Tyne & Wear Metro: Fleet Refurbishment List

[MetroCar4058]

I wouldn't be scared Scott, metro is a very safe organisation and has operated to the highest of standard for many years. these events are rather rare and although there has been two similar events within 3 years we cannot be sure that it is exactly the same as the previous or what the cause was until an official report is issued. I believe but don't hold this as gospel that these events mostly occur at a sub station changing points so just get on somewhere in the middle of a substation sector

You must also remember the wires should loose power and break the circuit shortly after they snap - unless they arc.

 

[tez thorn]

it just looks dramatic metrocar is right, metro do have high standards, this may sound like twoddle but

will they be certain of how it happened, when the report is made

 

[MetroCar4058]

Think i saw 4090 out on the network today she was NIS near Ilford Road.

The works near Fawdon are still undergoing with the temporary speed limit but by god they have cut so much down, didn't know there was that much space between the fencing and the track, hopefully it will help cut down delays due to low rail adhesion although anything will be better than last year!

 

[Paul_10]

I believe but don't hold this as gospel that these events mostly occur at a sub station changing points so just get on somewhere in the middle of a substation sector

Going by the RAIB report and the reports of other similar incidents, this would appear to be the case, ironically all the reported incidents have seemingly occured on the yellow line North of the river.

From the sounds of it, Nexus in the past have not fully investigated the faults in the line breaker cases in the past, it will be interesting to read the report too see if they have followed up checks since the incident at Gosforth.

 

[tez thorn]

is the gosforth incident reffering to 4052, all i saw was it bellowing smoke but

had no idea what caused it,seperate note has anything returned or went away

 

[MetroCar4058]

Nice to see the ticket lines are being used more and more often however I did notice a case of passing tickets. A group of 3 girls taking it in turns to enter wait pass and use only 1 ticket to get onto the system which in my eyes was in clear view of the ticket officers as it's not often people huddle around the barriers or wait on the CTA side with their friends on the other. Obviously I didn't say anything until they had left when I was told by the lady at first that it was impossible as there is 2 minutes between the ticket being active again, once I got it clear that I wasn't making it up she stated that it wasn't her fault as she didn't see it and basically brushed away my concern as I did not report them in the act, another fantastic display of Metros kind, friendly and reassuring staff!

 

[Tramfan]

Just seen 4090 being shunted by a Battery Loco at the depot, and it appeared to have its pantograph tied down.

Notably, it's also had its roof air-con box removed from the A end.

4037 was also parked at the depot yesterday, the latest one back from refurbishment - 4087 and one other (possibly 4014) are now at Wabtec along with 4021 and 4043

 

[ModernRailways]

There were quite severe delays this morning because of a failed train. I was stuck in it too, although because the drivers are all mute and seem unable to use the PA to tell people why we are stopped I wasn't able to plan a different route other than a hope it was just a small wait for another train to pass.

Most other systems in the UK have a 30 second rule whereby if you have stopped for 30 seconds then an announcement is made telling people why they have stopped. Why can't Metro have the same rule? On London Underground it's quite common for the train to stop outside a station and just as the train stops the driver is on the PA to let passengers know, and then even whilst making the announcement we can start moving again. The only time I've heard a driver speak lately is when the train is terminating early because of a fault!

My bus was 15 minutes late last night and when I got on the driver apologised and told everyone there had been a car accident which was causing traffic to build, there was no reason for him to tell people nor for him to apologise but he did. Why can't Metro drivers apologise for the delay and let people know what it is that caused it?

Huw Lewis I summon thee to answer, please - especially since we don't have the Nexus forum now

 

[Frankfurt]

There were quite severe delays this morning because of a failed train. I was stuck in it too, although because the drivers are all mute and seem unable to use the PA to tell people why we are stopped I wasn't able to plan a different route other than a hope it was just a small wait for another train to pass.

Most other systems in the UK have a 30 second rule whereby if you have stopped for 30 seconds then an announcement is made telling people why they have stopped. Why can't Metro have the same rule? On London Underground it's quite common for the train to stop outside a station and just as the train stops the driver is on the PA to let passengers know, and then even whilst making the announcement we can start moving again. The only time I've heard a driver speak lately is when the train is terminating early because of a fault!

My bus was 15 minutes late last night and when I got on the driver apologised and told everyone there had been a car accident which was causing traffic to build, there was no reason for him to tell people nor for him to apologise but he did. Why can't Metro drivers apologise for the delay and let people know what it is that caused it?

Huw Lewis I summon thee to answer, please - especially since we don't have the Nexus forum now

Usually because most of the drivers have no idea what's going on. In times of disruption the control room is manic and it's hard to get through straight away. Sometimes the driver is last to know, their silence might be their numerous attempts at trying to find out what is going on.

Most of the time a group call is made to all drivers explaining what the problem is, sometimes a message is sent out via in cab FASSI unit. Alot of trains however are made up with B end being the leading end and don't have FASSI in them.

Unless informed I tend to get information on a disruption from the station announcements I hear when idle at a station.

As an organisation on a whole communication is probably poor in times of disruption and drivers are fully aware at why passengers are frustrated. Your constant bashing of drivers is a tad unfair imo

 

[Paul_10]

Just seen 4090 being shunted by a Battery Loco at the depot, and it appeared to have its pantograph tied down.

Notably, it's also had its roof air-con box removed from the A end.

4037 was also parked at the depot yesterday, the latest one back from refurbishment - 4087 and one other (possibly 4014) are now at Wabtec along with 4021 and 4043

Apparently the air-con box were planned to be removed once it was realized they were not popular with drivers and on a visual point of view, they did not look all that nice too look at.

Plus I think the air con boxes are now not even being used as I'm sure the air vents in the A ends on the units that have them are now covered up from what I could see anyways.

Regarding this mornings disruption, whilst i was not involved in it it does sound like from customer feedback, communication is one thing that Metro is lacking although I do feel some people just have too high of expectation and expect things to run smoothly when things goes wrong.

From my experience, whenever there is a problem, drivers do normally go on the PA if a delay seems longer than it should be. I still think apology after a wait of 30 seconds is too excessive though but on the other hand, 5 mins or more without any sort of announcement is not acceptable at all.

 

[ModernRailways]

Usually because most of the drivers have no idea what's going on. In times of disruption the control room is manic and it's hard to get through straight away. Sometimes the driver is last to know, their silence might be their numerous attempts at trying to find out what is going on.

Most of the time a group call is made to all drivers explaining what the problem is, sometimes a message is sent out via in cab FASSI unit. Alot of trains however are made up with B end being the leading end and don't have FASSI in them.

Unless informed I tend to get information on a disruption from the station announcements I hear when idle at a station.

As an organisation on a whole communication is probably poor in times of disruption and drivers are fully aware at why passengers are frustrated. Your constant bashing of drivers is a tad unfair imo

Sorry if it came across like I was having a go at drivers, it is mainly Nexus / DB's fault for not having better systems in place (see the RAIB report, and potentially the upcoming one). The amount of times I've been chatting with CSA's who don't know about disruption because they didn't receive any email alert is too high, although I think that has gotten better lately. There are drivers out there who love their job and do the smallest thing for passengers, but there seems to be an ever increasing amount who appear as though they are there just literally to drive the train and do nothing with the public!

I understand drivers won't be able to find out immediately about disruption, but surely a simple 'Sorry, but we're currently waiting for the train to clear the single line ahead of us.' or 'Sorry, but we're being delayed because of a train ahead of us. I'm going to get in touch with my control room to find out what is going on and I will keep you informed.' I remember one driver even made up a lie, we were waiting for the train to come up from Hebburn towards Pelaw and we were at Pelaw Junction. The driver made a PA saying 'Sorry for the slight delay but the train in front of ours is currently at Hebburn and is awaiting an ambulance.' As soon as the train from Hebburn to Pelaw came past the driver went onto control and got permission to pass the signal at danger. I found out later it was a signal problem, but it didn't actually disrupt us as we left Pelaw 2 minutes early.

The B end driving has became very common lately I've noticed. It used to be mainly reserved for the depot didn't it which was why they weren't refurbished and have been left with minimal stuff inside.

Little things like this would really help Metro improve their overall image. Look at Chiltern, they have a overall very good public image and for the most part it's because they are open, chatty and really bloody helpful when services are disrupted. The Metro Facebook/Twitter pages really need to be properly staffed with someone who can be more open and generally chatty and kind with people instead of fobbing people off to customer services.

 

[Frankfurt]

Sorry if it came across like I was having a go at drivers, it is mainly Nexus / DB's fault for not having better systems in place (see the RAIB report, and potentially the upcoming one). The amount of times I've been chatting with CSA's who don't know about disruption because they didn't receive any email alert is too high, although I think that has gotten better lately. There are drivers out there who love their job and do the smallest thing for passengers, but there seems to be an ever increasing amount who appear as though they are there just literally to drive the train and do nothing with the public!

I understand drivers won't be able to find out immediately about disruption, but surely a simple 'Sorry, but we're currently waiting for the train to clear the single line ahead of us.' or 'Sorry, but we're being delayed because of a train ahead of us. I'm going to get in touch with my control room to find out what is going on and I will keep you informed.' I remember one driver even made up a lie, we were waiting for the train to come up from Hebburn towards Pelaw and we were at Pelaw Junction. The driver made a PA saying 'Sorry for the slight delay but the train in front of ours is currently at Hebburn and is awaiting an ambulance.' As soon as the train from Hebburn to Pelaw came past the driver went onto control and got permission to pass the signal at danger. I found out later it was a signal problem, but it didn't actually disrupt us as we left Pelaw 2 minutes early.

The B end driving has became very common lately I've noticed. It used to be mainly reserved for the depot didn't it which was why they weren't refurbished and have been left with minimal stuff inside.

Little things like this would really help Metro improve their overall image. Look at Chiltern, they have a overall very good public image and for the most part it's because they are open, chatty and really bloody helpful when services are disrupted. The Metro Facebook/Twitter pages really need to be properly staffed with someone who can be more open and generally chatty and kind with people instead of fobbing people off to customer services.

I, fair do's. Agree with you on most of the above.

B ends were left untouched for the same reason as always - cost.

The main reason drivers didn't like the air con units was due to the noise, was like having a hairdryer on full belt.

Unfortunately the metro system will never achieve its full potential as Nexus are still in charge, and they want it ran as cheaply as possible hammering DB for everything and anything, they have them well and truly over a barrel.

 

[MetroCar4058]

Personally I believe it all unfolds back to the 1980s, Metro from the offset was cut to the bare bones as it has been until this day. The All Change project simply doesn't involve enough capital, yes 580M is nice but lest we remember it was the first major input for the network to consolidate since it began with the Sunderland extension not help the stock at all. As the trains got older and were at a high utility problems are bound to occur - Its the governments lack of investment thats hurting Metro!

One bone to pick with some drivers, they always seem to get the back MetroCars PA working, but allot of the time on the coast especially they don't have the PA on in the car they are driving (excuse me if this it due to fault but it is ever to common for it to always be a fault) Also talking about the PA, I've noticed most of the boards don't work on the majority of the cars with only 2 out of the 4 working at once. Is there a reason for that? :P

 

[tez thorn]

just updated the list dunno if its right though, whats happened on the system now, and speaking of 'B' end

driving i noticed 4061 was like that a couple of weeks ago, i think it was paired with 4089

 

[ModernRailways]

Personally I believe it all unfolds back to the 1980s, Metro from the offset was cut to the bare bones as it has been until this day. The All Change project simply doesn't involve enough capital, yes 580M is nice but lest we remember it was the first major input for the network to consolidate since it began with the Sunderland extension not help the stock at all. As the trains got older and were at a high utility problems are bound to occur - Its the governments lack of investment thats hurting Metro!

One bone to pick with some drivers, they always seem to get the back MetroCars PA working, but allot of the time on the coast especially they don't have the PA on in the car they are driving (excuse me if this it due to fault but it is ever to common for it to always be a fault) Also talking about the PA, I've noticed most of the boards don't work on the majority of the cars with only 2 out of the 4 working at once. Is there a reason for that? :P

Governments lack of investment but its Nexus for not arguing the need for investment. You can't blame the Government when Nexus seem to think the Metro is perfect as is and doesn't need anymore done to it other than this current modernisation project which is failing miserably but that will lead to another rant so I'll stop there

As for only the odd PA/info board working, I've seen a lot of units running with 'NEXUS METRO A lk' on them but nothing else (I believe that means that board is working but hasn't been set up). PA seems to be mostly working, although 4038 appears to have had that annoying man removed! Speaking of which, why would Nexus choose him? Listening to the radio earlier and he was advertising a taxi firm as the best way to travel around the North East, he also does lots of other adverts. Now I know his job is a voiceover artist but you don't hire someone who is going to essentially become the voice of the system and then have them doing adverts for taxi companies! Fair enough if he was from London and doing a voiceover for a Taxi company down there, whilst announcements for the Metro but for goodness sake don't have someone local who appears to be the only professional voice over for the North East currently - he's on a lot of local company adverts I've noticed!

 

[hacman]

It's not that Nexus don't ask for funding, it's that they have a poor track record of delivering projects without issue, and keep going on about wanting trams.


Why would the government want to find conversion of an already flawed, unique system into something even more complexed.

Sadly I do agree that investment needs to be made in customer service. There are a few truly great staff, but their efforts are constantly undermined by the majority. It's not just one group/role either. Everyone could do with improvement.

Jon

 

[tez thorn]

its sad to see the system struggling,and its a shame that refurbishment is the 'only' option and that the

government wont give money for a new fleet,its a short and very temporary fix,but i dunno how they

expect the fleet to last another 16 years, its had a lot of problems lately,what sadens me is that the

system is crying for help its like its telling you its dying,anyway thats my opinion,also does anyone know

for definate what units are at wabtec,many thanks

tez

 

[Scott M]

Metro has been ok lately I think.

I find most problems are solved by simply getting the metro before the last possible one that will get you to your destination on time, as even in rush hour it is rare you are delayed by 12 minutes.

Obviously sometimes something goes catastrophically wrong (like a train failure) in which case you will be late, but employers understand this and this happens on all public transport systems.

 

[Kitten Mittons]

First post here but after reading all these posts which a predominantly negative, especially from one poster, I thought I would praise Metro and Nexus for the service it ran on Sunday.

I've not seen any comments regarding train failures or signalling problems from Sunday, so on the busiest day of the year for Metro, the service ran very well. There may have been a few delays to service but this is to be expected during times of heavy loadings. But to transport almost 50,000 runners and their families at some point during the day, they deserve praise. The Great North Run wouldn't be possible without the Metro!

But people like ModernRailways can ignore that if they want and continue to criticise because they feel that know exactly how a light rail network should be run, even though every time I read one of their posts it sounds like a 15 year old thinking they can organise a school disco!

 

[tez thorn]

oh dear, i see an arguement brewing

 

[ModernRailways]

First post here but after reading all these posts which a predominantly negative, especially from one poster, I thought I would praise Metro and Nexus for the service it ran on Sunday.

I've not seen any comments regarding train failures or signalling problems from Sunday, so on the busiest day of the year for Metro, the service ran very well. There may have been a few delays to service but this is to be expected during times of heavy loadings. But to transport almost 50,000 runners and their families at some point during the day, they deserve praise. The Great North Run wouldn't be possible without the Metro!

But people like ModernRailways can ignore that if they want and continue to criticise because they feel that know exactly how a light rail network should be run, even though every time I read one of their posts it sounds like a 15 year old thinking they can organise a school disco!

I have on various occasions praised Metro... In the old mega-thread the majority of my comments were positive. I always get the train before the one I need, and more often than not I just take the bus now since it's cheaper. Also, most of my negative comments are aimed at Nexus and not DB/Metro, DB can't help it if Nexus are standing by watching the system crumble saying 'Well, look we have this £500 million refurb project and it's all fancy and will magic trains into working.' Anyway, I'll ignore the rest of your comments.

I was running on Sunday, but I used the Metro to get to Newcastle - well I tried too anyway. Waited at my local and had to let 3 trains pass which were absolutely rammed because, surprise surprise, there were delays - the train boards had 'Delays to service, Metro apologise' and there was a PA every few minutes apologising and it wasn't due to loadings it was due to a failed train. I understand there will be delays because of the unusual loadings but 3 trains within 35 minutes, that is just normal sunday service. Anyhow, I had to go home and get a lift up to Heworth and only then did we manage to board a train. Coming home I got a lift so can't comment. I'll also glance over the fact that we ended up starting late too because I couldn't get up to the group I was supposed to be with because I was delayed. I left plenty of time - 45 minutes early which was how I still managed to get a lift and still get there on time even if I had to start two groups back.

 

[Kitten Mittons]

I'd be interested to see what evidence you have for them "standing by watching the system crumble".

I wasn't aware that there was a failed train on Sunday. I hadn't seen that anywhere but everyone i have spoken to who travelled that day said they only experienced minor delays, if any. I think that shows how prepared they were for such an occurrence and rectified the issue quickly. All eyes would have been on them waiting for a problem and from what i have seen in the local press there hasn't been any bad press.

I am not trolling or trying to start an argument, i was merely presenting my own views of the current situation and how i had interpreted some comments on this thread.

To respond to another point that has been raised, i agree with the people who have said an announcement after 30 seconds delay is ridiculous. The Metro isn't the London Underground and i'm sure people would get fed up of hearing loads of announcements for something that i would imagine the vast majority of the travelling public wouldn't even consider a delay.

I've seen a few comments on here, in the old mega-thread and the old Nexus forum complaining about how many announcements there are at the moment so why add more?

 

[ModernRailways]

I'd be interested to see what evidence you have for them "standing by watching the system crumble".

I wasn't aware that there was a failed train on Sunday. I hadn't seen that anywhere but everyone i have spoken to who travelled that day said they only experienced minor delays, if any. I think that shows how prepared they were for such an occurrence and rectified the issue quickly. All eyes would have been on them waiting for a problem and from what i have seen in the local press there hasn't been any bad press.

I am not trolling or trying to start an argument, i was merely presenting my own views of the current situation and how i had interpreted some comments on this thread.

To respond to another point that has been raised, i agree with the people who have said an announcement after 30 seconds delay is ridiculous. The Metro isn't the London Underground and i'm sure people would get fed up of hearing loads of announcements for something that i would imagine the vast majority of the travelling public wouldn't even consider a delay.

I've seen a few comments on here, in the old mega-thread and the old Nexus forum complaining about how many announcements there are at the moment so why add more?

Lack of investment for starters. When they went for the current £500 million they could have instead asked for a whole new fleet, but there was no guarantee they would get the funding and so the refurbishment option was chosen. The trains are past their life span and this refurbishment won't last - Nexus staff have also voiced this concern - until 2030 like Nexus expect it too. Just look at the rate of failures right now, the majority of train failures are on refurbished sets and that's when they've only just been refurbished.

30 seconds is a long time to be stopped though if you aren't at a terminating station. Most station stops are around 20 seconds, from doors being released to the warning tone sounding and doors closing. Today, for example my service was running about 3 minutes early at Pelaw so we sat there without a peep from the driver, after around 40 seconds of additional stop time people were looking around wondering what we were waiting for. A quick PA by the driver to just say 'Hi folks, we're just going to be sat here for a few minutes as we are currently 3 minutes early.' would have sufficed and put everyone's mind at ease. The majority of the time there wouldn't be any need for the PA as train's aren't close together enough to warrant it. It's not necessarily to tell people about a delay it's more to put minds at ease and let people know why the train has stopped. Even in the peaks when a train is stopped outside Pelaw for around 40-50 seconds people start asking why we've been stopped so long. It isn't a long time, but if you're on a train and you're not expecting to be stopped it really does feel like a long time!

Most of those complaints, I think, are related to the current Auto announcements which should only really be done twice, once upon approach to the station, then that same announcement repeated at the station, not the current format of; full announcement, 'This is', then 'This is' again. It should be; full announcement, full announcement.

I'm not after an argument either... You just have a different opinion to me, and you're entitled to that.

 

[Kitten Mittons]

I still think it's excessive for there to be an announcement when the train is stopped for 40 seconds and if passengers start to become uneasy after such a short length of time then they probably live a very sheltered life.

If an East Coast Train is held outside Central Station waiting for a platform people don't start flipping out or evacuating after a few minutes. Maybe in London but that's another story entirely!

As for the lack of investment, i think it has been explained before on the Nexus forum or maybe this one but i'm sure they said that they had the choice of applying for the money that they have now or for that money and money for new trains. It was decided that they would go for the lesser money because in the economic climate at the time, they were more likely to get that that the full amount they wanted.

If you are unhappy with that decision, and i am because i'd rather have new trains (and i would imagine Nexus were), blame the DfT or the Government at the time.

As for your final point, it seems we agree on something!

 

[ModernRailways]

I still think it's excessive for there to be an announcement when the train is stopped for 40 seconds and if passengers start to become uneasy after such a short length of time then they probably live a very sheltered life.

If an East Coast Train is held outside Central Station waiting for a platform people don't start flipping out or evacuating after a few minutes. Maybe in London but that's another story entirely!

East Coast tend to be quite quick with announcements especially on approach to Newcastle or York, if the train stops you regularly get an announcement saying they're just waiting for the platform to become available. The difference though is one is a mainline rail service where staff have no idea what is going on unless they contact the driver and then they say what is wrong.

I just don't understand why a driver can't say a few words even if it is on deaf ears, it's customer service at the end of the day and is one of many things Metro could improve on to help their customer relations get better. Communication with the public is a key to being successful even when you may doing poorly and if Metro staffed their Twitter / Facebook for the whole duration of service, maybe even teaming up with the bus companies so the person staffing it has plenty to do during the late hours then it will help their image and people can actually be given help.

As for the lack of investment, i think it has been explained before on the Nexus forum or maybe this one but i'm sure they said that they had the choice of applying for the money that they have now or for that money and money for new trains. It was decided that they would go for the lesser money because in the economic climate at the time, they were more likely to get that that the full amount they wanted.

If you are unhappy with that decision, and i am because i'd rather have new trains (and i would imagine Nexus were), blame the DfT or the Government at the time.

As for your final point, it seems we agree on something!

Yeah, that's what I was trying to say. Nexus had the option of taking a risk and asking for new trains, or getting a pretty much guaranteed refurb program. They took the easy way out and we'll be paying for it in a few years!

I blame Labour for the vast majority of problems we have here in the North East, but that's a whole other story :P

 

[tez thorn]

The government is a massive problem in general haha,but thats for another place and time

 

[MetroCar4058]

To be fair I think we all agree the Metro is a fantastic service and does rather well on most occasions, personally I don't like to 'have a go' at the system in fact I like to complement it as it is overall very good however on the flip side we all probably agree that nexus management isn't the best (pop card...)it could be and most of the moans and groans are real concerns, often if I complain it will be about the front line staff who don't know how to work with the public, this isn't a issue for the Metro itself but it doesn't look well on the system if they are being cheeky to those who pay for the service and want to know information.


Also regarding the PA system strange things are happening! The awful man is now gone I believe and now most of the directional aids are gone for example:

Regent:'This train is for all stations to South Hylton via newcastle, the next station is South Gosforth change here for trains to the coast from Platform 2' which is now 'the next station is south Gosforth' however going towards South Gosforth from Ilford road remains unchanged.

Monument in both directions is now just 'the next station is Monument'

'Change here for all local bus services' remains the same

So the big question is, what is Nexus doing? Getting rid of those announcements is crazy! So my theory is they are enhancing the lady's voice over putting the new man into service as I cannot fathom out why they have made this change, after all many people do get confused, especially at Monument.

Finally most platforms now just say 'anding (that's correct not standing) at platform 2 is for Airport' and I noticed at Gateshead it said this instead of 'then next train to arrive upon platform 2 is for...'


Has anyone else noticed this and knows the reason for it?

 

[Paul_10]

Yeah, that's what I was trying to say. Nexus had the option of taking a risk and asking for new trains, or getting a pretty much guaranteed refurb program. They took the easy way out and we'll be paying for it in a few years!

Replacement fleet is included in the modernisation programme but not until phase 3 of the programme which is yet to be approved, even if Nexus applied to have new trains, I highly doubt we will be enjoying a new fleet of trains at this moment with all the various complications and usual delays that we seem to get when new stock is ordered and then delivered.

What I am concerned about is the date for a suppose new fleet to arrive is keep getting put back, I'm sure 2023 was originally planned, then 2026, now 2030. Its took long and I'm sure I read in one of the ITA files in the past that yet another refurbishment is not ruled out but stressed this was an option as a very last resort. I wish Nexus is not so obsessed about these ambitious projects such as street tram running and just concentrate with what they got and what they need to get done.

On a positive note, there is some signs the modernisation programme is worth the money spents as failures such as points failures are very very rare and the ride on newly laid track is much improved but sadly reliability on the trains is still poor but one must consider how often do they encounter a delay on a journey, in my case, its very rare and I travel on the Metro quite a lot(admittedly during the peaks and through the core of the system). That said, if you look at the total broader picture, then no doubt the amount of trains being withdrawn from service in say a 5 day period is no doubt too high for Nexus liking.

 

[tez thorn]

who knows, they will always test and try new things, some that seem pointless and confusing, and others

that are ok, i have noticed a few times the woman on the platform annoncements often gets cut off before

shes finished announcing

 

[Paul_10]

Also regarding the PA system strange things are happening! The awful man is now gone I believe and now most of the directional aids are gone for example:

Regent:'This train is for all stations to South Hylton via newcastle, the next station is South Gosforth change here for trains to the coast from Platform 2' which is now 'the next station is south Gosforth' however going towards South Gosforth from Ilford road remains unchanged.

Monument in both directions is now just 'the next station is Monument'

'Change here for all local bus services' remains the same

So the big question is, what is Nexus doing? Getting rid of those announcements is crazy! So my theory is they are enhancing the lady's voice over putting the new man into service as I cannot fathom out why they have made this change, after all many people do get confused, especially at Monument.

Finally most platforms now just say 'anding (that's correct not standing) at platform 2 is for Airport' and I noticed at Gateshead it said this instead of 'then next train to arrive upon platform 2 is for...'


Has anyone else noticed this and knows the reason for it?

I have noticed this(with the Monument announcements) at times but its nothing new, I wonder if its down to PA system not actually know where the train is going which might be to do something with the driver not setting the route at the terminus station. This mainly happens on the peak trains so if they don't set the route straight away, you sometimes get no announcement where the train is going or what the next stop is but as soon as you arrive into the next station(say Heworth) then the boards and announcements are on saying "This is Heworth". Thats my theory on it.

Despite what Nexus have said the will do, the male announcer has not been phased in yet and I don't know if 4038 has still got the male PA's or not. 4047(was 4064 but after refurbishment, its now got the female's voice again) is the other unit with the male announcer but I have not been on this unit for a while now so no idea if the male announcer is still on there or not. Of course make sure 4047 is the lead car because if its the other car leading, you will get the females voice although the boards will still say "Next station is...."