Trains will be removed from departure boards at London King’s Cross four minutes before they leave (Image: Getty)
Rail bosses are to start removing trains from departure boards at several minutes before they leave to prevent passengers from making a mad rush.
Network Rail is trialling this technique to ensure the trains run on time and ensure passengers make an extra effort to get to their platform with time to spare.
As a result, at King’s Cross station, the time for the last boarding announcement will be read out four minutes before long-distance depart. Train details will be deleted from departure boards three minutes before they leave.
But some travellers have been infuriated by the changes, describing them as “patronising”.
Many fear the system will do the opposite and will cause even more mad dashes for trains. Commuters pointed out that trains’ platform departures are often only revealed minutes before they are due to depart, so the new system could only give them seconds to react to platform announcements.
Some commuters have labelled the changes as ‘patronising’ (Image: Getty)
Taking to X, a user called Jonathan blasted the new trial, saying: “This is so patronising, good grief. ‘We would prefer you missed your train than that you rushed to catch it’.” He added: “Who do you think is best placed to decide whether it’s worth the risk and exertion to catch my train? You??!?.”
While Tony West, who commutes between London and Didcot, wrote: “Doesn’t this just mean everybody will run because they won’t know exactly when the train will leave[?]”.
Speaking to , Travel expert Simon Calder called the system “unfair”.
He said: “Passengers should be the judge of whether they can make it on time, not Network Rail.
Network Rail is trialling this method at London’s King’s Cross (Image: Getty)
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“I can understand Network Rail thinking this is a good plan, but please think about it from the passengers’ point of view. If you have just emerged from the seven spirals of despair of King’s Cross underground and have three minutes to go, you know that you should be able to make your train.”
A Network Rail spokesperson said: “The trial will just see the last tannoy announcements being made four minutes before departure on long-distance trains to give people plenty of time to get to their trains.
“There is no change being made to actual boarding times, and passengers can still board their train up to 20 minutes before departure, as is the normal process.”