These are the Next Train Indicators above the gateline at Custom House Crossrail station, which are already operational despite the absence of paying passengers for (possibly) (at least) another year. Test trains pass through the station on a regular basis, as they have for the last few months, and the Next Train Indicators have been programmed to reflect this. But they are unusually deep Next Train Indicators and I can't help wondering if that depth is really worth it.
When Crossrail first opens all trains will run between Paddington and Abbey Wood, occasional short runnings nothwithstanding. Every westbound train will be going to Paddington and every eastbound train to Abbey Wood. We don't need to know where the fifth train is going, let alone the tenth, because a) we know where it's going b) nobody will be hanging round that long. This long list is a wholly unnecessary distraction when all we really want to know is "when's the next train?", and this crucial information is displayed in a smaller-than-necessary typeface to allow the other nine times and destinations to fit in.
Only in the final stage when Crossrail trains finally pass through Paddington will a wider range of destinations come into effect on the westbound platform. The next train specifically to Heathrow Terminal 4 or Maidenhead or wherever might well be eight trains away, in which case this depth might be worthwhile. But on the eastbound platform the final destination will continue to be Abbey Wood, Abbey Wood, Abbey Wood, endlessly Abbey Wood, and there really is no need to know about trains in three quarters of an hour's time.
The flexibility of electronic displays means they don't have to show the same level of information all the time, so these boards could easily be reprogrammed to show the next few trains (in big) rather than the next ten (in small). This might even be the plan, once this period of system testing is complete, only changing to the full list westbound when full-on Crossrail begins. It's something to watch out for when you finally get to ride... but at present it does look like information overload.
