[News] Braking news - more train strikes over the Christmas period announced

[clapham_gull]

Plenty of Public areas are an absolute shit show as well.

Privatising done right can work

But probably doesn't apply to a national rail system.

I get a bit annoyed with the public versus private argument. A number of our so called "public" services are actually a confusing hybrid of public and private services.

Much of the old public bits are in reality outsourced often on exclusive long terms contracts,the private bits on a nice little number with tax payers money, some of which ends up in shareholders pockets.

I had this very experience with the NHS (and social care) over the last year dealing with both private and public entities. In isolation both can function very well but it's at their touch points where it starts to go wrong.

My experience is problems with accountability. When you artificially mix the two and things go wrong either "side" simply blames the other.

Even when private companies aren't involved artificially injecting private sector practices isn't always the best idea. My experience of a London hospital was the wards were being run by nurses often half the age of their "junior staff". Experience seemingly thrown out the window, but the odd leadership course or two getting you up the ladder.

It's also worth noting that the private sector gets things wrong all the time as businesses go bust. However with a nice comfort blanket of tax payer's money, they are often quite happy to operate as inefficiently as the public sector as long as they a profit.

 

[GingerBeerMan]

I need to get to London tomorrow from Brighton. It seems quite a number of trains are still running, am I missing something, or will these trains show as 'cancelled' once I'm actually inside the station?

 

[maresfield seagull]

Broken rail near Balcombe slowing things up this morning apparently

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

I need to get to London tomorrow from Brighton. It seems quite a number of trains are still running, am I missing something, or will these trains show as 'cancelled' once I'm actually inside the station?

I got a Thameslink train from Three Bridges to Brighton on tuesday morning (first day of the most recent strike dates) that was shown on the National Rail site as coming from London Bridge. It was only a couple of minutes late and was nearly empty. The skeleton service shown on the National Rail site is fairly reliable in my view though clearly susceptible to late change, same as on non-strike days

 

[Thunder Bolt]

An anecdote of a medical incident on a train, and why a second person is needed.

 

[Billy the Fish]

I got a Thameslink train from Three Bridges to Brighton on tuesday morning (first day of the most recent strike dates) that was shown on the National Rail site as coming from London Bridge. It was only a couple of minutes late and was nearly empty. The skeleton service shown on the National Rail site is fairly reliable in my view though clearly susceptible to late change, same as on non-strike days

This was also my experience on Wednesday. Trains ran on time, the national rail app was accurate and it wasn't hugely busy. Overall it was better than a normal day!

 

[BN41Albion]

Does anyone know if the 3rd 4th/6th 7th Jan are the only strike dates in Jan? Or has after that just not been announced yet?

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

But probably doesn't apply to a national rail system.

I get a bit annoyed with the public versus private argument. A number of our so called "public" services are actually a confusing hybrid of public and private services.

Much of the old public bits are in reality outsourced often on exclusive long terms contracts,the private bits on a nice little number with tax payers money, some of which ends up in shareholders pockets.

I had this very experience with the NHS (and social care) over the last year dealing with both private and public entities. In isolation both can function very well but it's at their touch points where it starts to go wrong.

My experience is problems with accountability. When you artificially mix the two and things go wrong either "side" simply blames the other.

Even when private companies aren't involved artificially injecting private sector practices isn't always the best idea. My experience of a London hospital was the wards were being run by nurses often half the age of their "junior staff". Experience seemingly thrown out the window, but the odd leadership course or two getting you up the ladder.

It's also worth noting that the private sector gets things wrong all the time as businesses go bust. However with a nice comfort blanket of tax payer's money, they are often quite happy to operate as inefficiently as the public sector as long as they a profit.

"Southeastern Railways" that run my trains to London is owned by....the department of transport! It took over the 'franchise' in October 2021 because the French-owned previous franchisee walked away from the business without notice. This, after having trousered millions from the government (i.e., the taxpayer) during Covid. This was yet another of the tory scandals that proliferated during the big Covid giveaway to pop up companies (often owned by friends and families of tory politicians). And most people still seem to not notice or care. We are a funny lot.

Not a lot of people realize that our trains in north Kent are 'nationalized'. And when a suitable bidder appears, who will be given millions of pounds of sweetners to take over the franchise, the still won't know.

Accountability stops with the tory government. They have a policy of giving away national assets with sweetners, then taking over the burden of running the business after the owners have asset stripped it and fled. Rinse, and repeat.

The train 'service' is now a complete mess, as noted above, with the likes of Branson running profitable bits of it, and the rest, never profitable (but in the BR days subsidised by the profitable bits) subject to what is essentially a money laundering cycle of franchising, sweetners and no action taken on the asset strippers.

In North Kent I think we are on our third or fourth franchisee since Major tried to bribe the electorate by flogging off BR. We have had 'reduced' or 'no working' toilets on many trains for 4 years, now, owing to the most absurd of disputes. Apparently the place where the drivers 'park up' trains in Ramsgate has an 'unsafe' access point for cleaners in part of the facility, so the cleaning is never completed in full, and uncleaned bogs are closed off the next day. The cleaning company is separately owned from the train company, too, obviously So nobody is even talking about a resolution. Not that the ones that are cleaned stay clean for long because they are so badly designed, and the train journey so bumpy that . . . you can guess the rest.

And...like everything, we get that rail service that we deserve. If we want better we have to lobby for and vote for a party that will take our national rail network back, single operator, the profitable bits subsidizing the unprofitable, and invest (tax payers' money) so that the whole system becomes swifter, cleaner and more efficient. You can't have a national rail network made up of loads of different franchises, even if you subsidize the f*** out of the awkward ones, or even renationalize bits of the system (like here in North Kent).

FFS!

 

[beorhthelm]

"Southeastern Railways" that run my trains to London is owned by....the department of transport! It took over the 'franchise' in October 2021 because the French-owned previous franchisee walked away from the business without notice. This, after having trousered millions from the government (i.e., the taxpayer) during Covid. This was yet another of the tory scandals that proliferated during the big Covid giveaway to pop up companies (often owned by friends and families of tory politicians). And most people still seem to not notice or care. We are a funny lot.
...

the whole notion of the rail franchise is you run the service for a fee, with additional fees if you reach certain targets. and many have failed, trousering the primary fees (yes for a small profit) and giving back the franchise as a lost cause. the question i keep thinking is why these foreign, professional train operating companies cant do a better job. i dont have an answer except maybe they aren't expected to turn around a failing service in their home countries, so don't know how to improve our system.

as we acknowledge much of rail is nationalised already, and still not up to expectation, i dont see how nationalisation alone is the answer. just pump more money in (nice for the rail commuters, not so nice for the average tax payer) might work, or something else needs to done to work out what is cause of failings.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

the whole notion of the rail franchise is you run the service for a fee, with additional fees if you reach certain targets. and many have failed, trousering the primary fees (yes for a small profit) and giving back the franchise as a lost cause. the question i keep thinking is why these foreign, professional train operating companies cant do a better job. i dont have an answer except maybe they aren't expected to turn around a failing service in their home countries, so don't know how to improve our system.

as we acknowledge much of rail is nationalised already, and still not up to expectation, i dont see how nationalisation alone is the answer. just pump more money in (nice for the rail commuters, not so nice for the average tax payer) might work, or something else needs to done to work out what is cause of failings.

Most of it isn't. And it isn't a network, it is lots of franchises. I described a lot more than nationalization 'alone'. I mention some other things that are needed. There are of course more. But nationalization is the necessary step. Same problem in the NHS with all the tendering and outsourcing. Again, 'nationalization' alone isn't the answer. Likewise, sleep alone isn't the answer to human health. .

 

[BN41Albion]

Does anyone know if the 3rd 4th/6th 7th Jan are the only strike dates in Jan? Or has after that just not been announced yet?

Anyone!?

 

[dazzer6666]

Anyone!?

Is Google broken ?

 

[Zeberdi]

Anyone!?

These are the latest updates from Nat Rail Enquiries

Find details of current incidents | National Rail

A portal into UK rail travel, including information on ticket purchase and promotions, train times and delays, and more.

www.nationalrail.co.uk

 

[BN41Albion]

Is Google broken ?

Have tried googling! Everything I've looked at just comes up with the strike dates in Jan up to the 7th. Can't find anything that tells me whether that's it or there may be more that month. There always seems to be someone in the know in the fountain of all knowledge that is NSC!

 

[BN41Albion]

These are the latest updates from Nat Rail Enquiries

Find details of current incidents | National Rail

A portal into UK rail travel, including information on ticket purchase and promotions, train times and delays, and more.

www.nationalrail.co.uk

Thank you that still doesn't quite answer whether there may be more in Jan or not though. I guess I'll hold off on booking tickets for a little while longer

 

[Zeberdi]

Have tried googling! Everything I've looked at just comes up with the strike dates in Jan up to the 7th. Can't find anything that tells me whether that's it or there may be more that month. There always seems to be someone in the know in the fountain of all knowledge that is NSC!

The link I post above is a live link - National Rail update info as it comes in - there are currently no more planned days of action after the 7th so far.

 

[BN41Albion]

The link I post above is a live link - National Rail update info as it comes in - there are currently no more planned days of action after the 7th so far.

OK thanks... so basically no-one knows yet! At least I know that much now

 

[Zeberdi]

Thank you that still doesn't quite answer whether there may be more in Jan or not though. I guess I'll hold off on booking tickets for a little while longer

- they have to give at least 14 days notice so I would think you’d be safe up until 21st

 

[Marty___Mcfly]

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Service between Brighton and Falmer before and after the Arsenal game looking pretty decent at the moment according to National Rail Enquiries site. Trains every 10 minutes or so in both directions. Hurrah!