Deepgreen
Established Member
I had inserted a few comments about station approach speeds as an aside in the GTR Industrial Action thread, but it's probably better to have a separate thread.
The Betchworth example I cited (where drivers routinely encounter a red starter signal at the station, protecting the level crossing) was mentioned in the other thread.
My point was that some drivers seem to approach the signal with extreme caution (the approach is on a long rising gradient of 1 in 144), bringing the train down to less than 5mph while still at least ten train lengths out of the station, on wet or dry rails.
Now; there are some who don't exercise such extreme caution, but who approach the station and the red starter signal at what I would deem a sensible speed (around 10-15mph entering the platform), again on wet or dry rails.
This is certainly not about criticising drivers, who will rightly do as they are instructed, but I am interested to know how this significant variation in techniques is accounted for in timetabling. The North Downs line has many stations where level crossings are at platform ends, and it is common/dare I say normal to find trains leaving, say, Reading, on time, and losing a minute here and there, until arriving at Redhill almost ten late, with no apparent delay cause en route.
If the 'extreme caution' approach is that which drivers are instructed to adopt, surely the timetable needs to reflect that? The converse has, by the way, just been applied, with a minute being shaved off departure times at Betchworth and Reigate. Since this happened it has been even rarer to find trains keeping good time. It appears that the timetabling does not reflect the driving technique required, but I seek views on that.
Incidentally, the interlocking with Buckland crossing for stopping trains at Betchworth is understood, but this morning saw an uncommon example where the approaching 0818 stopping train (running only two minutes late) was given the green signal well before it even came into view, which must have closed Buckland crossing for at least five minutes. Even for trains with more severe late running, this signal clearance before the train is actually at the platform is still rare.
The Betchworth example I cited (where drivers routinely encounter a red starter signal at the station, protecting the level crossing) was mentioned in the other thread.
My point was that some drivers seem to approach the signal with extreme caution (the approach is on a long rising gradient of 1 in 144), bringing the train down to less than 5mph while still at least ten train lengths out of the station, on wet or dry rails.
Now; there are some who don't exercise such extreme caution, but who approach the station and the red starter signal at what I would deem a sensible speed (around 10-15mph entering the platform), again on wet or dry rails.
This is certainly not about criticising drivers, who will rightly do as they are instructed, but I am interested to know how this significant variation in techniques is accounted for in timetabling. The North Downs line has many stations where level crossings are at platform ends, and it is common/dare I say normal to find trains leaving, say, Reading, on time, and losing a minute here and there, until arriving at Redhill almost ten late, with no apparent delay cause en route.
If the 'extreme caution' approach is that which drivers are instructed to adopt, surely the timetable needs to reflect that? The converse has, by the way, just been applied, with a minute being shaved off departure times at Betchworth and Reigate. Since this happened it has been even rarer to find trains keeping good time. It appears that the timetabling does not reflect the driving technique required, but I seek views on that.
Incidentally, the interlocking with Buckland crossing for stopping trains at Betchworth is understood, but this morning saw an uncommon example where the approaching 0818 stopping train (running only two minutes late) was given the green signal well before it even came into view, which must have closed Buckland crossing for at least five minutes. Even for trains with more severe late running, this signal clearance before the train is actually at the platform is still rare.
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