**** Official Train Commuters Discussion Thread ****

[Alex Alex Dawson oo! oo!]

As you're in the know on this, can I ask why there's a need to change driver at Gatwick (I speak as one who's been held up countless times while they change over)? Is it purely because GE drivers don't know the route? Is there a union issue? Is it because of liability concerns if there's an accident? Surely there must be some way round it, whatever the reason?

Don't the crews change when the shift is completed and it's not always possible to schedule this at a terminus. A bit like the limitations applied to HGV drivers who are not allowed to drive more than a certain time continuously. On SWT there's often a crew change at Woking.

 

[Gwylan]

Don't the crews change when the shift is completed and it's not always possible to schedule this at a terminus.

There's always a long wait at Gatwick on the 6.40 from Brighton - that surely can't be due to a shift change

 

[theboybilly]

As you're in the know on this, can I ask why there's a need to change driver at Gatwick (I speak as one who's been held up countless times while they change over)? Is it purely because GE drivers don't know the route? Is there a union issue? Is it because of liability concerns if there's an accident? Surely there must be some way round it, whatever the reason?

The Gatwick Express driver's depot is at Victoria and since being privatised in 1995 (?) we operated a quarter-hourly Vic-Gtw service until Southern took over about 3 years ago. We didn't even go as far as Three Bridges until then. When they came in the Brighton Mainline came in for some restructuring to get more seats into London. At first we had a train that went down to Brighton early in the morning (if I remember correctly it was the 06.15) which came back from Brighton at something like 07.35. It wasn't for long and we needed a Southern driver to hold our hands on the way from Gatwick. The thing is route learning isn't as straightforward as it might seem to an outsider. I would imagine it would take 3 weeks to learn that 25 mile piece of track which would include a week learning at night. Consider that that would be three weeks wages lost to each of every one of say, 50 drivers that doesn't involve driving trains. That's around £150,000 that Southern don't really want to spend unless they have to. But it would seem that they have to now. The other cause of delays at Gatwick is that the trolley staff also get off/on at Gatwick. This is normally not too much of an issue but on busy trains it can cause a delay.
As an aside, I've been driving for a few years now and in the late 1990s drove for Thameslink. I know the route to Brighton like the back of my hand but if there was no Southern driver to take over at Gatwick I could not take a train further, as that portion of track is not on the route card that I sign to show that I am fully conversant with everything along that stretch of line. That's how it works.

 

[Gwylan]

The thing is route learning isn't as straightforward as it might seem to an outsider. I would imagine it would take 3 weeks to learn that 25 mile piece of track which would include a week learning at night. Consider that that would be three weeks wages lost to each of every one of say, 50 drivers that doesn't involve driving trains. That's around £150,000 that Southern don't really want to spend unless they have to.

I'm sure it's not as easy as that, I wasn't suggesting otherwise but given the money that Southern rakes in, £150,000 isn't a huge sum - that would not something that needed to be spent every year.

And why do trolley crews change: surely it can't be an issue about them knowing the route too?

 

[theboybilly]

I'm sure it's not as easy as that, I wasn't suggesting otherwise but given the money that Southern rakes in, £150,000 isn't a huge sum - that would not something that needed to be spent every year.

And why do trolley crews change: surely it can't be an issue about them knowing the route too?

Believe me Gwylan, Southern don't like spending money. As for the trolley people I don't really know. I can only think it is a logistical issue as they (Rail Gourmet) have stores at Victoria and Brighton with the Vic staff mostly involved with the regular GEX half-hourly journeys and the Brighton staff doing the fast Brighton-London services. The peak extended services must put everything out of kilter.

 

[Gwylan]

Believe me Gwylan, Southern don't like spending money.

I'm sure they don't but are they happy with the number of delays while trains wait at Gatwick?

Actually, they probably are ...

 

[theboybilly]

I'm sure they don't but are they happy with the number of delays while trains wait at Gatwick?

Actually, they probably are ...

Here's a thing mate, I am regularly asked for reports as to losing time between two ' timing points' (for example Stoat's Nest Junction and Earlswood) I might have lost a minute.....one minute. I will be asked for this report THREE DAYS after the event and am expected to remember. Meanwhile back in the real world I can have a departure time of say, 13.50 off Gatwick but the 13.49 Southern service is running well late....maybe 6 minutes. They will hold me for that train when I could be miles away (considering that I will now have to follow a late train that stops ahead of me at both Croydon and Clapham) yet I don't get questioned about these delays. The people on board must wonder why they bother to pay the extra. And this happens all day long

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

That's about the latest my wife and I used to leave when we worked for the Orange Balloon at Brentford/Greenford and is the reason we left - exhaustion. I walked to work this morning, she's trying to save Whitty's bonus with some fancy patent lawyers in Washington.

Good luck with saving his bonus. Any chance the wife can save the RTP site from closure?

 

[Badger]

She probably still gets there ahead of her London based colleagues, who in my experience are fashionable late.

This is so true, when I worked near London Bridge the first people from my team in the office where me (from Brighton), my boss (from quite far into Kent) and the analyst (also Kent). The rest of the team lived within Greater London and would normally arrive between 9.15 and 9.30, one of them nearly always left before me too.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

I'm working at home today as I'm going away for the weekend mid-afternoon. I shall be getting the Airport Express which costs €3.60 or £2.80 in English money. Yes, you read that correctly.....£2.80.

 

[carteater]

I'm working at home today as I'm going away for the weekend mid-afternoon. I shall be getting the Airport Express which costs €3.60 or £2.80 in English money. Yes, you read that correctly.....£2.80.

It wouldn't happen in England.

 

[pasty]

This is so true, when I worked near London Bridge the first people from my team in the office where me (from Brighton), my boss (from quite far into Kent) and the analyst (also Kent). The rest of the team lived within Greater London and would normally arrive between 9.15 and 9.30, one of them nearly always left before me too.

Same. My office is in Tottenham, and I am usually the first of my immediate team to arrive, followed by a colleague from Southend. The London dwellers are usually last. To be fair to them though, they usually stay quite a bit later, whereas I am out the door bang on 10 past 5, come hell or high water.

 

[Gwylan]

The rest of the team lived within Greater London and would normally arrive between 9.15 and 9.30, one of them nearly always left before me too.

Same. My office is in Tottenham, and I am usually the first of my immediate team to arrive, followed by a colleague from Southend. The London dwellers are usually last.

I'm amazed you have London dwellers in your offices. When I last worked in London not one of my colleagues actually lived there. Aren't we all commuters these days?

 

[Gwylan]

http://www.thepoke.co.uk/2015/01/13...l-minimise-disruptions/#.VLZ2C3LUB_k.facebook

This will work

 

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

No problems....yet

 

[Guinness Boy]

https://www.change.org/p/sign-this-...A&utm_source=petition_update&utm_medium=email

Meanwhile, yesterday was my only commute of the week. 5.43 left LB about 12 mins late. Arrived in the Slarde 27 minutes late, annoyingly JUST missing out on delay repay. I have to get to Heathrow by train on Monday FFS. Dreading it as much as I'm enjoying WFH today.

 

[Alex Alex Dawson oo! oo!]

Good luck with saving his bonus. Any chance the wife can save the RTP site from closure?

She's just back but it looks like the case may well go to court towards the end of the year. So if they prevail it'll be AW's back pocket in 2015/16, assuming he's still in charge! When I first met him (in 2002), he had commercial responsibility for the Asia/Pacific region so you'd have thought he'd know about doing business in China eh?

As for RTP, it's not a site closure (yet) and facilities rationalisation is more my area. If Farage and his mates get their way then I'd be more worried about the future of some sites closer to home (and I don't mean Germany).

 

[dazzer6666]

Been working in Hong Kong the last two weeks. 3 stop underground journey every day entirely uneventful, no delays, £1 each way. Airport express train to and from the airport, less than £10 each way, 23 minutes, right into the terminal, with wifi on the train and huge comfy seats. Dreading being back in Canary Wharf next week with the LB chaos.

 

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

Problems at New Cross Gate. Means delays of upto 20mins at London Bridge.

Victoria it is then. Path of least resistance.

 

[Guinness Boy]

Been working in Hong Kong the last two weeks. 3 stop underground journey every day entirely uneventful, no delays, £1 each way. Airport express train to and from the airport, less than £10 each way, 23 minutes, right into the terminal, with wifi on the train and huge comfy seats. Dreading being back in Canary Wharf next week with the LB chaos.

Spent a fair bit of time in Asia. The Hong Kong MTR is great (and, as you say, cheap). The MRT in Taipei is similarly cheap and reliable. In Japan, meanwhile, you used to get an official apology slip from the train company if the train was more than a few minutes late that you could give to your boss to excuse your lateness. They hardly ever were late, mind. They even resist the many small earthquakes that occur out there (though the bigger ones are more of an issue).

Perhaps I should take to replying "wouldn't happen in Japan".