The running-in of Connect

I just know someone is going to disagree, but from my perspective....

In the past, it was possible to get a general idea of what was going on by putting 2 & 2 together from the line controllers messages. That has changed a lot now that the line controller can talk to individual trains - that said, it does depend on which line controller is 'on'. Some are good at using the group broadcast to continue 'giving clues', whilst others will make more use of the individual facility which takes the rest of us 'out of the loop'.

The D stock having the Connect handset positioned at knee level is absolutely ridiculous - we are supposed to be able to push a button without lifting the handset to enable a conversation. Trouble is the person at the other end can't hear you! So we have to lift up the handset every time we wish to talk

The Connect unit is set up such that it maintains a talk group based on the signalling areas (Upminster cabin, Earls Court desk, Richmond cabin, etc) - which is great, until it decides to change groups as you travel along the line.......beep........beep, beep,beep..............beep, beep....ooppppss, was the line controller saying something?

On the plus side, it is clearer - and we can talk to our DMT's without leaving the cab. That's assuming the DMT in question isn't scared to actually use it

The DMT's can even tell you where your train is - quite a novelty at Earls Court as they never had a clue before! I thought the line controller had the same unit - so he should know which train is where too (well the signalling diagram and trackernet should help too) - but he still says what is your location driver?! Infact he should also know your leading car number (for defect logging) - but he still asks for that too.

Has Connect actually made communications better? On the whole I don't think it has - but it is also still early days (the signallers still aren't fully on board yet ).

I have only spoken to Barking, signal operator wise.

The other issue is the cab unit being stuck on the wrong signal group - but I have worked out how to fix it! See the Connect again thread on the Circle/H&C board.

From the Service Operators perspective:



Not that i have had a play with the equipment for real yet, however i know excatly why the LC still asks those questions, that is because to get to such details as location and leading car number, you have to go to another screen. The location is only as good as what the Train Operator puts into his box in the cab, as there is no GPS involved in it.

I am actually looking forward to using connect and found it easy to use when i had my training, but maybe thats coz im younger than most ?



The only way that can happen is if the LC deletes the call from their call list

I have to step in here to clarify some points on the training issues. As one of those who delivered Connect training, I felt we were seriously let down by the fact that the fact that the training aids were perhaps not as good as we would have liked and things kept changing. We'd tell someone something one day, then a few days later would be told 'that's now changed, and this is how it will work' It was too late to tell the previous trainees about this, so we just started telling the next lot the new information. What happened? We got told that they'd changed it again Unfortunately, the training we give can only be as good as the information we receive. In the case of Connect, because it was all brand new, no-one knew exactly what would happen when it went live, or what features would be available, until quite close to the roll-out. Certainly when I delivered the training I made a point of telling people that the real learning would begin when it went live, and all we could give was an overview of how it should work, and what it was capable of doing.

Have any unofficial training aids been produced yet?

No, i am aware that you do not, but if you were to input a wrong number, the controller would be reading wrong information.



Creatures of habit! If you have done something for X amount of years im sure its hard to stop!



No we actually played with the real dispatcher terminals that we now have in the cabin.



Ah. Just goes to show! lol

Unbelievable.

And the infracos wonder why they are constantly slagged off and bemoaned in the press. Left-hand/right-hand coordination is rather important for something as significant as Connect - I wonder if this sort of thing has happened before.

I didn't think Connect was anything to do with the InfraCo's, and that it was an LU project from the start.

When I think of the amount of planning we had to do to get possessions for even such simple things as installing a temporary fence beside the line it does make you wonder about the attitude of those in charge of LU projects.
Take Thales for instance. When we worked with them once or twice (on NR) their attitude to possession planning was absolutely professional and this sort of cockup would never have been tolerated. Perhaps those in control of LU projects see them as a soft touch and manage them accordingly.

(Mind you, we did go through a signalling cable on the Birmingham-Bristol main line because the Thales diagram showed it buried 800mm deeper than it actually was..........)