Contradictory Announcements at Slough

I was waiting at Slough last week for the 10:27 to Paddington.

To my initial perplexity, the public address system made a series of
alternating announcements; one would promise the imminent arrival at
Platfom X of the 10:27 to Paddington; the next would regret that the
10:27 to Paddington was running fifteen minutes late; then it would be
asserted that the train now approaching platform X was the 10:27 to
Paddington.

The explanation is that at 10:27 there are two trains scheduled to
leave Slough for Paddington simultaneously. Indeed this occurs roughly
hourly, usually at 54 minutes past the hour.

If both trains are running to time, it is possibly even more
confusing, as each alternate message would announce a different
platform from the previous one. I can imagine the consequent mad
scrambles back and forth over the footbridge.

The obvious solution would, of course, be to designate them as the
10:27 stopping train and the 10:27 fast train respectively. But at
present, no distinction is made.

Andy Kirkham
Glasgow

"Andy Kirkham" <a.kirkham@LTScotland.com> wrote in message
news:5e43d78b.0309160457.633a19f0@c om...
>
> The explanation is that at 10:27 there are two trains scheduled to
> leave Slough for Paddington simultaneously. Indeed this occurs roughly
> hourly, usually at 54 minutes past the hour.
>
> The obvious solution would, of course, be to designate them as the
> 10:27 stopping train and the 10:27 fast train respectively. But at
> present, no distinction is made.
>
There's also a 1030 stopping train, all stations to Ealing Broadway, then
Paddington, so describing the 1027 Ealing Broadway and Paddington only as
the stopping train would cause greater confusion. Equally, to describe the
one that calls at Ealing Broadway as a train to Ealing Broadway would be
confusing, as it will have Paddington as its destination on the front of the
train, and conveys Paddington passengers from Maidenhead.

Peter