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York platform 'zones'

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mikeg

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Hi, does anyone have an idea what the following platform 'zone' markings are at York? Have they appeared anywhere else? What purpose do they serve? Was guessing something to do with social distancing as they've only appeared in the past couple of weeks, or at least I've only noticed them in that time. I could of course be comically wrong.

p9z10.jpgp9z1210.jpg
 
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pdeaves

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It's to go with audio and visual announcements telling passengers where to board. First class in zone 10. Cycle spaces in zone 6. That kind of thing. Now common in GWR-land.
 

mikeg

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Ah thank you haven't been to a major GWR station since the beginning of the year... They may have been there then but if they were I didn't notice them.
 

eMeS

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I'd like to see the Safety Assessment for what looks like a likely trip hazard, as soon as maintenance budgets get cut.
 

ForTheLoveOf

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I'd like to see the Safety Assessment for what looks like a likely trip hazard, as soon as maintenance budgets get cut.
These kinds of markings are pretty hard wearing and don't tend to lift up nearly as easily as the cheap tat used for many of the social distancing markings. Virgin Trains installed Zone markers on many of their managed stations about 10 years ago (I'd say 2012?). I've never seen any replaced and they are still going strong.
 

Mag_seven

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Hi, does anyone have an idea what the following platform 'zone' markings are at York? Have they appeared anywhere else? What purpose do they serve? Was guessing something to do with social distancing as they've only appeared in the past couple of weeks, or at least I've only noticed them in that time. I could of course be comically wrong.

View attachment 80462View attachment 80463

They are there to indicate where your coach will stop if you are boarding a Class 800. GWR stations (where Class 800s stop) have similar markings.
 

eMeS

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These kinds of markings are pretty hard wearing and don't tend to lift up nearly as easily as the cheap tat used for many of the social distancing markings. Virgin Trains installed Zone markers on many of their managed stations about 10 years ago (I'd say 2012?). I've never seen any replaced and they are still going strong.
That's good to hear - I trust your confidence is justified.
 

PupCuff

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I'd like to see the Safety Assessment for what looks like a likely trip hazard, as soon as maintenance budgets get cut.

That will (should) all get boxed off through validation of change processes. I don't believe it would constitute an immediate trip hazard and in any case it is on a busy station with plenty of staff where if a hazardous condition did present itself, action could be taken quickly to take the relevant area out of use and checks arranged on other such installations. You can't skew the output from a risk assessment on purely theoretical cuts to maintenance budgets.
 

londonmidland

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I assume all LNER operated stations will follow with this as the rollout of the automated announcements continues.
 

66Yorks

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Like a previous post stated, these markings are quite robust and should not come apart from the platform surface.
That is if they have been installed correctly...
 

800001

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New Customer Information screens are being rolled out at Lner manager stations, which will be able to show the Zones against the coach formation.
Currnetly being (or due to be shortly) at Berwick.

Font is changing to white colour, and can also show proper pictures on special notice page eg Wires down, bridge bash etc.
 

londonmidland

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Font is changing to white colour, and can also show proper pictures on special notice page eg Wires down, bridge bash etc.
That’s interesting. Helpful for people who don’t have social media and/or smartphones to view disruption.

On a separate note, will the announcements reflect the current location of a service for a delayed train? Certain TOC’s and Network Rail managed PIS is able to say ‘This train is currently between (x station) and (y station)’
 

800001

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That’s interesting. Helpful for people who don’t have social media and/or smartphones to view disruption.

On a separate note, will the announcements reflect the current location of a service for a delayed train? Certain TOC’s and Network Rail managed PIS is able to say ‘This train is currently between (x station) and (y station)’

Not that I Am aware of, the auto announcing is currently live at York and Newcastle and from what I have heard it just says delayed due to etc
 

WelshBluebird

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Living GWR land these have been a thing for a while and I've found them very useful! Especially for routes where different length services operate.
 

Parallel

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Indeed, zones are in use over much of the GWR network, and also the larger South Wales main line stations that GWR stop at. I’m pretty sure zones were installed at some stations under Virgin Trains too?

The only problem with zones painted on the ground is when the platforms are busy (i.e peak times), you can’t see them easily.
 

ainsworth74

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Progress at least! One of things I appreciated most about the major stations I used in Germany was the way the platform was divided up into Zones with pictograms showing where the train will stop (useful if it's a very short train on a platform intended for a double ICE) as well as information on where to wait for 1st class, standard class etc. As soon as I saw it in action I find myself wondering why it wasn't standard on our network.
 

YorksLad12

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Yonks ago (1997, I think) I was changing trains at Aachen. On the platform was a poster showing the formations of all the trains calling at that platform and where they would stop. Easy to do when you have fewer journey opportunities, pretty much impossible when you have lots of departures and trains possibly in different platforms on different days!
 

bearhugger

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I'm sure I saw these zones marked out at Darlington station a couple of weeks ago. Can't say I noticed them at Newcastle Central though (although I wasn't particularly looking for them).
 

XAM2175

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I'm definitely in agreement with ainsworth74 - the provision of information like that is one of the things that makes train travel in Germany (and also Switzerland) much nicer. SBB call the zones "Sectors" and like DB mark them with letters from A onwards so they're less likely to be confused with platform numbers. Both operators show the stopping positions on platform displays:


Afficheur Martigny 040711


On the platform was a poster showing the formations of all the trains calling at that platform and where they would stop. Easy to do when you have fewer journey opportunities, pretty much impossible when you have lots of departures and trains possibly in different platforms on different days!

This is still done (at least for IC, EC, and ICE services anyway) and shows the direction of travel, stopping location, coach numbers, and onboard facilities:


Wagenstandanzeiger Hannover 060415

DB obviously feel that they're capable of running the vast majority of their services with the advertised formation in the advertised order and through the advertised platform. I like to fondly recollect my experiences of the DB and SBB systems when I'm waiting for a platform announcement minutes from departure in the scrum at Euston.
 

mmh

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The cynic in me predicts that these zone signs will end up like previous attempts at it - unused signs as a relic of an attempt to make something simpler which was discovered to make it more complicated.
 

YorksLad12

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This is still done (at least for IC, EC, and ICE services anyway) and shows the direction of travel, stopping location, coach numbers, and onboard facilities:

DB obviously feel that they're capable of running the vast majority of their services with the advertised formation in the advertised order and through the advertised platform. I like to fondly recollect my experiences of the DB and SBB systems when I'm waiting for a platform announcement minutes from departure in the scrum at Euston.
That's the one. I had a genuine "wow!" moment when I saw it. Whereas in the UK... we have monitors that show the order of coaches, and even the occupancy levels in each coach, but not which end is which. London (and First) is normally south on LNER... but TPE could be either way around. Hopefully these new signs will do better than the purple/red/blue/green 'Zones' that popped up years ago.
 

ainsworth74

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The cynic in me predicts that these zone signs will end up like previous attempts at it - unused signs as a relic of an attempt to make something simpler which was discovered to make it more complicated.

And yet it works in Germany (and Switzerland) day in day out...
 

800001

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I'm sure I saw these zones marked out at Darlington station a couple of weeks ago. Can't say I noticed them at Newcastle Central though (although I wasn't particularly looking for them).

It will take a few weeks to install at all stations,
 

Trainfan2019

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I saw 'safe distance' zone markings appear at Crewe this week on platform 5. Looked like white sprayed using a stencil design.
 

DJ_K666

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Newport (Gwent) used to have zones marked with colours back in the day, I think that's been swept away now since the station has been touched inappropriately modernised
 

Parallel

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Newport (Gwent) used to have zones marked with colours back in the day, I think that's been swept away now since the station has been touched inappropriately modernised
Yes, I’ve also noticed some stations used to have ‘blue’ ‘green’ and ‘red’ zones etc.

Newport actually has zones again now, painted on the platforms and announced by the CIS in English. They’re not currently announced in Welsh at this station due to a glitch with the system (but are elsewhere in S Wales)

When the zones go live in York, they will probably sound similar to this:
 

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