Platform Announcements

[Peter Turner]

I thought that I might post another problem I have encountered over the short time (less than 1 year) I have been commuting. The 5.30 train from Cork that picks me up in Portlaoise at 7.24 (read 7.30/7.31) can sometimes be held up (as it was this morning) to such an extent that the 7.41 Portlaoise - Dublin train is let go ahead of it. This simply requires a PA annoucement to state that the next train to Dublin will depart from platform 1 and not platform 2.

However the PA announcement was this morning and at least twice before in this situation incorrectly announced as departing from Platform 2. So like before, the station master came out and just shouted to people that they were standing on the wrong platform!! You would think that the better solution to make is a quick PA announcement to state it should be platform 1 and not 2. It would save his voice if nothing else (the 7.41 ALWAYS goes from 1 as it has just arrived at 1 about 20 mins earlier and is parked on a sidling a short distance up from the station.)

Would anyone else like to point out incorrect platform announcements?

I should also point out that the 5.30 Cork train was 25 minutes late for the record too.

[Thomas J Stamp]

I dont know about Portlaoise but in Heuston the announcements are all automatic to the point of hilarity. On more that one occasion I've stood at a gate listening to robodude telling me that the train to Cork/Limerick at Platform whatever is the 2055 ect when there is no train actually there. This was a regualr happening a few yars ago with the last Limerick Train on a Sunday evening. You'd usually hear a further PA announcement from someone on the ground telling you that the trainn wasnt actually invisible and not to get on, you'll only hurt yourself when you fall onto the track (that might not be entirely accurate).

So it could be robodude on tour telling you that the next train is not the next train, if you know what I mean.

[sandraoh]

Just for the record I ended up catching the 7:24 train this morning from Portlaoise. It left at 8:03 just before the 8:07 train.

Just before the train arrived into the station the PA annoucement said "The next train to arrive on platform 2 will serve Portarlington station only. I repeat the next train at platform 2 will serve Portarlington station only"

We all wondered... hmm shouldn't it serve Dublin too?

Someone ran over (the old bridge cos it takes too long over the new one) and asked the guy at the ticket desk if it was stopping in Dublin.

Someone then emerged from the office and shouted over "My mistake it goes to Dublin too"

[jjbrien]

The Automated announcement system in Connolly is by far the worst one I have ever seen. It would tell you the next train to Mullingar is departing from Platform 5 and then 2 mins later will tell you its on platform 7 then 6 etc. Makes you run up and down connolly all day at least you get some exercise.

[James Shields]

I think that's the signalling computer rather than the PIS. The PIS is just passing on the information that's given to it.

I agree, though, the signalling system seems to chop and change the through platforms at Connolly far too readily, and trains can suddenly shift platforms at a moment's notice. It should be possible to know well in advance which platform a train will arrive at and stick to it unless there's a really good reason. It should also be programmed to know that shifting between platforms 6 & 7 is not as big a deal as moving between 5 & 6, and behave accordingly.

[Mark Gleeson]

The Connolly system is based on entry exit principles, it doesn't matter how the train gets through provided it gets from the platform in Tara Street to the platform in Fairview, it should be the same day in day out and trains have booked platforms

The classic trick is to stick suburban trains into P7 and allow the DART in rear to draw into P6, that works quite well but the 6 or 5 game is crazy

I witnessed the games in Heuston, arrivals board says arrival 8:25 from Port Laoise 5 late platform 4. It actually ended up in platform 8

[Thomas J Stamp]

The Automated announcement system in Connolly is by far the worst one I have ever seen. It would tell you the next train to Mullingar is departing from Platform 5 and then 2 mins later will tell you its on platform 7 then 6 etc. Makes you run up and down connolly all day at least you get some exercise.

I posted about that before, watching heards of gazelles swarming gracefully from platform 6 to seven and back again on the grassland savanna that is Connolly as they react to the Lion like presence of Robodude having a laugh.