Missed train.. but why...?

[whole diary]

[johoare]

I arrived at Paddington this evening approx 21.23... More than enough time for the 21.27 for Maidenhead... you'd think?

Well.. when I got there with 4 whole nice long minutes to spare I realised it was platform 13 so decided running (although not safe but many many people each day have to resort to this) was best.. I got to platform 13 with loads of time to spare (well a minute or so) so slowed down a bit (mainly so I could breathe and also because there was another lady passenger further back than me so I thought that it would all be ok)... This was the point I realised the train wasn't just platform 13, but "in front of another train in platform 13".. so started running again and got to the train door (with the train despatcher watching me) and pressed the door button just after it had been locked (with the train despatcher still watching me) and the train left me and the lady passenger (who I mentioned before) behind... How nice that was...

My children who were on their own got to spend an extra half hour on their own as the next train (21.42) was very slow arriving at 22.30 instead of about 22.05...

Strangely enough the train despatcher person was nowhere to be seen seconds after the train was  alllowed to leave with people just about to get on.. I wonder why...

This is not good customer service...

[inspector_blakey]

I think to some extent dispatchers are stuck between a rock and a hard place here... On the one hand they will quite possibly be on the wron gend of a management b*ll*cking for delaying a train, and if there is a straggly line of passengers running for a train there comes a point when you can't say "just one more" but the train actually has to leave. On the other hand they will get grief from those passengers who get left behind.

Having said that, I certainly have seen situations where dispatch staff have quite deliberately left people behind for "fun". The most obvious (because the dispatcher concerned and his mate had a good snigger about it immediately afterwards) was an HST^▸ (High Speed Train) at Oxford where a woman wanting to load her bike dumped it in a vestibule and was told, quite correctly, to remove it and stow it in coach A which was in its usual position somewhere near Jericho, miles beyond the footbridge. Then whilst she was running to the back the dispatcher and conductor cheerfully got the train on its way...

Although the staff had a good giggle about it it was pretty unprofessional - far better to be straight with her and tell her that she was too late!

[eightf48544]

The other thing is why is it necessary for the Reading stoppers (Taplow & Maidenhead) trains to leave from 13 at that time of night? 8 to 12 seem pretty empty at that time.

It's a pity you hadn't arrived five minutes earlier then you could have caught the 21 21 Oxford fast to Slough from one of teh mainline platforms.

For a better journey if you miss the 27 you could catch the 21:48 (Worcester Shrub Hill) fast to Slough and change there, although a it's usually a Turbo it can be crowded. Both come up on the National Rail journey planner.

[IndustryInsider]

The other thing is why is it necessary for the Reading stoppers (Taplow & Maidenhead) trains to leave from 13 at that time of night? 8 to 12 seem pretty empty at that time.

Part of the reason was discussed recently here: http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=6316.0

For a better journey if you miss the 27 you could catch the 21:48 (Worcester Shrub Hill) fast to Slough and change there, although a it's usually a Turbo it can be crowded.

The 21:48 is booked for a HST^▸ (High Speed Train) and is very rarely anything else except during bank holiday alterations.  It is possibly changing to a Turbo on Friday nights come the summer timetable change.

[readytostart]

I hate to be the person who says this but there is a reason why larger stations have longer connection times (fifteen minutes in the case of Paddington). It is the amount of time allocated to get from one part of the station to the furthest point.
For the dispatcher to allow you on, he would have needed to speak to the driver (assuming the service was DOO^▸ (Driver-Only Operation (that is, trains which operate without carrying a guard)), not my route) to get the doors open again and then repeat the whole dispatch procedure. I'm sorry to sound harsh but I would personally rather delay one person by half an hour than everyone on the train by two minutes. The last train of the day is an obvious exception, but there still has to be a cut off point.
The other evening at Reading I waited a couple of seconds for a last minute runner, only to find half way to Basingstoke that they were going to Wolverhampton.

[argg]

In the old days didn't platforms have a gate at the concourse end? Presumably if you beat the gate being closed you got on the train. I appreciate this would be difficult for 13/14 but surely something like that would surely make sense.

Perhaps removing 13/14 trains from the departure boards 5 minutes before time?

Its probably fair to assume now that if its a local stopper it will be 13/14 so give yourself at least 5 minutes - if its platforms 8-12 that's a nice bonus.


Anyone also noticed the increased use of 13/14 in the morning arrivals?  Presumably this is following the redesign of the Circle line making the very modest "ticket hall" and access to 15/16 a very cosy experience in the morning peak.

Doesn't help Bakerloo line and bus commuters though.  I know, you can't please all of the people...


 

[johoare]

For the dispatcher to allow you on, he would have needed to speak to the driver (assuming the service was DOO^▸ (Driver-Only Operation (that is, trains which operate without carrying a guard)), not my route) to get the doors open again and then repeat the whole dispatch procedure. .

Strange then that one morning last week at Maidenhead, just as the train doors were locked, and someone who had just run up the stairs missed them, the doors were unlocked for them to get on, then locked straight after.. No delay to us, we were on our way..

Unless Paddington has totally different despatch procedures I guess..

But anyway in this instance.. being as they'd put the train as close to Maidenhead as they could physically get it whilst still being in Paddington, and being as they could see two people coming (it's quite a long way up platform 13 when there are two trains in it).. common sense could have prevailed..

The other lady was already unhappy with FGW^▸ (First Great Western) and their connections etc... I don't think she was a regular traveller and therefore what happened was a very bad advert for FGW to her..

And yes thanks to eightf48544 for suggesting the 21.48.. I didn't think of that at the time..

This other lady and I thought did walk ALL the way back to the main concourse to wait for our next train to be announced.. You can only guess where it was.. Yes.. it was that lovely train in platform 13 that we'd run past earlier..

You couldn't make it up 

[Electric train]

Strange then that one morning last week at Maidenhead, just as the train doors were locked, and someone who had just run up the stairs missed them, the doors were unlocked for them to get on, then locked straight after.. No delay to us, we were on our way..

Unless Paddington has totally different dispatcher procedures I guess..

It does, for Turbos at Maidenhead on plat 4 has CCTV^▸ (Closed Circuit Tele Vision) for the driver to see what is going on so its possible for them to reopen the doors; at Paddington the platform dispatcher operates a switch which activates a "CD^▸ (Capital Delivery)" close doors signal for the drive and then a "RA" right away signal, for the doors to be reopened the dispatcher would have to walk to the cab and ask the driver to open the doors, and the walk back to where the CD and RA switches are located.

Even for HST^▸ (High Speed Train)'s at Maidenhead the TM^‡(resolve) can still re unlock the doors

[johoare]

Nice of them to operate the CD^▸ (Capital Delivery) signal when they can see two people rushing for the train then when they know it's not easy to reverse it.. Ho hum... FGW^▸ (First Great Western) get to take more of my time if I have to arrive there 15 minutes early (15 minute connection time mentioned earlier) just in case...

[Electric train]

Nice of them to operate the CD^▸ (Capital Delivery) signal when they can see two people rushing for the train then when they know it's not easy to reverse it.. Ho hum... FGW^▸ (First Great Western) get to take more of my time if I have to arrive there 15 minutes early (15 minute connection time mentioned earlier) just in case...

A lot has to do with the punctuality performance figures and the penalties that go with that, if the dispatcher delays the train departing that is a TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company) causing the delay hence they have to pay NR^» (Network Rail - home page).  We (the traveling public) are our own worst enemies we demand trains run on time yet expect them to wait for us

[johoare]

Ok.. but I've always understood that it is the final train destination that is the one that creates the early/late figures? although I may be wrong.. so for example Maidenhead trains might always be late.. but.. if they are travelling on to Oxford with lots of the usual timetable padding, then that doesn't feature in the late figures?

Please correct me if I'm wrong here..

We did spend a good two or three minutes sitting doing nothing at Burnham last night (and I only needed ten more seconds to get on the train at Paddinton) but I bet the train still arrived somewhere on time..

[Super Guard]

You are correct Jo, but hind-sight is a wonderful thing.  If a service leaves Paddington late and then gets caught (for whatever reason down the line) and was late arriving at that point, they could start allocating delay minutes to Paddington Dispatch.

How is the dispatcher to know what troubles may be ahead ?  Certainly "Well I held it for a minute because it will probably arrive on-time anyway" would not have been greeted very well by management.  (Network Rail will try and bounce any delay they can onto a TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company)!!)

[devon_metro]

You are correct Jo, but hind-sight is a wonderful thing.  If a service leaves Paddington late and then gets caught (for whatever reason down the line) and was late arriving at that point, they could start allocating delay minutes to Paddington Dispatch.

How is the dispatcher to know what troubles may be ahead ?  Certainly "Well I held it for a minute because it will probably arrive on-time anyway" would not have been greeted very well by management.  (Network Rail will try and bounce any delay they can onto a TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company)!!)

"TOC to advise"...? 

[johoare]

Oh well.. as I said before.. I shall just have to spend a lot of extra time at Paddington in future by arriving extra early..

What didn't help us feel good about this incident was being watched hurrying up the platform by the train despatcher who gave no indication that she was going to press the despatch button just before we got there..

Usually there is lots of whistle blowing to hurry the last stragglers up to make them aware that they might miss the train if they don't go faster (which then becomes their choice).. The fact she was standing there so calmly watching us lulled us into a false sense of security.. And her disappearing act straight afterwards was second to none 

[Super Guard]

"TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company) to advise"...? 

That's the one 

Oh well.. as I said before.. I shall just have to spend a lot of extra time at Paddington in future by arriving extra early..

With respect, a couple of minutes will be sufficient i'm sure