I read apparently that Southern had been having problems with its train doors
not opening on stations north of the Thames because these hadn't been
programmed into the database that uses GPS to know where it is! Is it just me
or is having some GPS controlled database system being used to open the
bloody doors just a teensy bit overkill?? Do they think the driver is
too stupid to know when he's at a station and might try to open them when he's
bowling along at 60?? Sure have some sort of interlock that prevents them
opening when the train is moving but for gods sake , was this implemented just
to keep some technicians in work? And what happens during an emergency?
What next , GPS controlled toilets that won't flush on certain parts of the
network with live networked updates of the turd count at every section?!

No wonder money in the rail industry is in short supply if they're wasting
funds on stupid systems such as this. Someone tell me its not true...

B2003

"Boltar" wrote in message
om...
I read apparently that Southern had been having problems with its train
doors
not opening on stations north of the Thames because these hadn't been
programmed into the database that uses GPS to know where it is! Is it just
me
or is having some GPS controlled database system being used to open the
bloody doors just a teensy bit overkill?? Do they think the driver is
too stupid to know when he's at a station and might try to open them when
he's
bowling along at 60?? Sure have some sort of interlock that prevents them
opening when the train is moving but for gods sake , was this implemented
just
to keep some technicians in work? And what happens during an emergency?
What next , GPS controlled toilets that won't flush on certain parts of
the
network with live networked updates of the turd count at every section?!

No wonder money in the rail industry is in short supply if they're wasting
funds on stupid systems such as this. Someone tell me its not true...

GPS is only there to cope with short platforms and to tell the train *which*
doors to open. For example, when stopping an eight-car train at a
seven-car-length platform the software will lock out the rearmost doors, to
prevent passengers from hurling themselves onto the track. Apparently it's
necessary in these litigious days when anyone stupid enough to attempt to
alight from a door that is not at a platform will try to sue the TOC, rather
than accept personal responsibility for doing something so dumb in the first
place.

On Thu, 23 Sep 2004 12:32:25 UTC, "Jack Taylor"
wrote:

: rather
: than accept personal responsibility for doing something so dumb in the first
: place.

Or having the stupidity to be blind or partially sighted, eh?

Ian

--

"Ian Johnston" wrote in message
news:cCUlhtvFIYkV-pn2-01opgFJcdpZb@localhost...

Or having the stupidity to be blind or partially sighted, eh?

Most visually impaired people are intelligent enough to make enquiries
before they join trains and join them at the appropriate place to disembark
IME. It's the able-bodied ones that are the problem. ;-)

On Thu, 23 Sep 2004 13:05:59 UTC, "Jack Taylor"
wrote:

:
: "Ian Johnston" wrote in message
: news:cCUlhtvFIYkV-pn2-01opgFJcdpZb@localhost...
:
: Or having the stupidity to be blind or partially sighted, eh?
:
: Most visually impaired people are intelligent enough to make enquiries
: before they join trains and join them at the appropriate place to disembark

Well, what's so wrong with arranging things so they don't have to?

Ian

"Ian Johnston" wrote in message
news:cCUlhtvFIYkV-pn2-9bQzpFIyRbud@localhost...

On Thu, 23 Sep 2004 13:05:59 UTC, "Jack Taylor"
wrote:
: Most visually impaired people are intelligent enough to make enquiries
: before they join trains and join them at the appropriate place to
disembark

Well, what's so wrong with arranging things so they don't have to?

Yebbut that still won't make things any more convenient for them as they
will still end up stuck at a station where they can't alight if they're in
the wrong part of the train. Unless loads of money is spend lengthening the
platforms at all these stations, but I can think of many locations where
this would be bordering on the impossible due to level-crossings, river
bridges, et cetera.

"Ian Johnston" wrote in message news:cCUlhtvFIYkV-pn2-9bQzpFIyRbud@localhost...
On Thu, 23 Sep 2004 13:05:59 UTC, "Jack Taylor"
wrote:

:
: "Ian Johnston" wrote in message
: news:cCUlhtvFIYkV-pn2-01opgFJcdpZb@localhost...
:
: Or having the stupidity to be blind or partially sighted, eh?
:
: Most visually impaired people are intelligent enough to make enquiries
: before they join trains and join them at the appropriate place to disembark

Well, what's so wrong with arranging things so they don't have to?

Ian

The alternative is to stand at doors that aren't going to open, so how
would it help? Or do you mean rebuilding the stations?

Jack Taylor wrote:
"Boltar" wrote in message
om...

I read apparently that Southern had been having problems with its train
doors
not opening on stations north of the Thames because these hadn't been
programmed into the database that uses GPS to know where it is! Is it just
....
GPS is only there to cope with short platforms and to tell the train *which*
doors to open. For example, when stopping an eight-car train at a
seven-car-length platform the software will lock out the rearmost doors, to
prevent passengers from hurling themselves onto the track. ...

Which begs the question:
Is it accurate enough to know if the driver mischievously or
carelessly stops with the _rear_ 7 cars in the platform?!

Colin McKenzie


--
The great advantage of not trusting statistics is that
it leaves you free to believe the damned lies instead!

"Colin McKenzie" wrote in message
...
Jack Taylor wrote:
...
GPS is only there to cope with short platforms
and to tell the train *which* doors to open.

Which begs the question:
Is it accurate enough to know if the driver mischievously or
carelessly stops with the _rear_ 7 cars in the platform?!

The obvious solution seems to be individual doors which check that there is
a platform adjacent before opening. The basic idea seems very easy to
implement, although a foolproof system which could never mistake the sides
of a bridge for a platform might be harder to implement, but in combination
with driver control it should be safe enough.

--
John Rowland - Spamtrapped
Transport Plans for the London Area, updated 2001
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acro...69/tpftla.html
A man's vehicle is a symbol of his manhood.
That's why my vehicle's the Piccadilly Line -
It's the size of a county and it comes every two and a half minutes

"John Rowland" wrote in message
...

The obvious solution seems to be individual doors which check that there
is
a platform adjacent before opening. The basic idea seems very easy to
implement, although a foolproof system which could never mistake the sides
of a bridge for a platform might be harder to implement, but in
combination
with driver control it should be safe enough.

Something along the lines of a transponder at the start of each platform
which is detected by each door and enables the doors on the appropriate
side, and another one at the end of each platform which disables each door.
Other interlocking means that doors cannot actually open until the train has
stopped, and failsafe precautions could cancel the enabling if the train
hasn't stopped within, say, one minute of passing the transponder. Some
complications for platforms on reversible lines, but I can't help thinking
that something like this has the potential for being more reliable than the
GPS technology (Can GPS identify which line the train is on if adjoining
platforms are different lengths?)
Peter