Turbo refresh started.

[whole diary]

[IndustryInsider]

Slightly better news is that a unit with the new CIS^▸ (Customer Information System) system installed should be imminent, though initially only on the one unit to trial the new system out.

Just to follow up on this, as I've been told the trial will start next week with 165136 (I think) being kitted out with the new equipment this weekend.

Sorry to quote myself twice, FA style, but it's 165135 that's got the new system installed (I was nearly right!).  Saw it doing the rounds today, but was unable to get a close-up look.  The front display was just scrolling 'First Great Western' I think, so perhaps not working fully yet.  Anyway, look out for it and pass your comments, good or bad, on here.

[IndustryInsider]

Had my first opportunity to see the new PIS^▸ (Passenger Information System) system in action on the refreshed 166108, the second unit to be fitted, and by and large I was impressed.

The system performed faultlessly for the 2 hours or so I was with it.  The internal screens show the calling points (updating as you depart from each station) and a brief safety message - none of the never ending messages of the old system.  They're clear to read in an orange colour and scroll at just the right speed.  The messages displayed mimic the announcements being made.

The automatic announcements are from a very pleasant sounding female voice (which I appreciate is my subjective opinion) which is a new one to me - I believe it was chosen from the staffing ranks of FGW^▸ (First Great Western)?  The delivery is a little stop-start occasionally compared with other systems (i.e.  Calling at.....Taplow, Maidenhead,..Twyford), but nothing too bad.

The following announcements are made (I may not have the wording spot-on, but you get the idea):

1) When the system is first set up at the origin station listing calling points and a brief safety message.
2) Shortly after departure from each station saying "The next station is x".
3) Shortly before arriving at each station saying "We are now arriving at x.  Thank you for travelling with First Great Western."
4) After the train stops at a station saying "Welcome aboard this service to x"
5) Before arriving at the final stop saying "We are now arriving at x.  Please ensure you take all of your personal belongings with you when leaving the train.  Please mind the gap between the train and the platform.  Thank you for travelling with First Great Western."

There's also the facility to amend the calling patterns should stops be missed out due to late running, and shortly there'll be a number of additional scripts available for the driver to select as necessary.

Pros:
*  Pleasant voice.
*  Useful displays.
*  Worked perfectly on the trip I was on.
*  Announcements are regular but brief.  Unlike some other systems which waffle on for ages - does anybody remember the original Adelante scripts which often were still playing when you arrived at the next station!?  The girlfriend refuses to travel on the Heathrow Connect trains for similar reasons as you're constantly being told to not smoke, keep your luggage in sight, that you might get penalty fared etc..

Cons:
*  Announcements are brief but regular.  No doubt some regular passengers will still be annoyed at the frequency of the announcements when they might be trying to get some shut-eye in the morning.  However non-regular passengers and those with impaired sight will find them useful.  Overall, I think the balance is about right, but I'm sure some people will disagree!
*  The system shuts off when engines are stopped.  Probably as it uses the same power supply the old system uses, but modern trains have systems that will keep working if the engines are shut down.
*  On arrival at the terminal station, the scrolling message saying you've arrived at the destination station appears to keep on scrolling and not time out - unless the engines are shut down.


I'd be interested to hear what other people think of the system.  I heard no complaints on my journey, just a couple of "Oooh, how hi-tech", and "Is this a new train?"  comments.

[hornbeam]

To be honest I will get sick of the announcements. I do think they are needed and I^m being selfish! 
I^m not over impressed with the work done, I^ve seen poorly fitted panelling coming off already, pink paint finger marks on windows, the lack of tables is most annoying and they aren^t keeping them any cleaner or looking after them. (two nights last week without lights being an example) However there was a  tight budget, BUT no tables!!!!! ( did I mention that already?  )

[Electric train]

On my oh to regular work trips on Southeastern and Southern you become oblivious to the announcements, only switching on to them when you need to check where you are stopping next and to check you are in the right portion of a dividing train (they have a lot of those) or in the right car if getting off of a short platform

[Mookiemoo]

Well I was on one yesterday between paddington and ealing and the two mini table things in the first set of seats in first had already been ripped out

[devon_metro]

Well I was on one yesterday between paddington and ealing and the two mini table things in the first set of seats in first had already been ripped out

Not by vandals

[Mookiemoo]

So why?

[ChrisB]

I thought that had already been reported?....the mini-tables are going?

[Mookiemoo]

Well if they have been deliberately removed then its a piss poor job as it looked like they had been ripped off the walls

[ChrisB]

Not the ones I've seen....sure it was a refreshed set? Might be vandalism in an old set...

[Mookiemoo]

No - it was definitely a new refreshed set - blue seats in first class

[IndustryInsider]

The mini-tables are staying in the First Class section, so if they were missing in a refurbished set it would likely to be vandalism.  Thank you FGW^▸ (First Great Western) for keeping them in First Class - a bonus feature that really makes the added expense of a First Class ticket worthwhile. 

[willc]

165128 is in traffic with the new CIS^▸ (Customer Information System) fitted, seen on Bicester duties at Oxford tonight. Also saw 165108 at Moreton-in-Marsh last night, which unfortunately seemed to be suffering an attack of the gremlins, with the scrolling display at the London end just saying First Great Western, while the rear cab was in full working order. Amused to see that the NSE^▸ (Network South East) route numbers still survive in the new system. Are they going to start printing them in the timetables again? Not that there ever seemed to be much logic in the way they were allocated, with 16 and 17 for most Cotswold Line workings, but a London-Moreton-in-Marsh service is 41. I forget the number for Moreton-Paddington. 42? Does anyone have a list of them?

[IndustryInsider]

The current drivers codes for the new system are based on 4-digits.  The old system was 5-digits with the first two being the route code and the last three telling the system what stops the train made.  Because of the hap-hazard nature of the old route codes they mostly disappeared and drivers would enter '00' so that no route would be displayed.  Now that it's a 4-digit system the old codes have been retained but because you only type in the last four digits only one of those becomes the route code. 

If you're still following me (or in the slightest bit interested) what that means is that you can only have 9 different route codes, from 01 to 09 currently displayable on the new system.  Whether the codes will be fully modified in time to have more route codes displayable remains to be seen, but at the moment only having nine choices is rather limiting!

[adc82140]

I've noticed there's now a 166 running around with 2 cars only. Is the missing centre care related to the refurb project, or just under repair?