Passing Stations With No Notice

[thetangoman]

Hi, I was recently on the Edinburgh to Helensburgh service on the North Clyde Line and got up ready for my stop at Dalreoch. To my dismay the train didn't stop although it was supposed to. It didn't stop at Cardross or Craigendoran either and I ended up in Helensburgh where the service terminated. Is this allowed/normal practice and if it is I find it totally unacceptable

Russell

 

[duncanp]

There are occasions when train drivers forget to stop at a station where they are supposed to, but this should be very much the exception and not a routine occurrence.

There are also occasions when a train will miss out stops to make up time if it is running late, but there should be an announcement made beforehand, and again it should not be an everyday occurrence.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk can be useful for finding out why a particular service is delayed or cancelled.

 

[sw1ller]

There are also many occasions where passengers are told many times about new stopping patterns but they choose not to take any notice. Normally due to earphones!

 

[thetangoman]

There are also many occasions where passengers are told many times about new stopping patterns but they choose not to take any notice. Normally due to earphones!

It was advertised to stop

 

[fairysdad]

There are also many occasions where passengers are told many times about new stopping patterns but they choose not to take any notice. Normally due to earphones!

... or due to a dodgy PA system! Last week at one point, the SWT train I was on skipped a few stations. All I could hear through the PA was the guard saying "... not stopping ... Clapham Junction and Waterloo". Had to strain to hear it as it was, could only really tell by context that the stations I heard were the stations that the train was stopping at! What didn't help was that the automated system was audible, and still announced stops at Wimbledon, Earlsfield, and Vauxhall!

 

[PHILIPE]

I should hardly think a driver would forget to stop at 3 stations especially on a route where all the trains stop at these stations anyway. Was the train late and stops cut out to get back on time ? Is the OP certain there were no announcements or possibly such announcements just not made ?

 

[pemma]

There are also many occasions where passengers are told many times about new stopping patterns but they choose not to take any notice. Normally due to earphones!

There are many occasions on Northern services when guards make announcements but due to a faulty PA system they can't be heard over the noise of the train.

There was the infamous case when so many people crammed on a 142 at Piccadilly that the guard couldn't open his door and announced that people had to get off the train or it would go nowhere, then as no-one did he announced the service had now been cancelled and then claimed the passengers held him hostage on the train after he had announced the train had been cancelled. Yet the passengers claimed there heard no announcements and had no idea what was going on.

 

[Dr_Intoxicated]

This happened to me a few years back, The train I was on from Reading that ran non stop Staines to London Waterloo. There were many angry passengers at Waterloo due to the fact that the PA was not working in our carriage.

 

[Bevan Price]

It was advertised to stop

I am a bit surprised that nobody used the emergency stop alarm. Failure to stop, with no prior information, might create the impression that the train was a bit out of control...

 

[MrPIC]

As a driver, if I have been told to skip stations or terminate early I can make PA announcements until I am blue in the face and theres always a handful of people who haven't got a clue whats going on because either they weren't listening or think they are special and that "All change please" doesn't apply to them.
The trouble with certain trains and PA systems is that unless you are at a stand you won't hardly hear anything of what is being said, especially if you are in the motor coach or sitting on top of the compressor.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Had an unusual occurrence today that was almost the opposite: the Leeds to Victoria via Dewsbury service doesn't call at Ravensthorpe between the peaks, but the 1239 (ex-BTL) I was on was held at the signal for 5mins, leaving it at the platform... There just happened to be a bloke waiting who had presumably missed the previous Huddersfield service who kept banging at the door buttons despite them not being lit. The guard spoke to him through the droplight (unit was 150102) and although I didn't hear the conversation, the doors were not released and the man was unable to board- possibly because it was not known when the signal would clear, and any further delay would cause issues for the several TPE services queuing up behind!

 

[bb21]

I will echo the opinion that missing three stops in a row is extremely unlikely to be an error.

 

[BestWestern]

The trouble with certain trains and PA systems is that unless you are at a stand you won't hardly hear anything of what is being said, especially if you are in the motor coach or sitting on top of the compressor.

Indeed. Class 150/2s are hopeless in that respect, in my experience.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

... or due to a dodgy PA system! Last week at one point, the SWT train I was on skipped a few stations. All I could hear through the PA was the guard saying "... not stopping ... Clapham Junction and Waterloo". Had to strain to hear it as it was, could only really tell by context that the stations I heard were the stations that the train was stopping at! What didn't help was that the automated system was audible, and still announced stops at Wimbledon, Earlsfield, and Vauxhall!

The terminally hopeless invention that is PIS! :roll:

 

[HMS Ark Royal]

There are many occasions on Northern services when guards make announcements but due to a faulty PA system they can't be heard over the noise of the train.

There was the infamous case when so many people crammed on a 142 at Piccadilly that the guard couldn't open his door and announced that people had to get off the train or it would go nowhere, then as no-one did he announced the service had now been cancelled and then claimed the passengers held him hostage on the train after he had announced the train had been cancelled. Yet the passengers claimed there heard no announcements and had no idea what was going on.

Would that have been a service to Sheffield?

 

[TEW]

The terminally hopeless invention that is PIS! :roll:

To be honest, the guard should probably have turned it off in those circumstances. Only takes a few seconds and there are controls in every cab.

 

[09065]

... or due to a dodgy PA system! Last week at one point, the SWT train I was on skipped a few stations. All I could hear through the PA was the guard saying "... not stopping ... Clapham Junction and Waterloo". Had to strain to hear it as it was, could only really tell by context that the stations I heard were the stations that the train was stopping at! What didn't help was that the automated system was audible, and still announced stops at Wimbledon, Earlsfield, and Vauxhall!

The problem here is that SWT has an automated PA that needs to be programmed in advance. The guard presets the calling patten using a 4 digit code.

If the guard does not know the new calling pattern as a normal service there may not be a 4 digit code to use. They can not manually remove individual stops from it.

 

[me123]

I will echo the opinion that missing three stops in a row is extremely unlikely to be an error.

Particularly three stops which (IIRC) are always served.

Scotrail do occasionally omit calls in order to keep the timetable running. It's inconvenient in the short term to you, but particularly on the Helensburgh to Edinburgh trains having a late running service can really impact on trains elsewhere later in the day.

They should of course announce this. Were you wearing headphones?

 

[BestWestern]

The problem here is that SWT has an automated PA that needs to be programmed in advance. The guard presets the calling patten using a 4 digit code.

If the guard does not know the new calling pattern as a normal service there may not be a 4 digit code to use. They can not manually remove individual stops from it.

Is it not the Driver who has to do all that?

 

[TEW]

The problem here is that SWT has an automated PA that needs to be programmed in advance. The guard presets the calling patten using a 4 digit code.

If the guard does not know the new calling pattern as a normal service there may not be a 4 digit code to use. They can not manually remove individual stops from it.

But they can put in code 0001 which will blank the screens and stop any announcements being played, much better than incorrect information being given out.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Is it not the Driver who has to do all that?

Apart from on 458/5s Guards deal with everything to do with the PIS on SWT.

 

[BestWestern]

But they can put in code 0001 which will blank the screens and stop any announcements being played, much better than incorrect information being given out.

Apart from on 458/5s Guards deal with everything to do with the PIS on SWT.

That's refreshing, and makes far more sense than the Driver being responsible for it.

Completely agree that PIS off and human info is much better than Digital Doris meandering randomly!

 

[pemma]

Would that have been a service to Sheffield?

No it was a Chester via Altrincham service following a football match at the Ethiad a few years ago. I imagine a number of those on the train had just crammed on the next departure for Stockport opposed to specifically needing to be on a Chester train.

 

[HMS Ark Royal]

The terminally hopeless invention that is PIS! :roll:

One should never take (whats on) the PIS...

No it was a Chester via Altrincham service following a football match at the Ethiad a few years ago. I imagine a number of those on the train had just crammed on the next departure for Stockport opposed to specifically needing to be on a Chester train.

Ah, makes sense. I only asked if it was a MAN - SHF as the early evening Sunday journey has always been full and standing for much of its length. As it normally seems to be a 2 car unit, it gets crowded quickly with people and bikes

 

[kylemore]

The trouble with certain trains and PA systems is that unless you are at a stand you won't hardly hear anything of what is being said, especially if you are in the motor coach or sitting on top of the compressor.

Exactly. Which is why the excuse of "announcements" can never be a valid one.

The practice of station skipping should be outlawed. In Scotrail's case by the real "owners" the Scottish Government. Scotrail are in the end merely contractors operating a Nationalised Rail service.

 

[londonbridge]

Posted this one before, I was coming home from work at Kingston, train was delayed, when it arrived I boarded it having somehow managed to somehow miss the announcement that it would now run non-stop to Waterloo and passengers for intermediate stations should wait for the one behind.

 

[sarahj]

Headphones, the bane of our lives during disruption. There is always one, taking if their headphones going 'well I never heard anything'. Err mate, your the only one.

 

[anme]

Headphones, the bane of our lives during disruption. There is always one, taking if their headphones going 'well I never heard anything'. Err mate, your the only one.

Maybe we should outlaw the wearing of headphones on trains.

 

[HMS Ark Royal]

Maybe we should outlaw the wearing of headphones on trains.

That would both be unenforceable and unkind to those people that must wear them for medical purposes

 

[Kite159]

Headphones, the bane of our lives during disruption. There is always one, taking if their headphones going 'well I never heard anything'. Err mate, your the only one.

I remember being at Waterloo East a few months ago where the half hourly stopping service to Sevenoaks got swapped from platform A to platform C, with several announcements to that affect (both automatic and a manual announcement).

You had someone sat on platform A, listening to music in his headphones completely missed the announcements and the train, only to kick off at the platform staff as he didn't hear the platform got changed over.

 

[DaveNewcastle]

I will echo the opinion that missing three stops in a row is extremely unlikely to be an error.

Particularly three stops which (IIRC) are always served.

Scotrail do occasionally omit calls in order to keep the timetable running. It's inconvenient in the short term to you, but . . . .

I agree.
I've experienced a ScotRail service skipping more than 3 stops for operational reasons (in thatcase it was to 'create' a new path between timetabled services), and the exceptional stopping pattern (i.e. not stopping) was clearly announced on departing all prior stations.

 

[talltim]

A lot of the PA in the 222s seems to be on and off. You can hear all the boring standard announcements and then it cuts out for _____________________ , only to come back on again for the 'thank you for traveling with East Midlands trains'
I don't know if it's a technical fault or poor technique, also I (obviously) don't know if happens throughout the train.