New Customer Information Systems

[whole diary]

[IanL]

......Ohhhh yes it is, glowing away in orange. Sorry to contradict you!

However departures screen failed connection again, got a picture of the error screen if I can work out how to get it off my camera and onto here.

[James Vertigan]

Looks like work could be beginning soon at AML,
there are boards down next to the current info points with cones on top and red and White tape around them. Also the current CIS^▸ (Customer Information System) setup hasn't been working properly the last few days.

[standclearplease]

The LED displays are now up at Weston-super-Mare.. not turned on yet though.

[Louis94]

The LED displays are now up at Weston-super-Mare.. not turned on yet though.

Thanks posting, do you know if any other stations in the wessex area have any new hardware installed? Worle, Westbury, etc?

And also has the voice on the announcements changed, or has that remained the same?

[standclearplease]

Well, there were engineers from Telent at Worle last week apparently starting works, so I assume something is happening there. As for the voice, I'm not sure. Digital Doris has certainly been modified at Yatton/Weston (among others) to start including non-stop announcements, and changes with the "Next train" audio.

[Louis94]

Ah yes, FGW^▸ (First Great Western) have modified that system quite heavily recently, strange really, as its being upgraded soon.

Do let us know when the boards become active, will be interesting to see whether any other ex-wessex stations get them, or whether they are prioritising stations like Worle, which are in need of screens/Next train indicators, and currently have just a help point.

[James Vertigan]

Noticed this morning that Information Point posts had appeared at Acton Main Line overnight, poor guys must have been working in the night on icy platforms, but they were nicely gritted this morning, not that there was much ice as amazingly any snow that had settled seemed to have melted pretty much!

Pictures will follow but having reception issues with my IPhone at the moment so will post them later.

[standclearplease]

Weston-super-Mare now has the new scrolling LED next train boards and FIDS inside the booking office. All active and working.

Not sure if there is a new voice or not.. I didn't stay long enough to find out.

[James Vertigan]

As promised - Acton Main Line:

[Super Guard]

WSM scrolling boards now working, announcements haven't changed.

[Louis94]

Thank you for confirming that Donkey Guard

[IanL]

As I suspected, nice new shiny display units, crap information in, crap displayed. This morning 0940 at CBY the brand new scrolling next train display was stuck showing the 0726 to Paddington as cancelled, missing the 0835 which was by then over 60min late and showing the 2nd train as the 0939 to HFD^» (Hereford - next trains) on time (correct) and the 3rd train as the 0952 on time (incorrect). so three pieces of incorrect and misleading information and only one useful piece of information. FGW^▸ (First Great Western) really have to have a way of manually updating the screens in times of disruption.

[Louis94]

As I suspected, nice new shiny display units, crap information in, crap displayed. This morning 0940 at CBY the brand new scrolling next train display was stuck showing the 0726 to Paddington as cancelled, missing the 0835 which was by then over 60min late and showing the 2nd train as the 0939 to HFD^» (Hereford - next trains) on time (correct) and the 3rd train as the 0952 on time (incorrect). so three pieces of incorrect and misleading information and only one useful piece of information. FGW^▸ (First Great Western) really have to have a way of manually updating the screens in times of disruption.

I think at the moment the new system is not active yet, I think all the new hardware is still connected to the old systems. This will obviously be the reason for the incorrect information.

However if the screen is connected to the new system, then this would be a common problems, as I notice that the same thing happens with the new auto-announcement help points, I have pressed the button and it has just announced a cancellation from 2-3 hours before, I think the new system requires the cancelled trains to be removed manually, compared to automatically at time of departure with the current HSS^▸ (High Speed Services) system. Not sure about the Thames system, but I know the ex-Wessex system requires this, as I have seen a number of cancelled trains still on the screen at Teignmouth, hour after they were due to depart. Also the new system is basically an upgraded version of the ex-Wessex system with new hardware, etc.

[IanL]

Now the old VDU displays have gone, we are left with two systems, the brand new orange next train display and the small flatscreen computer displays similar in information displayed to those in some help points (except ours are in the waiting room windows).

The latter displays have reverted to error messages almost every evening recently (when the office is closed).

Interesting that the two systems seem to have a consistent two minute offset when showing that a train is delayed, the new orange screen being exactly two minutes
more optimistic about the eventual arrival time.

[Tim]

the new orange screen being exactly two minutes
more optimistic about the eventual arrival time.

May be deliberate to make sure that passengers are ready 2 minutes before the train arrives.  Safer than being persemistic which risks passengers wondering off and then missing their train.  Of course absolute accurancy would be better, but under the current signalling arrangements noone knows exactly where the trains are (and how fast they are travelling) for most of their journey.