Pretty Useless

[jimbob60]

The train announcement system that has been working along the QBL for the past month or so is rather useless and more so, somewhat confusing. Court Square-23rd St is my home station. I was told the system works merely on track relays and so only recognizes a train at a particular point and has no idea what train is arriving. For Queensbound trains, all trains are deemed "local train"s as their is only 1 track in each direction through Court Square. This obviously changes after Court Square but I noted confusion among passengers as the automated announcements referred to all arriving trains, be they E or M trains, as local trains. An E train would arrive and people would ask if the train was going to run local all the way to Jamaica Center. The recording should merely refer to "trains" and drop the reference to "local". Additionally, I was traveling to Manhattan a few nights ago and heard the announcement that the next Manhattanbound train was 2 stations away. I thought if the referenced train is an M (2 stations away being 36th St), there should be a roughly 4 minute wait but if an E (2 stations away being Jackson Heights), the wait should be closer to 8 minutes. An E train arrived in about 3 mins so I assumed the announcement was tracking an M train that was just behind the E. I pray these announcement systems did not cost a ton of money otherwise they are just another sign of MTA waste, something that can't be tolerated when the agency is trying to save as much money as possible. Are these announcement systems a temporary fix until a useful system with arrival boards like that on the east and westside IRT's can be installed. As it is, most riders on the QBL seem to want to tell the recorded announcement lady to just shut up as we can hear the trains arriving. And one more thing regarding Court Square. It has been close to 2 months since worked was completed on the enclosed connection from the underground platforms to the 7 platform. But yet there is still no sign of a "grand" opening. Rush hour crowds are still dodging traffic on Jackson Ave. Is the delay caused by typical inept bureaucracy?

[7LineFan]

I was at Jackson Heights today. Announcements work fine there. This problem looks like it's particular to your station.

[<6>PelhamExp]

The train announcement system that has been working along the QBL for the past month or so is rather useless and more so, somewhat confusing. Court Square-23rd St is my home station. I was told the system works merely on track relays and so only recognizes a train at a particular point and has no idea what train is arriving. For Queensbound trains, all trains are deemed "local train"s as their is only 1 track in each direction through Court Square. This obviously changes after Court Square but I noted confusion among passengers as the automated announcements referred to all arriving trains, be they E or M trains, as local trains. An E train would arrive and people would ask if the train was going to run local all the way to Jamaica Center. The recording should merely refer to "trains" and drop the reference to "local". Additionally, I was traveling to Manhattan a few nights ago and heard the announcement that the next Manhattanbound train was 2 stations away. I thought if the referenced train is an M (2 stations away being 36th St), there should be a roughly 4 minute wait but if an E (2 stations away being Jackson Heights), the wait should be closer to 8 minutes. An E train arrived in about 3 mins so I assumed the announcement was tracking an M train that was just behind the E. I pray these announcement systems did not cost a ton of money otherwise they are just another sign of MTA waste, something that can't be tolerated when the agency is trying to save as much money as possible. Are these announcement systems a temporary fix until a useful system with arrival boards like that on the east and westside IRT's can be installed. As it is, most riders on the QBL seem to want to tell the recorded announcement lady to just shut up as we can hear the trains arriving. And one more thing regarding Court Square. It has been close to 2 months since worked was completed on the enclosed connection from the underground platforms to the 7 platform. But yet there is still no sign of a "grand" opening. Rush hour crowds are still dodging traffic on Jackson Ave. Is the delay caused by typical inept bureaucracy?

 

Ive actually been having the same question as you as far as the automated system referring to all Queens & Manhattan bound trains as Local. I particularly use the Lexington Av-53rd St Sta and these announcements are just off. For Queens bound service, the system announces ALWAYS says "There is a Queens bound LOCAL train approaching the station -or- The next Queens bound LOCAL train is one station away". This announcement goes off regardless of whether its an EXPRESS train or an LOCAL train. I think the system should refer to the two seperately because this creates a lot of confusion. This way, both Queens & Manhattan bound service can be identified by the passangers PRIOR to the train entering the station.

[7LineFan]

Ive actually been having the same question as you as far as the automated system referring to all Queens & Manhattan bound trains as Local. I particularly use the Lexington Av-53rd St Sta and these announcements are just off. For Queens bound service' date=' the system announces ALWAYS says "There is a Queens bound LOCAL train approaching the station -or- The next Queens bound LOCAL train is one station away". This announcement goes off regardless of whether its an EXPRESS train or an LOCAL train. I think the system should refer to the two seperately because this creates a lot of confusion. This way, both Queens & Manhattan bound service can be identified by the passangers PRIOR to the train entering the station.[/quote']

 

They could just get rid of the word local.

 

I can see this being a slight problem if you're running for the train, but that's all it should be, a minor inconvenience, until they iron out the kinks.

[Urbanfortitude]

The train announcement system that has been working along the QBL for the past month or so is rather useless and more so, somewhat confusing. Court Square-23rd St is my home station. I was told the system works merely on track relays and so only recognizes a train at a particular point and has no idea what train is arriving. For Queensbound trains, all trains are deemed "local train"s as their is only 1 track in each direction through Court Square.

 

This obviously changes after Court Square but I noted confusion among passengers as the automated announcements referred to all arriving trains, be they E or M trains, as local trains. An E train would arrive and people would ask if the train was going to run local all the way to Jamaica Center. The recording should merely refer to "trains" and drop the reference to "local". Additionally, I was traveling to Manhattan a few nights ago and heard the announcement that the next Manhattanbound train was 2 stations away. I thought if the referenced train is an M (2 stations away being 36th St), there should be a roughly 4 minute wait but if an E (2 stations away being Jackson Heights), the wait should be closer to 8 minutes.

 

An E train arrived in about 3 mins so I assumed the announcement was tracking an M train that was just behind the E. I pray these announcement systems did not cost a ton of money otherwise they are just another sign of MTA waste, something that can't be tolerated when the agency is trying to save as much money as possible. Are these announcement systems a temporary fix until a useful system with arrival boards like that on the east and westside IRT's can be installed.

 

 

As it is, most riders on the QBL seem to want to tell the recorded announcement lady to just shut up as we can hear the trains arriving. And one more thing regarding Court Square. It has been close to 2 months since worked was completed on the enclosed connection from the underground platforms to the 7 platform. But yet there is still no sign of a "grand" opening. Rush hour crowds are still dodging traffic on Jackson Ave. Is the delay caused by typical inept bureaucracy?

 

Holy wall of text Batman! @_@

 

 

On a serious note, I can totally sympathize with you on the announcements. But I can honestly say I haven't had to get on or off at that station in quite some time so I don't have a clear picture of the situation. Queens Blvd has this history of being seriously out of whack 70% of the time and its rather annoying. The good thing is most of it can be bypassed via the barring its not having one of its rotten days too.

[PATCOman]

At 23 Street Court Square, the system might also detect an at Queens Plaza, but of course the does not go to Court Square which causes more problems.

[MikeGerald]

It seems that the E, F, and M trains ARE all local in Manhattan, even if the E and the F are express in Queens. This goes back to the "subway map confusion" of calling a route an "express route" if anywhere - somewhere along the route the train by-passes some stations.

 

For the longest period of time in the 1970's almost every route that traveled along Sixth Avenue was called an express route if it skipped at least two stations - the B, D, F, etc. even if the very same route made each an every station not along Sixth Avenue.

 

Then there is the whole notion of an "express station" is it a stations where "express trains stop" or is it that "between sets of express stations there are local stations that the express trains skip". On the subway maps for long periods of time - stations one after the other were called "express stops" because an "express route stopped there", even if there were similar physically designed stops one after the other were called "local stations" because a "local route stopped there". There was confusion about what is an "express route", "an express station", a "local route", and a "local station". And all of this was in the days well before computerized announcement systems, web-sites and other post-modern stuff.

 

The announcement system not only looks what train has passed a certain point on the tracks, but also at the schedule to help determine where the trains "should be'. I do not believe that the trains themselves carry any kind of identification of what it should be, that is relayed to the announcement system.

 

Mike

[4P3607]

I agree, this new QBL countdown clock thing is useless. It doesn't give direct information about what train is coming (, , , ). It just says the next local or express train is coming.

 

There is also a glitch with the announcements. I'm standing in one of the stations in Queens, and it says "Laides & Gentelmen... the next Queens bound train is now arriving...". The problem is that I'm already in Queens, and its saying Queens bound.

 

before they installed the clocks, they should at least made them like the one on the does. It would say what train is coming and have a "display" so you can see when the next train will arrive, unlike QBL that has no display or just says the date & time, and only says "the next local/express train is now arriving". It doesn't steadily show what train will come next.

 

The says that in 2016, QBL will get the real countdown clocks (like the ones on the IRT) after CBTC is installed.

 

as of now, I don't consider them "countdown clocks" and more like "misleading clocks".

[Guest lance25]

I agree, this new QBL countdown clock thing is useless. It doesn't give direct information about what train is coming (, , , ). It just says the next local or express train is coming.

 

What do want? Until ATS is installed on the lettered lines, the PA/CISs have to rely on the signals.

 

There is also a glitch with the announcements. I'm standing in one of the stations in Queens, and it says "Laides & Gentelmen... the next Queens bound train is now arriving...". The problem is that I'm already in Queens, and its saying Queens bound.

 

They'll probably fix it soon. Look at the IRT signs; there are still some slight glitches at some of the stations as well.

 

before they installed the clocks, they should at least made them like the one on the does. It would say what train is coming and have a "display" so you can see when the next train will arrive, unlike QBL that has no display or just says the date & time, and only says "the next local/express train is now arriving". It doesn't steadily show what train will come next.

 

If I recall correctly, aren't they supposed to announce when a train is one stop away?

 

The says that in 2016, QBL will get the real countdown clocks (like the ones on the IRT) after CBTC is installed.

 

as of now, I don't consider them "countdown clocks" and more like "misleading clocks".

 

At least the B Division is getting something. While it's not as good as the clocks on the numbered lines and the , it's still somewhat useful. Plus, they can use the clocks to display service advisories.

 

Replies in Times New Roman typeface (just cause).

[7LineFan]

I agree, this new QBL countdown clock thing is useless.

 

It's not useless at all. The system helped me run for the train on Tuesday.

[CenSin]

before they installed the clocks, they should at least made them like the one on the does. It would say what train is coming and have a "display" so you can see when the next train will arrive, unlike QBL that has no display or just says the date & time, and only says "the next local/express train is now arriving". It doesn't steadily show what train will come next.

The has a dedicated pair of tracks.

[jimbob60]

At 23rd St/Court Square the announcement now states "next Queensbound train" and no longer states "next Queensbound local train". Much better - Manhattanbound trains are still "local".

[Amtrak7]

Which system is the getting? ATC-based or circuit-based?

[Rell]

Which system is the getting? ATC-based or circuit-based?

 

The same as the rest of the IRT. But I believe the CTBC has to be done first.

[Guest lance25]

Actually, the (7)'s clocks will use the same technology the uses when CBTC is installed on the Flushing line.

[R32 3348]

I agree, this new QBL countdown clock thing is useless. It doesn't give direct information about what train is coming (, , , ). It just says the next local or express train is coming.

 

There is also a glitch with the announcements. I'm standing in one of the stations in Queens, and it says "Laides & Gentelmen... the next Queens bound train is now arriving...". The problem is that I'm already in Queens, and its saying Queens bound.

 

before they installed the clocks, they should at least made them like the one on the does. It would say what train is coming and have a "display" so you can see when the next train will arrive, unlike QBL that has no display or just says the date & time, and only says "the next local/express train is now arriving". It doesn't steadily show what train will come next.

 

The says that in 2016, QBL will get the real countdown clocks (like the ones on the IRT) after CBTC is installed.

 

as of now, I don't consider them "countdown clocks" and more like "misleading clocks".

The "Queens-bound train" announcement is not a glitch. Just because you're already in Queens doesn't change the fact that your Jamaica Center-bound train is still bound for Queens. Also, the has more specific information like the rest of the A Division because of ATS on those lines, which can pinpoint exactly where specific trains are on a line. The Queens Blvd. system is track-based, just like the system on the CPW/8th Ave. line in Manhattan, so it can't differentiate between trains.

 

Also, if you're at an express station, an express train "1 station away" means it's at the next local station, not the express station. For example, the announcements say "Ladies and Gentlemen, there is a Manhattan-bound express train 1 station away, at Elmhurst Ave." It's better than nothing.

[Amtrak7]

Actually, the (7)'s clocks will use the same technology the uses when CBTC is installed on the Flushing line.

 

But Walder promised clocks this year, and CBTC is not coming this year.

[Guest lance25]

Then I guess they'll use the same technology that's on the lettered lines as I can't see them investing in ATS for Flushing when CBTC is slated to be installed on the line.

[Amtrak7]

Then I guess they'll use the same technology that's on the lettered lines as I can't see them investing in ATS for Flushing when CBTC is slated to be installed on the line.

 

So you mean Flushing doesn't have ATS like the rest of the A div?

 

QBL-like countdown clocks for Flushing wouldn't be really necessary, as one can usually see the next station down the line.