"CJB" wrote in message
...
You couldn't make this up. The new c.i.s. has been up and misinforming
passengers for over two weeks - and nothing is being done to correct
the system.

This is a classic case worthy of Private Eye - who have been sent
copies of the photos. It is of two adjacent and supposedly identical
c.i.s. displays in the foyer by the ticket office. Spot the deliberate
mistakes.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrisjb...7627384806727/

When asked why the ticket office staff don't switch the b&w display
off they claimed that they are unable to, like there isn't an on-off
switch on the monitor? Pathetic.

But the new system is one that displays the next three trains on each
platform. So they are having a field day in the evenings when trains
start to use the fast lines AND the local lines for stopping services.
Trains are now being announced in advance as arriving and departing at
fast platforms 2 (to Paddington) and 1 (to Reading / Oxford). However
AT THE LAST MINUTE platforms are being switched resulting in a mad
dash over various bridges to the other platforms. This is kind of OK
from 3 to 4 but the pedestrian route from 1 to 2 involves going
outside the station, over the road bridge and back inside - passengers
with luggage haven't a chance of making it.

This situation has been going on for years. FGW say they know nothing
about it, but that its Network Rail's fault.

Just recently we had this typical - i.e. every night - situation:

On platform 1 these trains were displayed:

* 23.45 Oxford - five passengers were waiting on platform 1. At the
*last* minute this train was suddenly switched to platform 3. I was
there and held the train doors open for customers to run from platform
1 to 3 over the road bridge - not easy for them. One Japanese tourist
with luggage didn't make it. He missed his train - the LAST train to
Oxford. The driver couldn't give a damn and was going to depart on
time regardless.

* 00.10 Reading - there were 7 passengers waiting on platform 1. At my
advice the Japanese tourist with luggage waited at the top of the
stairs in Station Road. The train arrived at platform 1. He ran down
the stairs with his luggage and caught it. I said to him that if the
train arrived on platform 3 I would hold the doors open for him. If I
see this appalling situation again - I WILL *ALWAYS* HOLD THE DOORS
OPEN - THAT IS A PROMISE.

* 00.51 Reading - this train apparently arrived at platform 1 as
announced

====

On platform 2 (& 3) these trains were displayed:

* 23.43 - Paddington (FGW) - about 4 passengers were waiting on
platform 2 /3. Again at the *last* minute this train was suddenly
switched to platform 4. They had to run over the footbridge to catch
this.

* 23.57 - Paddington (FGW) - arrived at platform 2

* 00.13 - Paddington (HC) - this train suddenly was displayed on the
new c.i.s. system on platform 2 but only a few minutes before it was
due. It normally calls at platform 4. Again passengers had to run over
the footbridge from 4 to 2 to catch it.

====

And next week when they close the station foyer at H&H the chaos is
going to get far worse because the only way of getting from the new
entrance on platform 4 is to go outside, along Station Parade, past
Tescos, past innumerable taxi cab offices, up Station Road, then down
the stairs onto platform 1. This will be impossible to achieve if they
suddenly switch platforms - which they will do. It take 10 minutes to
negotiate that street route as a normal pedestrian; with luggage or if
infirm, passengers can forget it - even if I hold the doors open for
them.

CJB.

We've got one of those at Castle Cary - it finally got switched on just
before the Glastonbury festival. It works OK so long as nothing goes
wrong*. It particularly doesn't like trains running out of order; they
just disappear and, with a bit of luck (but not always), reappear when they
finally arrive. I also sometimes wonder if Digital Doris is working from
the same script as the display and she get out of synch for a moment or 2.
Luckily the guys who work the station are learning its' foibles and haven't
given up on the PA and they put us right (to hear you complain you'd think
nobody on FGW cared - these 3 do). We don't have the same problem with
platform changes; they do occur but between 2 and 3 which are opposite faces
of the island.

* Except that non stop trains get announced a couple of minutes before they
pound through - fine so far. Down trains get repeated maybe 20/30 seconds
before an HST at full chat arrives. For up trains the repeat announcement
is made as the train arrives at the start of the platform and because they
are hidden by a road bridge and embankment and a bend until about 10 seconds
before they arrive it would be helpful if up worked the same as down (in my
opinion).

For all its' faults I would argue it's better than what we had before which
was one clapped out b/w terminal on Platform 1 which was difficult to read
at the best of times and in certain lights was illegible. That was it.
If you arrived from the Weymouth line and wanted to head west through
Taunton you used to have to cross the footbridge to P1 and then traipse back
again. We now have next 3 train indicators on all 3 platforms.

I suppose I'm lucky. When I asked one of the guys whether it would do any
good me complaining via the Website he said thank you but we're building a
dossier and our manager is working on getting the technicians back again.