[Travel] Railway flustercuck

[Simgull]

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.

Great points. Like all work places I have no doubt GTR and Network Rail are full of well intended individuals, working hard to do the right thing. To me the chronic problem is the leadership, both strategically and the company culture they set - this comes from the top. GTR, rightly, get bashed as they are the customer facing end of a supply chain. Many other companies deal with far more complex supply chains but take accountability for this end to end. You can’t imagine Tesco say bleating on endlessly about their farmers and distributors if they ran out of milk every other day without seizing hold of the problem in partnership with their suppliers and doing something about it. The difference of course is GTR effectively have a monopoly and we can’t vote with our feet - although personally I am moving closer and closer to two days/week commuting - trouble is this does nt mke it significantly cheaper and hit their income unless PAYG a season ticketing comes in.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

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.

Maria Caulfield is totally and absolutely useless. She toes the party line until it affects her, then, as you rightly say, she then says things to try and appease her constituents, who aren't fooled anymore.

 

[dazzer6666]

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.

Appreciate the insight - always good to hear from those inside - [MENTION=1332]Deadly Danson[/MENTION] provides regular insightful stuff too.

As for Caulfield trying to curry some favour with a few constituents by tweeting that she'll 'be raising the matter' - she can ****ing do one. It's hardly new news.

 

[Ernest]

It was obvious to anyone. Wilkinson and the DfT wanted to pick a fight with the unions in the attempt to destroy terms and conditions to make more profit as the franchises over bid for them. You were all told this would happen but were happy to blame the unions instead of the real culprits and now you’re reaping what you’ve sown.
The problem now is that anyone who ran the railway and knew how things worked and how to run a service with limited resources have all gone so don’t expect anything to get better any time soon

 

[dazzer6666]

It was obvious to anyone. Wilkinson and the DfT wanted to pick a fight with the unions in the attempt to destroy terms and conditions to make more profit as the franchises over bid for them. You were all told this would happen but were happy to blame the unions instead of the real culprits and now you’re reaping what you’ve sown.
The problem now is that anyone who ran the railway and knew how things worked and how to run a service with limited resources have all gone so don’t expect anything to get better any time soon

What did we all sow ? All I've done is bought a ticket and turned hope in the faint hope an advertised service might get me where I need to go, within something like the time expected. It's been shit for 30 years (I can't comment before then as I wasn't a 'customer'), Tory, Labour, unions, no unions, nationalised, privatised.

 

[beorhthelm]

It was obvious to anyone. Wilkinson and the DfT wanted to pick a fight with the unions in the attempt to destroy terms and conditions to make more profit as the franchises over bid for them. You were all told this would happen but were happy to blame the unions instead of the real culprits and now you’re reaping what you’ve sown.
The problem now is that anyone who ran the railway and knew how things worked and how to run a service with limited resources have all gone so don’t expect anything to get better any time soon

nationalisation will fix it all, right? including the signals?

 

[CHAPPERS]

Chris Grayling is an ally of Theresa May, if he wasn't he'd surely be out on his ear by now.

 

[NorthLainer]

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.

Classic! Going to remember that for future use!!

I read that article and it is indeed very informative - highlights the lack of project planning and risk mitigation by GTR, but also the government's part in this whole thing. Having said that I think we are seeing the impact of years of underinvestment by both Tory and Labour governments from the 1950's, probably on the premsie that rail travel would be nowhere near as popular as it is now.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

nationalisation will fix it all, right? including the signals?

Railtrack is a form of nationalisation. After the train disasters due to lack of maintenance it was taken back out of private hands.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Classic! Going to remember that for future use!!

I read that article and it is indeed very informative - highlights the lack of project planning and risk mitigation by GTR, but also the government's part in this whole thing. Having said that I think we are seeing the impact of years of underinvestment by both Tory and Labour governments from the 1950's, probably on the premsie that rail travel would be nowhere near as popular as it is now.

There wasn't a Labour government in the 50s. Harold Wilson won elections in 63 & 65.

 

[NorthLainer]

There wasn't a Labour government in the 50s. Harold Wilson won elections in 63 & 65.

I meant from the 50's onwards - underinvestment for over 60 years!

 

[Weststander]

Looking in advance at booking train tickets for the Albion's trip to Anfield in August. We'll make a long weekend of it.

Totting up the fares for two of us, it's at least £220 for crammed-in standard class, but the Sunday service is shocking (engineering works?) with an array of changes. Taking up to 6 hours, 40 minutes.

If the brilliant Virgin Trains 2 hour service had been running on the Sunday, that would've swung it.

Oh well, we'll drive.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

It's been shit for 30 years

And it'll be shit for the next 30 years.

The trains are unfixable in this country. How on earth could the ageing Victorian infrastructure, certainly in this neck of the woods, ever hope to cope with increased demand. And just needs something like a feral trespassing on the line or a trackside fire or one of a thousand other unlikely reasons to throw the whole thing into instant chaos. How do you even take steps to eliminate that level of random disruption? You can't. All you can do is provide better customer information.

 

[dazzer6666]

And it'll be shit for the next 30 years.

The trains are unfixable in this country. How on earth could the ageing Victorian infrastructure, certainly in this neck of the woods, ever hope to cope with increased demand. And just needs something like a feral trespassing on the line or a trackside fire or one of a thousand other unlikely reasons to throw the whole thing into instant chaos. How do you even take steps to eliminate that level of random disruption? You can't. All you can do is provide better customer information.

Agreed. Most of the ferals seem to be around Croydon of course. The recent new timetable intro etc has been a total disaster though, and most of that is down to extremely poor planning/management. No way in the world I would go back to 5 day a week commuting now, don't know how people put up with it.

 

[Weststander]

There wasn't a Labour government in the 50s. Harold Wilson won elections in 63 & 65.

He obviously meant the combined period included Labour governments.

Labour in power from 64 to 70, 74 to 79 and 97 to 10. The decline in our railways has been a constant, including millions of working days lost in pay disputes, lack of investment, lack of joined-up thinking; all goes way beyond childish party political point scoring.

 

[beorhthelm]

Railtrack is a form of nationalisation. After the train disasters due to lack of maintenance it was taken back out of private hands.

yes, so you see the point being made?

 

[Thunder Bolt]

He obviously meant the combined period included Labour governments.

Labour in power from 64 to 70, 74 to 79 and 97 to 10. The decline in our railways has been a constant, including millions of working days lost in pay disputes, lack of investment, lack of joined-up thinking; all goes way beyond childish party political point scoring.

I wasn't aware I was point scoring, just pointing out he didn't say 'onwards'. There has been a fair amount of electrification in that time span.

 

[dazzer6666]

Second day in London this week, and guess what......

Checked app, nearly everything cancelled at London Bridge, so went across town to Victoria in plenty of time to catch 19:16 Littlehampton/Eastbourne train. Met with loads of delays and cancellations on the board at Victoria.

Left 15 mins late, stopped outside Vic for a while then driver announces it’ll be slow because they’ve let an empty service in front of it. Train is 8 coaches not 12 because they ‘lost’ 4 coaches, so now just Clapham where there was a huge scrum because not everyone can get on due to lack of space. Currently trundling at about 15mph.

You utter, utter tuckfards.

 

[beorhthelm]

Left 15 mins late, stopped outside Vic for a while then driver announces it’ll be slow because they’ve let an empty service in front of it. Train is 8 coaches not 12 because they ‘lost’ 4 coaches, ...

thats where the coaches are, they escaped.

 

[dazzer6666]

thats where the coaches are, they escaped.

Well at this rate we’re never going to catch them.....