Lewisham2221
Established Member
Somewhat ironic that there are benches on the platforms at Euston, they must be some of the least used in the country 
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Dangerous boarding procedures at Euston
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DaventryRabbit
Member
I was in no way trying to blame passengers. Just pointing out that nowadays people live their lives at 100mph and as a result will always cut it as fine as they dareSomewhat ironic that there are benches on the platforms at Euston, they must be some of the least used in the country
Kite159
Veteran Member
Saw something a bit silly tonight. 20:3X Pendo to Preston was loading on platform 3 with all the ticket barriers set to enter when it finally got announced at 20;22. Roughly the same time a busy LNR from Crewe arrived on platform 2 taking the Avanti staff 5 minutes to notice the large crowd building from the LNR before they opened a side gate for those LNR passengers to exit.
and some hidden ones if you know where to look for them. Once upon a time there was nothing or very little.Somewhat ironic that there are benches on the platforms at Euston, they must be some of the least used in the country
hahahaha sounds about right. I've seen it the other way around!
And this after ORR involvement. I despair
Euston is shambolic and if anything is getting worse.
If, or more likely when, someone gets hurt at Euston as a result of this then Network Rail will likely be justifiably castigated and hopefully some senior folk will lose their positions.
It would be beyond irony for them to come out, as l expect based on past precedent and having done media handling, with the usual "lessons have been learned" bullcrap in that situation.
Western Sunset
Established Member
Probably excuse the current set-up as part of the transitional arrangements whilst HS2 (or whatever is left of that) is being constructed.
No excuse. It was dire previously and their actions, including the bloody stupid new information boards, have made it much worse.
They did, at least for Intercity services, indeed. What doesn't help in that respect is the number of platforms each ramp serves.
Mcr Warrior
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How often do Avanti departures at Euston get switched, late on, from the low-numbered platforms to the high-numbered ones, or vice-versa?
Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
While it's not as good since 17/18 were lost, I find Euston platforming to be so consistent that you can often go to a platform without even bothering looking if you happen to know what it usually is, provided everything is on time.
In my commuting days I used to go to 16 from the side entrance without referring to any displays at all, and if there was a 12 car 350 in there it was the 1823 Northampton. And only once was it not there in the whole couple of years of that commute.
Dr Hoo
Established Member
If the issue is late posting of the platform number I fail to see what difference the new boards make (unless it is the fact that they are now replicated 'outside' so some passengers who have been having a smoke might take slightly longer to walk to their platform).
(As I have made clear several times before, I am in the evident minority who finds the new boards much easier to see and read but then everyone's eyesight, visual field, varifocal prescription as applicable, etc. is different.)
Am I missing part of your point?
They have also, at least in my opinion, made circulation around the concourse at Euston worse.
Oxfordblues
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There's scope I believe for some enterprising IT geek with a railway background to set-up a user-friendly website which would collate information from realtimetrains and opentraintimes and show at-a-glance which platform your train will depart from, well in advance of any indicator boards and screens. I have in mind Mark Smith of Seat61 fame who single-handedly simplified railway timetables worldwide. It can't be beyond the wit of man!
CarrotPie
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ScottGallagher
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The ticket office at Euston is probably bigger than it needs to be these days is there scope for extending the concourse through there, I realise you have the assisted travel in the way but just a thought
Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
I'm not convinced, the main issue isn't the concourse but the narrow tunnel to the platforms. That has been widened by lopping the corner out on the busier side but it's still unpleasant.
There's little fixing the station without demolishing it (shame the HS2 rebuild is out) but they could fix how it is operated which would mean fewer people on the concourse at once.
ScottGallagher
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Could there not be a halfway fix in that people could be asked to wait in that zone of 12 to 16 for their train not necessarily giving the platform straight away, and the same for 1 to 7, would reduce the sprints from that side of the station if train was on platform 1 and vice versa
Adrian1980uk
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I'm really not sure what the obsession with keeping passengers off the platform, every other station in the country allows passengers on the platform even if the train isn't there/isn't ready.
As a rule, I'll always use RTT to check platform allocation at Euston, then wait near the bottom of the ramps until it looks like people are being allowed through. I know RTT isn't connected to Darwin, but 99% of the time it's spot on and I never really have any bother at Euston.
On the contrary, many people across SE England live life in a dawdle, and cut it fine because they have little spatial or time awareness. Getting between platforms at Three Bridges can be a pain with a tight connection when people are dawdling along on the ramps gawping at their phones and somehow managing to position themselves so as to consume maximum space.
It also causes problems - it's not much fun when you've got a large black americano (coffee) in your hand and you have to deal with a whole horde at once.
If you use RTT advance mode, you can get the headcode and you can use that on traksy.uk (mpas side) or OpenTrainTimes maps (and others may also be available) which have a network rail signaling-based feed. RTT advanced may also give you the set number(s), although beware of last minute swaps.
I think you will find that is a universal problem, not one confined to the SE. And this existed before the existence of mobile phones too
I will be using Euston on Monday to go to Blackpool North. If I had not been before all this talk and the talk about the Gents would get me worried. Similarly previous talk about the reception waiting at Blackpool North.
In another situation I had to join a queue awaiting doors opening to grab the best seats. As I could not get there at the crack of dawn, I was around 10th in the queue. My comment and this would apply to Euston as well is I am not concerned as the people ahead of me are not going to win the 400m.
I have a reserved seat, although at the front. I can always walk through the carriages if time is desperate.
In another situation I had to join a queue awaiting doors opening to grab the best seats. As I could not get there at the crack of dawn, I was around 10th in the queue. My comment and this would apply to Euston as well is I am not concerned as the people ahead of me are not going to win the 400m.
I have a reserved seat, although at the front. I can always walk through the carriages if time is desperate.
You will be well placed to compare and contrast two stations where the concept of customer service is distinctly more notional than actual.
PyrahnaRanger
Member
I was at Euston on Wednesday (13th March). I was booked on the 16:30 service for Glasgow, and although show on OpenTrainTimes from when I arrived at the station just after 4, it wasn’t shown as platformed until a little after 16:20. Cue a great horde of people trying to get onto P16, avoiding the dog poo on the ramp, and then two avanti staff checking everyone’s tickets before allowing them onto the platform.
I had a seat reservation, but it was at the far end of an 11 coach pendolino which felt particularly cruel on that day given I was suffering an IBS flair up and could barely walk. We did leave late, and then got later and later until I left the train at Lancaster, when it was around 18L - good news though, it was given priority up the main line over the 19:13 Lancaster-Workington train, so at least I managed to get my connection!
At Paddington the previous day, they were announcing not to use apps to determine which platform your train was on as they are sometimes wrong. OTT and RTT have seen me right at Euston the past few months, but they really need to get themselves sorted. If they want to announce so late, don’t do ticket checks, especially when they then do an onboard one as well, or announce earlier, and let people wait on the ramp once you’ve checked, but the current situation is dire.
I had a seat reservation, but it was at the far end of an 11 coach pendolino which felt particularly cruel on that day given I was suffering an IBS flair up and could barely walk. We did leave late, and then got later and later until I left the train at Lancaster, when it was around 18L - good news though, it was given priority up the main line over the 19:13 Lancaster-Workington train, so at least I managed to get my connection!
At Paddington the previous day, they were announcing not to use apps to determine which platform your train was on as they are sometimes wrong. OTT and RTT have seen me right at Euston the past few months, but they really need to get themselves sorted. If they want to announce so late, don’t do ticket checks, especially when they then do an onboard one as well, or announce earlier, and let people wait on the ramp once you’ve checked, but the current situation is dire.
Amos
Member
Made me chuckle this afternoon when boarding at platform 8.Huge signs on the floor stating “do not run”.There is an easy way to stop people running.
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