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How to confuse passengers

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bunnahabhain

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Is there actually any EMT diagram where there's a planned unit split at Sheffield (regardless of how many "coaches" coaches)? I've not travelled on that route much in the past couple of years, but I've never known them do that... Occasionally I've known Northern bolt an extra unit on at Sheffield southbound, but not EMT.
Yes, Sundays only. 1R74 11.44 NOT-LIV detaches the front 2 coaches at Sheffield, the rear 4 continue on to Liverpool. Usually the front 2 coaches will actually be locked OOU.
 
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Hyphen

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Yes, Sundays only. 1R74 11.44 NOT-LIV detaches the front 2 coaches at Sheffield, the rear 4 continue on to Liverpool. Usually the front 2 coaches will actually be locked OOU.

Ah-ha, so it isn't quite such a broken announcement as I thought - thanks for the clarification! When I lived up that way I used to travel weekdays on it a lot; don't think I've ever used it on Sundays.
 

jon0844

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I find that passengers don't generally need any help to increase the sum total of their confusion.

Cheshunt today, around 1545, going to Liverpool Street (AGA, not EMT obviously). The 1550 train didn't turn up (and was eventually overtaken by the 1559 semi-fast so I assume it was held or cancelled at Broxbourne, as that's the last place it reported) but the announcements were:

"1550. 4 minutes. due to train fault."

The four minutes bit was clearly right at 1554, but not at any other point! And clearly some other bits of audio were missing.

Edit: Not sure what happened; http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/L82258/2014/09/26/advanced
 
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backontrack

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Services from Charing Cross to Ramsgate often split. It's always the rear 4 coaches that go on to Canterbury and Ramsgate. The splitting services that go via Dover have 'Sandwich' on them instead of Ramsgate, to indicate that they take longer, and that Ramsgate passengers should go via Canterbury instead.
 

northernchris

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At Manchester Oxford Road yesterday there was an announcement for the TPE service to Blackpool and Barrow, with the usual ''please ensure you travel in the correct part of this train'' as the front 3 coaches were Blackpool and rear 3 coaches Barrow. However when it arrived there was only 1 185 with the destination showing as Blackpool. Given the service had started from the Airport it did seem a little odd it wasn't announced as short formed.
 

Kite159

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How to confuse passengers SWT style.

On a Waterloo to Exeter service, having the rear unit continue down to Exeter rather than the front unit(s) after Salisbury.
 
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How to confuse passengers SWT style.

On a Waterloo to Exeter service, having the rear unit continue down to Exeter rather than the front unit(s) after Salisbury.

Depending on the time of day, I am going to take a wild stab and suggest the front unit went off to Bristol?
 

LateThanNever

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Depending on the time of day, I am going to take a wild stab and suggest the front unit went off to Bristol?

Isn't it normally the rear portion that goes to Brizzle? There have been two occasions when I've been on it and the rear portion has gone to Exeter and it has always been well indicated by announcements and ticket checks...
 
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rdlover777

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the caledonian sleeper was maybe one of the first splitting trains to not have this issue because your ticket would tell you what coach was you's and where it was going
 

GarethJohn

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I remember a heated argument at Shrewsbury Station between the Guard and a passenger. As the Train entered the Station it was the front portion that was going to Barmouth as the Driver swapped ends ready too leave it was the rear portion (as usual). The passenger was adamant that the Guard who just joined and hadn't announced anything was deliberately trying to be obtuse when he said it was the rear going to Barmouth.
 

Kite159

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Depending on the time of day, I am going to take a wild stab and suggest the front unit went off to Bristol?

Front unit was due to be taken out of service at Salisbury. 20:20 service from Waterloo last week.

Strange seeing it advertised on the screens at Woking as "Salisbury & Exeter St Davids"
 

HarleyDavidson

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Don't do what a now retired colleague did on a Sunday with an Alton/Basingstoke combi and put the code in at the wrong end.

So everyone had to change trains at Woking! As the Basing passengers were in the rear & Alton passenger at the front, when it should have been the other way around. :oops:
 

PHILIPE

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I recall back in BR days when Inter City loco hauled trains when I was travelling on a train from which was due to split at Carstairs. front portion Glasgow and rear to Edinburgh. However on this occasion the seat reservations had been placed in the wrong portions. The guard was very good and, after realising the problem, arranged an "organised" transfer into the correct portions after leaving. By organised I mean moving so many passengers at time without causing congestion.
 

Flamingo

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I had some confused passengers yesterday at Paddington who asked me where Platform 9 3/4 was. They were very disappointed when I told them Kings Cross...
 

jon0844

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I had some confused passengers yesterday at Paddington who asked me where Platform 9 3/4 was. They were very disappointed when I told them Kings Cross...

[Off topic]I hope they didn't bother to go, only to be shuffled into a long queue that goes outside the station entrance, before being encouraged to buy a photo taken by a 'professional' in the nearby shop*, along with other expensive merchandise.

And to think it was supposed to be Euston station anyway. ;)

* To be fair, they don't stop you taking your own pictures but the process does now mean being made to queue. And I even found myself being moved on by a security guard simply because I stood nearby, when I was merely looking on my phone to check what platform I needed to be at!
 

Flamingo

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[Off topic]I hope they didn't bother to go, only to be shuffled into a long queue that goes outside the station entrance, before being encouraged to buy a photo taken by a 'professional' in the nearby shop*, along with other expensive merchandise.

And to think it was supposed to be Euston station anyway. ;)

* To be fair, they don't stop you taking your own pictures but the process does now mean being made to queue. And I even found myself being moved on by a security guard simply because I stood nearby, when I was merely looking on my phone to check what platform I needed to be at!

Fair enough, it sounds like the outside of 22B Baker Street...
 

talltim

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EMT at it again. This morning the Liverpool - Norwich service had a long spiel about dividing at Nottingham, all correct, except when it arrived it was formed of one 158
 

southern442

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There have been occasions with Southern stations and trains advertising services to Brighton & Brighton, which is a bit confusing (one portion fast then forming another service, another stopping, or something similar). However, in general, they & SWT (eg. at Clapham Junction) seem to get the CIS screens & announcements to do the right thing, including advertising "false" destinations of stopping services if needed. However, the same cannot necessarily be said at London Overground stations where splitting Southern services call before they divide en-route. For example, I have known an evening peak 3-way split train (1726 London Bridge to Horsham/Tonbridge/Reigate) to be displayed as "Horsham & Tonbridge" or "Horsham & Reigate" at Norwood Junction.

At Clapham Junction, I saw a train advertised as going to Brighton and Preston Park. IMO Southern and Southeastern do the best job at clearly conveying information, especially detaching trains, probably due to the high number of trains that divide on these networks.
 

TheJRB

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Services from Charing Cross to Ramsgate often split. It's always the rear 4 coaches that go on to Canterbury and Ramsgate. The splitting services that go via Dover have 'Sandwich' on them instead of Ramsgate, to indicate that they take longer, and that Ramsgate passengers should go via Canterbury instead.

Just to be clear, although it normally is the case, it isn't always the rear portion which travels via Canterbury. Monday to Friday off-peak there's:

1tph Ramsgate via Dover Priory & Ramsgate via Canterbury West
1tph Dover Priory & Canterbury West

Which on Saturday and Sunday becomes:

1tph Ramsgate via Canterbury West (rear 4 coaches terminate at Ashford)
1tph Ramsgate via Dover Priory & Canterbury West

The change in setup on weekends is because Ashford-Dover gets two trains per hour rather than the three on weekdays.
 

southern442

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I was at Norwood Jn the other day and noticed LO have really ballsed up splitting trains with their new system. The screens were relatively fine but instead of saying "Front x coaches calling at..." and "rear x coaches calling at...," it now says 'front coach calling at..' and 'rear coach calling at..' which can be misleading to tourists or first timers at Norwood Junction. What WAS misleading for EVERYONE was that the new announcement system announced the train as going to Caterham calling at Kenley, Whytleafe, Whytleafe South and Caterham, when in reality it was going to Caterham and Tattenham Corner calling at all the normal stations. Even I was confused :lol: LO need to sort that out.
 

hounddog

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Not sure if this is NR, C2C or LUL but I got off a District Line train at Barking yesterday evening and happened to glance at the describer which said it was going to Harrow on the Hill.
 
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