68 mins at Bath Spa station yesterday.........

[whole diary]

[Clan Line]

On my way back from Temple Meads to Warminster yesterday I spent 68 mins at Bath Spa - most of it open-mouthed at the shambolic goings-on at Platform 2 during that time.

Just how are platform announcements initiated - and from where ? It is a wonder that the loudspeakers didn't burn themselves out with the amount that they were in use. Unfortunately much of their output was "verbal diarrhoea" - unnecessary/irrelevant/repetitive/just plain wrong.

1. Announcement made that First Class on a forthcoming train would be in coaches 1, 2, 9 & 10 - you are ahead of me already, aren't you ?........... it was in coaches 4, 5, 6, & 7.   Utter shambles when all the people stood in the mid section of the platform found themselves confronted by a wall of First Class coaches. Many of these would-be travelers thought that they could board anywhere and walk through the train to find seats - wrong ! The staff in the First Class coaches were then trying to direct passengers to the extremities of the train (in good faith !) and explain that it was not possible to walk through the whole train.  Some passengers were starting to take umbrage at this - thinking that Standard Class ticket holders were not now being allowed to board the train through the First Class doors !

2. Announcement is made that the "train approaching" does not call at this station. Nothing appeared for some time.............then a brand new "5 car DMU^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit)" trundles in and stops - and the doors unlock. Platform staff and travelers look on somewhat bemused - then an announcement is made that this is an "additional service" to Paddington !

3. The trains to Weymouth and Portsmouth Harbour were both delayed. We were then subjected to a non-stop barrage of "apologies" for this. At one point 3 apologies were announced one after the other - with no break in between..........for a 13 min delay, then a 15 min delay, then a 13 min delay again - all for the same train !!!!  When a train is 29 min late starting its journey and was never better than 22 min late, why were such hopelessly inaccurate arrival times being announced ? - more clocks needing repair than usual perhaps.........   My grandson informed me that 25 apologies were made - I wouldn't doubt that for one minute ! (When the Weymouth, 2 car 150, finally left even Jeremy Corbyn wouldn't have found enough floor space to sit on !!)

The overwhelming impression was that no one at Bath Spa had a clue what was going on until an announcement was made - and even then that was not correct. It wasn't chaotic, it wasn't a disaster - it was just a display of an organisation that seems to have completely lost sight of what it is meant to be doing and how to do it. A most dispiriting display of how to run a railway.  GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) is going downhill faster than Eddie the Eagle.................

[a-driver]

Most stations will operate like that because the announcements are automated and triggered by the train passing certain points on the network.

The information about the location of First Class is dependent on the correct formation being inputted into the system.

Additional services sometimes don’t appear in the system if it is a last minute alteration. Generally happens when an empty stock working is turned into a passenger service.

[Timmer]

Proof, if it were needed, that operating 5 or 2x5 car IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train) on HST^▸ (High Speed Train) routes just doesn’t work. On an HST, first class is either at the front or the rear of the train simple. There are a number of combinations of where First class will appear on a 2x5 car IET. Couple that with being unable to walk from one train to another leaves an unsatisfactory set up for passengers. Sooner 9 car IETs take over these 5/2x5 diagrams the better.

[broadgage]

Agree, and whilst I am not keen on any variety of IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train), 5 car are the worst, 5+5 nearly as bad, and 9 car the best of a bad lot.

Make the 9 car units into 10 car by adding a proper hot buffet, add a few more table seats, get the reservation system to work, and provide Pullman dining more often, and they will start to feel like proper inter-city trains.
Even an old cynic like me might then NEARLY forget about the underfloor engines.

[a-driver]

Proof, if it were needed, that operating 5 or 2x5 car IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train) on HST^▸ (High Speed Train) routes just doesn’t work. On an HST, first class is either at the front or the rear of the train simple. There are a number of combinations of where First class will appear on a 2x5 car IET. Couple that with being unable to walk from one train to another leaves an unsatisfactory set up for passengers. Sooner 9 car IETs take over these 5/2x5 diagrams the better.

Even worse in Cornwall with 2x5 formations. Some stations only the front 5 carriages are platformed.  Cue several announcements telling passengers they need to leave the rear unit and move into the front unit. 

[devonexpress]

The announcements are automated and programmed the week or a few days before.  The delayed announcements are automatic by the system unless altered by Swindon control.

To be honest your thing about first class being in the wrong position is likely it was booked for that and a quick set swap happened and nobody either bothered or had the chance to correct it.

[devonexpress]

Proof, if it were needed, that operating 5 or 2x5 car IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train) on HST^▸ (High Speed Train) routes just doesn’t work. On an HST, first class is either at the front or the rear of the train simple. There are a number of combinations of where First class will appear on a 2x5 car IET. Couple that with being unable to walk from one train to another leaves an unsatisfactory set up for passengers. Sooner 9 car IETs take over these 5/2x5 diagrams the better.

You seem to forget that 15 years ago we had 5+5 car Class 180 adelantes, the only reason they where removed was because of faulty doors.

[4064ReadingAbbey]

The announcements are automated and programmed the week or a few days before.  The delayed announcements are automatic by the system unless altered by Swindon control.

To be honest your thing about first class being in the wrong position is likely it was booked for that and a quick set swap happened and nobody either bothered or had the chance to correct it.

Then it should be somebody's job to ensure that correct information is passed on to the passengers. If necessary then hire somebody.

Whatever the reasons for these incorrect announcements - it remains that in the eye of the consumer it appears that the railways are incompetent.

It will take a long time before they dig themselves out of this hole.

If indeed they can.

[Clan Line]

 The delayed announcements are automatic by the system unless altered by Swindon control.

Perhaps someone should tell Swindon control that after the first few times an "apology" is no longer is no longer an apology, but just b****y annoying - rubbing salt into the wound !
Also, something I have never understood is why platform CIS^▸ (Customer Information System) can say one thing and RTT^» (Real Time Trains - website) is saying something different - and RTT is usually the more accurate.

To be honest your thing about first class being in the wrong position is likely it was booked for that and a quick set swap happened and nobody either bothered or had the chance to correct it.

Doesn't that prove my point if "nobody ...... bothered" ? It takes more than a few minutes to change the layout of a train - how many services had this formation done already that day ?

Yesterday was my first ride on an IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train) (How I got to Bath in the first place). Hmmm.........seats weren't quite as bad as I thought they might be, but after 3 or 4 hours General appearance of Standard Class was stark, over illuminated by very bright lighting. A lot of effort must have gone into the seat layout to get that many seats in with no window.  Walked through First - didn't notice much difference !  Aircon didn't seem very effective, coach rode well but nowhere near as quiet as a 125. The only really good point - plenty of leg room ! Someone has finally realised that Homo Sapiens has exceeded 5' 6" in height.
My (9 year old) Grandson said the seats were better in the 158, have to agree - and the aircon worked too..........

I must be a glutton for punishment - am taking Grandson to Salisbury tomorrow.............see how that goes 

[grahame]

Perhaps someone should tell Swindon control that after the first few times an "apology" is no longer is no longer an apology, but just b****y annoying - rubbing salt into the wound !

Swindon (and your local platform staff if you're at a megalopolis luck enough to have them) also know how irritating it is. There are national standards / rule they are obliged to follow - said to be imposed on GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) - and it's my understanding that at some point in the not too distant passed those got tuned so that even a change of a minute or two results in yet another announcement.

[johnneyw]

Not that long ago, automated delay and cancellation announcements ended with "I am very sorry for (insert bad news) which I found annoying as it felt like a robot was taking the responsibility for the problem. At least now the voice says "we are sorry" implying that the fault was down to more than just an automated announcement system.

[devonexpress]

Perhaps someone should tell Swindon control that after the first few times an "apology" is no longer is no longer an apology, but just b****y annoying - rubbing salt into the wound !

Swindon (and your local platform staff if you're at a megalopolis luck enough to have them) also know how irritating it is. There are national standards / rule they are obliged to follow - said to be imposed on GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) - and it's my understanding that at some point in the not too distant passed those got tuned so that even a change of a minute or two results in yet another announcement.

Depends where you are on the network,  major routes such as the Thames Valley, Bristol metro announce 2 minute delays,  deep down West its anything over 5 minutes.

[Timmer]

Oh how I feel for station staff having to put up with these constant announcements. I can only think you train yourself to block them out from your hearing.

[devonexpress]

Yesterday was my first ride on an IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train) (How I got to Bath in the first place). Hmmm.........seats weren't quite as bad as I thought they might be, but after 3 or 4 hours General appearance of Standard Class was stark, over illuminated by very bright lighting. A lot of effort must have gone into the seat layout to get that many seats in with no window.  Walked through First - didn't notice much difference !  Aircon didn't seem very effective, coach rode well but nowhere near as quiet as a 125. The only really good point - plenty of leg room ! Someone has finally realised that Homo Sapiens has exceeded 5' 6" in height.
My (9 year old) Grandson said the seats were better in the 158, have to agree - and the aircon worked too..........

I must be a glutton for punishment - am taking Grandson to Salisbury tomorrow.............see how that goes 

As someone who's been on both the 800s and 802s I can tell you a few things.  1 The seats a slightly firm because the foam underneath is new, exactly the same as buying a new sofa, after time it softens.  I do agree the lighting and that horrible lime green needs sorting, and im surprised no lesson where learnt from the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) dynamic lines refresh when the same problems where made out. First Class at the moment isn't great, im not sure if they are waiting for a year before putting in leather seats due to railway rules. Aircon in an 802 was perfectly fine, but the fresh air on a HST^▸ (High Speed Train) is much nicer.  In terms of quietness it depends on which coach you sit in, the 2nd standard class coach from the front, seems to be much quieter than the middle coach for some reason, yet they both have underfloor engines.

[CMRail]

The voice of the women on GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) trains really annoys me. And when you are on an IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train) between Worcester and Oxford hearing that women repeat all the calling stops, and the short platform at the next station could not irritate me more.