Class 331 Door Issues

[_toommm_]

So, at Piccadilly today the 21:02 to Blackpool failed to open 5 out of the 6 doors in the front 3 carriage set (formed of 2x3 carriage 331/0). Anyone who has used these trains and the 195s knows that the 'Door Out of Use' signs are a misnomer, as they are normally lit until the doors are unlocked.

How are passengers meant to know when the doors are genuinely out of use? With a broken foot, I had to wade through 3 carriages of people getting on to get to the rear most door and attempt to get off before it was dispatched; the platform staff were oblivious; and there was no PA announcement at all.

 

[js1000]

It was my understanding that as bi-directional platforms guards have to manually override the door controls at Victoria, Oxford Road and Piccadilly. ASDO is not in operation at these stations so would require some form of human error in the process for all doors not to open at Piccadilly. You'll usually see a guard checking 'DOOR NOT IN USE' light is lit on the non-platform side prior to releasing the doors at these stations. Having said that the process for manually opening these doors on bi-directional platforms does seem overly complicated.

 

[Llama]

You say it was two three car sets coupled, was the rear set of the two sets in passenger service, as in: was the only door that opened on that front set operated by the guard? (The guard should only be in the front set if the back set is locked out of use).

I've had a couple of oddities with the doors on 331s, but not with virtually all doors failing to open like described, when I had issues it was just with doors on one side of one coach (a middle coach on a 4-car set) failing to open at a few stations in a row. The guard was operating the doors from the back coach and it was only that middle coach affected, and it later rectified itself without any attention.

 

[_toommm_]

You say it was two three car sets coupled, was the rear set of the two sets in passenger service, as in: was the only door that opened on that front set operated by the guard? (The guard should only be in the front set if the back set is locked out of use).

I've had a couple of oddities with the doors on 331s, but not with virtually all doors failing to open like described, when I had issues it was just with doors on one side of one coach (a middle coach on a 4-car set) failing to open at a few stations in a row. The guard was operating the doors from the back coach and it was only that middle coach affected, and it later rectified itself without any attention.

All six carriages were in service; the guard was in the back set. It was as if they'd done local door from the front set and only released doors to the rear of it; but they were in the rear set to dispatch...

I get this train every week and since the timetable change it's been 2x 331/0 and theres been no issues so far suffice slow releasing.

 

[Llama]

No real answer to that then, goes on the "yet more issues we can't explain" pile.

The software on these units is unbelievably bad.

 

[scrapy]

It was my understanding that as bi-directional platforms guards have to manually override the door controls at Victoria, Oxford Road and Piccadilly. ASDO is not in operation at these stations so would require some form of human error in the process for all doors not to open at Piccadilly. You'll usually see a guard checking 'DOOR NOT IN USE' light is lit on the non-platform side prior to releasing the doors at these stations. Having said that the process for manually opening these doors on bi-directional platforms does seem overly complicated.

Piccadilly 13/14 the ASDO is programmed to work like a normal 2 island platform station with the guard only needing to override if they use 14 in the up(southbound) direction or 13 in the down(northbound) direction. Some other stations which are bi directional (but usually the same platform is always used except in disruption) have a default platform setting for ASDO and the guard only overrides if needed. Examples include Deansgate, and Wigan NW (platform 6 is the default terminating platform on stoppers from Lime St, 5 northbound and 4 southbound on the Lime St to Blackpools or Airport to Barrow/Windemeres). Whereas stations such as Lime St, Preston or Blackpool Nth where platforming is more of a lottery the guard always uses SDO.

If it was only doors in the front set that didn't release it sounds like it's either a software/programming issue or even a coupling fault. Out of interest did the OP notice if the hazard lights were lit in the coaches where the doors didn't release?

 

[_toommm_]

Out of interest did the OP notice if the hazard lights were lit in the coaches where the doors didn't release?

I'm tempted to say no on that front...

 

[Llama]

If one door on the front set did release then it appears to discount a coupler issue per se. More info is needed though, some of which wouldn't be available to the passengers - was ASDO overridden, did the exterior orange hazard lights illuminate, what did the TCMS door synoptic show, was it reported/had it happened previously, did it occur if the guard got relieved.

 

[_toommm_]

If one door on the front set did release then it appears to discount a coupler issue per se. More info is needed though, some of which wouldn't be available to the passengers - was ASDO overridden, did the exterior orange hazard lights illuminate, what did the TCMS door synoptic show, was it reported/had it happened previously, did it occur if the guard got relieved.

If I remember correctly, traincrew aren't allowed to swap at Piccadilly incase there isn't any crew as it would knacker Piccadilly.

 

[Llama]

Yes, but Oxford Rd is a common relieving point.