'u' and 's' at Reading

[whole diary]

[Pb_devon]

For years there have been pick up & set down restrictions marked in the timetable on WoE services.  I have never seen them enforced!
Can anyone offer an explanation?
Paul

[Nibat]

When a service is set-down only means that the train arrives and leaves without following a timetable, if it's running 10 minutes early it will leave 10 minutes early.  Likewise, if it's cancelled then the operator has only have to worry about the passengers already on the train at the last timetabled stop.

I could not say the exact reasons of why a service is pick-up only.  I guess they are mainly to control overcrowding or people using certain services for short distance journeys when their main purpose is not that.  If you push me, it could mean that the Guard might decide not to release the doors if there's nobody to join the train on the platform and that way save some time by not having to check the doors.  In practice it's impossible to control, really.

[Pb_devon]

Thanks.
I've since found the extensive discussion on this subject cunningly hidden in the 'Golden Hind' thread, though that was mainly about the controls and not the reason.
As for the concept of trains arriving early at Reading..........hmmmn.

[Chris from Nailsea]

Thanks for posting here, Pb_devon - and welcome to the Coffee Shop forum! 

I do sympathize with your difficulty in finding the answer to your question on the forum.  In many cases, the answer will be here, but (as you say) it may only be revealed in a topic with a quite different heading!  That is why I continue to do some 'moving and merging' of topics - purely in the interests of ease of reference for future readers. 

[Pb_devon]

cfn,
You seem a friendly lot, so I'm pleased to join!
Anyone else care to offer more about the rationale for pick up & set down notations in timetables?
Paul

[John R]

The Reading u's are designed to prevent commuters to Reading filling up a train (when they could catch them one a few minutes later), and thus leaving passengers with a journey of up to 5 hours (if to Cornwall) unable to board and with a long wait for the next service.

In other areas, such as the late night service from London to Exeter via Bristol, the s's beyond Bristol are designed so that a) a train doesn't have to wait time for picking up passengers and can thus get ahead of itself on a journey when engineering work can be an issue and b) so that if it's replaced by a bus (eg if it is diverted between Bristol and Taunton) then the bus via Weston only has to serve those stations for the passengers on board at Bristol.

Hope this is helpful.

[ellendune]

I was once on a train after a delay at Paddington when there had not been any trains for a while. However this train was no too full to allow it to depart. The TM^‡(resolve) asked that passengers for Reading to get off and catch the next train as it was only in about 5 minutes.  But there were no volunteers so we stayed there till after that train had gone then some got the idea.  It would have been so much more effective if the TM had been able to announce that this train would no longer stop at Reading.

[trainer]

In other areas, such as the late night service from London to Exeter via Bristol, the s's beyond Bristol are designed so that a) a train doesn't have to wait time for picking up passengers and can thus get ahead of itself on a journey when engineering work can be an issue and b) so that if it's replaced by a bus (eg if it is diverted between Bristol and Taunton) then the bus via Weston only has to serve those stations for the passengers on board at Bristol.

Hope this is helpful.

Most helpful, John.  I was recently on that train ex-Paddington on a Saturday night and the Train Manager stopped people boarding at Yatton for Weston-s-Mare.  They were miffed (as was I at the time) because their delayed train was shown as the next to leave and ours wasn't shown (as it was set down only, I assume) so the arrival caused understandable confusion.  At the time I thought it was odd that half-a-dozen pax were made to wait for a late running late-night train.  The out-of course running made it seem unnecessarily harsh at the time.

[John R]

That would indeed seem rather "customer unfriendly", if the previous service was running late, although it may be that the TM^‡(resolve) didn't appreciate the position (although I expect he encountered a similar position at Nailsea, so might have started to wonder why there were so many people waiting for a service that isn't shown as existing from those stations.)

To reinforce the point about running early, on one occasion the TM told me that he was hoping that by getting ahead of time they could get south of Taunton before single line working kicked in that night, which would give an arrival in Exeter over half an hour before the booked time. The t/t (at that time) allowed for the possibility of SLW, so included lots of hanging around in the middle of nowhere.   

[Pb_devon]

Thank you everyone for your views.
In summary, it is there in case FGW^▸ (First Great Western) wish to use it, but rarely enforced.
Paul