No Southern Trains Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday

[Diego Napier]

Why is it "astonishing"?

Every day I attempt to commute. Every day I'm late. Every I have to listen to the latest spout of rhetoric from both sides saying they want to talk but the other side declined. Whatever your politics, to say "that is absolute crap" is to insult the intelligence of the thousands of commuters who have to put up with this every day and have simply had enough.

Get on your moralistic high horse if you want but don't drag the rest of us into it.

Get off your own moralistic high horse, you don't speak for all of us affected by Southern Failways complete inability to provide a service, you're just spouting your personal opinion. It's just your own intelligence that's been insulted, clearly a quite straightforward task.

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

Time to hit the road home.

The words of the polar explorer Oakes come to mind and "I may be some time".

 

[Buzzer]

President of Aslef shooting himself in the foot with a car crash of an interview. Quite clear that safety is not the issue. I'm taking nothing away from Southern Rail's mismanagement but this particular strike by train drivers is unnecessary,

http://talkradio.co.uk/news/souther...-people-think-drivers-union-boss-tells-julia#

Oh and he reveals in this interview that it takes a year to teach a train driver.

 

[bhanutz]

President of Aslef shooting himself in the foot with a car crash of an interview. Quite clear that safety is not the issue. Sorry but this particular strike by train drivers is unnecessary,

http://talkradio.co.uk/news/souther...-people-think-drivers-union-boss-tells-julia#

Oh and he reveals in this interview that it takes a year to teach a train driver.

Get ready to be labelled a STUPID IDIOT!

 

[Lower West Stander]

Get off your own moralistic high horse, you don't speak for all of us affected by Southern Failways complete inability to provide a service, you're just spouting your personal opinion. It's just your own intelligence that's been insulted, clearly a quite straightforward task.

I am indeed spouting a personal opinion - I think both sides are equally to blame. If people don't agree with me fine. But it doesn't make me pig-headed or of limited intelligence just because I don't agree with you.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Cheeky Monkey]

Apologies if been asked before but can you use Southern tickets on Thameslink in view of what's going on? It's a complete cluster**** because my daughter's coming back to Brighton from uni in Manchester on Friday on a ticket bought months ago (Virgin to London, Southern to Brighton) but as it stands she's going to be screwed going to Victoria and may as well try London Bridge. Thanks in advance.

 

[Buzzer]

Apologies if been asked before but can you use Southern tickets on Thameslink in view of what's going on? It's a complete cluster**** because my daughter's coming back to Brighton from uni in Manchester on Friday on a ticket bought months ago (Virgin to London, Southern to Brighton) but as it stands she's going to be screwed going to Victoria and may as well try London Bridge. Thanks in advance.

Yes you can during the strike and it's best to avoid London Bridge at all costs.

If you want a bit of insider info into how to guarantee a seat on the Thameslink trains - go to St Pancras and head for the back end of the platform, she'll get a seat for sure. The Thameslink starts to fill up at Farringdon, the clever commuters walk up to City Thameslink rather than Blackfriars to get the last seats and then there's a mad scramble at Blackfriars.

 

[bhanutz]

President of Aslef shooting himself in the foot with a car crash of an interview. Quite clear that safety is not the issue. I'm taking nothing away from Southern Rail's mismanagement but this particular strike by train drivers is unnecessary,

http://talkradio.co.uk/news/souther...-people-think-drivers-union-boss-tells-julia#

Oh and he reveals in this interview that it takes a year to teach a train driver.

He is THICK isn't he?

 

[tronnogull]

I have followed this debate off and on for months. I am not on either side of the argument because, despite all the discussion, it is so hard to really understand what is happening. All that seems clear is that Southern are poor managers, the Government is sitting back, and the Unions feel they have a valid complaint. With some trepidation, because of the temperature of the discussion, I have two questions which may have been covered but which I have not come across in the segments of the long threads which I've seen.

1. The Government is not doing anything. But what can they do ? If the two sides are fundamentally locked in opposite positions, what could the Government do other than taking one side or the other and forcing a result with legislation. This will surely only lead to future problems one way or the other.

2. I understand Unions negotiating for their members job security, working conditions, and safety. I understand that Unions strike for these sorts of things. But, if I understand correctly, this strike is about the overall safety for commuters travelling on the railway. The Union does not agree with a management decision regarding how to operate. While safety is emotive, how is this different than disagreeing with any other management decision, such as how many trains to run. What concerns are valid causes for striking nowadays ?

These are genuine questions to help understand the situation, not intended to be inflammatory or to take sides. Please treat them as such. And, sorry if they have been covered before.

 

[The Spanish]

President of Aslef shooting himself in the foot with a car crash of an interview. Quite clear that safety is not the issue. I'm taking nothing away from Southern Rail's mismanagement but this particular strike by train drivers is unnecessary,

http://talkradio.co.uk/news/souther...-people-think-drivers-union-boss-tells-julia#

Oh and he reveals in this interview that it takes a year to teach a train driver.

So that's what John cooper clarke is up to these days

 

[Gwylan]

1. The Government is not doing anything. But what can they do ? If the two sides are fundamentally locked in opposite positions, what could the Government do other than taking one side or the other and forcing a result with legislation. This will surely only lead to future problems one way or the other.

This one's quite simple to answer. Unlike other rail companies, GTR is not a proper franchise, it runs the service under a management contract for the Dept of Transport. So, this is really a dispute between the government and the unions - GTR is just caught in the middle (although, as Simster points out, it was making a pig's ear of managing the service well before any industrial action)

 

[Weatherman]

IN the seventies and eighties there were regular strikes by guards and drivers probably at some stage every year. Everyone coped .
This is only the second drivers strike on Southern in the last 23 years or so and yet people are having breakdowns and tantrums.
Obviously the spoilt brat generation or two can't cope with a bit of hardship.

 

[Cheeky Monkey]

Yes you can during the strike and it's best to avoid London Bridge at all costs.

If you want a bit of insider info into how to guarantee a seat on the Thameslink trains - go to St Pancras and head for the back end of the platform, she'll get a seat for sure. The Thameslink starts to fill up at Farringdon, the clever commuters walk up to City Thameslink rather than Blackfriars to get the last seats and then there's a mad scramble at Blackfriars.

Cheers Buzzer, nice one.

 

[ken tiler]

Apologies if been asked before but can you use Southern tickets on Thameslink in view of what's going on? It's a complete cluster**** because my daughter's coming back to Brighton from uni in Manchester on Friday on a ticket bought months ago (Virgin to London, Southern to Brighton) but as it stands she's going to be screwed going to Victoria and may as well try London Bridge. Thanks in advance.

I believe you can at all times, and not just during the strike, as Southern, Gatwick Express and Thameslink are part of the same Train Operating Company (TOC) , namely, Govia-Thamslink. Thameslink, Gatwick Express and Southern are merely trading names and have no legal validity with regard to ticketing. Tickets can only specify individual TOCs not trading names within the same TOC.

 

[Buzzer]

IN the seventies and eighties there were regular strikes by guards and drivers probably at some stage every year. Everyone coped .
This is only the second drivers strike on Southern in the last 23 years or so and yet people are having breakdowns and tantrums.
Obviously the spoilt brat generation or two can't cope with a bit of hardship.

Are you for real? Have you not seen what's been happening for the last year or so? This may be the first action by drivers in years but we've had problems with the trains for months and months. This is just more grief upon existing grief.

Referring to people who get up 5 days a week before 6 in the morning and are regularly not getting back home until 8, 9 or 10 pm as "spoilt brat generation....can't cope with a bit of hardship" is more than a bit twattish. You might want to rethink that last sentence of yours.

 

[wakeytom]

IN the seventies and eighties there were regular strikes by guards and drivers probably at some stage every year. Everyone coped .
This is only the second drivers strike on Southern in the last 23 years or so and yet people are having breakdowns and tantrums.
Obviously the spoilt brat generation or two can't cope with a bit of hardship.

I guess this is trolling but none the less I will bite. People work much further away from home these days and the passenger numbers through the years show quite how much of an increase. The world and country are a much smaller place than 23 years ago

 

[beorhthelm]

So the ballot result were 630 in favour to 92 no,action for strikes and 690yes and 30 no, for action short of strikes.

Sorry what was your point again.

point is that the unions opt for strikes over other action, even when they have greater support for other action. tbf to ASLEF they also have been having an overtime ban, publicly doing so. RMT that appear to have had work to rule without public acknowledgment, though that's been confused by Southern's imposed overtime ban, and the sickness, we the public are really sure whats happened there.

end of the day, both unions opted to announce strikes before they pursued other action. rather than even attempt to make a case and gain public support for their cause, not difficult against one of the most unpopular and inept companies, they have sought to make passengers life's more difficult than they were already, making them part of the problem too.

if you're still unclear, i was late home last night and inconveniently WFH today, tomorrow, Friday and two days next week (etc) because of union action and I will blame them for that. normal service is, for me, a random delay of 0-15 minutes typically, with once or twice a month getting a delay repay in, for which i blame Southern, along with their inability to communicate, which i complain to them about. and Network rail, who dont seem to be able to maintain signals or track. and also the government for ignoring the issue as just an industrial dispute, more so since Maynard's dismissive attitude to questions last week. no one is looking good in this saga.

 

[Weatherman]

Are you for real? Have you not seen what's been happening for the last year or so? This may be the first action by drivers in years but we've had problems with the trains for months and months. This is just more grief upon existing grief.

Referring to people who get up 5 days a week before 6 in the morning and are regularly not getting back home until 8, 9 or 10 pm as "spoilt brat generation....can't cope with a bit of hardship" is more than a bit twattish. You might want to rethink that last sentence of yours.

I worked in London for a couple of years in the eighties. and the strikes then were all out. Apart from today there has been a service on most of the network on the day of the guards disputes..

 

[Buzzer]

Apart from today there has been a service on most of the network on the day of the guards disputes..

Righto, I think it probably best if we agree to disagree and leave it at that.

 

[beorhthelm]

Yes you can during the strike and it's best to avoid London Bridge at all costs.

If you want a bit of insider info into how to guarantee a seat on the Thameslink trains - go to St Pancras and head for the back end of the platform, she'll get a seat for sure.

ssh.. but yeah, St Pancras is best plan B, should be plan A really from Manchester (one stop from Euston or a 10 min walk if thats stuffed). trains are nicer now, leave London Bridge to the City commuting vets. Southern arent running this Friday anyway.