Post by metrider on Jan 13, 2012 20:12:49 GMT
Part 1. The lighter side....
This morning, I ended up on a Semi-Fast Watford train heading out of town. It was an S Stock and the DVA was correctly denoting the train as a Semi-Fast, Stopping at WPK.
On the approach to Wembley we were stopped for a minute or two. The signaller obviously had other ideas where we were going and as we moved off, our driver made a manual PA that we were now an All-Stations Watford. Two minutes out of my life, but OK...
So we visited Wembley Pk platform two. As we moved off, the DVA decided that we were at Mansion House and that we would now be a Circle Line train, We'd soon be at Cannon St and that an unexpected second visit to Kings cross might even be on the cards. The train must have been reading the "District S8" thread here, and decided to try to outdo those suggestions by making a break for Hammersmith.
Our driver must have gently explained to the train what they do to S8s to make them fit into Hammersmith
, and reluctantly the train was the best strategy for retaining all of its carriages as to be on the Met again. However we had time warped back to Aldgate and We'd have an option to change to the Central line at Liverpool street. I considered this as even though I didn't want to go a Central line destination, a westbound Central line train might actually have a better idea where it was going. 
We were then stopped for a while due to a signal failure ahead. The driver must have give the train a really good talking to and it finally decided being all stations Watford again and that Northwick park would be a really good next goal.
Part 2. DVA hell....
So there were - Queued on the approach to Northwick pk. Our driver did make some decent announcements about the signal failure ahead, and that we'd be stuck here (and then there) for a few minutes whilst they sorted it out, all well and good - No issue with those announcements, they ticked all of the boxes.... Disclosure of the underlying problem, and an informed assessment that we'd be there for a few minutes, and an apology from a human in authority. Those announcements combined with the knowledge that I've gained here (thanks guys) about how those incidents are handled gives me some confidence as to what the duration the delay might turn out to be (and it turns out was).
The really annoying thing that the DVA was also repeatedly making apologies that we were waiting at a red signal and would be on the move shortly (I think it mentioned congestion ahead?), alternating that due to an 'incident ahead' we'd be delayed.
To me a computer generated apology is almost insulting, and is rarely informative enough to be of any help in assessing the REAL situation. I've no idea if such an announcement is as a result of the driver pressing a button, or a result of the DVA being programmed to state the obvious (stopped at a red signal without a real reason why) if it waits for more than 'X' seconds somewhere.
Do those 'automatic' apologies wind anybody else up???
This morning, I ended up on a Semi-Fast Watford train heading out of town. It was an S Stock and the DVA was correctly denoting the train as a Semi-Fast, Stopping at WPK.
On the approach to Wembley we were stopped for a minute or two. The signaller obviously had other ideas where we were going and as we moved off, our driver made a manual PA that we were now an All-Stations Watford. Two minutes out of my life, but OK...
So we visited Wembley Pk platform two. As we moved off, the DVA decided that we were at Mansion House and that we would now be a Circle Line train, We'd soon be at Cannon St and that an unexpected second visit to Kings cross might even be on the cards. The train must have been reading the "District S8" thread here, and decided to try to outdo those suggestions by making a break for Hammersmith.
Our driver must have gently explained to the train what they do to S8s to make them fit into Hammersmith
, and reluctantly the train was the best strategy for retaining all of its carriages as to be on the Met again. However we had time warped back to Aldgate and We'd have an option to change to the Central line at Liverpool street. I considered this as even though I didn't want to go a Central line destination, a westbound Central line train might actually have a better idea where it was going. 
We were then stopped for a while due to a signal failure ahead. The driver must have give the train a really good talking to and it finally decided being all stations Watford again and that Northwick park would be a really good next goal.
Part 2. DVA hell....
So there were - Queued on the approach to Northwick pk. Our driver did make some decent announcements about the signal failure ahead, and that we'd be stuck here (and then there) for a few minutes whilst they sorted it out, all well and good - No issue with those announcements, they ticked all of the boxes.... Disclosure of the underlying problem, and an informed assessment that we'd be there for a few minutes, and an apology from a human in authority. Those announcements combined with the knowledge that I've gained here (thanks guys) about how those incidents are handled gives me some confidence as to what the duration the delay might turn out to be (and it turns out was).
The really annoying thing that the DVA was also repeatedly making apologies that we were waiting at a red signal and would be on the move shortly (I think it mentioned congestion ahead?), alternating that due to an 'incident ahead' we'd be delayed.
To me a computer generated apology is almost insulting, and is rarely informative enough to be of any help in assessing the REAL situation. I've no idea if such an announcement is as a result of the driver pressing a button, or a result of the DVA being programmed to state the obvious (stopped at a red signal without a real reason why) if it waits for more than 'X' seconds somewhere.
Do those 'automatic' apologies wind anybody else up???
