London-bound trains currently banjaxed

[Yoda]

The things I hear and it is rank incompetence that stops the communication, take the phones off the Conductors which gave them all the running delays etc and not ensure that a/ they all have new ones and b/ they all are working when they get them.

That is something that could be done and would improve the information flow, that it is not is an example of the management and their inability to run a train company.

You say that it is not an example of the management and their inability to run a train company (which is a service they are meant to be supplying), but who made the decision to take the phones away at the same time, and not have them replaced all at the same time? Surely that is a management decision at the end of the day?

 

[Seasider78]

After yesterday's shambles of playing train lucky dip at Victoria as announcers informed passengers the same train was going to 2 different locations I was delighted to have my train home cancelled today as they could not find the driver who was supposed to be operating it.

 

[Ernest]

You say that it is not an example of the management and their inability to run a train company (which is a service they are meant to be supplying), but who made the decision to take the phones away at the same time, and not have them replaced all at the same time? Surely that is a management decision at the end of the day?

Read what I wrote , I said it is an example of management incompetence

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

After yesterday's shambles of playing train lucky dip at Victoria as announcers informed passengers the same train was going to 2 different locations I was delighted to have my train home cancelled today as they could not find the driver who was supposed to be operating it.

Why doesn't anything change though? This shambles has been going on for years/decades now. I know I joke about it not happening in Germany but this level of incompetence simply wouldn't be accepted by the public here. And ignoring my Deutsch favouritism do you think the French public would accept this? No way they would. Nothing will change all the time the UK public allow them to get away with it.

You need to start the fight back now.

 

[Lower West Stander]

Staff announcement "will the guard please contact the driver".

The phrase that fills every commuter with dread. Why do they do this? Everyone knows that when they hear this they are in trouble.

4 hours to get home last night. Oh for my 15 min walk to the office in NYC!

 

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

Staff announcement "will the guard please contact the driver".

The phrase that fills every commuter with dread. Why do they do this? Everyone knows that when they hear this they are in trouble.

I literally get palpitations at such a phrase!

 

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

Why doesn't anything change though? This shambles has been going on for years/decades now. I know I joke about it not happening in Germany but this level of incompetence simply wouldn't be accepted by the public here. And ignoring my Deutsch favouritism do you think the French public would accept this? No way they would. Nothing will change all the time the UK public allow them to get away with it.

You need to start the fight back now.

I know mate. But Im not sure how. The Govt doesn't listen whether Labour, Coalition OR Tory (they have ALL had a chance), Southern are ultimately accountable ONLY to their (French Goverment) shareholders so what do we do?

 

[Ernest]

I know mate. But Im not sure how. The Govt doesn't listen whether Labour, Coalition OR Tory (they have ALL had a chance), Southern are ultimately accountable ONLY to their (French Goverment) shareholders so what do we do?

MASSIVE protest

 

[Deadly Danson]

Staff announcement "will the guard please contact the driver".

The phrase that fills every commuter with dread. Why do they do this? Everyone knows that when they hear this they are in trouble.

4 hours to get home last night. Oh for my 15 min walk to the office in NYC!

More often than not it's cos some numpty has pressed the emergency alarm instead of the flush in the toilet and the driver needs the guard to reset it. Incidentally, in every train without a guard, if this happens, the driver has to stop the train, phone the signaller, shut down the cab, walk to the toilet, reset the alarm (assuming no one is using the toilet), walk back to the cab and set up the train again. More delays. So worth supporting any campaign to keep and indeed add guards to trains.

 

[Postman Pat]

Thankfully I rarely have to get the train, but I did have to on Tuesday morning to London. I could see the trains were a mess on my phone.

A couple of things I don't understand though, they were saying trains were 90 mins late, that was because they left 90 mins late from Victoria, why not cancel those trains and instead of being the 14:00 from Victoria, take the slot of the 15:30 from Victoria which you now effectively are. At Farringdon they were still showing a 10:15 train to Three Bridges as delayed, even though it was 14:15 and there was a 14:15 train to Three Bridges coming, just cancel the bloody thing.

Secondly I asked some staff at the station what was going on and they just looked at the Network Rail app that I was looking at..... I sort of expected them to be a little better informed than I was...The woman in the ticket office shrugged her shoulders and said "yeah they are all really delayed".... thanks for your in-depth appraisal of the situation.

As it was although trains were all showing as delayed, we only really went slowly between Blackfriars and East Croydon, and were 1 min late arriving there, and then sat outside Haywards Heath for 5 mins (again no communication as to why or how long we would be there for). Finally arrived at Brighton 9 mins late, but in time for me to get my connection home.

 

[albionite]

More often than not it's cos some numpty has pressed the emergency alarm instead of the flush in the toilet and the driver needs the guard to reset it. Incidentally, in every train without a guard, if this happens, the driver has to stop the train, phone the signaller, shut down the cab, walk to the toilet, reset the alarm (assuming no one is using the toilet), walk back to the cab and set up the train again. More delays. So worth supporting any campaign to keep and indeed add guards to trains.

Pretty much this, why anyone thinks the emergency button is the flush is beyond me.

 

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

MASSIVE protest

Sadly I fear only ARS can save the trains now!

 

[gregbrighton]

Problem is the British commuters are lemmings and too lazy/stupid to challenge the status quo. Instead they moan on forums and Facebook. They deserve it if they do nothing.

 

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

Problem is the British commuters are lemmings and too lazy/stupid to challenge the status quo. Instead they moan on forums and Facebook. They deserve it if they do nothing.

AGAIN I say what do we do? The Govt doesnt listen and Southern are ONLY accountable to their French Government shareholders.

 

[theboybilly]

Staff announcement "will the guard please contact the driver".

The phrase that fills every commuter with dread. Why do they do this? Everyone knows that when they hear this they are in trouble.

I wouldn't worry to much. The Thameslink and the Southern trains are almost identical except forthe fact there is no Conductor on the Thameslink services. Assuming they get much the same problems the Thameslink Drivers get by well enough without needing help. It's usually a minor problem, maybe just a 'Call for Aid' alarm being pressed and the Driver will know from his screen where in the train it happened

 

[theboybilly]

Pretty much this, why anyone thinks the emergency button is the flush is beyond me.

Because some design numpty located the flush button behind the seat cover so it's obscured in the raised position. I had it all the time when driving the now sadly defunct 460 Gatwick Expresses. Sometimes, to relieve the boredom, if somebody accidently pressed the alarm I would contact them via the intercom. If they answered at all they were usually a bit sheepish - when they apologised I would say 'it's okay, I can see on my screen you're alright'.

 

[Simster]

Problem is the British commuters are lemmings and too lazy/stupid to challenge the status quo. Instead they moan on forums and Facebook. They deserve it if they do nothing.

AGAIN I say what do we do? The Govt doesnt listen and Southern are ONLY accountable to their French Government shareholders.

Exactly. It's lazy to moan at commuters. It's not our fault. If I want to work in London, I don't exactly have a huge choice of how to get there. The trains are dreadful.

 

[Buzzer]

Problem is the British commuters are lemmings and too lazy/stupid to challenge the status quo. Instead they moan on forums and Facebook. They deserve it if they do nothing.

Ha! So says the bloke with the avatar representing the People's Republic of Brighton and Hove. The ultimate slacker's wet dream, invented on social media for people so they can pretend they're different and making a difference.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

I know mate. But Im not sure how. The Govt doesn't listen whether Labour, Coalition OR Tory (they have ALL had a chance), Southern are ultimately accountable ONLY to their (French Goverment) shareholders so what do we do?

Some commuters in Bristol many years ago took direct action and I believe got a result. Maybe this is the way forward. If a co-ordinated nationwide day of mayhem on the rail was organised and organised weekly something would budge.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/6285629.stm

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

MASSIVE protest

You need to get your ARS out!