Greetings.

In article news wrote:
"Tristan Miller" wrote in message
...

What is it about British railway stations that prevents them from
assigning
platforms to trains in advance, as it is done elsewhere? Is any work
being
done to fix this problem?

They do assign platforms to services in advance. They just don't publish
the details though. Please don't assume that the day's arrivals and
departures at somewhere like Waterloo are randomized - it just couldn't
work like that.

Well, I didn't think it was completely random. But it's sufficiently
irregular as to be unpredictable for riders. I know, for example, that the
NXEA London Liverpool Street--Chigwell service usually departs from
Platform 3, but it's quite common for it to use any of the other first five
platforms. So if I'm waiting for the service, I'll wait near the gates to
the lower-numbered platforms rather than the higher-numbered ones.

There are 'carriage working notices' published 6 monthly with the
timetable
change, and they DO allocate a platform for every service. But as soon
as they have a significant delay (such as yesterday's jumper in the
morning
peak) it goes pear shaped. As soon as that happens, anything on
published notices becomes misleading.

OK, so maybe I should revise my question to "Given that both British and
continental railways allocate platforms well in advance, why is it that
continental railways are able to publish these allocations and generally
stick to them even in the event of delays?" I used the Deustche Bahn for
years when I was working in a German city, and while delays were not
uncommon, platform changes were almost unheard of. I can't think of a
single occasion on which my train departed from a platform other than the
one listed on my ticket, even when I had bought the ticket days or weeks in
advance.

Regards,
Tristan

--
_
_V.-o Tristan Miller Space is limited
/ |`-' -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- In a haiku, so it's hard
(7_\\ http://www.nothingisreal.com/ To finish what you

On Fri, 04 Mar 2011 13:14:12 +0000, Tristan Miller wrote:


OK, so maybe I should revise my question to "Given that both British and
continental railways allocate platforms well in advance, why is it that
continental railways are able to publish these allocations and generally
stick to them even in the event of delays?"

Because British culture and institutions as a whole have always preferred
flexibility instead of strict, rigid Germanic discipline. There's no
special reason why stations platforms should be any different, is there?

Admittedly this culture has been changing in recent years with British
elfin-safety regulations becoming stricter and stricter. Maybe other
aspects of British culture will follow suit - if so, we'll soon overtake
the Germans!

On Sat, 5 Mar 2011 11:30:58 +0000 (UTC), solar penguin
wrote:
Because British culture and institutions as a whole have always
preferred
flexibility instead of strict, rigid Germanic discipline. There's
no
special reason why stations platforms should be any different, is
there?

LM publish their platforms at Euston in advance, and are generally
very consistent.

Neil

--
Neil Williams, Milton Keynes, UK

On 05/03/2011 11:30, solar penguin wrote:
On Fri, 04 Mar 2011 13:14:12 +0000, Tristan Miller wrote:


OK, so maybe I should revise my question to "Given that both British and
continental railways allocate platforms well in advance, why is it that
continental railways are able to publish these allocations and generally
stick to them even in the event of delays?"

Because British culture and institutions as a whole have always preferred
flexibility instead of strict, rigid Germanic discipline. There's no
special reason why stations platforms should be any different, is there?

Admittedly this culture has been changing in recent years with British
elfin-safety regulations becoming stricter and stricter. Maybe other
aspects of British culture will follow suit - if so, we'll soon overtake
the Germans!

We long since have. When I went on a school exchange, the "xxx verboten"
signs were seen as noteworthy and foreign. These days they are
rereshingly sparse compared to all our "for the comfort and safety of
all users it is strictly prohibited to poke the tigers with a sharp
stick" notices.

--
Arthur Figgis Surrey, UK

In message , Huge
writes
As opposed to FCC at Bedford, who spend most mornings playing what I call
"Platform Roulette". I think they do it just to **** people off.

They play the same game at Luton and Luton Airport Parkway. Sometimes
they don't announce the platform until after the train has arrived: by
the time passengers get up the stairs and down the other side, the train
has left. I've complained to FCC about it more than once: it's clear
from their replies they don't see this as a problem (for them). The
passengers have paid for their ticket already, and they get to their
destinations eventually, probably not quite late enough to be able to
claim a delay repay. And they blame it (perhaps correctly) on Network
Rail.

--
Clive Page

In article ,
(Paul Corfield) wrote:

On 4 Mar 2011 15:06:45 GMT, Huge wrote:

On 2011-03-04, Tristan Miller wrote:

I used the Deustche Bahn for
years when I was working in a German city, and while delays were not
uncommon, platform changes were almost unheard of. I can't think of
a single occasion on which my train departed from a platform other
than the one listed on my ticket, even when I had bought the ticket
days or weeks in advance.

As opposed to FCC at Bedford, who spend most mornings playing what I
call "Platform Roulette". I think they do it just to **** people off.

Err why do you think FCC decide the platforms? Surely it is Network
Rail who signal the trains / set the routes into the platforms? The
drivers simply do what the signals say - providing it is safe of
course!

FCC are sometimes responsible for changes of platform. I get the 15:15
from the Cross to Cambridge fairly regularly. It normally goes from
platform 9 in the current timetable. Having checked with staff at the
information desk I arrived at platform 9 one afternoon a week or two ago,
checked with the barrier staff who confirmed that the train in 9 would
form the 15:15, checked with a cleaner who said the same and spoke to the
driver who also said it would be the 15:15.

However, just after speaking to him we heard an announcement that the
15:15 would be going from platform zero, as the announcers put it. He was
as surprised as I was!

It turned out that FCC had decided to swap units around between the 15:06
and the 15:15. They left late given how little time passengers were give
to get to them.

--
Colin Rosenstiel

On 2011-03-04 19:06:08 +0000, Paul Corfield said:

On Fri, 04 Mar 2011 13:14:12 +0000, Tristan Miller
wrote:


I suspect that in many cases trains actually do leave from the same
platform on a consistent basis - it just doesn't feel like it.
Stratford is a great big jumble of a station and yet many services use
the same platforms day in, day out and passengers know exactly where to
go. Trains are also shown on indicators well in advance of their
arrival time and certainly before they will have left Liverpool Street
(for e/b services).

Of course they leave from the same platforms consistently, at least at
Liverpool Street. One of the problems caused by the late advertising of
platforms is that by the time you get onto the platform you find it's
full already as the regulars know which platform the train almost
always uses. It puts you at a real disadvantage when seats are short.

Note that I'm not talking about Tristan's complaint, that platforming
by destination is not consistent. He's right, but individual services
do, much more often than not, leave from the same, allocated, platform
every day.

If anyone doubts that platforming is planned in why do they imagine
that the railway so often makes platform alteration announcements? It's
not because they've changed their mind (advertised it first at one
platform then another), It's because the train will not be using its
booked platform, the one that all of the regulars expect it to use.

In article ,
(Paul Corfield) wrote:

I suspect that in many cases trains actually do leave from the same
platform on a consistent basis - it just doesn't feel like it.

Absolutely. Although they change from one timetable to the next sometimes,
which platform I leave Cambridge from rarely changes for the same train
from one day to the next.

--
Colin Rosenstiel

On 4 Mar 2011 23:03:15 GMT, Huge wrote:

Why do I give a **** who decides what? As a customer, all I want is a
service. I don't give a flying Philadelphia **** who has to do what
to provide it.

Because it would be a flying Philadelphia ****ing waste of time
complaining to the wrong company?

--

Ian D

On 5 Mar 2011 18:46:45 GMT, Huge wrote:

On 2011-03-05, Ian Dalziel wrote:
On 4 Mar 2011 23:03:15 GMT, Huge wrote:

Why do I give a **** who decides what? As a customer, all I want is a
service. I don't give a flying Philadelphia **** who has to do what
to provide it.

Because it would be a flying Philadelphia ****ing waste of time
complaining to the wrong company?

I'm sorry, but all you're doing is proving my point.

So all you're prepared to do about it is weep? Want to borrow my
handkerchief?

--

Ian D