The Great Euston Rush

[AndyP]

Whenever I seem to get a train from London Euston to Manchester Piccadilly, there ALWAYS seems to be one massive rush from the concourse to the train as soon as the departure board allocates a platform.

I've taken trains from the other major stations to Manchester and there has been nothing like a rush to catch trains like there is at Euston.

Anyone else noticed this?

 

[MCR247]

Whenever I seem to get a train from London Euston to Manchester Piccadilly, there ALWAYS seems to be one massive rush from the concourse to the train as soon as the departure board allocates a platform.

I've taken trains from the other major stations to Manchester and there has been nothing like a rush to catch trains like there is at Euston.

Anyone else noticed this?

Do those other stations show the platform beforehand, even if thre trains not boarding.
ie Watford would put the platform, it mainly only happens at major termini

BTW: It happens at Kings X, STP, Paddington and at Marylebone for Chilterns, WSMR show the platform beforhand.

 

[LucaZone]

Ive seen it happen at Waterloo. If you spend more than a minute looking at the board, you get this feeling everyone around you is waiting for the same train. When its platform pops up there is a big surge for the train.

 

[43106]

I can confirm the mad rush at Kings Cross. When I worked in London from 2001 - 2004, I used to go back home to Edinburgh every 4 weeks on a Friday lunchtime. The concourse was full of people with their eyes glued to the departure board, waiting for their departure. THE INSTANT its platform number came up on the board, 250-odd people just RAN towards the platforms! After about 6 months of this, I got wise and, about 20 or so minutes before my train was due to leave, I looked at the paper inserts on the windows of the trains in the platforms. When I found my train, I got on it then and there. The station staff never said a word!

 

[merlodlliw]

Whenever I seem to get a train from London Euston to Manchester Piccadilly, there ALWAYS seems to be one massive rush from the concourse to the train as soon as the departure board allocates a platform.

I've taken trains from the other major stations to Manchester and there has been nothing like a rush to catch trains like there is at Euston.

Anyone else noticed this?

Yes its all part of Virgins plan to turn us all into lemmings, since I can remember waiting for any train to Holyhead, I too have taken part in
the run, suppose its all to do with getting a non airline seat, Euston
must be the only station with this strange triangle.

Now we have an hourly service to Chester, no problem about getting
a seat, for how long can this hourly service to Chester go on without
passengers.

Bob
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

I can confirm the mad rush at Kings Cross. When I worked in London from 2001 - 2004, I used to go back home to Edinburgh every 4 weeks on a Friday lunchtime. The concourse was full of people with their eyes glued to the departure board, waiting for their departure. THE INSTANT its platform number came up on the board, 250-odd people just RAN towards the platforms! After about 6 months of this, I got wise and, about 20 or so minutes before my train was due to leave, I looked at the paper inserts on the windows of the trains in the platforms. When I found my train, I got on it then and there. The station staff never said a word!

Pity at Euston you can not read the destination anymore on the train,before
departure. In the old days I could and have done the same, no one told me to leave.

Bob

 

[bengolding]

Many of the London-Chester trains terminate there and pick-up only at Milton Keynes. I travelled on one such train on a weekday lunchtime recently, and there were only 2 customers in First (including me). Nobody boarded at MKC. From listening to the TM, the Standard was also very quiet. If Virgin were to add an additional stop at Nuneaton on these trains (as they do on the 1710 and 1810), that would generate much more custom.

 

[Broken Viking]

Whenever I seem to get a train from London Euston to Manchester Piccadilly, there ALWAYS seems to be one massive rush from the concourse to the train as soon as the departure board allocates a platform. Anyone else noticed this?

I've noticed this at most of the major London termini - Including Euston and Waterloo.

I think that the main reason for this is because at these stations, passengers often turn up before the train is available and it's platform is announced - Hence passengers become "batched" on the concourse. Experienced passengers would also take part in the batching, as the platform for their usual train could (And probabally does) change every time.

Once the platform is announced, everyone rushes ahead to try and be one of the first on board - Partly because of the natural inclination to be "ahead of the pack", but more often than not because they don't have a reserved seat and thus have to try and find an available one before it's grabbed by another passenger.
Because Virgin make the mistake of allowing 95% of seats to be reserved on each of their services and didn't bother to order 15-20 car long Pendos, there are very few "free" seats available on many Virgin services - And consequently, the "rush" will always be a factor involved in catching a VT service. Same goes for computer services with any other TOC that don't offer seat reservations. :roll:

Unfortunateley I can never reserve my seat as I do all of my journeys "on the fly" and thus always take the first available departure to my destination - Meaning I can never use a specific train. However in the case of longer VT services from Euston, I'll normally miss the first departure, find out which platform the second is rostered on, then queue/board and double-check with the train crew that it is calling at my destination.
That way I get a table seat with plenty of legroom, a decent view out of the tiny windows, and have the choice of all available seats a good 5-10 minutes ahead of all other passengers. As a technique, it can (And occasionaly does) back-fire though. :?

Farewell...
>> Death <<

 

[Phoenix]

I would wait down on the platform as you do if they actually told you in advance which platform you needed and besides the second you go down there with a camera your a terrorist apparently.

 

[mathmo]

Euston does seem to be particularly bad for this - but then there's not all that long to turn trains around with VHF and they quite reasonably don't want passengers on board while they clean/get ready!

Kings Cross can sometimes be a complete joke - I've waited for Cambridge trains before now and only had the platform announced less than 10 minutes before departure time on several occasions. These trains are pretty busy so people do run to try to get a decent seat. The worst was when the platform was announced only 4 minutes before departure - it was platform 9, so if you didn't run or at least walk quickly, by the time you'd got to the ticket barriers, queued and got to the platform, the train might well have left! It's been better recently though.

On a slightly different note, do some people arrive really early for long-distance services? I'm sure at Kings Cross yesterday loads of people were waiting round the departures board, even though the next non-platformed train was 30 minutes away! Is that what Advance tickets do to us?!?

 

[Mojo]

On a slightly different note, do some people arrive really early for long-distance services? I'm sure at Kings Cross yesterday loads of people were waiting round the departures board, even though the next non-platformed train was 30 minutes away! Is that what Advance tickets do to us?!?

Some people just turn up expecting a train, regardless of whether they have a ticket yet or not. You wouldn't believe the number of people asking about trains and then being shocked when they are told have to wait an hour or more.

 

[MCR247]

In GNER days I went up to the guards on one of the two HSTs there and asked 'Is this the Inverness train'. He said yes and we got on, put the luggage in the racks at the end of the coach. Then they announced the platform and then a crowd of people came!

 

[adc82140]

The secret at Paddington is the overbridge half way down the platforms- if you know which train you want, as the departure boards here only display final destinations. You'll even find yourself by the standard class carriages, rather than having to walk past first class. All the regular commuters know the platform numbers anyway- the on train staff quite understandably get ratty if there are people on board when they are trying to clean (these are probably the same people who write in to complain about dirty trains), but there's nothing to stop you waiting on the platform and listening for the boarding call.

 

[yorkie]

Pity at Euston you can not read the destination anymore on the train,before
departure. In the old days I could and have done the same, no one told me to leave.

Bob

Yes but it was a bit tricky. If you were down exploring platform 18 you risked your train being announced on platform 1 or something.

I remember in 2005 going to Euston to find Class 87s, then trying to work out what service they would be allocated, and then trying to work out if there was a way of getting back from it (e.g. changing at Tamworth/Nuneaton/Manchester, etc) - not easily done with the layout of platforms hidden by ramps and the suburban platforms being in the middle.

 

[merlodlliw]

Yes but it was a bit tricky. If you were down exploring platform 18 you risked your train being announced on platform 1 or something.

Suppose it was also easier for me, going back about ten years, my Holyhead
was always a HST, this is prior privatisation at Euston, so one had a good idea where to look and wait at the gate, I still recall the rush to find a window table seat instead of the awful airline seats so despised by me & others. Agree about the 90% reserved seat problem,


As for the Euston/Chester hourly service, agree full of fresh air middle day,
nice to do Chester in less than two hours, I would be happy to go a bit slower
and pay less, but VT I am sure will pull some of the middle day services.


Bob

 

[Pumbaa]

It's a problem at all the major termini in London. The main problem it's so bad at Euston is that there is no way to find out prior to departure the departure platform. As a general rule of thumb, the central platforms surrounding the LM platforms are used for Manc and Brum services, and the platforms further out for Liverpool, Chester, Glasgow etc.

Yes, many people do turn up early on Advance tickets - plenty of my friends will turn up with 30 mins to spare just so they can get the service comfortably. On the other hand, when I I don't have a seat reserved, I tend to arrive 3-4 mins before I would otherwise, so I stand a better chance of getting a seat.

Death: Plenty of unreserved seats found throughout 390s, and almost always have been off-peak. Coach B is always unreserved, and usually a good chance that E and most of D and A will be too.

 

[Danielo]

You ought to see the mad rushes in stations in countries like China and Egypt! Makes the likes of Euston embarkation look like a stroll!

 

[Waverley125]

happens at a lot of major stations. KGX is bad in the evening rush, mainly for the leeds trains.

Had the same thing happen on the 8:00 PAD-Bristol, seems everyone on the course was waiting.

Also happens at leeds, where of a saturday loads of people will wait on the concourse for the number to be put up, then making a mad dash to the train. This is strange, as the 17:40 is always in platform 8 or 9, and it's quite obvious which train it is when you go onto the platform.

Nowt so queer as folk.

 

[Broken Viking]

Death: Plenty of unreserved seats found throughout 390s, and almost always have been off-peak. Coach B is always unreserved, and usually a good chance that E and most of D and A will be too.

Ahh, cheers for that Pumbaa! I'm doing a run to Stoke and Preston next Friday and that info will be very useful! 8)

During the journey, one of my plans is to explore the new wireless networks on VT's Pendos. However - Not having a laptop or similar portable computer - I'm probabally going to be taking slightly larger equipment with me for this purpose. Consequently I'm going to need a table seat and a 5A socket available, as I can't see an LCD flat-panel and keyboard fitting comfortably onto a seat-mounted tray! hock:

Incidentally, what are the Bylaws like regarding skateboards around railway property nowadays? I know that they used to be fairly strict (Ye couldn't even carry a skateboard around a station, let alone use one!) but I'm thinking of taking mine with me for rapid transit around Blackpool (I was going to take the bike, but getting that onto a Northern Line tube would be a right ass!) and if I could get away with using it to get to Coach B ahead of everyone else, that'll guarentee me the seat that I want! 8)

 

[shinkansen09]

If there were enough seats for everybody...each with a window and a table then people would not have to rush for a seat in a facing direction, with window etc....

 

[EM2]

Death - carry your board by all means but using it is an offence under Byelaw15

St Pancras has the same issues as Euston. I've asked management if there can be a notice put on the Departure board that 'Departure platforms will be displayed when the train is ready to board', because then amount of times I get asked 'What platform is such-and-such train on?'...
What I like is someone goes up to a barrier, normally to ask a member of staff something, and then everyone on the concourse assumes they know something, and follow him. All of a sudden, there's a long queue yet nothing's been announced!

 

[asylumxl]

Definetly happens at Paddington. Whenever I am using a Penzance or Plymouth train, there is a huge surge to the platform. Luckilly I'm young and healthy, and usually reach the platform first .

 

[thefab444]

there's nothing to stop you waiting on the platform and listening for the boarding call.

Slight tangent, but Paddington has now been fitted with Sarah the Slut, to announce HEATHROW CONNECT! trains, and services leaving from "platfum tu" calling at PEWSEY! and CARSSLE CARY!

God awful woman.

 

[Pumbaa]

Slight tangent, but Paddington has now been fitted with Sarah the Slut, to announce HEATHROW CONNECT! trains, and services leaving from "platfum tu" calling at PEWSEY! and CARSSLE CARY!

God awful woman.

If I'm honest, I prefer Sarah to anyone else, especially Phil. In particular, it's because the stresses in her language are well placed and technically correct. She's also the clearest system to hear on any platform I'm yet to come across.

 

[mathmo]

Paddington was awful for ease of hearing announcements when I was last there a couple of months ago - I just ignored them most of the time, since I just couldn't make out what was being said!

Pumbaa, I disagree with you though - I feel Phil's voice is just perfect for announcements: slightly booming and sounds authoritative, whereas some of the other announcers don't.

 

[thefab444]

One of the best was the old announcer at Waterloo, long since murdered by Phil.

Paddington would've been a good test bed to try out the "Roger" voice used by Southeastern, sounds very posh but is actually quite clear and concise, unlike Sarah who bumbles around and seems to have recorded a lot of phrases "during her time of the month"... STAND WELL BACK FROM THE PLATFUMMMM EDGE! STAND BEHIND THE YELLOW LINE! Yet some recordings seem to have been done whilst she was on some kinds of drugs... London Bridge! London Fields! Potters Bar!

Would help if the stations were all at least the same volume, at Paddington, you can hear her shout places like Pewsey and Castle Cary, but the rest is mostly muffled by HSTs.

 

[Broken Viking]

Personally, I'd rather they recorded the announcements using people with the traditional Scotch accent. I'm not sure if this applies to everyone of course, but I find Northern accents (And especially the Scotch) to be perfectly clear and legible - Even on a noisy station concourse - Whereas the words read using southern and posh accents literally sound like Esperanto to me... hock:

Aye...Northern accented auto-announcers for the win, IMO!
Failing that, the default announcement off of a BT Wren would probabally make more sense to me in the context of rail departures than the gabble that Sarah (Or whatever it's name is) comes out with!

 

[devon_metro]

Personally, I'd rather they recorded the announcements using people with the traditional Scotch accent. I'm not sure if this applies to everyone of course, but I find Northern accents (And especially the Scotch) to be perfectly clear and legible - Even on a noisy station concourse - Whereas the words read using southern and posh accents literally sound like Esperanto to me... hock:

Aye...Northern accented auto-announcers for the win, IMO!
Failing that, the default announcement off of a BT Wren would probabally make more sense to me in the context of rail departures than the gabble that Sarah (Or whatever it's name is) comes out with!

I find the northern accent horrendously course at times, thus difficult to understand. It would be silly at Paddington!

 

[O L Leigh]

Which one is "Sarah the Slut"...?

We've got a female automated voice at Liv St and elsewhere. It sounds like she's a bit too young to be doing the job and not entirely sure of what she's saying. A recent wait for a friend at Kings X showed that she'd taken over there too. Is this the same one?

TBH, there are too many different "standard" voices and I would prefer a return to regional voices appropriate to the area in which they are used. Our first PIS voice was a former FGE driver who actually knew how to pronounce all the station names (although I'm still not entirely sure where "ERRRR-RRROMFORD" is). Now we've got some bloody BBC Radio 4 Valerie Singleton clone who insists on doing the full BBC bit irrespective of how things are actually said ("Ell-sen-hem" and "STansteD MounT-fiT-chiT").

As for the original topic of rushing platforms, I can only agree that it must have something to do with bagging the best seats. The number of times I've almost been flattened by passengers in the headlong dash is now beyond counting, and I have the furthest to walk of the lot of them (plus the train isn't going to go anywhere without me). However, I do sometimes wish folk would stay on the concourse until the train has been called. Generally a service will leave from the same platform every day, but this cannot always be guaranteed. Likewise it may be necessary to divide or combine a train, which can be made doubly-difficult by punters who insist on getting on when you've already told them (often more than once) not to board but to wait on the platform.

O L Leigh

 

[Danielo]

There's a female announcer at Euston, I think she sounds Italian. But a very sexy voice at that.

 

[Pumbaa]

We've got a female automated voice at Liv St and elsewhere.

Yes that's Sarah.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

There's a female announcer at Euston, I think she sounds Italian. But a very sexy voice at that.

That's Sarah as well I think - all WCML stations have her until Rugby.