Southeastern now showing train type at platform
Southeastern are now showing what type of train is set to arrive at Metro stations while waiting at a station.
There’s three different types of trains in service across their Metro area and each has different facilities. Is it a hot day and you want air con? That’ll be the Class 707 City Beams but not the Networkers and Class 376.
But need the toilet? In that case the City Beams and Class 376’s lack them, but the Networkers have them.
This move appeared new but could have been around a while and escaped me. And putting this information on platform boards is not too helpful if already at the station.
Most people will get the next train regardless if an essential journey or just not head to a station in the first place if it’s pot luck what train you get.
At Abbey Wood where the main photo was taken it’s of perhaps more use as a passengers can change to the Elizabeth line if 30c and a non air-con train coming, but that’s not feasible for many journeys.
Online information
One use of this information where it’d really come in handy is online at their website. The excellent Realtimetrains site also lacks the information as presumably SE are not feeding it into the system.
You can half decipher given they list train length but it’s not failsafe. A 10-car could be any train – and a fair few are 10-car.
Ultimately having so many different types of train in operation requiring such notifications is a result of a lack of clear strategy for Metro services going back many years.
So now Metro stock is all a bit piecemeal and while other Train Operating Companies have increasingly rationalised what stock runs, Southeastern have been in a state of limbo for some time.
South Western Railway will see one specific fleet for most of their Metro routes in the long-delayed Class 701 – which is why the Class 707s are heading to SE.
In time there may be a similar standardised fleet across Southeastern Metro given a 2022 tender for new stock, but that needs to be agreed by the Department for Transport.
If that happened, what happens to the City Beams and Class 376 remains to be seen. Southern seems an obvious choice given their third-rail network and losing their Metro fleet.
For now though, it’s welcome to see Southeastern feeding more information but if we can get it online that’d make it clear whether to leave the house to begin with to take the train.
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The other 2 Class 707s (707024 and 707030) are due to be transferred from South Western Railway to Southeastern. Making the total of 30 Class 707 “City Beam” trains on Southeastern metro routes.
Southeastern have already discussed this new “feature” on Twitter – the train type is on the screens so that staff providing ramp assistance can be ready with the correct ramp before a train arrives, to quickly get wheelchair passengers off – it’s not there as customer information
They started showing just Class 376 some time ago.
I posted on Twitter that the message needed to be No toilets on this train.
It coincided with the male and female toilets at Woolwich Arsenal that had been provided by TfL when the DLR was extended were closed. Only the disabled toilet remains and you have to ask for the key.
Online systems do have access to the stock formation information such as https://traintimes.org.uk/. Looking at live running for a specific train it will show
the carriages and what facilities they have for SE trains below the timing information.
An example irl is https://traintimes.org.uk/live/train/202409028095625?from=GRV&to=CST but I’m not sure how long these stay around for
This was brought about for the benefit of wheelchair users, or more accurately for ramp wranglers.
Each type of train takes a different wheelchair ramp, and not knowing which type of train is coming resulted in wrong or delayed ramp provision.
I know the wheelchair user who made South Eastern make this change, and hats off to her.
I raised the issue of ramps on their platforms not being labelled by train type as happens on Southern. There are two types on their platforms on the Woolwich/Greenwich line. One provided by Thameslink for their trains which is alleged to be OK for the 707s. At Woolwich Arsenal this is located towards the rear end of the up platform. However they are running the 707s in five car trains so some distance from the wheelchair accommodation.. I saw a ramp labelled Class 376 at Charlton being used on a Networker.
I’ve noticed this. On the one hand it’s a good idea on the other I’m not going to wait another 15minutes until it’s the sort of train I prefer
It’s been around for a while and while it’s working for ramp management (as if there’s no other way of communication for staff rather than using a public displayed informations) it’s just that.. an information we can’t do anything about anyway.. as I said in a “heatwave” as soon as temps hit 25 degrees, City Beams are shoved deeply in depot so you can wait all you want for the next one to be different. Shambles