In message of Tue, 1 Jul 2014
22:38:02 in uk.railway, Clive Page writes
First Capital Connect has recently implemented two extremely passenger-
hostile measures at Luton Airport Parkway.

Firstly it has programmed the departures screens to remove trains
several minutes (I think 4 or 5) before the train is due to depart.
Displays on the platforms still show the train (mostly) but those in
the entrance hall and elsewhere do not are artificially censored.

Secondly it has covered all windows that overlook the tracks with
obscuring film. The apparent aim is to prevent passengers seeing what
is actually going on.

At this station trains are often switched from slow to fast lines or
vice-versa only just before arriving, and at certain times there may be
two trains to London due to leave at similar times from different
platforms with varying degrees of lateness, so that passengers
sometimes want to wait until they see a train arriving before deciding
which platform to use. Consequently canny passengers have been in the
habit of waiting in front of a convenient departure board or even
pausing on the footbridge so they can spot a train in the distance.
Both of these activities are deemed to be sinful by the management,
although I have *never* seen enough people doing this to form a
significant obstruction to the passageway let alone anything that could
be deemed in the slightes bit dangerous.

The FCC excuse has been that Luton Airport Parkway has "one of the
highest" accident rates, but the published figures show that in the
first half of 2014 the accident rate had already fallen considerably
below that in earlier years, well before they implemented the two
measures noted above.

Relevant URLs, please?


Is FCC unique in its attitude to censoring timely passenger information
on spurious elf-n-safety grounds?

I am pleased to see that a small-scale war has broken out: it is
obvious that some passengers have been scraping off bits of the
obscuring film on the footbridge so they can see out again, while the
management has attempted the odd repair. Given the relative numbers of
passengers and staff it is clear who is going to win.

It all seems completely batty and pointless to me. Most of us have a
device in our pockets which can show an uncensored departure board:

What apps does Clive suggest? Is London Underground covered?

having people run for the train while simultaneously glancing at their
fondle-slab is hardly going to improve safety.



There is a similar practice for several London Underground ticket halls.
At Farringdon, trains from the Circle/Hammersmith & City/Metropolitan
platforms, 1 and 2, disappear a couple of minutes before arrival.
I find myself interpolating the missing information.
I can't remember other examples, but do find the practice irritating.

I have added uk.transport.london to Clive's report, as I have not seen
another report of the practice.
--
Walter Briscoe