Abuse to the 'Push' buttons on trains.

[Dai.]

The Push Buttons that light up when the door is openable?

The abuse to that button is unbelievable, people don't quite realise that you can't open the doors with that button until the conductor has enabled them yet they still push them?

What do they expect to achieve?

 

[GB]

While it maybe daft, I wouldnt actually class it as abuse though.

 

[will1337]

This often happens on the SWT Desiros. I'll stand by the door ready to open it with my finger near the button, then the train will stop and someone will barge through bashing the button and then step back in confusion and I'll press it as soon as I hear the beginning of the door unlocked noise or if I can see the guard opening them then at that point.

 

[jopsuk]

317s still have the old black pneumatic buttons- if you're propping your weary body against the "open" then the door's will open as soon the driver releases them.

Or you could, as some people do, stand there not pressing anything waiting for the doors to open.

 

[Aictos]

Or even do what some people do especially on my 313s and just stand in the middle of the doorway on the train waiting for the doors to open automatically not realising that they have to press a little button named Open beside the doors on it. :roll:

Or how about blocking the doors so passengers can't get off which really ticks me off!

As to people not waiting for the door lights to come on before opening the doors, that certainly applies on all trains be it DOO or not.

 

[HSTfan!!!]

I find the amount of idiots trying to open HST doors when still whizzing into the platform laughable. Just how thick are some people, one of these days the CDL could fail and they'll take out a few punters stood on the edge of platform with newspapers in hands/ipods in ears (who will then complain noone told them it was dangerous to stand there)

 

[Failed Unit]

Or even do what some people do especially on my 313s and just stand in the middle of the doorway on the train waiting for the doors to open automatically not realising that they have to press a little button named Open beside the doors on it. :roll:

Maybe they are old school, the 313's only had the buttons reintroduced in the late 1990's for a lot of thier life the drivers did the opening an closing and every door was done whether it was needed or not. The addition of the buttons was a recent welcome addition in the winter. Saying that they were built with open / close mechanisms, never used them when they had them in the 70's but for some reason these were removed. Someone in Scotland may let us know but I think the 314's still don't have open / close buttons (again a very very long time since I have been on one so may be confusing them with another unit.)

 

[dan_atki]

What do they expect to achieve?

Well I must confess that on many occasions I press the button before illuminated and hold it in until it is (or more, I hear the pneumatic noise they make). The door will then open as soon as it is released by guard/driver avoiding comments from people behind me that I'm taking too long to open the doors... the extra few seconds could be critical to make a connection!

 

[LTJ87]

On the flip side, on the Heathrow Express the push button does not light when the train reaches the station and the doors are enabled. I often forget this when standing by the door waiting for the light to come on.

 

[me123]

People behind you often start moaning at how long you're taking to open the doors. If I can sense someone moaning, I'll press it almost to make a point that I can't do anything.

 

[mallard]

Knowing when to press the button can be pretty confusing to those who don't travel often. Sometimes trains have buttons that don't do anything in normal operation (e.g. several classes of LU stock), sometimes the buttons light up when the doors unlock, sometimes they don't, sometimes you can make the door open as soon as it unlocks by holding the button, sometimes you can't (so you hit it repeatedly until it unlocks). Sometimes it depends of where you're stopping/the whim of the driver/conductor.

 

[ukrob]

Well I must confess that on many occasions I press the button before illuminated and hold it in until it is (or more, I hear the pneumatic noise they make). The door will then open as soon as it is released by guard/driver avoiding comments from people behind me that I'm taking too long to open the doors... the extra few seconds could be critical to make a connection!

I do the same, just keep my finger on the button as the train comes to a halt and therefore the doors open as soon as they are released.

 

[Oswyntail]

Who teaches passengers how to open the doors? I cannot remember being told that we have to wait until the doors are centrally released, or on which classes the button lights up. And there is often the feeling that crew are just yanking passengers chains (eg waiting to get on a 333 at Leeds on a cold wet evening when the crew are in the cabs and still only release the doors 2 minutes before departure). Would it be beyond the wit of man to have an automatic announcement saying something like "Doors Unlocked - press "Open" button now"? Not every passenger is as clued up as we are

 

[jon0844]

I hold the button too, so it opens immediately. I don't see a problem, although sometimes the doors can be unlocked before the train has come to a full stop. Never so much as to be dangerous.

Mind you, the tube can be different with some stock allowing the doors to open when the train is still moving - and there's no button to press. This seems to happen at night when a tube driver decides to stop at a station for about 5 seconds, 2 of which may actually see the train actually stationery!!

 

[dan_atki]

Who teaches passengers how to open the doors? I cannot remember being told that we have to wait until the doors are centrally released, or on which classes the button lights up. And there is often the feeling that crew are just yanking passengers chains (eg waiting to get on a 333 at Leeds on a cold wet evening when the crew are in the cabs and still only release the doors 2 minutes before departure). Would it be beyond the wit of man to have an automatic announcement saying something like "Doors Unlocked - press "Open" button now"? Not every passenger is as clued up as we are

Class 319s have 'PRESS WHEN ILLUMINATED' next to their buttons, and class 458 announcements (when they are working and audible) start with 'The door buttons are now activated. This is xxx'.

I hold the button too, so it opens immediately. I don't see a problem, although sometimes the doors can be unlocked before the train has come to a full stop. Never so much as to be dangerous.

Mind you, the tube can be different with some stock allowing the doors to open when the train is still moving - and there's no button to press. This seems to happen at night when a tube driver decides to stop at a station for about 5 seconds, 2 of which may actually see the train actually stationery!!

If I recall, Tube doors can be released when the train is at a low speed (2 or 5 MPH IIRC) and often are opened whilst the train is still coming to a halt. Obviously, with CSDE* equipment on all lines bar the Victoria they can only be opened in stations. Victoria Line train operators** have had strikes regarding their lack of CSDE equipment.

*Correct Side Door Enable - only allows doors to be opened on the platform side.
**'driver' is a very loose term on the Victoria - more so than any other line. I'm not just being Tube PC by using that term!

 

[MKB]

IIRC the doors on the Paris Métro open early and you can step off before the train has completely stopped.

 

[richa2002]

I find the amount of idiots trying to open HST doors when still whizzing into the platform laughable. Just how thick are some people, one of these days the CDL could fail and they'll take out a few punters stood on the edge of platform with newspapers in hands/ipods in ears (who will then complain noone told them it was dangerous to stand there)

This happened on a daily basis in the Southern Region until 2005 and there were few if any injuries due to people opening the doors early.

 

[rww100]

IIRC the doors on the Paris Métro open early and you can step off before the train has completely stopped.

Not always, but often the driver does unlock the doors a little early so if you've got the lever pulled to the open position the doors will open earlier. Many tourists use the métro though and don't realise that the doors have to be opened manually.

 

[bengley]

The real question is: Who cares if people abuse the button? It doesn't do anything.

 

[The_Stig]

The class 318 makes a god awful 'twang, twang, twang' noise when the doors have been released for opening.

 

[moonrakerz]

This sounds like a good case for yet another dose of verbal diarrhoea over the PA, to go with all the other rubbish we are subjected to - a 45 second course on how to operate the train doors.
It could be re-packaged with the blurb about the "gap" and the train not being able to be fully "platformed" (!!!) at the next "station stop".

Does everyone know how to open the non-automatic internal doors found on some trains ?

 

[A60K]

Maybe they are old school, the 313's only had the buttons reintroduced in the late 1990's ... Saying that they were built with open / close mechanisms, never used them when they had them in the 70's but for some reason these were removed.

Passenger open was used, briefly in 1976. The problem was that they weren't buttons, instead they were fixed handles on the doors. Pulling on the handle at a station caused a sensor to realise you were trying to open the door, and the door motor took over and opened both doors fully.

All well and good, BUT no-goods (what today we would call chavs) very soon realised that the fixed handle gave you enough leverage to open the doors manually while Hertfordshire was passing at 60 mph. Cue a quick re-assessment of the handles.

The French have sliding doors that you can open in the same way on their Inox sets - there it's treated as a valuable addition to the ventilation system, rather than dangerous - H+V rather than H+S being the main consideration

 

[adc82140]

I tend to press and hold the 165/166 door buttons- as soon as they are activated the doors will open immediately. I do find it annoying that people seems to fight against the CDL on the HSTs though- what's that likely to acheive. If I'm the first off, once the train has stopped I will lean out of the window with my hand on the handle and await the CDL "click".

 

[boing_uk]

Ha! You get the same with traffic lights. Some people are adamant that if you push the button more than once it makes the lights change quicker. LOL!

 

[ukrob]

Ha! You get the same with traffic lights. Some people are adamant that if you push the button more than once it makes the lights change quicker. LOL!

But there is truth to that. Some older sets DO change straight away if you press the button the number of times programmed. Not sure how widespread they are these days.

For example, the ones outside the station at Formby would change instantly after six presses in rapid succession until seven or eight years ago. I think that is when they were replaced.

 

[boing_uk]

Not true. Im a traffic signals engineer

Once the circuit has been closed (or opened) the controller accepts the demand and starts a timer. If the timer has already timed off, then they change immediately.

As for train doors, I generally just hold the button in once the train has come to a stand. Sometimes the guard is on the ball and its immediate, or sometimes theres a wait.

 

[krus_aragon]

Ha! You get the same with traffic lights. Some people are adamant that if you push the button more than once it makes the lights change quicker. LOL!

It's far more important when you press the button. Lights that aren't interlinked with other crossings will check if there's traffic coming (by infrared sensor or induction loop in the road) immediately when the button is pressed. If it's clear they'll start changing the lights. If not, they'll wait a set period of time before checking again. If you know where the sensor is/looks and press it at the right time then you can cross almost immediately, especially on a one-way system.

 

[ukrob]

Not true. Im a traffic signals engineer

It doesn't sound like it from this:

Once the circuit has been closed (or opened) the controller accepts the demand and starts a timer. If the timer has already timed off, then they change immediately.

 

[boing_uk]

It doesn't sound like it from this

Eh?

 

[jamesontheroad]

I find the amount of idiots trying to open HST doors when still whizzing into the platform laughable. Just how thick are some people, one of these days the CDL could fail and they'll take out a few punters stood on the edge of platform with newspapers in hands/ipods in ears (who will then complain noone told them it was dangerous to stand there)

I was used to CDL in th UK, so when I moved to Northern Ireland in 2004 (before their class 80s were retro-fitted with CDL) I did indeed once accidentally open the door of a train while it was still coming into Belfast Botanic station. Almost took out a line of school girls, luckily their reaction times were shorter than mine......