Southern Rail STRIKE details

[Springal]

Season ticket holders to get the equivalent of 1 months free travel in a refund https://t.co/paK8jUhlXv

 

[halbpro]

Apologies if this has already been posted, but it appears the DfT are finally doing something, even if it isn't actually resolving the dispute. If you're a Southern season ticket holder, you can claim back one month of your ticket straight into your bank. Details here. This is on top of the Delay Repay, which I see is going down to 15 minutes as well.

It's nice that people at least have some recourse now, but I imagine most would rather just have trains that actually work.

 

[synavm]

Here's hoping Southern's system is working because I really don't have a years worth of expired tickets lying around!

Compensation is obviously very welcome and I think is very fair.

 

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

I think people are also cottoning on to the inconsistencies in the safety argument. The fact that doo is working fine on other lines and indeed driverless trains are working on dlr raises some serious doubts in their motives.

Of course you'll always get the pro union core support but they just look both as bad as each other to me now.

To be fair sussex had been woefully underinvested for years. It seems its a square peg round hole situation. SASTA want DOO or the DfT do or whoever.

Thats fine. It really is. Thats progress. Sadly alot of these stations (unlike the London to Brighton line) are not DOO ready (to paraphrase Paul Barber)

The solution (tho expensive) is simple. Spend what it needs to make the whole network DOO so there can be no argument...from anyone. Sadly you then get into a who pays? The government. Yeah right the nasty party wont pay a penny. The tax payer? Possibly. But there is a whole lot of other stuff that needs funds. SASTA? Nope the franchise is only a limited time so why should they spend? They will argue we spend this money but someone else gets the benefit in 5 years time (or whatever)

Trouble is the unions are looking bad now as people have had enough (thats not good as all over xmas and new year SASTA can go not us mate blame the unions). Massive PR fail and as I said before even old skoolers like Ernest have agreed it was when they did similar in the summer. Their campaign should be on the BHAFC model. Minimum inconvenience to the working man, thats me, you, your mum that the unions appararntly want to protect (its actually just their paying members) and campaigns that will get the media interested. It really is "strikes again" nothing to see here. Even they are bored with it.

I see that Grayling has announced compensation fumded by the tax payer. How about your ****ing dept grab it by the scruff of the neck and do something about it.

 

[bhanutz]

There is no inconsistency in the safety argument.

There is, however, an inconsistency in what you wish to compare. To compare a standalone system like DLR and a 12-car Southern train on a multi-tracked, multi-networked line is ludicrous. Also, to compare DOO on other lines also has no value. Where DOO is operating, there are platform staff and working cameras on the train. Currently, many if not most Southern stations don't have platform staff, and many trains do not have properly functioning cameras. So to say that DOO is working fine on other lines as a justification for having it on Southern when the technology isn't there is actually irrelevant.

The pro-union argument doesn't come into it, and is also irrelevant.

i reckon you could have an argument on your own in a phone box.....you really don't like it when people have a different opinion to you,do you?

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Season ticket holders to get the equivalent of 1 months free travel in a refund https://t.co/paK8jUhlXv

At last, government openly acknowledging, among other reasons for the refund being paid, "unacceptably poor performance by the operator". They normally leave that bit out and blame everyone and everything other than the operator. Is the tide finally turning?

 

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

At last, government openly acknowledging, among other reasons for the refund being paid, "unacceptably poor performance by the operator". They normally leave that bit out and blame everyone and everything other than the operator. Is the tide finally turning?

No because he is still laying the blame at the door of the unions and the unions have not helped themselves here one bit frankly even tho it is a just and noble cause.

The unions need to push back with not going on strike so people can see how shit it is and carry on.

 

[CheeseRolls]

I would really like Halfwit Horton to explain how he applies this principle to non-strike days?

The company’s chief executive Charles Horton said: “We have a responsibility to our customers to do all we can to protect their interests and maintain services for them.”

Change is coming driverless trains are coming, the transition is going to be painful, but this all looks to be years away, given rolling stock has a 25-30 year lifespan. When that transition comes, I would expect train drivers to be on a huge retention bonus to carry on working right up to the time that the last driver manned train goes out of service. That is how transition works. Up until then you need to recruit and retain enough staff to operate the trains.

 

[halbpro]

Ah. The Argus points out that the DfT, and thus the taxpayer, is footing the bill for this compensation, rather than GTR. So isn't that just lovely? Makes sense I suppose, as everything GTR is doing seems to be at the DfT's behest.

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

Not officially #sniffles #support #attitude

So not on strike then.


They've been a 'mixed bag' when it comes to #attitude for many years anyway.

 

[CHAPPERS]

So I'm footing the bill for this failing franchise am I? ****ing great.

 

[deletebeepbeepbeep]

What the ****

 

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

So I'm footing the bill for this failing franchise am I? ****ing great.

Not just you mate. ALL of us.

 

[yxee]

There is no inconsistency in the safety argument.

There is, however, an inconsistency in what you wish to compare. To compare a standalone system like DLR and a 12-car Southern train on a multi-tracked, multi-networked line is ludicrous. Also, to compare DOO on other lines also has no value. Where DOO is operating, there are platform staff and working cameras on the train. Currently, many if not most Southern stations don't have platform staff, and many trains do not have properly functioning cameras. So to say that DOO is working fine on other lines as a justification for having it on Southern when the technology isn't there is actually irrelevant.

The pro-union argument doesn't come into it, and is also irrelevant.

I didn't realise there are platform staff on these routes, eg Preston park has no such staff. If the cameras don't work then fix them, that's obvious.

The whole argument here feels like heel dragging, "it can't be done right now for entirely fixable reasons, so let's never do it." As far as I'm concerned a train is a train, if people really wanted to make out work they would. Me I just want to get to work, and I can board a train without supervision.

 

[Carrot Cruncher]

The unions need to push back with not going on strike so people can see how shit it is and carry on.

Exactly mate. As I said above, if every member of staff only worked their rota with no filling in of the gaps, it would show how woefully staffed SASTA are. The unions would be doing nothing wrong and the only mugs would be SASTA. Whammo, commuters back on side with the staff.

 

[CHAPPERS]

Not just you mate. ALL of us.

Oh thank god, but skint at the mo.

 

[Arthur]

Ah. The Argus points out that the DfT, and thus the taxpayer, is footing the bill for this compensation, rather than GTR. So isn't that just lovely? Makes sense I suppose, as everything GTR is doing seems to be at the DfT's behest.

But it's their mess so they should be footing the bill. They employ Southern to run the service so ultimately the buck has to stop with them.

They should be refusing to pay Southern for their shocking service or at least penalising them in some way financially. That is the only way the service will improve if Horton and his chums are hit in the pocket.

 

[halbpro]

But it's their mess so they should be footing the bill. They employ Southern to run the service so ultimately the buck has to stop with them.

They should be refusing to pay Southern for their shocking service or at least penalising them in some way financially. That is the only way the service will improve if Horton and his chums are hit in the pocket.

They should be penalising Southern, yes. A rather simple way to financially punish them would be to make them pay for this refund.

 

[beorhthelm]

i dont really like this compensation. £25m would pay for 50 staff for 5 years, and that's assuming some high on costs and pension for total of £100k per head. pretty sure that would solve the shortage of conductors, making the move to DOO fairly unnecessary. it doesnt actually solve anything does it, the strikes will still fudge up travel, Southern still wont be able to deal with problems.

 

[Yoda]

I didn't realise there are platform staff on these routes, eg Preston park has no such staff. If the cameras don't work then fix them, that's obvious.

The whole argument here feels like heel dragging, "it can't be done right now for entirely fixable reasons, so let's never do it." As far as I'm concerned a train is a train, if people really wanted to make out work they would. Me I just want to get to work, and I can board a train without supervision.

It's not so much they don't work on the trains, but are not fit for purpose. On the 377's, they are black and white, grainy images that updates as a still every 2-3 seconds. When GTR have shown images, they are from the newer 378's on the GE, but they are newer better cameras which are colour and a video (albeit a second delay).

The 313's that run on the Coastway's do not even have camera's and nothing on platforms for drivers to use.