Train Timetables
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
Train timetables, possibly the biggest work of fiction in the world. Mind you so are several other timetables so lets loook at what went wrong with these ones.
What are they ?
Train timetables are supposed to be a guide as to when a given train will arrive/leave a station, one of the most fundermental errors is that in many cases this apparently occurs in the same minute e.g.
............Arr.....Dep
Stoke 15:05 15:05
As most people who have traveled on a train will know it often takes at least 2 minutes to stop and pick people up.
Why don't they work ?
With so many trains on the network nowadays it only takes one being late to have a knock on effect for the whole network, when you add to this that in some cases certain trains get priority so others are made late waiting for them.
How to cope...
I find a beer is often a good one* but treating the timetable as a rough guide as opposed to anything that is in any way accurate is a much better Idea. Another method is to just more or less ignore it and wonder into the station at any time and just catch the next train. A towel can be invaluable at this point as stations as a rule tend to be open to what ever mother nature has spare at the time.
Stats and stuff.
You will often note that trains are running late on a regular basis however when you look at the Official figures then you can often see that they score 98% or more for the punctuality. How can this be I hear you ask, well here's the secret
The stats are compiled over the WHOLE journey not for each stop and so the train companies add 10 - 15 minutes onto the final destination arrival time to take account of 'lost time' and so although the train might be late for you officially it is 'on time'.
Other problems
It is not always the train companies fault, if you hear an anouncement that there has been an incident on the line you can bet that some person has decided to take there life.
Conclusion
In general don't take what is written on a train timetable as true, on occasion they are but try not to be too suprised/dissapointed if the train is late. Just put your towel on the floor and sit down. Reach into your bag an take out the can, open, drink and sit back in a mellow mood after all flying saucers are even more un-reliable
*or a can of Vimto if your under 18!
What are they ?
Train timetables are supposed to be a guide as to when a given train will arrive/leave a station, one of the most fundermental errors is that in many cases this apparently occurs in the same minute e.g.
............Arr.....Dep
Stoke 15:05 15:05
As most people who have traveled on a train will know it often takes at least 2 minutes to stop and pick people up.
Why don't they work ?
With so many trains on the network nowadays it only takes one being late to have a knock on effect for the whole network, when you add to this that in some cases certain trains get priority so others are made late waiting for them.
How to cope...
I find a beer is often a good one* but treating the timetable as a rough guide as opposed to anything that is in any way accurate is a much better Idea. Another method is to just more or less ignore it and wonder into the station at any time and just catch the next train. A towel can be invaluable at this point as stations as a rule tend to be open to what ever mother nature has spare at the time.
Stats and stuff.
You will often note that trains are running late on a regular basis however when you look at the Official figures then you can often see that they score 98% or more for the punctuality. How can this be I hear you ask, well here's the secret
The stats are compiled over the WHOLE journey not for each stop and so the train companies add 10 - 15 minutes onto the final destination arrival time to take account of 'lost time' and so although the train might be late for you officially it is 'on time'.
Other problems
It is not always the train companies fault, if you hear an anouncement that there has been an incident on the line you can bet that some person has decided to take there life.
Conclusion
In general don't take what is written on a train timetable as true, on occasion they are but try not to be too suprised/dissapointed if the train is late. Just put your towel on the floor and sit down. Reach into your bag an take out the can, open, drink and sit back in a mellow mood after all flying saucers are even more un-reliable
*or a can of Vimto if your under 18!
