New Platform Markings at Reading

[whole diary]

[eightonedee]

Yesterday evening I noticed what appeared to be new painted markings on Platforms 12 to 15 as below-

They seemed to be at regular intervals apparently dividing each platform into zones in ascending number order from east to west. Does anyone now what this is for - Elizabeth Line related perhaps?

I have also noted an enhancement to the dot-matrix signs on each platform. The row of "walking writing" in the centre showing the calling points of the next service also now show the arrival time after each station, and (sometimes) where the next train currently is. Last week's disruptions also enabled me to see that when the next train is delayed, the onward arrival times are adjusted, but they are no more reliable than Journey Check, indeed even more optimistic.

Nonetheless, a small useful improvement. I have not yet seen this elsewhere yet.

[IndustryInsider]

Zones are progressively being used to inform passengers where to wait on the platform.  They’re basically carriage number locations and are starting to appear on CIS^▸ (Customer Information System) screens.

[ellendune]

They ahve also appeared at Swindon so unlikely to be Elizabeth Line related.

[grahame]

Also starting to be used in announcements - at Chippenham telling people which zones to wait in for first class, standard class, for wheelchair access, and with cycles.   The thing that struck me right away was the length of the announcements and the need to listen through if you really want to make use of those spoken words.   Also appearing on the on-platform next train displays as the scrolling second line.

[SandTEngineer]

Shouldn't all of this been thought through as part of the introduction risk assessment carried out by the trains specifier.  Oh, hold on a minute...

[eightf48544]

Obvious question what happens when train is in reverse formation?

[Clan Line]

Obvious question what happens when train is in reverse formation?

..............or it isn't the type of train that the Zone markings refer to ..........

[grahame]

Obvious question what happens when train is in reverse formation?

..............or it isn't the type of train that the Zone markings refer to ..........

The zones are numbered, and the coaches on the train are lettered.   And the announcements and scrolling displays provide a translation table.

Not sure if they're 26 or 23 metres apart though.  But then 23 metre carriages trains are typically just 2 or three carriages (rumoured to be going up to 5 on Cardiff / Portsmouth  ) so the zone markers may not be that far out.  For IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train - replacement for HSTs (manufactured by Hitachi in Kobe, Japan)) with end doors v turbo with 1/3 and 2/3 doors, not sure how it's done.  "Roughly right /nearest marker" for Turbos, I expect!

[Phantom]

Obvious question what happens when train is in reverse formation?

Then the announcement is different

Have heard the announcements (and seen markings) at Temple Meads and Weston, whilst informative, for some reason they only get announced as the train is arriving - surely it would be better to give as much notice as possible to anyone needing this information

The other thing, with stations that have the newer electronic displays if shows which order the carriages are in etc on the rolling boards, Temple Meads and Weston still have the old rolling screens

[IndustryInsider]

It’s a ‘work in progress’ that’ll be progressively refined and rolled out across the franchise over the coming months.  The difference between 26m and 23m vehicles (and even 20m ones) won’t be enough to make that much of a difference even on the longest trains.

[RobT]

This is how the zones/coach letters are now displayed on Tiger for Swindon:
http://iris2.rail.co.uk/tiger/renderstaffsoad.asp?file=30353A.xml

Reading don't seem to have adopted this change yet, possibly because there is still a mix of HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units)) and IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train - replacement for HSTs (manufactured by Hitachi in Kobe, Japan)), whereas Swindon is now almost 100% IET.

[Richard Fairhurst]

There are posters up at Reading explaining the change, though from the quick glance I got at one yesterday, I swear it said "to be introduced from December 2018"...

[grahame]

This is how the zones/coach letters are now displayed on Tiger for Swindon:
http://iris2.rail.co.uk/tiger/renderstaffsoad.asp?file=30353A.xml

Quoting from that ... :

1st class zones 1, 2, 9 and 10. Standard class zones 3 to 8. Cycle space zones 2, 4 and 7. Wheelchair facilities zones 1 and 10. Train formation (Zones 1 to 5) L K J H G - A B C D E (Zones 6 to 10)

... not far off what the automated announcements are saying

If you know your stuff and listen carefully, it's all there. But I can't help feeling that if I have a reservation in coach B, perhaps I have to think and filter rather a lot to work out it's zone 7.

[ray951]

Is there any reason why they can't have coach numbers rather than coach letters?
Where 1 is the front of the train and 5,9,10 is the end, especially as they are no longer using semi-permanent labelling on carriages.
It would stop nonsense such as (Zones 1 to 5) A B C D E - L K J H G (Zones 6 to 10) which most people would struggle to work out while stood on the platform.

I appreciate front of the train maybe an issue for XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) at Reading or Cardiff-Portsmouth services at BTM^▸ (Bristol Temple Meads (strictly, it should be BRI) but BTM is a commonly used alternative)), but for most services this would work.

Is the use of letters a limitation of the reservation system or will it change when HST^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units))'s are no more?

[eXPassenger]

Is there any reason why they can't have coach numbers rather than coach letters?
Where 1 is the front of the train and 5,9,10 is the end, especially as they are no longer using semi-permanent labelling on carriages.
It would stop nonsense such as (Zones 1 to 5) A B C D E - L K J H G (Zones 6 to 10) which most people would struggle to work out while stood on the platform.

I appreciate front of the train maybe an issue for XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) at Reading or Cardiff-Portsmouth services at BTM^▸ (Bristol Temple Meads (strictly, it should be BRI) but BTM is a commonly used alternative)), but for most services this would work.

Is the use of letters a limitation of the reservation system or will it change when HST^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units))'s are no more?

Since the internal layout of the coaches is not identical (first class etc) it will still be necessary to identify reservations by coach letter which is independent of the actual train configuration.