Great Western Coffee Shop

I happened to be at Melksham station this morning - and guess what I saw there?


(http://a.imageshack.us/img168/3527/017wl.jpg) (http://img168.imageshack.us/i/017wl.jpg/)



 :o ::) ;D

Is that screen going to be big enough to display all the trains that call at MKM through the day?  :P ;) :D

If you squint a bit at that picture (sorry, the sun was shining on the display when I actually took that photo, on my way home this afternoon!), you can see details ... for both of them.  :o

CfN. ;D

I wonder what the future of the auto announcement help point is now!  ;)

All look to be on time! What a service this company runs!

will be interesting to see is st james park gets one and which platform it goes on if it does

What have I missed ...

(http://www.wellho.net/pix/new_help_2.jpg)

Yes - this is a very significant step - and I'm delighted.  Not only is it really useful in helping to fill the lamentable information gap, but it's also a sign of faith in the line by First in installing (I I understand it) a rather better / more informative / expensive unit than the minimum required.   A big THANK YOU to them.

(http://www.wellho.net/pix/new_help_1.jpg)


The new unit is fit for a station which has a service to speak of ...  ;) such as the every two hours that was recommended by Jacobs for the current franchise, the hourly service that's got such a good cost / benefit ratio in the GWRUS, or the service that's suggested that will let passengers Go! from Yeovil via Melksham, Swindon and Oxford to Banbury and Birmingham without change of trains.

They're popping up all over the place.  Finstock (with less trains than Melksham!) and Culham are two that I noticed today.  The display is well presented, the information useful - arrival times at calling points and location of the latest running report are two positive things for example - and we will just have to hope that they're well maintained as I'm sure the local low-life will soon start attacking them with their spray cans and knives.

This is a good step. ;D But why this type? It could easily get vandalised.

Why not do what SWT (and other TOCs) have done, and put in the dot matrix displays and departure screens with Ditra announcements?

It a waste of time putting Ditra announcements, we would have to be there all day to get a recording!  ;D

A clock would be a handy addition to the display as well.....

That may depend on the location. The prototype at Hanborough - albeit in a robust housing fixed to the ground - is still going strong and doesn't seem to have proved too tempting a target, presumably because it doesn't have money in.

 
I think that might qualify as overkill if implemented across FGW's network, given service levels at some stations, never mind what it would cost. Although the main Cotswold Line stations are getting big screens too, the type used in these help points has been a godsend since it was installed at several stations a while back, as they are a sight more accurate than the Thames Trains system, which regular travellers know is simply not to be trusted, never mind its habit of announcing trains are 10 minutes late just as they come into view running on time.

presumably that would be easy to do the nexct time the software is ungraded

It's not perfect but I think the screens are designed to update every minute or so, so the "last updated" time in the top corner at least gives a passable estimate. Unless it loses the data feed of course!

anyone know what percentage of people carry a mobile phone and or a watch  ;D....... runs away

Hmm.  ::)

For those, like some multi-drop drivers, who only deal in 'morning' or 'afternoon' in terms of possible delivery times: there is the option of pressing the 'Information' button, in order to get a precise time check from Swindon control.

CfN.  ::) ;D

68.5% of people wear a watch.  There are more mobile phones than people in the UK, so goodness only know what that means.   (I suspect I'm one of the people who distorts the stats with a mobile phone and a data connection with its own SIM)

you going threw the old treads?  ;D

No - thread was mentioned in another new post and I came across the question when following the link to it!