Seen Around

Saturday 29th June 2024

Another month’s round up of miscellany that’s caught my eye during the past few weeks’ travels which hasn’t made it into a blog.

Timetables

I was delighted to see two of my favourite timetable books available for the summer period once again. Well done to Northern and Southern Vectis. Every time I leaf through these wonderful publications I’m tempted to pay a visit and take a ride on some of the rail and bus services featured therein. They achieve that objective in a way a website or individual leaflets can never do. Thanks to Lee and Ron for sending me these copies.

All clear at Gatwick Airport railway station

I’ve criticised misleading promotional advertising at Gatwick Airport for either Gatwick Express or Thameslink in the past – there’s still some of it about, but, I’m pleased to report a comprehensive display explaining the three different brands of trains to London is now on display at the entrance to the station from the airport’s South Terminal.

Well done. That’s what was needed all along and I noticed many passengers stopping to have a read.

There are also four posters with information including a map of London’s rail and Underground network.

Elsewhere in the new exit hall from the station, I realised now it’s settled down it contains a disadvantage in that the eight gates are split into two separate tunnels with four in each.

But the trouble is, passengers need to assess which tunnel to use as four gates aren’t enough to clear a train load of passengers arriving without queues forming.

It also strikes me as odd that the old exit from platforms 1 and 2 is marked ‘No Entry’…

… yet the left hand escalator allows passengers to go up and exit – which doesn’t make sense of the No Entry signs.

If you ignore the No Entry signs and use the ‘up’ escalator you’ll find a couple of little used gates to exit into the airport and be right next to the shuttle for the North Terminal – far more convenient than using the new exit tunnel referred to above.

Work is still continuing on the same exit from platforms 3 and 4 where the escalator seems to be taking an age to replace…

… and even though there are stairs still in situ, there are still No Entry signs above them.

Meanwhile the ticket hall is still as busy as ever with a winding queue of passengers for the TVMs.

ScotRail’s Class 170s

I usually find ScotRail keeps the interiors of its trains in good condition as shown in the photograph (above) taken on the train I caught last weekend with new upholstery on the three seats at the end of the coach designated for those with accessibility needs. But the photo below shows the equivalent compartment of another train …

… where the window seats on the table for four had broken reclining mechanisms meaning they were stuck at one extreme….

… while the seat back table for the individual seat in the corner…

… was missing and replaced by unsightly gaffer tape. Not a good look for a First Class compartment.

And how about this for an odd experience …. never mind Delay Repay with ScotRail – what about Early Arrival Repay? I was returning from Inverness on Saturday afternoon on the 15:44 departure, due into Glasgow Queen Street at 19:22. The journey was pre-planned to be curtailed at Perth at 18:08 due to no relieving driver being available with passengers advised the next onward train from Perth would be a stopper at 18:34 arriving Glasgow 19:52, 30 minutes later than the original time. Never mind, I thought, it’ll be a nice Delay Repay claim.

But as we approached Perth at 18:08 the Guard announced the train from Aberdeen which was due to arrive into Perth at 18:07 and depart at 18:09 (ahead of us) was running eight minutes late so we’d all be able to catch that… and as that arrived into Glasgow Queen Street on time at 19:14, as the driver was able to make up the delay, we actually all arrived eight minutes earlier than we would have done had the original journey run as it should have done.

Which led me to wonder…. as ScotRail knew the Inverness train was terminating at Perth, why didn’t it take steps to hold the Aberdeen train for a couple of minutes so we’d all be saved a half hour delay? The fact the Aberdeen train coincidentally ran late, doesn’t absolve ScotRail from a woeful lack of customer orientated action.

More from Morecambe

I was in Morecambe on my All Line Rail Rover earlier this month and, as always when visiting this resort, couldn’t help noticing how the modern day two-platform facility compared to the original station building still in situ further to the west, the other side of Morrisons.

It now does a thriving business as a restaurant.

And as tram-trains will soon be plying their way up and down the Core Valley Lines as recently explained in a blog, the magnificence and splendour of Pontypridd station will make for a wonderful juxtaposition with a modern frequent turn-up-and-go frequency ‘metro’ service.

Aghhh!

Who’d want to “explore the city centre”, even if it is “for free” on board a bus in Wakefield where your vision is restricted because someone who never travels by bus decided to cover the windows with ‘contravision’ (other makes are available) and as for First Bus in Glasgow…

… what on earth were they thinking? As someone observed when I posted these photos on X – “drivers are wanted but not passengers”. And I know some people say, nah, you’re making a fuss about nothing, you can see through the windows, then why not go the whole hog and cover the front windows and driver’s windscreen too?

Because it wouldn’t be legal. Because the vision is obscured. That’s why.

And if you’re in Blackpool and want to avoid a blurred vista of the lovely Fylde Coast on a tram ride I’d recommend avoiding this monstrosity on tram no 016.

And, it would seem Blackpool Transport’s social media team don’t quite understand the point (or get sarcasm).

Vintage image

And while browsing Twitter I noticed Campaign for Better Transport’s promotion of its #Better Transport Week on social media on Wednesday was frozen in time with an illustration of a vintage bus – and a left hand drive one at that. Hopefully next year it’ll come up with a more modern and appropriate representation of a bus to highlight its well meaning campaign.

Back in time in Lancaster

I often have a dabble at using these journey planner type displays many rail companies are installing at stations these days, just to try them out. In this example at Lancaster station, I was intrigued to see when I hit “Search destination” and typed in Kendal…

… it then gave me an option of entering the day and time…

… but I hadn’t noticed it had defaulted to showing the date as Monday 18 February 2019 and 02:22 as the time. So no wonder when I hit the “Go” button it said “Sorry there are no journey opportunities available”.

Maybe it would make sense to make the default the current date and time?

Meanwhile in Lancaster’s bus station there’s another monument to a bygone era of Travel Shops that were once open for business to help passengers (remember those days?), but at least there was a rack of timetable leaflets outside (even though there wasn’t much of a selection)…

… and good to see the Lancaster Bus Users Group still have their two poster cases with information (and a map!).

More positively, in Preston bus station the Travel Office is still open…. but you have to be adroit at fitting in with the somewhat restricted opening hours.

Stirling space

Up in Stirling although Crews Cafe & Newsagents in the city’s bus station has sadly closed, the waiting room is open and well used…

… with lots of room to wander around as you head down to the free-to-use toilets.

Toilet news

While on the subject of toilets, it was good to see those in Leven bus station are free to use…

… as are those in Hanley bus station too. But the toilets in Wakefield bus station are very securely protected – no chance of sneaking through the turnstile here. It’s a 20p coin or no go.

TeesFlex tease

Further to my reference to the Teesflex DRT scheme in last Sunday’s blog….while I was passing through Darlington on a train during my Rail Rover travels one morning, I thought I’d see if I could grab a ride over to Thornaby. No chance.

Window mess

Why would you stick a vinyl promoting the £2 fare on top of a vinyl promoting Contactless payments and a symbol for WiFi, making the result a complete mess?

Make ’em walk

My social media post on X about a TfW train pulling into Platform 4 at Cardiff Central and pulling up right at the far end of the platform making passengers walk all the way back to the stairs for the exit drew a lot of comment, including the explanation this is because the platform can be used by two different trains with a second train able to enter and stop with the driver using “line of sight” arrangements rather than a signal. And the platform is divided into two sections 4A and 4B.

The reality was, no second train arrived and the one in the photo set off for the sidings.

Bus Stop plate

And talking of history I was pleased to see an old metal BUS STOP sign still exists in Hailey on route X9 between Chipping Norton and Witney. Meanwhile over at the new Cameron Bridge railway station on the Leven line I noticed the bus stop was called Windygates (the area name, not the weather) rather than the name of the station, which struck me as odd.

Wareham in distress

My thanks to Peter for sending me a photo of the lovely eye catching livery used by First’s Jurassic Coaster but, oh dear, inside the bus, the attractive information about the route on the cove panel would indicate Wareham is in some distress.

Order of Service

No such distress for passengers in Hurstpierpoint wanting to catch the much improved timetable on Metrobus’s route 273.

The bus stop on the west side of the village’s shopping street doesn’t have a pole on which to install a timetable case, but that hasn’t stop the company from displaying a timetable. It just got the Funeral Director to post it in its window. The bus stop plate could do with a replacement.

Time for an update in Hitchin

I noticed this ageing sign at Hitchin station this week directing passengers from the ticket office to Platform 1 for trains to London King’s Cross and Moorgate … with no acknowledgement of Thameslink trains which since 2018 have run to St Pancras and stations south to East Croydon, Gatwick Airport, Horsham and Brighton.

Walk through the wall

London Overground moved from Platform 1 to 7/8 at Barking station when the new Barking Riverside station opened in 2022. So don’t follow this sign in the subway, which points you to a blank wall as spotted by John last week.

Promoting Breezer in Poole

Well done to Go South Coast for brightening up a boring wall in Poole bus station as captured on social media by Darryl Meades yesterday. It’s so refreshing to see a bus company acitvely promoting its high profile bus routes in an attractive way rather than relying on online.

Swindon not on

The transformation of the bus interchange in Fleming Way, Swindon seems to be taking an age complete and meanwhile the bus station used mainly by Stagecoach continues to offer grim conditions for passengers with toilets very much closed…

… a travel shop which at least does open for a few hours on Mondays to Fridays (09:00-14:00)…

… and generally a poor impression.

It’s not much better over at the railway station with the former GWR offices now looking very much unloved.

Missing vinyls in Pontypridd

A bus station for buses

While wandering around Swindon I noticed this rather odd sign. What’s with the need for (Buses) to be added?

And as I travelled by bus alongside the Great Western Main Line I couldn’t help but notice the over engineering of the overhead lines – no wonder it cost so much. The stanchions are literally every few yards.

More miscellany next month, but finally another shout out to young Karl Nutting who sent me an updated link to his very own comprehensive website giving information and timetables about bus services in the West Midlands. Well done Karl for keeping the project going.

Roger French

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