On train information and the lack thereof, post your experience

[Mark Gleeson]

One the the longest running Platform 11 issues is that of information while you are on the train. In basic terms this translates to

• All trains have a sign in front and rear with the correct destination, could be a simple piece of card but the passenger doesn't care once it is clear where the train is going
• All suburban services either the driver, guard or ticket checker will announce the next station unless an automated system is in place and working

So if you see a suburban or DART train,

1. With the wrong destination front or rear
2. With no destination displayed
3. A train fitted with an electronic display (inside or outside) which isn't working
4. The computer driven announcement tells you the wrong or out of date information such as the wrong station or doesn't announce the station.
5. You can't hear the announcement or the electronic display is full of funny characters
6. Where you can't find a full route map

Post it here, we need the date, time and the service operated, one of the coach numbers would be handy (but is not essential) as then we could prove that its not just one specifc train but a fleet wide problem.

Iarnrod Eireann have a simply shocking record in this area. Complaints with respect to once specifc incident yield little as Iarnrod Eireann use the "once off" excuse when we all know the problem is endemic. We need to build up a body of evidence. Its not just IE the Luas is known to be temperamental as well but to a much lesser extent

[Mark Gleeson]

Friday 16-Dec-2005

8:05 Greystones Howth
No electronic displays
No electronic announcements
No destination shown on rear coach *

Coaches 8604/03+8205/8405*

[Mark Gleeson]

Friday 16-Dec-2005

8:08 Malahide Dun Laoghaire
External electronic displays not working on rear 4 coaches
Wrong destination shown on rear coach (Out of Service)

[Mark Gleeson]

Friday 16-Dec-2005

17:25 Howth Bray
External electronic displays not working
Internal electronic displays not working
No electronic announcements

Coaches 8614/13/30/29

[Mark Gleeson]

Saturday 17-12-2005

15:44 Greystones Howth
No destination shown on rear coach *

Coaches 8604/03+8205/8405*

[Thomas J Stamp]

There's a classic post in IRN regarding new 2900's doing a visit to the Kildare line. In one of the posts it is mentioned that the destination on the front is.............Connolly. It went to Heuston as usual.

[Thomas J Stamp]

Yesterday's 1300 from Heuston to Cork was delayed due to a door failaing to close. The announcements kept us upto date and well informed that the mainteance crew were called and how they would only take ten mins to do the work. So, sometimes there are exceptions to the rule

the destination on the front is.............Connolly. It went to Heuston as usual.

That's pretty shocking. Aren't you glad these people do not work in air traffic control.

[Mark Gleeson]

Monday 19-12-2005

17:25 Howth Bray
Everything going fine until Sydney Parade
The next station is <blank> says the voice

Its a bug in version 7 (10-12-2005) of the software it has the same problem with Salthill and Monkstown

Coaches 8626/25/24/23

[Mark Gleeson]

Its amazing how crap IE are I mean a roller blind is easy to turn, if they can't mange that how on earth can we expect computer driven systems to work, Imagine what I'd see if I put my mintd to it, so

Monday 19-12-2005

17:50 Pearse Dundalk (29x20+21) Platform display was stating Maynooth as the next train at the time which reinforces the need for this to work
22:20 Pearse Dundalk (29x19)

External displays lit up for approx 3 seconds then died as usual

19:10 Bray Malahide
21:50 Bray Malahide

No destination in rear

22:05 Malahide Bray

Showing Malahide on rear coach

[Mark Gleeson]

Tuesday 20-12-2005

9:11 Howth Dún Laoghaire
This train is for <blank>

Oh dear oh dear seems like the latest attempt to fix the problem has made it worse, the previous software version was actually bullet proof apart from a issue with the irish translation

Coaches 8316/8116/8622/21 (its a persistent offender)

[philip]

On the 09.55 Clonsilla-Pearse this morning the PIS all worked spiffingly until we departed from Broombridge. Upon departing there the audible PIS went silent and the LED displays just kept scrolling "8" and then "06", repeating continuously. The system snapped out of it's malaise when the "The next station is Drumcondra" announcement bellowed and all returned to correct operation (I was going to write 'normal' but normal for IE is not 'correctly operational'). Car no. was 29108.

Other balls ups I spotted today;
11.13 DART Tara-Bray, car 8633 (and whatever it was coupled to) had no side displays at all functioning.

10.23 Connolly-Pearse (don't know origin), car 29412 and the rest of the train had no side displays in order.

I actually only saw 1 train with everthing correct on it today.

[MrX]

Do all DMUs have some sort of PIS system fitted?
Does it operate on non-Dublin commuter services? E.g. Cobh-Cork-Mallow.

[Mark Gleeson]

Currently PIS systems are available on these routes

Longford-Maynooth-Connolly-Bray
Dundalk-Drogheda-Connolly-Bray
Malahide/Howth-Bray/Greystones

Bray Rosslare appears available if service is operated by a 29000 as of Dec 06. Dublin Sligo is still unknown. Kildare Heuston is not available

On train displays and announcements available only on 29000 series units despite 2800 series being fitted also.

No PIS fitted units are allocated commuter to services beyond the Pale

[MrX]

It'd be reasonable to expect this system to be available on IE coaches regardless of wheather beyond the Pale or not.

Are the 2600s and 2700s being retrofitted with the system at some stage?

[Mark Gleeson]

17:15 Bray Malahide
Rear coach (8322) showing Howth as destination

17:25 Bray Howth
Rear coach showing no destination (8404)

17:25 Howth Bray
Rear coach showing Howth as destination
External displays not working
Announcements working but the classic Next Station <silence> for Sidney Parade

[Mark Gleeson]

8:05 Greystones Howth
All working until Sidney Parade where we where treated to the classic Next station <silence> (8633)

17:15 Bray Malahide
Rear coach showing Howth as destination

17:45 Bray Howth
Rear coach showing Out of Service

17:25 Howth Bray
All working until Sidney Parade where we where treated to the classic Next station <silence> (8636)

[Mark Gleeson]

8:05 Greystones Howth
All working until Sidney Parade where we where treated to the classic Next station <silence> (8633)

[MrX]

No announcements, no LED displays, no maps.

[Slowcoach]

17:10 to Athlone May 23rd. Delayed Tuesday by almost 30mins, announcements not audible at that part of station. There was an old couple ahead of me, queuing, the lady had back problems no customer service staff or anything no information being circled about. One train was waiting and then removed from the platform without any passengers on board incidentially it looked new, an old model was brought in. At this stage the old women was leaning against a wall holding her back visibly in agony. I offered to get them help but having queued so long they thought they'd be left without a seat. By the time customer service came down to tell us something, the gates opened and they said nothing. When I got on the carriage the lady was weeping on her husbands shoulder. Not only should information be communicated better, people with special needs should be guaranteed a seat and told where to assemble to get it. I'm sure this all wasn't intentional but its so badly communicated nobody knows what to do.