cso
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Post by cso on Jul 7, 2010 11:02:59 GMT
Are there any 'standards' for the information given out at stations? At the moment, with the met timetable being 'strange' for 3 weeks, the information seems to be a bit inconsistent, which isn't good for the users of the service...
Firstly, the good bit: Hillingdon and Ickenham have a poster telling you when the trains are - up until 10AM - with the reduced Uxbridge service - very useful information.
The not so good bits:
At Wembley Park this morning the next train display said:
Except, they don't as Aldgate services are not stopping at Baker Street.
It's also highly amusing to be standing at Northwick Park or Preston Road, on a Watford service with an announcement playing that 'Between the hours of X and Y, Watford trains do not stop at this station.' when it's between X and Y and they are obviously stopping...
Are the messages broadcast at stations / displayed on the next train display controlled by the stations themselves?
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Post by mcmaddog on Jul 7, 2010 11:55:12 GMT
Well at stations north of HOTH the displays either show "Northbound trains" or "Southbound trains" and nothing else. Confusingly at Northwood when the line is closed north of there the platform used for Southbound services continues to show "Northbound trains". I've seen passengers left behind because of this as there are no platform staff.
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Post by harlesden on Jul 7, 2010 12:22:30 GMT
At Wembley Park this morning the next train display said: Except, they don't as Aldgate services are not stopping at Baker Street.Are you sure this is correct. I wouldn't have thought it was possible for a southbound train from Finchley Road to not stop at Baker Street as in pass right through. |
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cso
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Post by cso on Jul 7, 2010 12:48:09 GMT
Are you sure this is correct. I wouldn't have thought it was possible for a southbound train from Finchley Road to not stop at Baker Street as in pass right through. Positive. From the TFL service update: |
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Post by citysig on Jul 7, 2010 15:22:20 GMT
Platform 4 (one of the bay/terminating roads) at Baker Street is closed for upgrade works - so a reduction in terminating trains all day. This affects certain Uxbridge services during the peak, and Amersham services off-peak.
Platform 3 (the city-bound platform at Baker Street) is also closed for upgrade works, and all city-bound trains are running "non-stop" through this platform. I use the term loosely as, due to the nature of the signalling / the junction ahead, it won't always be possible to give trains a clear run through, so certain trains will pull to a stop but will not open doors.
All stations are aware of the closure / service alterations, but unfortunately there will always be the odd exception to information given - especially where more permanent signage is in place - this includes certain dot-matrix indicators which cannot be altered.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 7, 2010 15:35:03 GMT
Are you sure this is correct. I wouldn't have thought it was possible for a southbound train from Finchley Road to not stop at Baker Street as in pass right through. Positive. From the TFL service update: Through trains are doing pretty much what they normally do, ie, arrive in platform 3 and pause for the junction to clear - only difference is the doors don't open as the platform is closed (platform 3 looks like it's setup so it could be used in an emergency to empty a train - the blue netting separating platform 3 and 4). |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 7, 2010 16:44:16 GMT
More extensive works are planned for the North end of platforms 3 & 4 than is currently being done. The operational plan is in an emergency passengers would be released from the front set of carriages and walked through the train from the back.
In fact has already happened on Monday.
Refurbished stations have the opportunity to add messages onto the DMI, BUT some messages are loaded automatically and can't be changed. Unrefurbished stations, such as Baker Street, have no control over what information is displayed, hence why staff have covered up the Aldgate from Platform 3 information themselves.
I'm told that somebody has been tasked to take photos of all Met stations with regards to posters, location of posters etc to assist with the old chesnut "there was no information displayed/ available" to make sure that information available is being displayed/ used.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 7, 2010 17:35:22 GMT
Through trains are doing pretty much what they normally do, ie, arrive in platform 3 and pause for the junction to clear - only difference is the doors don't open as the platform is closed (platform 3 looks like it's setup so it could be used in an emergency to empty a train - the blue netting separating platform 3 and 4). As was said previously, we did actually use platform 3 for a detrainment on Monday morning about 07.00. A Baker St reverser was put into that platform and detrained, and then sat there for the next half hour or so (they now cannot reverse South/North from that platform either). This was due to a failure on the Northbound at Baker St and we couldn't get anything into or out of the city. Also resulted in an A60 reversing in P6 yet again! |
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Post by t697 on Jul 7, 2010 21:01:53 GMT
Monday morning, guy opposite (not reading the paper and not with earphones on) as we drift through Baker St platform 3 (closed) and on towards GPS;
"Well they might have told us they weren't stopping."
I did gently point out that there have been posters up for a week or more and that the driver had announced the fact at Harrow and at Finchley Road together with travel advice at Finchley Road.
No amount of information is enough for some people.
By Tuesday most passengers seemed to have got the hang of it.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 8, 2010 7:25:30 GMT
A bit like the guy who claimed there was no information at Wembley Park, none at all he said. Wembley park confirmed that at least 4 posters and PA's every 5 mins.
The classic reply "Well I don't bother reading the posters"...... ;D
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Post by ducatisti on Jul 8, 2010 8:28:32 GMT
unfortunately by the time I have been reminded to touoch in and touch out, to carry a bottle of water with me in hot weather, minded the gap, considered just how much work LUL are doing to make my station safer/brighter/kinder to bats/whatever, I've run out of brain space for the important announcements...
You are alas reaping the "rewards" of way too much information
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cso
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Post by cso on Jul 8, 2010 8:56:20 GMT
I'm told that somebody has been tasked to take photos of all Met stations with regards to posters, location of posters etc to assist with the old chesnut "there was no information displayed/ available" to make sure that information available is being displayed/ used. Of course, it depends where you are displaying the information too... displaying it on the 'bridges' at Wembley doesn't help someone that's changing on the platform for example. |
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Phil
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Post by Phil on Jul 8, 2010 10:43:57 GMT
A bit like the guy who claimed there was no information at Wembley Park, none at all he said. Wembley park confirmed that at least 4 posters and PA's every 5 mins. The classic reply "Well I don't bother reading the posters"...... ;D How actually does he expect to know then? Send him an email? Come up to him personally on the platform? Stop him touching in until he has acknowledged having been told the announcement?? Honestly, some people  . |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 8, 2010 11:48:26 GMT
unfortunately by the time I have been reminded to touoch in and touch out, to carry a bottle of water with me in hot weather, minded the gap, considered just how much work LUL are doing to make my station safer/brighter/kinder to bats/whatever, I've run out of brain space for the important announcements... You are alas reaping the "rewards" of way too much information I have to say that I didn't have much trouble hearing the announcements, and I get a text to my mobile phone twice daily due to me registering for travel updates for my commute. Humans are better at filtering out the unimportant information than you think, otherwise our heads would explode  There will always be people riding the tube in some sort of daze, regardless of what TfL do! |
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Post by harlesden on Jul 8, 2010 12:24:56 GMT
I always think the automated platform announcements sound rather robotic.
Perhaps we need a sultry female Caribbean voice to bring a little sunshine into the LUL experience.
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cso
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Post by cso on Jul 8, 2010 13:08:47 GMT
I always think the automated platform announcements sound rather robotic. My housemate thinks that some stations (Kings X in particular) use a Text-to-Speech synthesizer to do the announcements, so it is a robotic announcement to one extent. The only reason he thinks this is because it sounds like the one he uses for his Dyslexia  |
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Post by flippyff on Jul 8, 2010 21:53:23 GMT
I always think the automated platform announcements sound rather robotic. My housemate thinks that some stations (Kings X in particular) use a Text-to-Speech synthesizer to do the announcements, so it is a robotic announcement to one extent. The only reason he thinks this is because it sounds like the one he uses for his Dyslexia I've passed through the northern ticket hall at Kings Cross a few times and thought the same thing, glad to find I'm not the only one. Simon |
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Post by Tomcakes on Jul 8, 2010 22:12:46 GMT
unfortunately by the time I have been reminded to touoch in and touch out, to carry a bottle of water with me in hot weather, minded the gap, considered just how much work LUL are doing to make my station safer/brighter/kinder to bats/whatever, I've run out of brain space for the important announcements... You are alas reaping the "rewards" of way too much information Quite. I seem to recall sitting on a platform during the recent disruption on the District line, being told that "there is a good service on all lines", then a couple of minutes after "owing to emergency engineering work, there is no District service between...".... no doubt with a "always remember to touch in and touch out, but we'll still screw you over anyway" in the middle! |
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mrfs42
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Post by mrfs42 on Jul 8, 2010 22:21:17 GMT
I always think the automated platform announcements sound rather robotic. My housemate thinks that some stations (Kings X in particular) use a Text-to-Speech synthesizer to do the announcements, so it is a robotic announcement to one extent. The only reason he thinks this is because it sounds like the one he uses for his Dyslexia That would tie in with the interminable announcements about 'please note that Heathrow is closed due to a volcanic ash cloud' - I'd love to pop in there and type a very germane and accurate message in one of the other languages I'm familiar with - I don't think the text-to-speech could cope with the tripthongs and semi-vowels! ;D |
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Post by Chris M on Jul 8, 2010 23:10:01 GMT
I did once spend a while fiddling with a text to speech engine, playing with the spellings to try and get the American voice to sound as close to a Yorkshireman as I could.
As for your idea, I wonder how the system would cope with
Mae'r orsaf yn Groes Brenin a Sant Prancras. Dylai talu Wystrys wrth i chi fynd cwsmeriaid yn cofio i gyffwrdd mewn a chyffwrdd allan i osgoi talu arian parod y pris uchaf. Mae'r llinell ardal wedi'i atal dros dro rhwng Arglawdd a Bryn Tŵr o ganlyniad i fethiant signal yn y Deml. Mae gwasanaeth da yn gweithredu ar yr holl linellau Llundain eraill o Dan y Ddaear. Y penwythnos hwn mae gwaith peirianyddol sy'n effeithio ar y Jiwbili, Gogledd a Chanolbarth llinellau, os gwelwch yn dda gweld posteri neu ofyn i aelod o staff am fwy o wybodaeth. Mae hwn yn gylch trên llinell drwy Sgwâr Euston a Strydd Pobydd.
A fyddai Arolygydd Tywod os gwelwch yn dda mynd i'r ystafell weithrediadau ar unwaith.
I think it's a jolly good thing that LU announcements aren't bilingual ;D
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Post by mrfs42 on Jul 9, 2010 0:08:16 GMT
I think you might have put a little too much though into that, however I really, really like A fyddai Arolygydd Tywod os gwelwch yn dda mynd i'r ystafell weithrediadau ar unwaith. ;D ;D If ever I heard that on the Met. I would be very shocked (but I'd keep my eyes open to see what was going on!). |
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Post by djlynch on Jul 9, 2010 1:24:37 GMT
I did once spend a while fiddling with a text to speech engine, playing with the spellings to try and get the American voice to sound as close to a Yorkshireman as I could. As for your idea, I wonder how the system would cope with Mae'r orsaf yn Groes Brenin a Sant Prancras. Dylai talu Wystrys wrth i chi fynd cwsmeriaid yn cofio i gyffwrdd mewn a chyffwrdd allan i osgoi talu arian parod y pris uchaf. Mae'r llinell ardal wedi'i atal dros dro rhwng Arglawdd a Bryn Tŵr o ganlyniad i fethiant signal yn y Deml. Mae gwasanaeth da yn gweithredu ar yr holl linellau Llundain eraill o Dan y Ddaear. Y penwythnos hwn mae gwaith peirianyddol sy'n effeithio ar y Jiwbili, Gogledd a Chanolbarth llinellau, os gwelwch yn dda gweld posteri neu ofyn i aelod o staff am fwy o wybodaeth. Mae hwn yn gylch trên llinell drwy Sgwâr Euston a Strydd Pobydd. A fyddai Arolygydd Tywod os gwelwch yn dda mynd i'r ystafell weithrediadau ar unwaith. I think it's a jolly good thing that LU announcements aren't bilingual ;D I like Google's translation of the start of the second sentence there: "Oysters should pay as you go". I had no idea that fare evasion was such a problem among Welsh shellfish. On topic, I kind of like the approach that seems to be common in a few places in the States, including my own local public transport provider: attach eye-catching but cheap (black laser printing/photocopy on brightly-coloured A4) notices to every possible vertical surface in/around the platform, bus stop, etc. from which the disrupted surface will depart with the line(s)/route(s), date(s) and time(s) of the disruption prominently positioned. It's kind of garish (which may be exactly LU won't allow it), but it makes it impossible to say that you didn't see it. |
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