I rolled up to Manchester Piccadilly last night to get back to Cheadle Hulme about 1850. The next 3 Northern trains were cancelled with the next one at 2006. Quelle surprise!
So plan B into operation - next train to Stockport and catch a bus. The next train was the delayed 1843 Norwich , due 1858, which interestingly was shown as Platform 8. There were already 2 trains in 8, a 2 coach Northern Unit and a TPE185. But it's not unusual to have 3 trains stacked in 8 and I wandered up the platform where lots of passengers were waiting.
I assumed that the Norwich was going from 8 as it was being terminated at Picc due to late running and was just looking to see where it was when there was an announcement that the next train in Platform 8 was indeed the Norwich and helpfully added that the train was between Deansgate and Oxford Rd! Those of you know the layout at Picc will know that 8 is one of the terminating platforms with 13/14 being the through platforms for the lines from Oxford Rd, so to get to 8 the train would have to pass through 13/14 and then reverse ...
I was on the footbridge at this time so went to 13 where the next train was showing as the 1904 to the airport. I approached the NR bloke on the platform to speak to him, but had to wait as he was dealing with a passenger requiring assistance. When I did get to speak to him, I told him the screens were wrong and the Nottm train was coming into 13 and was now at Oxford Road. He looked at his phone and said no - there's nothing at Oxford Road, but within 30 seconds the 4 coach 158 arrived at Platform 13!
Cue information screens being changed when the train was at the Platform but it still required the train guard to make an announcement that this was not the airport train and several passengers alighted again. I was on the train by then, so I didn't hear an announcement of the platform change on the station if there was one. But getting from p8-p13 in a minute or so would give few if any passengers a chance of catching it. I expect there were a few angry passengers as this was the last through service of the day.
So how can this happen? An auto announcement of platform 8 and saying the train is between Deansgate and Oxford Road? Somewhere something or somebody got it all horribly wrong.
So plan B into operation - next train to Stockport and catch a bus. The next train was the delayed 1843 Norwich , due 1858, which interestingly was shown as Platform 8. There were already 2 trains in 8, a 2 coach Northern Unit and a TPE185. But it's not unusual to have 3 trains stacked in 8 and I wandered up the platform where lots of passengers were waiting.
I assumed that the Norwich was going from 8 as it was being terminated at Picc due to late running and was just looking to see where it was when there was an announcement that the next train in Platform 8 was indeed the Norwich and helpfully added that the train was between Deansgate and Oxford Rd! Those of you know the layout at Picc will know that 8 is one of the terminating platforms with 13/14 being the through platforms for the lines from Oxford Rd, so to get to 8 the train would have to pass through 13/14 and then reverse ...
I was on the footbridge at this time so went to 13 where the next train was showing as the 1904 to the airport. I approached the NR bloke on the platform to speak to him, but had to wait as he was dealing with a passenger requiring assistance. When I did get to speak to him, I told him the screens were wrong and the Nottm train was coming into 13 and was now at Oxford Road. He looked at his phone and said no - there's nothing at Oxford Road, but within 30 seconds the 4 coach 158 arrived at Platform 13!
Cue information screens being changed when the train was at the Platform but it still required the train guard to make an announcement that this was not the airport train and several passengers alighted again. I was on the train by then, so I didn't hear an announcement of the platform change on the station if there was one. But getting from p8-p13 in a minute or so would give few if any passengers a chance of catching it. I expect there were a few angry passengers as this was the last through service of the day.
So how can this happen? An auto announcement of platform 8 and saying the train is between Deansgate and Oxford Road? Somewhere something or somebody got it all horribly wrong.