Request stops: Stop the train; I want to get ON!

[Steddenm]

a friend tonight was waiting for the 1822 from Conwy which according to the CIS was on time and that a signal had to be made to the driver for the train to stop.

She did signal the driver yet the train failed to stop and carried on through.

ATW customer services have apparently been useless saying the train DOESN’T call at Conwy when it’s timetabled to do so. RTT is showing the train as stopping when it didn’t.

She had to taxi it to Holyhead. Can she claim this back?

 

[Parallel]

I’ve been on a train that has has braked very suddenly when a passenger came running onto the platform at Copplestone before, just as the train was about to pass. She was very lucky as it was a Sunday and the next train was 2 hrs later.

 

[trainophile]

a friend tonight was waiting for the 1822 from Conwy which according to the CIS was on time and that a signal had to be made to the driver for the train to stop.

She did signal the driver yet the train failed to stop and carried on through.

ATW customer services have apparently been useless saying the train DOESN’T call at Conwy when it’s timetabled to do so. RTT is showing the train as stopping when it didn’t.

She had to taxi it to Holyhead. Can she claim this back?

Was she hard to spot in the darkness? Wearing dark clothing maybe? Not that that's any excuse, but presumably the driver would have stopped if he had seen her in time.

 

[GatwickDepress]

Was this the train? Looks like it was running ten late by Llandudno Junction.

It definitely calls at Conwy however, so Arriva Train Wales are wrong to claim that. The public timetable (PDF) says it departs at 1821 instead of 1822, so perhaps that's why their customer services are saying that.

 

[Jonny]

Now that is a bit dodgy. I've timed my turn-up at my local station based on live running data and always been OK.

OK so it is a booked always-stop for me rather than a request stop in OP's case, but I would still say it is unfair for the stop to have been missed under such circumstances. After all, the driver should have been aware of the possibility of stopping and prepared accordingly.

 

[sw1ller]

The rules are you get down to 15mph but at Conway it’s advisable to get to 10mph as you enter the station. It’s easy to spot people on the station as on the down the platform curves right and you see the whole station. If the person was on the station then the train would of stopped. Obviously I wasn’t there so I cannot say for sure but I find it highly unlikely a driver got down to 15mph, saw the passenger and then decided not to stop. I would find it very plausible that the passenger was hidden in a shelter as the train approached, jumping out at the last second. There is a huge risk of a station overshoot here (a 2 car only just fits on) so if the driver was beyond a point to safely stop then they wouldn’t risk it. It’s a request stop and you need to wave the train to stop before it enters the platform. A platform that the driver has very good all round sight of once they actually see it.

 

[kevconnor]

Is Conwy a request stop? If it isn't I thought they would need to physically stop and release the doors.

 

[sw1ller]

Is Conwy a request stop? If it isn't I thought they would need to physically stop and release the doors.

Yes, it’s a request stop.

 

[rmt4ever]

This request stop malarkey seems very weird to me. I just can’t get my head around the idea.

I doubt in my lifetime I’ll ever use a request stop train but I would like to for the novelty. There just aren’t any in London it seems

 

[Bedpan]

No different to a request bus stop really. I wonder what the nearest request stop to London actually is? Having had a quick look the nearest one that I can see is Bures on the Marks Tey - Sudbury branch. Does anybody know of any nearer?

 

[scragend]

Ive never used a request stop. Does/can a driver acknowledge a request to stop from a passenger, so that the passenger knows that he/she has been seen?

 

[Bromley boy]

I doubt in my lifetime I’ll ever use a request stop train but I would like to for the novelty. There just aren’t any in London it seems

Not a train, but Tramlink stops are request stops, I believe, or certainly were when it first launched.

I’m not 100% sure this is still the case as I’ve never been on a tram that hasn’t called at every stop.

 

[sefton]

Was she hard to spot in the darkness? Wearing dark clothing maybe? Not that that's any excuse, but presumably the driver would have stopped if he had seen her in time.

Trusting that the driver has seen you seems a bit of a stupid system.

Surely better for everyone for there to be a mechanism for the customer to positively alert the driver, so they know to stop before they arrive.

 

[Bungle965]

Not a train, but Tramlink stops are request stops, I believe, or certainly were when it first launched.

I’m not 100% sure this is still the case as I’ve never been on a tram that hasn’t called at every stop.

They tried to introduce it on the Midland Metro when the new stock came in, however that idea fell completely fell flat once they started service. The stop buttons are essentially redundant now.
Sam

 

[pompeyfan]

Trusting that the driver has seen you seems a bit of a stupid system.

Surely better for everyone for there to be a mechanism for the customer to positively alert the driver, so they know to stop before they arrive.

That’s not a bad idea, a big push button that shows some sort of light at the beginning of the platform that clears with a track circuit or something.

 

[Bletchleyite]

That’s not a bad idea, a big push button that shows some sort of light at the beginning of the platform that clears with a track circuit or something.

SBB use such a feature on some rural lines, with bus style stop buttons on board.

 

[Eccles1983]

Its clear on the stopping at request stops procedure I use anyway.

First - approach station at a speed that you can stop if required, and then give a quick blast of the horn to give passengers on the station the heads up.

Second, give 2 on the buzzer, if nothing comes back then you are stopping regardless. Also you are stopping if you see anyone on the platform.

Its far better to come to a virtual crawl through the platform and then accelerate once your nose has gone past the shelter, than attempt to stop at 15/20 mph.

Simple.

 

[LOL The Irony]

As much as it's a good idea, how many kids are going to lark about or a toddler who sees a big red button and presses it? I guess you could put a timer on to switch it off after 10 minutes as long as it's more than 10 minutes from the booked arrival time.

 

[pompeyfan]

But request stops usually have a limited number of passengers in remote locations. There is unlikely to be young people loitering at these locations. You’d imagine as well that parent and toddlers would only be on station platforms if they’re joining or leaving a train, unless they’re doing some spotting, in which case the child will be supervised and probably wouldn’t get the chance to press any buttons.

 

[al78]

Ive never used a request stop. Does/can a driver acknowledge a request to stop from a passenger, so that the passenger knows that he/she has been seen?

From my recollection of using Corrour station (Scotland), it is like using a urban bus at a bus stop. You know from the timetable when the train is expected, and 10 minutes before you keep an eye along the track where the train will be approaching. When the train is visible and a few hundred meters away, stick your arm out and wave it to attract the drivers attention. The only way I know the driver has recognised my request is if the train stops.

 

[700007]

All tram stops are request stops still to my knowledge, I've been on a few Tramlinks that have skipped places like Lloyd Park as nobody had pressed the bell to get off and nobody was there to get on.

 

[Mintona]

I did a tram from Beckenham Jn to East Croydon that didn’t stop until Sandilands That was a decent journey.

 

[Steddenm]

She was wearing a flashing Christmas jumper and was very noticeable. ATW have agreed to refund the taxi and rail fare as an apology as she threatened to go to the press!

 

[Domh245]

All tram stops are request stops still to my knowledge, I've been on a few Tramlinks that have skipped places like Lloyd Park as nobody had pressed the bell to get off and nobody was there to get on.

Don't think so. The trams stop at every stop and release the doors, although people may not get on. They've removed all of the stop buttons from the CR4000 trams in the most recent refurbishments, without which you can't really run a request stop system.

 

[Bromley boy]

She was wearing a flashing Christmas jumper

Maybe the driver thought she was a POSA signal?!

 

[londonbridge]

Never mind request stops, on the buses I've had more than one incident where the driver has failed to stop at a compulsory stop after either myself or some other passenger has got up and stood by the exit door on the approach to said stop. When challenged as to why they didn't stop the usual response is "You should have rung the bell". They don't like it when I've replied that "I don't have to because it's a compulsory stop and you have to stop there".

 

[robertclark125]

All Blackpool tramway stops are request stops.

One possible idea, though in some rural locations, such as Corrour, this might not be possible, is that if the station concerned is a request stop, and the station has a help point, could you use the help point to say you're waiting on such a train, and ask them to let the train crew know to stop to allow you to board?

 

[Bromley boy]

"You should have rung the bell". They don't like it when I've replied that "I don't have to because it's a compulsory stop and you have to stop there".

I don’t suppose they care. Do you do that just to make a point?!

Why not do what 99.5% of passengers do and just ring the bell before your stop?!

 

[Bookd]

I may be wrong, but I think that in London all stops are now request, which may cause confusion to long serving passengers. There used to be white 'bus stop' signs which were compulsory and red ones which were request, but this no longer applies and buses are not required to stop unless requested.

 

[Temple Meads]

Ive never used a request stop. Does/can a driver acknowledge a request to stop from a passenger, so that the passenger knows that he/she has been seen?

Here in Devon use of the low tone on the horn is quite common as acknowledgement of a request for the train to stop - not sure if this is widespread or official though!