Paul Corfield wrote:
On Thu, 10 Aug 2006 16:10:29 +0100, Steve Fitzgerald
] wrote:

In message .com,
Mizter T writes
If Earls Court had modern dot-matrix ETA displays ('train
describers' in LU parlance I believe) that listed the next five
or so trains then one could of course make an educated decision
with regards to this option - but of course Earls Court offers no
such luxury.
[...]

Isn't the existing TD at ECT listed?

Yes I understand this is the case.

But does that mean that LU must use it? Couldn't it be moved to
London's Transport Museum? It may have been high-tech when it was
installed, and it's worth preserving somewhere for that reason, but it
doesn't meet customer expectations or requirements these days.

I've seen so many people confused by it, believing for example that,
because the arrow is pointing to Ealing Broadway, the train at that
platform must be going to all the stations listed in that column (Ealing
B, Wimbledon, Putney Bridge, ...). Remember that you get lots of people
visiting exhibitions at Earl's Court for whom the Underground is quite
confusing enough without a TD of a sort they've never seen before.

It needs a big display showing the destination of the next train on each
platform, and the important intermediate stops, plus a central display
showing how many minutes to wait for subsequent trains (not with
platform numbers, because that might not be known at that stage).

(By the way, I heard someone the other day explaining to his wife on the
westbound District at Earl's Court that because their destination (West
Kensington) was on the left-hand branch of the schematic line diagram on
the platform (which had Earl's Court at the top and the lines running
downwards), the train on that side of the island platform must be going
to West Kensington. Logical in a way. Fortunately I was able to
prevent them boarding the Wimbledon train.)
--
Richard J.
(to e-mail me, swap uk and yon in address)