New Customer Information Systems

[whole diary]

[phile]

New screens now in operation on Platforms 5/7 Bristol Temple Meads.   On 9/11 we now jave 2 side by side, one permanently on Page 1 and the other Page 2.  Don#t have to wait for them to scroll over

[stationstop]

The majority of screens have now been replaced with the new system at BRI^» (Bristol Temple Meads - next trains). There is also a scrolling LED board on platform 2!

A notable platform of course because it's not used for anything other than storing spare/out of service units.

[Chris from Nailsea]

Welcome to the Coffee Shop forum, stationstop. 

Thanks for that update.  It is indeed rather bizarre to have installed a new board for platform 2: perhaps it will be used to confirm that 'This train is not available for customer use', or whatever?

[JayMac]

Or a sensible decision to have a screen in place should the platform be brought back into use in the future.

Perfect for Portishead terminators.

[Super Guard]

I see a few problems have already started with some screens having pixel failures, the ones at Pewsey just randomly flashing and displaying nothing, and clocks stopping/or showing hours out of sync.   

[IndustryInsider]

I've noticed new LED 'next train departure' screens going in at some of the smaller stations that used to only have the combined help point/departure screen recently.  They include Radley, Heyford and Tackley.  Welcome I suppose, though a little over the top at somewhere like Tackley in my opinion.

[Southern Stag]

Especially considering that some other busy stations only have the yellow button help points, which only provide the most basic of audio information, simply the final destination of the next trains, not even a calling pattern. Stations I can think of that should have either next train screens or help points fitted with screens are Camborne, Highbridge & Burnham, Keynsham and Oldfield Park, but I expect there are others too.

[insider]

New Screens have been put in at Shiplake & Wargrave on the Henley Branch.

It seems that unlike main stations these screens run off a GPRS^▸ (General Packet Radio Service) signal and not a normal network connection, perhaps, more stations will follow suit??

[grahame]

GPRS^▸ (General Packet Radio Service) (General Packet Radio Service) is the data standard - or at least one of the data standards - used for data rather than voice over mobile phone.  And I can confirm that the information point at Melksham station (at least) works off a mobile phone signal.

I cannot stress enough how useful it is having this help point, with screen (available, working, showing current data) - as a confirmation / comfort to regular users when services are on time, as an alert when there are service issues, and as a current timetable for anyone who finds the complete Cardiff to Portsmouth line timetable hard to read ...

[bobm]

Just as an aside I have had several people tell me they now have GPRS^▸ (General Packet Radio Service) on their iPhones since the recent software upgrade. In fact nothing has changed except it now says GPRS when 3G is not available rather than a white dot!

[Red Squirrel]

...Perfect for Portishead terminators.

Is that the local rugger team?

[Andrew1939 from West Oxon]

Hanborough has this week had a scrolling high level CIS^▸ (Customer Information System) screen installed. Engineers (Mitie) seemed to be working on it on Thursday and it was displaying a general message "Welcome to Hanborough" plus some gobble-de-goop referring to GPRS^▸ (General Packet Radio Service). Later that day it seemed to be working correctly but at 20.00 yesterday evening when the FGW^▸ (First Great Western)/CLPG^» (Cotswold Line Promotion Group - about) Cotswold/Purbeck Express excursion train returned from Dorset it was again displaying the gobble-de-goop message.

Incidentally while the train passed over the metals of the Swanage Railway it was only allowed to go as far as Corfe Castle because of fears that it would foul a platform at Swanage. Fortunately the Swanage Railway management were very helpful and laid on a special steam train to take travellers to and from Corfe Castle and Swanage. Never the less it was a most enjoyable day out and for the steam entheusiasts the short steam hauled journey into and from Swanage was an added bonus.

[Thatcham Crossing]

I've noticed new LED 'next train departure' screens going in at some of the smaller stations that used to only have the combined help point/departure screen recently.

In my neck of the woods I noticed in the last few days that Aldermaston now has them, and it looks (from work-in-progress) as though Midgham will get them too.

[Southern Stag]

I saw one of the new screens in action today. They also provide train announcements through a small speaker in the bottom of the screen. They are more basic than the announcement systems previously fitted and use a text-to-speech system rather than actual pre-recorded clips.

[Nibat]

Especially considering that some other busy stations only have the yellow button help points, which only provide the most basic of audio information, simply the final destination of the next trains, not even a calling pattern. Stations I can think of that should have either next train screens or help points fitted with screens are Camborne, Highbridge & Burnham, Keynsham and Oldfield Park, but I expect there are others too.

Weston Milton and Polsloe Bridge, for example, already had helpoints with screens installed originally.  Unfortunately they were replaced by ordinary ones after they were constantly vandalised.  Camborne also shows in the list of screens, so I can only guess that if there isn't one now is because of the same reason...

Unfortunately, some *d**ts only learn one way...