Re: TAT-Temporary Alternative Transport
Michael Walker (walker@hotkey.net.au)
Sun, 08 Feb 1998 23:14:56 +1100
> I haven't seen TAT anywhere else. But I have seen/heard non-manned stations
> receive PA announcements made from other stations advising passengers of changes
> to service/platforms etc. Also the automated train system thingy (which my
> toddler knows as "The Green Button") usually advises to check for signs on the
> noticeboards and to listen for announcements when there are changes.
>
All of this along with the video surveillance cameras are run from a
control centre at some Premium stations (on Hurstbridge/Epping line,
Eltham looks after Hurstbridge to Rosanna, Epping looks after Epping to
Reservoir and Clifton Hill looks after the rest). The 'green button' is
run by a dedicated computer from each of these sites and is updated
manually by station staff. Which often means that station staff who if
something goes wrong with the trains don't update it terribly quickly,
if at all, simply because they are too busy trying to deal with getting
the timetable back in order and dealing with the persistent requests
from Metrol (having been at a station when it has happened, they do ring
quite a lot of times until the problem is sorted out) as well as dealing
with enquiries from passengers at their own station (Premium stations
are supposed to be selected partially on the basis of higher passenger
numbers). THEN if the station staff remember or aren't dealing with a
backlog at the ticket window an announcement is made to the rest of the
stations (keeping in mind that it may be 9 or more) then maybe the
computer operating the green button system is updated assuming the
person at the station at the time can remember enough of their training
and isn't a technophobe (although there is a help line for them if they
are interested in ringing up or the problem is bad enough). As you can
see, this is not a terribly reliable system. To make things worse, until
Automatic Ticketing (AT) is introduced in the area, new staffing
arrangements aren't put in to place so at present, often one staff
member sells tickets, checks tickets, does safeworking (pulling the
levers for interlocking, points, signals; filling in the TR book, etc),
liaises with Metrol as required and looks after the control panel for
the 9 or so stations. I can tell you now checking tickets becomes the
lowest priority in a crisis followed by the control panel. At least when
the much maligned AT is introduced, the control panel will have a staff
member dedicated to it whilst the station is open. Until then, at least
any plan for TAT signs and bus stops will give customers at unmanned
stations some chance of not having a rail bus whizz past them.