I'm not so sure about passengers noticing how "well" a train is being driven or being able to accurately judge the speed of the train.
I was PASS back to my depot today along my core route and it felt like the driver was sand-bagging. I know precisely where the speed changes are and what the linespeed is at any given point, and I also happen to be familiar with the "passing times" at locations where the train is not booked to stop. Even so, this trip
felt really slow. However, a quick glance at my watch showed the service to be either bang on or slightly ahead of time. Given that this was the impression being gathered by a driver hugely familiar with the route and the different approaches to timing the service, what chance has a passenger got of being able to accurately say that something is not as it should be.
As a a driver I know that there are times when I might legitimately brake hard, although as a rule I try to avoid doing so. Someone could have stepped onto a foot crossing just ahead of me or there could be someone titting about on a platform. If I believe that heavy braking or acceleration is necessary then I am the best judge of it. No-one else even has a view forward to know what is going on ahead, let alone possess the required knowledge to gainsay my decision.
As I said before, if there has been a safety incident that concerns you enough then please contact the relevant operator. However, being a busy-body and making criticisms that you have no way of being sure about let alone substantiating does not fit this category. This is just mischief-making.
O L Leigh
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I understand where you are coming from, I really do, but I don't accept it for a case such as this. If the driver had been following routine he would have opened the local door and checked the train was platformed and then release the passenger doors - that is what the correct routine would be (according to people who know the stock and route). I'm sure you would agree with that, and bare in mind I have removed some steps for the sake of simplicity.
As a driver with experience of DOO operation, I would be very surprised if this really was the procedure in use on the Stratclyde PTE routes. For the want of putting up some "Car Stop" boards the operator could save itself a lot of time and effort. In fact, I would go so far as to say that I am dubious about the claim that this is indeed the method of working. What I would like is some confirmation of the methods of despatching DOO trains before making any judgement.
As for the routine element of my post, I still contest that you are underplaying it's importance. When I was a trainee I had it drilled into me that I should "pause for the doors". The idea was that it would give me a couple of seconds to look around and work out exactly where I am and decide what my next action should be. The problem is that most times when you stop a DOO train the next action is to release the doors. This incident sounds like a classic case of this.
To reinforce this point, there have been SPAD's at station starter signals because the guard has been too preoccupied with station duties to notice that the starter is at danger and has shut up and given the driver two on the bell. As the driver's normal response to this is to get underway, he/she has just given it the beans and gone right past the signal without stopping.
O L Leigh