Tower Gateway - door opening

The trains are generally in the station for several minutes before departing again. Even a 30-second delay to open the platform 1 doors would probably have the desired effect.

I too have thought about this many times, I'm sure 10 seconds would just about do it.

Passengers have to leave by the left doors to use the Mansell St exit and so any delay to opening that side would anger those passengers.

The only way I can see that you can use to stop people using Plat 1 to exit the station via the concourse would be to put in a gateline in the concourse with a barrier so that only entry gates went to plat 1 and exit gates from plat 2.

Hello, me again.

Because we live down the Beckton line we use this station quite a lot with our visitors, coming home from a sightseeing at the Tower Bridge and other places, and its true. The visitors like to ride in the first carriage with the views, of course, and when walking down to the front, more than once it has been "peep peep" and the train just starts off before you can get to the nearest door. Which is very unfriendly to the customers.

I talked to a pleasant conductor once about this and he said they are instructed to close the doors instantly the peeps sound comes because precise punctuality is measured, but paying customers left standing on the platform are not.

Mr D says trains here used to have the conductor blow a big whistle just like the type used in the schools playground (and you see this in old films of trains as well) when they are about to leave, so why can this old fashioned technology not come back? Over in Russia, in the minute before the express train leaves St Petersburg to go to Moscow, there is stirring music played over the PA on the platform, I think it is by old Soviet/Estonian composer Arvo Part. Maybe not that far, but surely something can be done.

These days, we are taught to anticipate RTD. This is pretty easy to do, as you can hear points moving, see PPIs changing, and hear the click when the VOBC changes ends at terminal stations.

Also, we are supposed to close the doors as soon as we judge all passengers have boarded/alighted. We are not to wait for 'runners' at terminal stations, and not hold trains at interchange stations unless the train is just arriving on the adjacent platform. This is particularly important on Stratford - Canary Wharf evening peak services, as dwell times at each end are less than 1 minute.

Whistles were used on the mainline "heavy rail" network - the DLR is a light rail Metro with minimal dwell times in platforms.

I would imagine that DLR staff operate the same standard that I work to - if you have passed a doorway, you've had your chance to board. If you then carry on walking down the train, well that is your lookout.

Metro services - and by that I mean the likes of LU or DLR - always always operate with minimum dwell times; you are expected to board or alight quickly via the nearest doorway.

people don't join at the nearest door for all sorts of reasons: carriage full, rowdy occupants, door obstructed by luggage, door failed to open. After the peeps go there should be time to get to, and through, the nearest door before they close. I have been caught out on the Central Line several times by this - they don't give you enough time.