Posting as one of let night's headless chickens ...
... perhaps, having slept on this it's a good time to reflect, analyse, and perhaps we can even make a couple of cheeky suggestions to
FGW▸ as to little changes.
Thanks Grahame - I can take your whole post to FGW via the Customer Panel. Useful suggestions, all!.
Some clarifications that I do know answers to....
Suggestion (1): A one line 'ticker tape' status banner on each of these - even if it says as little as "We have just [18:37] received reports of a problem on the main lines. All services are held while we learn more. Next update by 18:52 at the latest"
Don't think these boards can be adjusted in that way without a lot of work, however, I'm sure several more of those mobile destination boards (which are more free-form by way of displaying text) would be very useful. And yes, agree with adding those timing points. I've been saying this for a long time, that giving passengers as much info as possible allows them to make informed decisions about onward journeys & declutters queues of pax trying to obtain same!
One thing I'd add is the time of the start of disruption event - most commuters can work out how long a fatality takes to clear up (usually 90-120mins,for example) and can plan according to how long after said event they arrive at the station. So might be worth a different route if I've arrived 10mins after it started, but not if it happened an hour ago. But unless you know how long ago it started, you can't make a properly informed decision!
Suggestion (2): I've seen FCC▸ do it - a "what alternatives are there in the event of disruption?", together with, perhaps, a paragraph on the steps that FGW go though ... "Please bear with us in the early stages of disruption. When something goes wrong, it takes us a little time to find out what's happened, and some more time to know how long it's going to take to fix and what the options are. But we WILL promise to update you at least once every 15 minutes, even if the answer is "don't know yet"." Alternative options listed may include use of Greenford Trains, South West Trains from Waterloo, Chiltern from Marylebone, Heathrow services, etc. Most commuters have common sense - so explain that it's better to hold services at Paddington than to dispatch in hope and leave people crammed into trains near the wilds of Slough for indeterminate periods.
Yup - this is all bog-standard stuff that doesn't change from incident to incident. So produce literature and a pdf for the website on a disruption info page. And ensure the info points have them to put out there in times of disruption!
Suggestion (3): "Off Peak restrictions lifted" was announced ... and that was contradicted by the departure board for the 18:15 to Swansea when in flashed up. But what exactly does 'lifted' mean. Would my off peak return half to Melksham have been accepted on the first connection in the morning?
Not likely, unless it was definitely going to go on so long that the service for the day was effectively over. It just means that the peak restrictions *for that peak* have been lifted. I think most pax would work that out - but obviously not, so thanks for that. In fact, they ought to have said "Peak restrictions lifted", for that was what the restrictions are. That is the standard practise.
they called the 18:15 and - scrum down. It was the only possible chance to catch my last connection from Swindon, and it's unclear to me whether "person hit by train" is considered to be a rail industry fault, so whether compensation (not really interested) and / or getting e to destination come what may (very interested) would click in.
It's not. Just as a vehicle striking a bridge isn't. Which I agree with, as the railway can't be responsible for someone being in the wrong place, at the wrong time, deliberately or not. But see below for them getting you to your destination. A connection is still a connection.
Suggestion (4): back to that FAQ▸ again ... have information in there about how and when information might be expected, how it's best to keep people in stations not between, why there can't be announcements on trains while they're waiting (!) and a promise of a time limited update come what may. And if even one or two people have that FAQ, they'll share it with others; keep people in the dark and they'll complain - help explain (better yet get them to explain to each other) and the whole atmosphere becomes easier.
More for that leaflet/pdf....
Suggestion (6): don't let staff guess answers just to move customers on. I really didn't want to do 4 sets of stairs with heavy bags, and nearly be delayed a further hour, because of a guess!
That could have been handled *so* much better....
Chippenham - dispatcher sends off west and east trains, writes out a taxi chit and finds me a taxi. Quite a relief - didn't really want to fork out nearly 30 quid of my own or wait 90 minutes for the late bus. THANK YOU. But I really wish I knew the precise rules.
You arrived off a train within the stated connectional time for that station, so they're *obliged* to get you to that train's destination (or yours, if alighting intermediately) by an alternative means. That *might* mean waiting for the next one, if it's within an hour or so - sorry. But where there isn't another, alternative has to be found. If it's the next train - negotiate if it's over 30minutes. Always worth a try, you might find a compassionate employee. But you can't demand unless its a *long* time away.
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