Re: How can we make trains run later?

[Railway Rasputin <bob@fastlink.com.au>]

Michael Walker wrote:
> 
> Melbourne has had destinations displayed
> on the front of electric trains since 1918 (not sure about steam suburban
> trains before that but I suspect they may have) and apart from the times
> they are incorrectly set (surprisingly rarely) they work quite well and you
> can tell fairly quickly where a train is going when it pulls into the
> platform.

We had a light system on the front of the train which told you where the
train was going. If you still didn't know the destination of the train
there were station staff.

> As for station info, their cute station indicators with the rotating boards
> aren't bad, if labour intensive. Presumably if the station isn't staffed, it
> is up to you to guess or read the small print on the station timetable in
> the perspex poster holders, assuming someone hasn't scribbled all over it
> with spray paint or spirit textas.
> The Melbourne system with the help point seems like a much better idea, when
> the phone line to the Premium station computer isn't busy. At least all you
> have to do is press a button and the times for the next 3 trains are read
> out to you with how many minutes until departure. And all stations have them
> too!

Thats what we have on some stations here.

rgds