Any connection between Passenger Information and signalling systems?

[Colin1501]

I've just caught the 14.15 Alton to Waterloo service. This was shown on the departure screens as departing from platform 2, which seemed odd as there is only one train an hour running today, and platform 1 doesn't require a trip over the footbridge from the station entrance. Open Train Times clearly showed the inbound service routed into platform 1 for more than 10 minutes before it arrived, yet the screens continued to show 2 until the train was actually entering the platform, when they changed and a hasty platform alteration announcement was made. By this time, of course, most of the intending passengers had made their way over to platform 2!

Is there no link between the signalling and PIS systems, and if not, doesn't this sort of thing suggest there should be? Incidentally, I didn't tell other passengers about this (although I did stop a couple from going over the footbridge as the train was actually entering the platform), because OTT is not 100% reliable, and I didn't want to risk giving passengers potentially duff information. In the event, of course, it wasn't, and it's coming to something when an ordinary punter with a smartphone has more accurate information than the railway's own departure screens!

 

[MrJeeves]

Is there no link between the signalling and PIS systems, and if not, doesn't this sort of thing suggest there should be?

There is, and that's how it updated as it arrived!

No CISes (they're customers at stations, and passengers on trains) I know of look at routes set, but they will do platform alterations when the train enters the platform TD berth (or, in some cases) pass the last berth which guarantees which platform they'll use.

E.g., at Haywards Heath they might (no idea if Worldline do) might do the alteration when the service enters the berths marked by me in red. More often than not, the alteration will be done by staff at the station manually, though.