), two dozen passengers all staring at a blank board and not knowing what to do.

Of course thirty seconds later I had to lug my trolley off one train and onto another....

 

[Boothby97]

At Doncaster at the weekend, one of the info screens was displaying "Firefox can't find the server at xxx.xxx" with some long web address, and the usual "Check the address for typing errors" messages.

Been like it for ages!

 

[googolplex]

At Doncaster at the weekend, one of the info screens was displaying "Firefox can't find the server at xxx.xxx" with some long web address, and the usual "Check the address for typing errors" messages.

One of the signs at Peterborough (on Platform 4) like that once. OT but it looked like it was Firefox on Linux rather than Windows.

 

[Dstock7080]

Recently at Richmond:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/88569211@N00/6294884397/lightbox/

Train for Embankment, describer: Anerley!

 

[dvboy]

One of the signs at Peterborough (on Platform 4) like that once. OT but it looked like it was Firefox on Linux rather than Windows.

One at Newcastle was the same last weekend.