Synchronise watches for trains to be on time

Nov 12 2007 by David Higgerson, Liverpool Daily Post

The clocks at Lime Street Station linked to hand watches like the one worn by Alan Smith a train dispatcher on Northern Rail _320

WHEN it comes to making an excuse for being a few minutes late, it’s one of the text-book classics: My watch must be slow.

Sadly for staff at one of Merseyside’s biggest rail operators, it’s an excuse which has been rendered redundant thanks to 21st-century technology.

Northern Rail, which operates commuter services on the city line and throughout Cheshire and Lancashire, has issued its 3,000 staff - including several hundred who pass through Lime Street every day - with synchronised watches ... all of which tell exactly the same time.

The operator hopes the watches, which are updated constantly via a radio transmitter picking up signals from the UK’s official time signal in Anthorn in Cumbria, will lead to increased punctuality on its services across the North of England.

The watches also use a digital face rather than the traditional clock-face, a move Northern hopes will further remove the scope for starting off on a journey late.

And as a result, Northern says there will be no excuse for its 2,500 services a day not to leave on time ... which is at the start of a minute, not the end.

The benefits for passengers at Lime Street, one of Northern’s biggest terminus stations, could be massive: with short turnaround times between services, a train which arrives a few minutes late in the morning may have a domino effect throughout the day, making a night-time service very late.

The problem for Northern is compounded by the fact that Merseyside’s congested railway network means that if a train is just a few minutes late, it can miss its slot on a particular section of railway, meaning it has to wait.

While passengers may appreciate the improved reliability Northern expects its costly investment to bring, BT might be a bit disappointed - 3,000 fewer callers will now be checking the Talking Clock to update their own watches.

Rob Warnes, Performance and Planning Director, Northern Rail, said: “Our employees were previously using their own watches which they updated by checking with the speaking clock. The new watches are a big advantage because they are updated automatically.

“A delay of just a few seconds at the start of a journey can mean that train is late arriving at its destination, and that can cause delays to other services.

“The new watches will mean everyone involved in running our trains is working to exactly the same time, which should help us improve our already good punctuality record.

“seconds can be crucial to making sure that our 2,500 daily trains - which make us the biggest train operator in Britain - keep their time slots on an increasingly congested rail network.

“The right time for a train is to leave at the very start of the minute, for example at 16:30:00, rather than 16:30:59.

“The watches are updated automatically, which means that when people across Britain are changing their clocks this Sunday when British Summer Time ends, Northern Rail employees won’t have to make any changes.”

Northern Rail has improved significantly the number of its trains arriving on time. Over the last 12 months an average of 88% of services have arrived on time, up from 83% when Northern started operating in December 2004.

Rail unions have welcomed the investment but said putting cash into better rolling stock would improve reliability and punctuality.

A spokesman for the RMT union said: “Northern has some of the oldest rolling stock in the UK and as a result, trains break down or need repairing.

“Newer trains would improve the passenger experience immeasurably.”