Trains leaving early

[whole diary]

[Super Guard]

As for the 2 minute early example at Andover, I can only assume an error on the Guards part.

Or possibly an erroneous report.  Locations which rely on manual reports from signallers are occasionally wrong due to the signaller entering the wrong time, and even some automatic reports can be dubious as some signal sections don't lend themselves well to reporting the exact time of departure, especially when there's no signal at the end of the platform. 

Banbury was always a case in point there as I believe the automatic report was based on the time the train passed the second signal after the up/bay platform (the section signal onto the mini-panel which covers the Aynho Junction area) with a 2-minute deduction added to allow for the time taken to reach that signal.

Very true... i've had calls regarding delays on the Barnstaple branch, which have turned out to be a key-stroke error entering manual times.

[Brucey]

Or possibly an erroneous report.  Locations which rely on manual reports from signallers are occasionally wrong due to the signaller entering the wrong time, and even some automatic reports can be dubious as some signal sections don't lend themselves well to reporting the exact time of departure, especially when there's no signal at the end of the platform. 

Here's another example from today, not of a train leaving early but the poor quality of the reports:

Apparently it teleported from Severn Beach to St Andrews Road, before jumping to Shirehampton then back to Avonmouth.  Same for Redland & Montpelier - apparently called before it had even arrived at Clifton Down.

[devon_metro]

NRE^‡(resolve) interprets info it gets from TRUST^▸ (Train Running System TOPS) which runs off the signalling systems. Its a basic system so as such if a location in TRUST does not send info, then it can't really handle that so will just put "On Time"

Between Severn Beach and Bristol Temple Meads the following locations don't report on TRUST:
St Andrews rd
Shirehampton
Sea Mills
Redland
Montpellier
and
Bristol East Jn

Hence the discrepancies.

[Super Guard]

Things may have changed but NRE^‡(resolve) will normally say "No Report" when one isn't received.