Most surprising things to railway newbies

[whole diary]

[6 OF 2 redundant adjunct of unimatrix 01]

http://www.carrymyluggage.com/

[grahame]

modified :just noticed we are in the lighter side .... face palm

Yeah ... I thought that some of the issues might get a bit heated otherwise  

I 'hear' you on information ... sometimes it *is* there though not necessary easy to find (which I think was 8F's point). This thread was for the newcomer to trains.  

When a newbie arrives at my local station to make his / her first journey, I would like him / her to be able to find out:
* When and where the train goes from, what time it arrives, and where changes are needed
* Where to get his ticket
* What the fare will be
* When trains come back the other way

Of course that's not for all possible journeys to the other 2536 stations on the network - let's say the most common 3 journeys.

Looking at my local station (Melksham) and the 3 most common ticket sales AFAIK^▸ (as far as I know) (Swindon, Bristol, London)

- Fare. No information
- Where to get ticket. No information
- Times of trains. To (and from) Swindon.  Yes - read from "Portsmouth to Cardiff".  Difficult for newbie
- Times of trains. To (and from) Bristol. Yes - for 2 out of 4 daily services only, and even then only by reading the "Cardiff to Portsmouth" section for the start of the journey, then the "Portsmouth to Cardiff" for the rest of the way. Very difficult indeed for the Newbie.  No information on the other two services.
- Time of trains. To (and from) London. Connection time not show on current posters. (May have been corrected this weekend if new timetables were posted)

Yes, pressing the button and speaking to someone could fix some of these issues.   And I do think that - as time goes by - some of the information that's lacking should and can be persuaded into place by the Rail Partnership - so we have a real case of opportunity for poacher turned gamekeeper here.

[eightf48544]

Why waste money on huge posters advertising penalty fare reflex. Just make it easy to purchase a reasonably priced ticket easily and quickly either before boarding or on the train. Big notice threatening Penalty Fares is not eaxctly passenger friendly.

Like Starcross; looks good is info up to date. We think we've got similar posters at Taplow but they are scattered over the station. We do have at least 21 no smoking signs!

[6 OF 2 redundant adjunct of unimatrix 01]

Why waste money on huge posters advertising penalty fare reflex. Just make it easy to purchase a reasonably priced ticket easily and quickly either before boarding or on the train. Big notice threatening Penalty Fares is not eaxctly passenger friendly.

Like Starcross; looks good is info up to date. We think we've got similar posters at Taplow but they are scattered over the station. We do have at least 21 no smoking signs!

sorry if i failed to get my point across, i was referring solely to the luggage issue, such changes could easily be added to existing pf posters   

[Maxwell P]

Penalty fares can't be applied from stations which are unmanned and do not have a working ticket vending machine.  The yellow notices are designed to grab the attention of those who are sometimes a little shy in the pocket department and are, I believe, a DFT^▸ (Department for Transport) requirement.

[inspector_blakey]

Hoping, of course, that your baggage isn't at Dallas/Fort Worth whilst you are patiently waiting by the carousel at JFK.... 

Wondering whether to post a comment and tempt fate. But better not, because if I did I suspect next time I fly to heathrow my bag will end up in Luala Lumpur. "Fly the Flag, Lose Your Bag", after all...

[6 OF 2 redundant adjunct of unimatrix 01]

or even worse if lost end up in the hands of a certain fleet of green and yellow vans to 'return' to you .................

[Brucey]

I was at Palma airport in June.  There were cases going round labelled for CDG, Barcelona, Madrid and even one for JFK!  All these had labels from the same handling company.  I can't imagine how many times the labels could've been checked before they were loaded onto the wrong plane wherever they came from!

or even worse if lost end up in the hands of a certain fleet of green and yellow vans to 'return' to you .................

Don't get me started on the green and yellow vans.  I used them to send a parcel on Wednesday with next day delivery.  Still no sign of a delivery

[6 OF 2 redundant adjunct of unimatrix 01]

humm i will pm you

[JayMac]

Wondering whether to post a comment and tempt fate. But better not, because if I did I suspect next time I fly to heathrow my bag will end up in Luala Lumpur. "Fly the Flag, Lose Your Bag", after all...

Just remember... transatlantic flying is still worth the cost. Intra-Europe flights ain't what they used to be. Take a look at this critique from a prominent European politician.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0rxASx1SxY

Note: Fruity (no... beyond fruity) language alert..... 

That said, I love the line, "Mussolini's lederhosen ended up in a warehouse in Derby"

[signalandtelegraph]

HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) have luggage vans, AKA^▸ (also known as) power cars, which are used for bulky items and BRUTE^▸ (British Rail Universal Trolley Equipment) luggage trolleys. The problem is that power cars must be platformed to access the van section.  Not always possible in the Wild West.

British Rail Universal Trolley Equipment, one for the acronyms page

[Chris from Nailsea]

Done! 

[Trowres]

a) If less passengers use a service, more subsidy is required
b) If more passengers use a service, more subsidy is required.

[eightf48544]

Yep it's a modern manifestation of the Parkinson Laws of buearacracy.

Based on Work expands to fill the time available:

Thus: "Subsidy expands to fulfill the service provided".

Can't be changed it's a law.

[smokey]

The 19:03 Paddington-Plymouth HST^▸ (High Speed Train) is extended to Penzance on Fridays.

This has been the Norm for many years, Railway Staff in Cornwall know it as The Friday Only

However a few years back the 19:03 ran Paddington to Penzance Monday to Friday.

Jo Public just couldn't get his head round a Friday only train running on a MONDAY, or Tuesday etc.