A surgical table comprising: a base for standing on a floor a column extending from the base a tabletop providing a patient support surface a tabletop traverse drive mechanism coupling the tabletop to the column, which tabletop traverse drive mechanism is for causing movement of the tabletop relative to the column in a selected longitudinal or transverse direction of the tabletop and a controller for controlling operation of the tabletop traverse drive mechanismwherein the controller is configured to control the tabletop traverse drive mechanism to cause movement of the tabletop relative to the column between first and second traverse positions via a predetermined traverse position, and configured, when the tabletop is at the predetermined traverse position relative to the column, to control the tabletop traverse drive mechanism to cause the movement of the tabletop relative to the column to be paused for a predetermined period of time. Also described is a system for helping a user dispose a tabletop of a table a predetermined position relative to a column of the table.
