As the new class 377 trains have been introduced onto the Thameslink route (connecting Luton and Gatwick Airports to London) I've been hearing but not really noticing the announcements on platforms as they approach.

One thing I did notice last night - and started to think about - is an element of laziness.

The 4-car units have a first class section at each end.

But regardless of whether the train has one or two 4 car units, the announcement is always to the effect that 'First class accommodation is at the front and rear of the train'.

So it is, of course, but if it's an 8-car train it's also in the middle! And there are plenty of stations where you might wish to alight and you might wish to be in the middle of the train rather than at the front or rear for speed of egress. Especially with ticket barriers making it more of a scrum to leave the station!

Is this someone taking the easy way out and ignoring the passengers? Especially the premium passengers?

The current management seem to have cracked this counting business: if a 4-car train is announced, it's likely to have four coaches. With the previous guys, you knew that there were two kinds of 4-car train - those which actually had four coaches and those which had 8. There were also two kinds of 8-car train, which was sometimes distressing because it necessitated a sprint!

Now that counting has been cracked - or so it seems - it ought to be possible to have separate announcements for 4 and 8 car trains. The next Great Leap Forward!