GWR - Lack of Announcements

[Sean Emmett]

The most amusing is the connectional advice approaching Bristol Parkway: Change here for Bristol Temple Meads and the north! When the new service from Temple Meads to Paddington via Parkway starts, will they still have the same announcement?

Well they do at present - done various IETs from Temple Meads on booked diverts via Parkway where the automatic announcement at Parkway blares out "change here for Bristol Temple Meads".

 

[Parallel]

My favourite is when an IET arrives into Cardiff and it blares out ‘Change here for Cardiff Queen Street, Ebbw Vale and Treherbert!’

I get Queen St but can the system not just say ‘and other valley lines destinations’ What about Merthyr, Aberdare, Penarth, Barry Island and The City Line?

 

[quarella]

Travelling late one night I did wonder what the position for alternative transport was with "change here for XYZ" announcements long after the last train to those destinations had departed.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Travelling late one night I did wonder what the position for alternative transport was with "change here for XYZ" announcements long after the last train to those destinations had departed.

These days we have the technology that such announcements should only be made when there actually is a connection (and include which platform and when). Some guards do this unofficially using the likes of RTT, but DB have done it for years.

 

[JN114]

Regarding the announcements on IETs there’s a software/database fault that Hitachi and GWR are aware of but struggling with.

As designed the train is meant to select appropriate stations from a list depending on the calling pattern and destination:-

Thus for example the database for Swindon is meant to contain Didcot Parkway, Chippenham, Bath, Bristol Parkway, Kemble, Stroud, Stonehouse, Gloucester and Cheltenham. An up train non-stop to Reading should announce change for Didcot Parkway; down trains should announce stations on the “branch” it is not booked to go along etc.

For whatever reason it’s not working properly; and a fix hasn’t been forthcoming in nearly 18 months of operation.

At one stage the plan had been to temporarily dispense with change at.... announcements on IETs until they’ve worked out why it isn’t working as designed; but it appears they’re back and as rubbish as ever.

 

[Essan]

~

Aye, it's always a manual announcement. Just odd that on this occasion (it was a 9 car unit) there were none.

As a follow up to this, on a 9 car IET into Worcester yesterday, not only was there the expected manual announcement of which coaches to use if wishing to alight at Pershore, but also an additional automated one stating that the doors would not be opening there in coach in which I was travelling. So does normally work well.

 

[johntea]

In Northern land I was on the last service last night, very dark outside and a lot of drunks on board, a 142 so obviously no automated announcements but not once did the guard speak a word! In fact as we approached the final station the driver decided to step in and do his own announcement! (I know it was the driver as the guard was walking out of his cab at exactly the same time!)

 

[cb00]

On the Cotswold line where not all stations have full platforms (or at least, functioning platforms, since some have recently been extended) the announcements are patchy.

Sometimes it's not in enough time for someone (especially elderly or injured) to negotiate walking through 5 carriages to get to a door that will open onto the platform.

 

[jimm]

On the Cotswold line where not all stations have full platforms (or at least, functioning platforms, since some have recently been extended) the announcements are patchy.

Sometimes it's not in enough time for someone (especially elderly or injured) to negotiate walking through 5 carriages to get to a door that will open onto the platform.

In 20+ years, I have never known anyone to be over-carried at a Cotswold Line station. A few mad scrambles up the train by people who simply weren't paying attention, for sure, but staff have always been alive to the risk.

GWR departure boards at platforms now tell people which part of the train they need to be in to alight at stations further along the line, never mind all the scrolling displays in the IETs, whether or not accompanied by announcements automated or manual, which they are one way or the other 99% of the time.

Hopefully in a matter of days the platform extensions will finally be brought into use, with doors open on the majority of coaches at almost all the stations IETs serve except Shipton, where most of the passengers are regulars, so know full well where to be to get off.

 

[Essexman]

I've seen someone carried over on the Cotswold Line. It was an HST and the Train Manager made clear announcments so it was the passengers' fault. The Train Manager said it happens quite often.

 

[Essexman]

Once again today automated announcement at Newton Abbot on Paddington to Paignton train told passengers to change here for Paignton. No correction from Train Manager.