Displays at Ruislip, Eastcote and possibly others.

[Deleted]

I'm living along this line and every time I pass Ruislip, Ruislip Manor and Eastcote I notice that there are digital displays up, but the only thing they ever seem to say is "East/Westbound Metropolitan and Piccadilly trains". Why can't they display the number of minutes before and the destination of the next train?

[Deleted]

Because there is no central intelligence directing the displays.

The Uxbridge branch has only ever had train destination indicators at Uxbridge itself - none of the other stations, including Rayners Lane, has ever had any sort of train timing display. As a result the displays have nothing to show.

The only way they could be currently used is to tell the punters when the next train is 1 minute away - that is simple enough to do by wiring the display to one of the home signal track circuits; in some places this is done (South Harrow), but in most it isn't.

[Deleted]

Thanks. Is there any chance of central intelligence being installed then? Why would they put up the displays at all otherwise?

[Deleted]

Putting up the displays during station refurbishment is better than putting them up later - it minimises disruption to the users of the station.

I suspect that when the branch begins to be used as the testbed for mixing Westinghouse DTO ATP and Seltrac moving-block ATP, the displays will become a bit more useful.

[Deleted]

The displays do exactly the same thing at Bow Road, all you get is "East/Westbound District and H&C trains" until about a minute before any train arrives. I guess this is the same CI thing at work?

[c5]

It should be possible (in theory) to link the Dot Matric indicators to the train logging systems (MEL) that are used in the signal cabins - but this is an LU IM (Information Management) issue not a Metronet PPP Upgrade issue.

The situation should be resolved once the Uxbridge Branch "migrates" over to the new interim signalling control centre in 2008/2009.

Until then Metronet have delivered on their "station refurbishment/modernisation" works for those stations.

[Tom]

theonekea said:

Putting up the displays during station refurbishment is better than putting them up later - it minimises disruption to the users of the station.

Metronet is required to install a Station Management System (SMS) as part of the refurbishment. This is used for things like recorded PA and DMI messages and (where inputs are available) giving train information over the DMI.

However, Metronet is not required to link the Train Description to the DMI at the same time as the refurbishment, nor install Train Description circuitry to input to the DMI where none exists.
The cost of doing this on SSL for a signalling system reaching the end of its working life would far outweigh the benefits.