London’s King’s Cross is planning to hide train departures ‘so people don’t rush’ – 21 blistering responses definitely worth catching
Remember people, there are no bad ideas in a brainstorm.
Usually.
Rail bosses have decided to trial a new scheme at London’s King’s Cross station where, according to The Guardian, “the final call for long-distance trains will be made four minutes before departure. Train details will be deleted from departure boards three minutes before they leave.
Commuter anger as trains vanish from King’s Cross departure boards early https://t.co/cbOyuGCT1S pic.twitter.com/K1Ictrejim
— Standard News (@standardnews) February 7, 2025
The idea is to try to prevent passengers from rushing to platforms at the last minute, and to keep trains running on time.
Erm, okay?
The news has gone down about as well as you’d expect with London commuters.
1.
This is so patronising, good grief. “We would prefer you missed your train than that you rushed to catch it” pic.twitter.com/fQT1UkSZel
— Jonathan (@PseudoJonathan) February 5, 2025
2.
Stupid Idea.
King’s Cross to remove trains from departure board three minutes before they leave.
So people make a mad dash, go to wrong platforms, to find train cancelled/delayed.
Need to run more trains, affordable, punctual, better infrastructure.https://t.co/n89KNChgKX
— Prem Sikka (@premnsikka) February 7, 2025
3.
@networkrail know well in advance which platforms at #KingsCross will be used but give just a few mins before departure, causing chaos on concourse, platform and the train as people forced to board on nearest carriage as they don’t have time to walk.
— CenGin. #rejoin (@CenGinLondon) February 7, 2025
4.
For my commute if I arrive more than 3 minutes before the train I have made an error.
— Chris Smyth (@ChrisDSmyth) February 5, 2025
5.
But how soon before departure do they actually announce the platform? It’s often incredibly late, prompting a stampede.
— Alexandra Wilson (@amwilson_opera) February 5, 2025
6.
In Japan, they tell you which platform your train will be on well in advance, which is much safer and less stressful. Our UK railway stations are so poorly managed they often don’t tell passengers which platform until about 4 min before scheduled departure. Then they broadcast…
— Dr Jane Townson OBE (@drjanetownson) February 6, 2025
7.
Is this also one of those hideous London stations where they don’t advertise the train platform until about 5 minutes before it leaves? So you now have a 1-2 minute window to find your train?
How about just presenting us with the info and letting us decide what to do?— Nodrog’s Ices (@NodrogIce) February 5, 2025
8.
Not sensible to remove information from displays 3 minutes ahead of departures, especially when connecting trains are the norm, eg Brighton east- west. Bad policy as well as patronising. @SouthernRailUK
— Jeremy Leggett (@J_Leggett) February 6, 2025
9.
I used to work in Reading, commuted from London. Could get to Paddington at the 2.5 minute announcement, lock my bike and make the train. We know what we are capable of, safely.
Kings X, Euston and Waterloo don’t announce early enough for large, badly laid out stations.— Margaret Doherty (@teragramytrehod) February 7, 2025
10.
It’s patronising to stop you late-sters from delaying the train?
Who runs for trains? It delays the train for hundreds just for you https://t.co/wWeNQwGjeT
— Nathan, le Nonpareil (@JudgeNathan) February 6, 2025
11.
These changes make me do far more running about in train stations than I ever have before.
If I’m tight for time I now also must assume the departure boards are lying to me. https://t.co/JEJkIMtJcx
— Alastair Fraser-Urquhart (@AFraserUrq) February 5, 2025