According to my European friend, their service is worse than ours. And by ours, I don't mean the ongoing Southern issue, but UK rail in general.
They have strikes, cancellations, unhelpful staff etc.
Got something to say or just want fewer pesky ads? Join us... 😊
[Travel] Railway flustercuck
- Thread starter dazzer6666
- Start date
They have strikes, cancellations, unhelpful staff etc.
Think I got relatively lucky!
Was on the 17.59 GX which at least kept going to Brighton without being terminated, though very, very slowly. I did have some woman's toddler throwing cardboard books at me and looking on the verge of throwing up. It crawled in 90 minutes late and at almost the same time as another train and had taken on board a whole Thameslink's worth of people at Haywards Heath, making three trains worth of people trying to get out of Brighton Station via one platform, through people stranded trying to get to London, but at least they had the sense to hold the Southampton train for a couple of minutes. If that had gone while I was boxed in there would have been every chance of a falling down moment. Add in two walks a tube ride and some crowd-congestion related fannying at Victoria and it was 4 hours door to door. Still, now I feel "fortunate"
WFH today having totally missed the Belgium / Japan match. First order of the day, after posting this, will be my delay repay claim.
Failing Grayling has made a network and franchise that was teetering on the edge in to a world wide laughing stock. There was a French guy who got on at Gatwick who couldn't believe the goings on. Thank Christ it's only two or three days a week for me.
Was on the 17.59 GX which at least kept going to Brighton without being terminated, though very, very slowly. I did have some woman's toddler throwing cardboard books at me and looking on the verge of throwing up. It crawled in 90 minutes late and at almost the same time as another train and had taken on board a whole Thameslink's worth of people at Haywards Heath, making three trains worth of people trying to get out of Brighton Station via one platform, through people stranded trying to get to London, but at least they had the sense to hold the Southampton train for a couple of minutes. If that had gone while I was boxed in there would have been every chance of a falling down moment. Add in two walks a tube ride and some crowd-congestion related fannying at Victoria and it was 4 hours door to door. Still, now I feel "fortunate"
WFH today having totally missed the Belgium / Japan match. First order of the day, after posting this, will be my delay repay claim.
Failing Grayling has made a network and franchise that was teetering on the edge in to a world wide laughing stock. There was a French guy who got on at Gatwick who couldn't believe the goings on. Thank Christ it's only two or three days a week for me.
beorhthelm
A. Virgo, Football Genius
- Jul 21, 2003
- 36,014
The infrastructure isn't fit for purpose.
well there's the crux of the matter. and its not a recent problem, Southern driver shortage and indutrial dispute aside, in the 00's often had to take alternative routes due to signal failures. seems to me the capacity can only just cope with the number of trains, the back up system/process inadequate. we've a couple of week long closures coming up, hopefully they'll address some signalling infrastructure?
Madafwo
I'm probably being facetious.
- Nov 11, 2013
- 1,728
The signalling issue was still ongoing this morning when I got into work, if it wasn't announced/you didn't hear it/don't particularly care about what happened yesterday it was a complete and utter flustercuck (I like it).
The Southern side of London Victoria was shut for about an hour from 11:45 due to a service coming out of the station and coming up in a heap due to it losing power because it lost the shoe gear that contact the 3rd rail, once things started recovering from that there was a line side fire on the Epsom branch which required the power to be switched off so the fire brigade could deal with it, then there was a train that failed on the London Bridge/East Croydon line as the driver couldn't release the brakes, that took an age to clear the line blocking the slow line (and therefore most of the stations between LB and EC) I'm not too sure on the exact timings but once those issues were in the process of clearing up the signalling system went into a bit of a meltdown between Wivelsfield and Preston Park and a points failure at Redhill were the cherry on top.
We'll be sorting it out for most of the day chasing our tails and trying to get stuff into the right place, not just the services but also the stuff that needs maintenance which could have a knock on effect as if its late for maintenance it could be late out again.
The Southern side of London Victoria was shut for about an hour from 11:45 due to a service coming out of the station and coming up in a heap due to it losing power because it lost the shoe gear that contact the 3rd rail, once things started recovering from that there was a line side fire on the Epsom branch which required the power to be switched off so the fire brigade could deal with it, then there was a train that failed on the London Bridge/East Croydon line as the driver couldn't release the brakes, that took an age to clear the line blocking the slow line (and therefore most of the stations between LB and EC) I'm not too sure on the exact timings but once those issues were in the process of clearing up the signalling system went into a bit of a meltdown between Wivelsfield and Preston Park and a points failure at Redhill were the cherry on top.
We'll be sorting it out for most of the day chasing our tails and trying to get stuff into the right place, not just the services but also the stuff that needs maintenance which could have a knock on effect as if its late for maintenance it could be late out again.
portlock seagull
Well-known member
- Jul 28, 2003
- 17,776
Maybe the fact the British population and world in fact all wants to work in the London and the SE and this is simply too much for such a geographically small area has something to do with also? At some point there’s going to be a bottle neck if more and more people arrive at same destination point e.g. the underground in rush hour is horrendous regardless of whether railways are working. Waiting for 5th or 6th tube not uncommon.
Still, at least the 3rd runway at LHR will help the road and rail congestion by bringing yet more people into London and the SE.
- Thread starter
- #46
Think I got relatively lucky!
Was on the 17.59 GX which at least kept going to Brighton without being terminated, though very, very slowly. I did have some woman's toddler throwing cardboard books at me and looking on the verge of throwing up. It crawled in 90 minutes late and at almost the same time as another train and had taken on board a whole Thameslink's worth of people at Haywards Heath, making three trains worth of people trying to get out of Brighton Station via one platform, through people stranded trying to get to London, but at least they had the sense to hold the Southampton train for a couple of minutes. If that had gone while I was boxed in there would have been every chance of a falling down moment. Add in two walks a tube ride and some crowd-congestion related fannying at Victoria and it was 4 hours door to door. Still, now I feel "fortunate"
WFH today having totally missed the Belgium / Japan match. First order of the day, after posting this, will be my delay repay claim.
Failing Grayling has made a network and franchise that was teetering on the edge in to a world wide laughing stock. There was a French guy who got on at Gatwick who couldn't believe the goings on. Thank Christ it's only two or three days a week for me.
Caught the 18.05 at London Bridge which was incredibly more or less on time, but passengers were at least 4-deep on the platform, and it was standing room only when the train pulled in anyway (as is usually the case now with the 'through trains', so nowhere near everyone got on. I was squashed up against a pushchair and the poor kid very obviously filled his nappy somewhere near Gatwick - when even the mother starts to gag you know the smell is bad. Driver announced soon after leaving LB that the train would terminate at Three Bridges due to 'signal problems near Haywards Heath'. Was very slow from Gatwick to Three Bridges and we were turfed off there - must have been just after a train going south had left though because the usual platform for Brighton-bound trains was empty when we arrived. At this point I was in contact with junior who was returning from Clapham, and had been stuck near H Heath for about 30 mins. Had a c15 min wait at Three Bridges for a H Heath-bound train (Littlehampton service but I need to get off at Wivelsfield or Burgess Hill) which then took around 40 mins to get from Three Bridges to Haywards Heath - junior had only just got home when I got to Haywards Heath, so had taken a further 30 mins from HH to Wivelsfield (about 3 miles)
Got the Mrs to pick me up at H Heath and arrived home around 8.20 so compared to others wasn't too bad I guess - trains were still being held on the platform at HH for ages, and the traffic around the station was bedlam too unsurprisingly. According to the last train driver there were 4-5 signals out either side of Haywards Heath so trains were being 'talked through' the area manually.
Peter Grummit
Well-known member
I was on this one, headed to Lewes. Classic example of prioritising stock movements over passenger needs. OBS was an aggressive bu**** too, unnecessary in my view. Platform staff did a job at LGW though. Annoyingly, 55 mins late at Lewes rather than the 60 which would have triggered a better Delay Repay. Don't forget to claim everyone!
PG
pasty
A different kind of pasty
I believe I have seen that as well. For annual st holders. They did the same 2 years ago and I got just over £400. Unfortunately I've not got an annual this year
- Thread starter
- #50
Madafwo
I'm probably being facetious.
- Nov 11, 2013
- 1,728
According to the news reports I saw yesterday something similar may be coming in down here as well.
I'm so glad I use Victoria now and not London Bridge as I had to a couple of years ago. Sussex based LB commuters have been royally shafted by the timetable by all accounts. At least the Gatwick Express is comfortable and has dodgy wifi. I prefer using it and changing at Brighton to the direct Portslade train when there's problems.
This.
We've seen the most appalling rolling stock introduced; seen services from Brighton into LB reduce; seen originating services from LB to Brighton at peak time disappear; and witnessed a ridiculous attempt to link up Thameslink with Great Northern services which has put unsustainable pressure on services going through LB. Ridiculous. The whole sham of a timetable is entirely unworkable.
- Thread starter
- #54
I spent a few years commuting in and out of Vic and it was always far more civilised, even in the crap (crappier, equally crap ? I dunno any more) years in the 90s
Completely correct. The new TL trains, whilst being more roomy (ie more standing space), are very uncomfortable. The through trains are arriving at London Bridge full when travelling South in rush hour (I assume those able are jumping on at City TL etc), so add in the other cancellations and it's a disaster. The Southern services that used to start at LB seem to be invariably cancelled now too. It's a colossal shitshow.
Thanks for the insight - it’s easy to see how multiple events with knock on effects on an over stretched system can cause such a fustercluck.
In a way I could live with one of these every so often. It’s the day in, day out 5,10,20 mins delays (on a 60 min journey) plus of course the cancellations that are killing me.
pasty
A different kind of pasty
It's that that pisses me off no end, day after day. Pre-timetable change, I used to get the 06:30 GE from Brighton to Victoria, and it usually got me there in time. With the new timetable in place, the 06:29 is due to get to Victoria before the old 06:30, but is invariably at least 10 minutes late, meaning I can't get across London in time for my 08:18 connection at Tottenham Hale. I now have to get the 06:14 which more often than not doesn't get to Victoria until around the time the 06:29 is supposed to
Thunder Bolt
Silly old bat
Our local Tory MP has woken up to facts that we were telling her two years ago, when the government were trying to defeat the unions. Despite that, she still voted a confidence in Chris Grayling recently.
https://twitter.com/mariacaulfield/status/1013872189823692803
[tweet]1013872189823692803[/tweet]
We told her not enough drivers were being trained, and she now acknowledges that.
https://twitter.com/mariacaulfield/status/1013873743255523328
[tweet]1013873743255523328[/tweet]
https://twitter.com/mariacaulfield/status/1013848077667532800
[tweet]1013848077667532800[/tweet]
https://twitter.com/mariacaulfield/status/1013901657359421440
[tweet]1013901657359421440[/tweet]
You could fit England into France 5 times, and Germany 2.5 times. Not quite the same is it.
https://www.londonreconnections.com...eslink-fails-part-2-the-plan-that-went-wrong/
I posted the link above on its own thread but it's worth sticking on here too. It's very long but don't worry, you should be able to complete it during your commute home
If you've ever run a project or, in fact, managed anything, you'll cringe in horror. Not only were the issues with the new timetable known well in advance but a combination of poor train software, poor recruting, poor testing, poor planning and poor training was at fault. No one comes out of this well. Not the TOCs, not Siemens, not Network Rail. And the man at the head of it all, blundering forward like an excited toddler chasing a pigeon? Chris Grayling.
I posted the link above on its own thread but it's worth sticking on here too. It's very long but don't worry, you should be able to complete it during your commute home
If you've ever run a project or, in fact, managed anything, you'll cringe in horror. Not only were the issues with the new timetable known well in advance but a combination of poor train software, poor recruting, poor testing, poor planning and poor training was at fault. No one comes out of this well. Not the TOCs, not Siemens, not Network Rail. And the man at the head of it all, blundering forward like an excited toddler chasing a pigeon? Chris Grayling.
Madafwo
I'm probably being facetious.
- Nov 11, 2013
- 1,728
I don't want to get into any arguments as I am just trying to give a bit of insight into things and this isn't aimed at you TB, or anyone on here, but Maria Caulfield is using GTR as a scapegoat here as she knows it is what people want to hear. If you look at the reasoning behind the issues yesterday it looks as if they were mainly Network Rail issues (signalling, points, possible issue with the 3rd rail at Victoria), not GTR. The only one that would probably be down to GTR would be the brake issue. That wouldn't excuse a lack of information but having worked on the front line before I sometimes found the best information was on Twitter, or using third party sources like Real Time Trains or sussextrains.co.uk as the last 2 are automated so don't rely on someone sending e-mails, tweets or answering the phone.
I can't comment on the previous months of poor service and don't want to get drawn into another GTR bashing, I can only speak for myself but I come in and do the best I can to ensure my part is done to provide a service.
Last edited: