Strangely located posters

[whole diary]

[LiskeardRich]

Today I noticed a poster at Truro telling passengers all about the refurbishment of CrossCountry's Turbostars.

I couldn't see the relevance of this poster being at Truro and wondered why they put them in such places where a class goes nowhere near.
I wonder how many normal passengers will assume its the Voyagers being refurbished as they are the only Crosscountry trains that come this way.
Or is there a plan to bring Turbostars to Cornwall.

[Chris from Nailsea]

Thanks for posing that rather interesting question, richwarwicker. 

Was that particular poster in an official Great Western poster case, or some other display at the station?

[LiskeardRich]

Thanks for posing that rather interesting question, richwarwicker. 

Was that particular poster in an official Great Western poster case, or some other display at the station?

It was in the frame that has previously had about upcoming engineering works affecting the Crosscountry network

[Chris from Nailsea]

Hmm.  Somewhat bizarre, then?   

[LiskeardRich]

Indeed bizarre. Certainly of no relevance to the people of Truro unless I've missed something.
Unless Truro has large flows to stansted airport/Birmingham and Cardiff/Nottingham

[ellendune]

Indeed bizarre. Certainly of no relevance to the people of Truro unless I've missed something.
Unless Truro has large flows to stansted airport/Birmingham and Cardiff/Nottingham

Didn't you know that Ryanair now fly lots of routes to Cornwall (Stanstead) Airport  That's why Newquay has so little traffic. 

[Oxman]

Every poster site on every station is numbered and allocated to a TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company) that uses the station, and within that, to the purpose of the poster. So, for example, poster boards for timetables, charter results, engineering work are all specified and the TOC that runs the station must conform with the specification. A number of poster boards are simply allocated to TOCs that use the station, on pro rata basis, for general advertising. Reading, for example, has sites allocated to FGW^▸ (First Great Western), SWT^▸ (South West Trains) and XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)). Every week a new set of posters is sent to the stations with a list of where they must go. The local manager/supervisor must ensure that every poster is in its correct position. Audits are carried out to ensure this is being done - I believe it is a licence condition that TOCs must ensure conformance. So, for example, poster boards for XC on FGW stations are all identified and XC specify the poster that should be in the board from week to week.

So the poster board at Truro is allocated to XC, which has sent the poster to the Station Manager at Truro, with instructions to put it in that board!

Maintaining poster boards is a time consuming pain. Reading has several hundred boards. Changing one poster at all of the unmanned stations on a branch line can take all day!