[Albion] More train misery (WHU & Newcastle (home games))

[HeaviestTed]

Maybe people in the private sector (which apparently the railways is meant to be) should get a better union then?

I agree those are good wages, but they’re only good due to a strong union. A lot of these strikes, are not due to pay, but job losses and changes to T&Cs. The railway is a mess, and even they get a pay rise, most of the problems will remain until the government invest. But everyone needs the union boogeyman to blame for trains not to work.

The blame here lies with the government (and that’s from someone who doesn’t think Drivers should necessarily have a pay rise!). All operators who do not fall under the remit of the Rail Delivery group, like Open Access, Scotrail, TfW, TfL have come to an agreement, the Department for Transport and RDG are obstructive to the whole process.

Spot on.

The problems we currently face in this country all have the same root cause over a decade of Tory austerity. Although I’m not sure that applied when the vip line was used to funnel millions of pounds to Tory friends and donors \o/

During Covid America sent actual cheques to everyone - why couldn’t we have done that? Why do we still have austerity in 2023?

 

[BBassic]

During Covid America sent actual cheques to everyone - why couldn’t we have done that?

The posties were probably on strike too. (I'm kidding and actually agree with your entire post)

 

[jackalbion]

Whenever I'm stuck on a late-running train or a delayed plane, I remind myself that the driver, pilots and flight crew just want to get to the destination too. Doesn't make the situation any better, but there's absolutely nothing to be gained by frothing at the mouth and ranting at the workers*.

*Unless you enjoy making a spectacle of yourself

Indeed not sure what anyone could have done about three trespassers and an attempted suicide all within an hour of each other.

With one of the incidents being some Luton fans, they did start to turn a bit feral when they lost, when my train finally left Falmer, one repeatedly punched the window of the train as it departed.

 

[Uh_huh_him]

Bollocks just seen this.
Non-driving - London resident means strike + 17:30 kick off = no chance.
Missed Spurs last year

Just checked National Express and equally no options for a return trip for West Ham
Booking .com to make a weekend of it will cost me £150 minimum.


Totally support the strikers, but why is it always Saturday??

 

[Springal]

[QUOTE="Uh_huh_him, post: 10779871, member: 21892]


Totally support the strikers, but why is it always Saturday??
[/QUOTE]

Doesn’t affect workers any more as most can work from home fine

 

[AK74]

With one of the incidents being some Luton fans, they did start to turn a bit feral when they lost, when my train finally left Falmer, one repeatedly punched the window of the train as it departed.

Mad as a Hatter.

 

[HeaviestTed]

Bollocks just seen this.
Non-driving - London resident means strike + 17:30 kick off = no chance.
Missed Spurs last year

Just checked National Express and equally no options for a return trip for West Ham
Booking .com to make a weekend of it will cost me £150 minimum.


Totally support the strikers, but why is it always Saturday??

Contact your MP - tell them that the strikes are inconvenient for you and if they are Tory say you will be voting labour if they aren’t resolved shortly - if they are labour ask them to pressure the government to sorting it.

(Replace labour for whatever party you want)

If 30k people did that, I think we might see some action. If all the people from all the football clubs that were effected did that, I’m certain we would get some action.

 

[maresfield seagull]

The only self-serving ****s I'm seeing are the strikers and particularly the unions. But then I stupidly keep expecting unions to negotiate and agree things instead of f*****g up every one elses lives.

If the government won't negotiate
With the unions what do you expect the outcome to be ?
I'm 100% behind the strikes to save the ticket offices and disgusting changes they re trying to implement to the staffs t&c s The drivers strike action Not so much

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Contact your MP - tell them that the strikes are inconvenient for you and if they are Tory say you will be voting labour if they aren’t resolved shortly - if they are labour ask them to pressure the government to sorting it.

(Replace labour for whatever party you want)

If 30k people did that, I think we might see some action. If all the people from all the football clubs that were effected did that, I’m certain we would get some action.

Setting up individual petitions to, er, petition each individual MP might just have the desired effect, with an election not that far away

 

[dwayne]

If the government won't negotiate
With the unions what do you expect the outcome to be ?
I'm 100% behind the strikes to save the ticket offices and disgusting changes they re trying to implement to the staffs t&c s The drivers strike action Not so much

Sorry to sound harsh but why do we need ticket offices? it's 2023. McDonald's won't have servers soon I suspect. My job might be taken by AI etc etc this is just capitalism I'm afraid. Time to retrain for a new job.[/QUOTE]

 

[thedonkeycentrehalf]

Indeed not sure what anyone could have done about three trespassers and an attempted suicide all within an hour of each other.

Talking to some mates who got caught up in this (including a lifelong railwayman), a lot of the frustration is with the lack of information that was given to people. This isn't aimed at those poor buggers who are stuck facing the people on the stations but at GTR as an organisation. With modern communications it shouldn't be that difficult to provide some basic status updates.

It's not as if this is a new thing. I've been on Southern trains where the app will update to say the train is going to miss stations as it is late but that information was not given to the guard (or whatever they have been called this week) so they weren't able to tell the passengers. Again, the poor person who has to front up takes the flack for a company who can't do the basics.

 

[maresfield seagull]

Bollocks just seen this.
Non-driving - London resident means strike + 17:30 kick off = no chance.
Missed Spurs last year

Just checked National Express and equally no options for a return trip for West Ham
Booking .com to make a weekend of it will cost me £150 minimum.


Totally support the strikers, but why is it always Saturday??

It's not
Just had 2 weeks of very reduced service s due to Aslef drivers overtime ban / strike

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Sorry to sound harsh but why do we need ticket offices? it's 2023. McDonald's won't have servers soon I suspect. My job might be taken by AI etc etc this is just capitalism I'm afraid. Time to retrain for a new job.

Same reason the club still has to issue physical STs. Not everybody is tech savvy. Does that mean they can't travel by train or go to football?

 

[jackalbion]

Sorry to sound harsh but why do we need ticket offices? it's 2023. McDonald's won't have servers soon I suspect. My job might be taken by AI etc etc this is just capitalism I'm afraid. Time to retrain for a new job.

McDonalds menu is simple, have you tried buying a long distance train ticket off a machine, it’s a mine field. The ticketing needs simplifying if we get rid of ticket offices.

 

[dwayne]

Same reason the club still has to issue physical STs. Not everybody is tech savvy. Does that mean they can't travel by train or go to football?

You call up the club and they will sort that's one ticket office. I'm sure there's still a central online or phone based ticket office to call for trains. Overkill to have a ticket office apart from the very biggest stations.

 

[dwayne]

McDonalds menu is simple, have you tried buying a long distance train ticket off a machine, it’s a mine field. The ticketing needs simplifying if we get rid of ticket offices.

Agree with that sentiment

 

[jackalbion]

Agree with that sentiment

I think in terms of taking staff off trains which is proposed, Saturday is a perfect example of how it can go west very quickly if the sole train crew is the driver.

 

[jackalbion]

Talking to some mates who got caught up in this (including a lifelong railwayman), a lot of the frustration is with the lack of information that was given to people. This isn't aimed at those poor buggers who are stuck facing the people on the stations but at GTR as an organisation. With modern communications it shouldn't be that difficult to provide some basic status updates.

It's not as if this is a new thing. I've been on Southern trains where the app will update to say the train is going to miss stations as it is late but that information was not given to the guard (or whatever they have been called this week) so they weren't able to tell the passengers. Again, the poor person who has to front up takes the flack for a company who can't do the basics.

Yeah Saturday was chaos, I stayed on the concourse and avoided it, but I think this was a perfect disaster of everything happening at once.

 

[Uh_huh_him]

McDonalds menu is simple, have you tried buying a long distance train ticket off a machine, it’s a mine field. The ticketing needs simplifying if we get rid of ticket offices.

Totally this.

Even a simple super-saver ticket between London and Brighton on a weekend, is not always available online/vending machine.

That ticket saves me £15 every home game.
I can only guarantee it by going to the ticket office.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Talking to some mates who got caught up in this (including a lifelong railwayman), a lot of the frustration is with the lack of information that was given to people. This isn't aimed at those poor buggers who are stuck facing the people on the stations but at GTR as an organisation. With modern communications it shouldn't be that difficult to provide some basic status updates.

It's not as if this is a new thing. I've been on Southern trains where the app will update to say the train is going to miss stations as it is late but that information was not given to the guard (or whatever they have been called this week) so they weren't able to tell the passengers. Again, the poor person who has to front up takes the flack for a company who can't do the basics.

I was in the queue just off the platform at Falmer when that Gatwick Express train just kept sitting there. As soon as the National Rail app displayed 'trespasser on line' as cause of delay, I just got straight out of the queue and headed for a bus stop. Anyone who's ever commuted knows that 'trespasser on line' is not a 5 minute job. The doors were open on that Gatwick Express train throughout. A simple announcement would have given those on board the option of either staying on board or bailing out and finding alternative transport options. Maybe that announcement eventually got made. But if it did, it didn't get made soon enough