Great Western Coffee Shop

I was on the 18.33 from Paddington, first stop Maidenhead tonight.. It's an intercity.. I don't usually get lucky enough to get one of these trains, we usually have turbos.. As we were approaching Maidenhead there was an announcement that to alight at Maidenhead we needed to be in the front 7 carriages.. Now, I knew for sure I wasn't in the rear carriage, I'd walked past first class before I got on, however I didn't have much time at Paddington, and didn't realise I had to count how many carriages there are on an HST so as to make sure I was in the front 7.... Fortunately a quick look around meant I could see the odd familiar face from regular commuters from Maidenhead who weren't panicking, so I didn't either.. I do think however a slightly more helpful announcement could be made (although I'm not sure what it could be - any ideas?)..

Incidentally this problem isn't confined to FGW.. If you travel on East Midland Mainline (something like that, they've been renamed recently..) from St Pancras on a train which stops at Luton Airport Parkway, they announce (shortly before arriving at Luton Airport Parkway) the letters of the carriages you should be in to enable you to get off at that station due to a short platform. Both times I've been on the train I have looked, and cannot see any obvious letters inside the train to help you decide if you should stay where you are because you are in the right carriage, or just panic.. Admittedly I've been standing in the door area both times as the train has been full... The first time I was on that train there was a lot of running up and down the train by people hoping to find the right door to get off before the train left!

There are only 8 on  a HST

ABCDEFGH

If they remove the buffet there a 7

ABCDEGH

TO be fair thought - on all  short platforms they announce you have to be on the rear X carriages or front Y carriages

Most people on the route dont have a problem - maybe its because it was an unusual event or because on PAD - maidenhead I suspect there are a variety of units that can be used

Thanks Mookiemoo. I think it's just because I don't usually travel on an HST, the announcement made me realise that I didn't know exactly where on the train I was.. Although maybe telling people in the rear carriage to move up one carriage would be more sensible if there are only 8 carriages maximum!? I just wonder what happens to the non-commuter type traveller though...

As for the Luton airport parkway train.. That was chaos.. I can only assume that happens most days..

One merit of Virgin (or XC now) is that they display the coach number (e.g. Coach A) on the screen.

But only sometimes...!

And Virgin don't have problems with too long trains! Their problem is the shortness! ::)

FGW should do this.

Or slap a sticker onto the seat backs.

On FGW trains there is an indicator on the top section that say what carriage and seat you are at

Morning

It did surprise me as well, why didn't FGW have
digital readouts in the refurb coaches.  OK there
were problems with the seat reservation readouts
above the seats on Voyagers, which are controlled
by satalite (I think); which causes chaos.  Most
times when I have travelled on a Voyager and this
has happened, the anouncement has been along the
lines 'we're sorry and you can pretty much sit
anywhere'!

That aside and in hinsight a better system could of
been fitted and something else which I have pondered
over, is there could of been a digital display system
(again as per outside on Voyager), fitted where the
toilet window is.  This usually gives you, train,
destination and coach number.  With flat screen
technology and micro electronics to keep it mimamul
in space inside, it could of been done and would by
handy as frosty glass would of been replaced with
something more private and is next to the external door!
If Vigin/XC could put flatscreen/digital readouts on
the outside of a Voyager, I think FGW could of fitted
this in the toilet window space.  With a mimamul sized
sturdy case, accesed only with the use of the guards key,
it should be preety child/vandal resistent.  It could be
changed to suite destination by a master computer/device
in the gaurds van TGS.

But again I surpose it all came down to ^!

Regards

Karl.

I wonder what happens if the passenger has a hearing impairment or if the speaker isn't working in the carriage or the passenger doesn't understand English ?  Similar problem occurs on the tube when a non-too helpful announcement of "the rear carriage doors won't open at the next station - please move forwards" is made when the train is already overcrowded and you simply can't move forwards.   The "solution" seems to be to always ensure you're in the middle of the train!

I can tell you something that not fitting TV's was not down to ^. FGW spent alot of ^ on the refurbishment programme and ^ doesn't come into it.

They were originally fitted on the refurbishment showcase vecile, here (http://www.firsthstshowcase.co.uk/gallery.php?type=first&offset=8) and here. (http://www.firsthstshowcase.co.uk/gallery.php?type=first&offset=7)

You should only really worry about where you get off if you are in First Class as that is at the rear! Does this service use the fast lines if it is often a turdo?

Afternoon

Alright Conner I didn't Know that FGW had a look
at doing that.  This is the second time this week
I thought I had writtern a fare, friendly and
constructed message and felt I've been 'had up'
in the responses recieved on this group.

And I think there could of been more ^ spent
in some aeas such as digital readouts and the
outside picture (first link), is presisely what
I had in my mindset.  It does look good and easy
to read.  I can see a problem in the second pic,
the strip light glare is over the digital readout,
but I don't that should be too difficult to air
out that problem.

Regards

Karl.

...however sometimes the train is reversed.

In my experience the 18.33 to Oxford is HST and runs on the fast lines but switches over just before Maidenhead.  Generally the announcement does advice the letter of the carriages affected.

http://www.southwesternlines.co.uk/downloads/fgwdiagmay08/SX_HSTs.pdf

The 18.33 Paddington to Oxford is booked HST 2+7 High Density No Buffet.

No need for SDO then. Btline will be happy  :D

:P

Yes, it is usually HST. I was on it again last night. As I got on the train (making sure I walked past at least 3 carriages before I did), I heard the tail end of some announcement about Twyford passengers making sure they were in the front 4 carriages, which created a fair amount of movement up the train at that point.. Another announcement was made as we were on the way but the people standing in the door area, like myself, didn't get to hear it clearly enough to make out any actual words or sentences..

I had a good look around last night though, and maybe it's just the door area that doesn't tell you what carriage you are in, but I couldn't see any indication at all.. I did think of one solution to finding out your carriage letter, but you're not allowed to put your head out the window as the train is going along.. ha ha..

Karl, The "coffeeshop" is intended to be a friendly place where people can post without feeling had up.  I can only apologise (and I would like to do so to everyone who has read this thread) for how the response (which wasn't mine and I had not come across until a few minutes ago) read.  Please feel free to use the "notify" button as soon as you see something like this and it will come straight to the attention of all the moderators and admins.

Back on subject ... some excellent points here - in a variety of circumstances (train in reverse, going to back, no knowing caoch letters, understanding English ....) it is darned hard to know if you're in the nth coach.

The problem with the HST is that the coaches are designed to be swapped, so there is often limited carriage lettering inside of the coach and particularly the seat numbers are wrong. Have to agree, as previously mentioned, that a computer system could somehow make sure all carriage letterings are correct. Why didn't they put information screens in the coaches!!!

"Please move towards the front of the train - this carriage will not be platformed at Twyford"

Indeed - or how about something that doesn't require technology - the train manager walking forward from the back on the approach to each short platform telling people to move forward 3 coaches, 2 coaches, one coach.

I don't suppose the announcement system works "per coach" does it?

I suspect doing that would take too long for some coaches Graham.

After all, if we took that stance - you'd have to walk through the entire train for Melksham... ;)

The really simple answer to all this is if FGW want to run longer trains than the platforms can take then either remove the buffet or lengthen the platforms now that would show comitment  ::)  ;D.

I use the 07:04 from Maidenhead in the morning which is an HST which is a good service, now all that needs to happen in December's timetable when the extended platform 1 is complete is the stopping of the 17:06 at Maidenhead as the 3 car 17:18 is 3 coaches short

D'you know, Tom ... there's folks who suggest that I mention the TransWilts too often, and as I recall you may be one of them - then when I post on a completely different topic, you bring it up. For sure, there's no "one size fits all solution" to almost any issue!

I believe the word is a 'joke'. ;)

Besides, the practicality of issuing announcements based on coach locations on platforms is impractical due to sets possibly in wrong formations - also my 'example' was a perfect one for showing the difficulty of doing your suggestion for certain stations ... can think of Beaulieu Road as another, possibly Durnsford Road halt as another.

..which is the point of this thread.. It's the on train announcements which are confusing people.. That doesn't matter which way round the train is on the platform. They don't re-letter the carriages when that happens. So maybe as well as lettering the carriages outside, doing the same inside would remove all confusion (although as I mentioned earlier I usually have the delight of travelling in the door area, so am willing to accept that there may be some indication inside the carriage itself as to which one it is), as long as they then announce which carriages you won't be able to get off of using those same letters (and not "front 4").. I know now, and make sure (if I get an HST which is rare) that I get in the middle of the train (as was suggested earlier here) and check the carriage letter before I get on. I can imagine this would confuse the occasional traveller no end though at the moment..

To say please alight From front 7 carriages on a 8 carriage train is well NUTS.

Far better to Say "Passengers in Rear Carriage H will need to walk forward to Carriage G to alight"

No confusion.....SIMPLE

To those asking about putting the digital screens etc into the HSTs.  While they obviously managed it in those photos in Connor's post, I was told by FGW management that the reason for no CCTV on HSTs is due to the basic electric wiring on these trains.  The complex changes that had to be made just to get the whole Central Locking System working was huge, and to then try and get things like CCTV/digital displays functioning properly I think was a step too far for the poor aged HSTs.

See the problems that Virgin/XC have with their reservation system to know that it can be more hassle than its worth.

As a FGW worker, I have to agree that the train managers in question on these routes should at a minimum be walking through to tell customers whether or not they have to move coaches to alight.

Dont agree

You can see the carriage when you get on

You can see the carriages as it arrives on the station

You should be able to work out what carriage you are in and which ones are behind you and in front of you

Apply logic and  common sense to where you get off

Survival of the fittest - if you are not bright enough to work it out - then yes you need to travel to the next station and have to go back to where you got off - you might learn to apply brain before acting

Note: some guy who gets of at Kingham fell asleep last week - most people on train enjoyed a hilarious moment when he didnt wake up until Morton!  FFS - set your phone to go off  before you are due to arrive if there is a chance you will sleep (its what I do every morning!)

How about a better idea...

Very loud and excruciatingly annoying automated announcements in first class only...

THE NEXT STATION IS READING. ALIGHT HERE IF YOU PLAN TO GET OFF HERE. THIS TRAIN IS FOR LONDON PADDINGTON AND THE NEXT STATION IS READING. THIS TRAIN WILL THEN CALL AT TWYFORD, MAIDENHEAD, SLOUGH, EALING BROADWAY AND LONDON PADDINGTON IF WE CAN BE BOTHERED. WE ARE SORRY TO ANNOUNCE THAT THERE WILL BE NO AT SEAT SERVICE OF DRINKS AND LIGHT REFRESHMENTS ON THIS SERVICE. PLEASE GO TO THE BUFFET IN ORDER TO CLAIM YOUR GRUB.

If the wiring is so dodgy then how have they managed to have such high intensity and presumably higher ampage lights??

With a bit of money I can't imagine it would be too difficult rewire the Mk3s. Any news of wireless?

And there your whole argument falls apart  ;D

I am sure it is possible to get it all put in and working, but at what cost & time : benefit ratio is probably the issue.  As has been previously mentioned, each coach has the letter clearly outside, and each seat has the Coach letter and seat number on, so if someone really doesn't know where they are, then it isn't hard to locate (common sense permitting).

I actually find those who know they are getting off at Short-Platforms will come and ask which coaches to board.

No idea about wireless, i'll ask around.