London Underground ETA Boards

Could Tube Estimated Time of Arrival be improved?


Last night I was on my way to see Max Roberts talk about Maps after Beck (more on that tomorrow) and I lazily changed at Liverpool Street to go one stop to Aldgate East. When I was there the ETA platform boards, rather than giving the amount of minutes to the next train, simply displayed "delayed". This isn't really very helpful and wasn't something I'd ever seen before. SK who also came to the talk gave me an explanation as to why this only happens around Aldgate East, but this morning my pea brain can't remember the reasons.

But yesterday Richard Cameron emailed me a related question:

"I wonder if any of your readers happen to know if there are any webcams pointing at any of the overground section of the Tube? I live on the District Line, which TfL's "ETA" web site doesn't cover. Rather than spending yet more interminable hours waiting at Chiswick Park station - many of which would shake any man's faith in the existence of a God - it would be nice to spot the damned train a little further up the line, and then be able to leave the office just in time to stroll onto the platform as it actually arrives.

Of course, maybe the existence of such material which could be used to derive sensitive information (like an actual train "timetable") would be deemed of such potential use to terrorists that it should be outlawed by the Government at once? Who knows?" I imagine Richard's theory is correct, but maybe not.


Or does anyone have any other theories as to why the Tube's ETA boards only cover a limited amount of lines? It's been the same five lines for months and as I travel on the Piccadilly & District Lines I feel very left out.

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Wednesday, July 12, 2006 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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