|
What we're really talking about is the SOP for staffed stations....because where a train is self regulating (ie; either as Driver Only Operation or with a guard) it very often only has a short dwell time at a station. Typically the DOO trains I drive will only have a realease for 20 seconds at most stations.
However at staffed stations on self regulating suburban routes there is usually an allowance of several minutes (which doesn't appear on the public timetable but can be clearly seen on the traincrew's schedule card). There are a number of reasons for why this is, but the most important is make-up time to allow for late running. The whole emphasis is to get the train away exactly at 00 seconds, and to do that the doors start to close at 15 seconds before.
Now that the slammers have gone and all trains have power doors, there is at least some justice in the world. By that I mean that the sort of people who turn up 7 seconds before the train was due to pull out (and cause it to be delayed by 30 seconds) are the very people who don't get a ride. Those people who got there on time now have the benefit of an on-time departure.
And just so as you don't think I'm biased; as well as driving a train I also commute for 3 hours a day on another TOC. Through no fault of my own I often turn up just as my going home train is closing its doors - and so I miss it. Poetic justice, some might say.
|