Comments as follows;
These days DAS gives us all that info.
DAS was a new thing in the wings when I retired. In essence the consequences of the 10 car suburban plan on the SW network resulted in two (proposed) new main line outer sub services being 'squeezed' in to the TT (once inside of Hampton Court Jn), and DAS was to be an integral part of their introduction IIRC. But they/the initiative were dropped, so heard no more about it.
The difficulty here is that this can often result in replacing one problem with another.
Completely agree!
This sort of thing is just another example of the railway 'dumbing down' to the lowest common denominator under the all-encompassing umbrella of 'risk mitigation'.
Ditto !
Will be counter-producrive if the walking time back to the exit outweighs the time saved by releasing the doors promptly! I suppose the point here really is that journey times can only continue to increase while humans are involved at any point in the process and more and more ways are found to increase safety even by the most minute of increments.
Ditto !
I've also noticed that there is rarely any effort made to make up time - a few years ago drivers would accelerate harder and brake later, but now most simply drive as normal.
Probably largely due to the 'black box' element these days? Some years after retirement I travelled on a train on my old patch, and noticed within seconds of moving it was being driven in 'old school' mode (within the rules/speed limits and very safely I would add here) but to the point I even commented to my travelling companion (another ex workmate) that who ever was up front, could well be one of our old mates, xx! On reaching our destination, it came as (little) surprise that the chap who exited the cab was indeed the person we knew/know, well. A sign of the changing times we live in perhaps!
Because releasing doors on the left very quickly becomes an automatic action once the train comes to a stand, which can very often result in a wrong-side door release, or doors being released off the platform if the train has stopped short
There were a very small number of wrong side (releases), Ascot and Guildford being two locations where this was possible due to platform roads with platform faces on both sides, or stopped short (and release) on my patch, albeit all guarded trains, the the latter point aside, I have sometimes wondered if drivers side now have (
perhaps) too many things to take account of and react to (in the overall umbrella of 'safety') that may be causing confusion, especially amongst newbie's to the role? I can not comment, other than in my day, other than keeping a foot on the floor treadle and cancelling/acknowledging the AWS, that was about it, so drivers could give concentration to signal aspects and the reality of prevailing conditions in relation to (particularly) braking distances. Dunno, just a few thoughts?
I could comment more, but you all get the drift of where I'm coming from I'm sure.
EDITED: I feel I should add that the events at Cannon Street, as mentioned elsewhere recently, were a turning point in safety related practises, and although I do not know myself the figures involved in (potential) accidents avoided since then as a result of more recent accident preventative measures being in place, there is (obviously) still discussion to be had as to how best to balance those issues with the need to move as many people as want to be moved at specific times of day that are convenient to them.
Covid has perhaps been a (convenient) gamechanger for the rail industry in putting the brakes on what was a steadily increasing passenger footfall, which was becoming unsustainable within some TOC areas. This will likely result, as is seemingly the case on the SW network, in a fresh look at the 'base' timetables that will apply going forward, with the old minimum legal headways being given (perhaps) a greater 'buffer zone' between trains (as opposed to the old phrase used by some that the assets should be 'sweated' to their max), to provide a more reliable train plan, but also allow for the more recent changes in driving techniques and dwell times/door operation.