CIS Information Error

[whole diary]

[Gordon the Blue Engine]

Interesting CIS^▸ (Customer Information System) fault which crops up every day I think at Pangbourne and I presume Didcot, Cholsey, Goring and Tilehurst as well. Train involved is 2P34, 0849 from Pangbourne - Padd. Screen always shows it as 6 coaches, but it's always 3 (or 2 occasionally).  I think fault arises because it joins 2R15 at Reading and THEN runs as 6 car to Padd. 

This morning previous train 0834 ex Pangbourne was cancelled (it was retimed to run fast Dicot -Rdg because of late running), and so there were were 2 trainloads waiting for 0849.  0849 was shown as 6 coaches on the CIS and everyone spaced themselves out along the platform accordingly (the regular 0834 passengers would not be aware of the CIS fault on the 0849).  In runs just 2 coaches. Lots of even crosser passengers ......

[lordgoata]

Interesting, the 07:38 from Goring was also cancelled yesterday, so two full loads were crammed into that darn 180 that turns up at 07:59.

This morning the 3 car 07:38 was reduced to 2 cars too.

[Richard Fairhurst]

Common on the Cotswold Line too: trains show up as 6 coaches on the display, when in fact it's a three-coach Turbo that will join with another at Oxford. Curiously the Digital Doris announcement gets it right...

[bobm]

Heard the same announcement at Newton Abbot at Easter on two successive days concerning a late afternoon train.  The screens and the announcement described the service to Exmouth as a four coach train.  The annoucement then exhorted people travelling to Exmouth to travel in the front four coaches as the rear four would be detached at Exeter St Davids and terminate! 

[Southern Stag]

Interesting, the 07:38 from Goring was also cancelled yesterday, so two full loads were crammed into that darn 180 that turns up at 07:59.

This morning the 3 car 07:38 was reduced to 2 cars too.

That service will no longer be a 180 from the new timetable. Unfortunately I expect it will just be a 3-car Turbo instead.

[Southern Stag]

Heard the same announcement at Newton Abbot at Easter on two successive days concerning a late afternoon train.  The screens and the announcement described the service to Exmouth as a four coach train.  The annoucement then exhorted people travelling to Exmouth to travel in the front four coaches as the rear four would be detached at Exeter St Davids and terminate! 

The CIS^▸ (Customer Information System) does seem to get itself in to an awful muddle with trains which change length on route. That announcement was along the right lines. There is an afternoon train to Exmouth which divides at Exeter St Davids. However it is the front 2 carriages which terminate at Exeter and the rear 4 which continue to Exmouth. Information on services dividing en route has only recently been added to the CIS. In general I'd say it's a good thing that it's been added, but it obviously needs a little more work to ensure it's correct.

[lordgoata]

Interesting, the 07:38 from Goring was also cancelled yesterday, so two full loads were crammed into that darn 180 that turns up at 07:59.

That service will no longer be a 180 from the new timetable. Unfortunately I expect it will just be a 3-car Turbo instead.

Unfortunately ? That's great news! The 180's whilst nice enough, are just totally unsuitable for that service. Now we just need the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) rule of no bikes on the Paddington turbos before 09:30 enforced and we might be getting somewhere 

[Southern Stag]

I agree a Turbo is much more suited to that service, I wasn't sure if a 3-car unit would be sufficient though. The 0517 Paddington-Oxford stopping service will also go over to a far more suitable Turbo.

[bobm]

Where will the 180 be deployed instead?

[Southern Stag]

An additional service; 0734 Didcot Parkway-London Paddington.

[lordgoata]

I agree a Turbo is much more suited to that service, I wasn't sure if a 3-car unit would be sufficient though. The 0517 Paddington-Oxford stopping service will also go over to a far more suitable Turbo.

Ah Sorry misunderstood. Well certainly up to Maidenhead a 3 car will be "ok", unless the 07:38 is cancelled, as then there are a LOT of passengers waiting at Pangbourne, Tilehurst, (Reading isn't too bad), and Twyford - so its usually solid by Maidenhead.

To be honest, having the 07:38 and 07:59 as 4 carriages would be perfect - 3 is often a squeeze, especially if anything happens to the earlier trains, where as 5 would be overkill.

That said, that is only up to Maidenhead, I have no idea how bad they are after, I just know there are always a lot of people waiting to get on at Maidenhead - on both of those services.