Wot no train thread?

[Blue Valkyrie]

I have to drive now to all evening games.

So sadly that means less ales, hitting Paul Barber in his beer sales pocket, and reducing my matchday enjoyment.

 

[kingcole]

Doh. Fail. To the 9th degree

 

[trueblue]

The government are paying Southern a fixed fee to hold the franchise, irregardless of performance. The government (and specifically department for transportation) are behind this.

Yes. Agreed.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Expect masses of empty seats at the next evening game.

Which in turn will probably lead to a significant number of STHs not renewing. It seems like nearly half the games are evening kick-offs now, and if the transport infrastructure can't even be relied on to get people home to, say, Worthing or Newhaven, let alone further afield, there's going to be less and less people willing to put themselves and their families through that level of nonsense on a regular basis. And who could blame them.

 

[wellquickwoody]

Just one more time - the shifts were already uncovered as of a few days ago because there is a shortage of both drivers and guards. There really wasn't some mass sickness event today.

The trains went through, just didn't stop, why would that be? Driver had turned up obviously, so what was missing? Oh that's it, a species threatened with extinction as it is unable to evolve as in Darwin's theory, the Lesser Spotted RMT Guard.

 

[BN9 BHA]

Wow do you work for southern all always full of shite

Who the f*** are you anyway, and who are you defending? I'm guessing you wasn't at Falmer station an hour after the match standing in the cold.
Come down next time and have your say.

I was lucky last night as I got in before midnight, but I feel sorry for the people that had further to travel.
Also there were many disabled fans that were waiting for trains, OAPs and children also standing around in the cold.

 

[wellquickwoody]

It's really not my place to do that. Whilst I suspected that this was going to happen (as I intimated on the other thread yesterday) I have no idea what happened behind the scenes to try and get staff in on overtime or second managers in to work trains or move duties around to cover additional services. I imagine they thought they would be able to sort something out as they sometimes do but failed miserably.

No, far better to sit back and gloat at the misery of others and use it to further your own agenda. Perfect rail union mouthpiece.

 

[southstandandy]

Had to walk in the end - Got back to Shoreham at 2.20am completely knackered.

 

[Barry Izbak]

To deliberately build a stadium next to a railway station so that we could provide the most sustainable transport for our crowds and be an example to other modern "green" developments is now beginning to look like turning to disaster.
The Albion are at the mercy of the railways by design. And the railway company and their employees know it.
We all pay for this "service" from SASTA even if we don't use it and PB discussing it on The Albion Roar showed how frustrated he is with everything about it.
We all know who is to blame. And yet we are powerless to do anything about it.
It's been a bad joke for months.
It's been a scandal for weeks.
It's now a utter f***in disgrace and perhaps the time for direct action has arrived.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

It's really not my place to do that. Whilst I suspected that this was going to happen (as I intimated on the other thread yesterday) I have no idea what happened behind the scenes to try and get staff in on overtime or second managers in to work trains or move duties around to cover additional services. I imagine they thought they would be able to sort something out as they sometimes do but failed miserably.

With respect, that's a bit of a cop out. In my business we encourage all employees to highlight problems from anywhere in the business so they can be addressed. It's a shame Southern employees don't appear to feel the same commitment to their customer base.

EDIT - and there is something called whistleblowing legislation, you'd think unions members of all people would know that.

 

[synavm]

I deal with Southern every day and my experiences getting to and from Falmer this season have just been an extension of what I deal with on my commute.

Now, I'm generally sympathetic to union causes, but in this case RMT are one of the players at fault for actively choosing to hurt local businesses, charities and fellow workers in refusing to resolve the dispute when a perfectly reasonable resolution is on the table. Southern Rail are also at fault for actively not hiring staff and banning overtime at one point (which they rely upon). The Government are also at fault for signing off the Southern/Gatwick Express/Thameslink merger, enforcing DOO and not taking the Southern franchise off of GTR this year. Then there's the wider rail system that is massively fragmented, that isn't quite nationalised, isn't quite privatised and has several different interests, often working against each other.

Frustrating thing is it's us that has to deal with it and there's nothing we can do about it (despite the words of a senior chap in a rail regulator who stated that people choose their jobs and homes and have the choice to stop using trains), short of counter productive vandalism (which is pretty bloody tempting at times).

 

[Hotchilidog]

Who the f*** are you anyway, and who are you defending? I'm guessing you wasn't at Falmer station an hour after the match standing in the cold.
Come down next time and have your say.

I was lucky last night as I got in before midnight, but I feel sorry for the people that had further to travel.
Also there were many disabled fans that were waiting for trains, OAPs and children also standing around in the cold.

I'd say why are you defending Southern. The only problem with the staff is that there are not enough of them, there are also not enough trains. This has always been the case. Whenever there is a major event Southern do their best to avoid servicing it. It is Southern and their total disregard for the travelling public that is to blame here, as well as the DfT who allow them to do this punishment free.

Spare me the tired old staff didn't turn up BS unless you have some hard evidence to back it up, "some bloke told me" doesn't count. I waited the best part of an hour for a bus last night and put up with this shit on a daily basis as a commuter. The service is shit because the company is shit and they can act with impunity. It's a disgrace.

Last night was a disgrace and an embarrassment for the club and GTR. We have certainly reached the point where the club should be taking action against GTR for failing to run their service. A service they know they can't run due to permanent lack of staff and rolling stock. They have sold us a pup and have been handsomely paid for it, they don't care.

 

[Hotchilidog]

I deal with Southern every day and my experiences getting to and from Falmer this season have just been an extension of what I deal with on my commute.

Now, I'm generally sympathetic to union causes, but in this case RMT are one of the players at fault for actively choosing to hurt local businesses, charities and fellow workers in refusing to resolve the dispute when a perfectly reasonable resolution is on the table. Southern Rail are also at fault for actively not hiring staff and banning overtime at one point (which they rely upon). The Government are also at fault for signing off the Southern/Gatwick Express/Thameslink merger, enforcing DOO and not taking the Southern franchise off of GTR this year. Then there's the wider rail system that is massively fragmented, that isn't quite nationalised, isn't quite privatised and has several different interests, often working against each other.

Frustrating thing is it's us that has to deal with it and there's nothing we can do about it (despite the words of a senior chap in a rail regulator who stated that people choose their jobs and homes and have the choice to stop using trains), short of counter productive vandalism (which is pretty bloody tempting at times).

Last night had nothing to do with the dispute, there was no action. It was a normal service day.

 

[wakeytom]

This wretched company has now gone way beyond incompetent and are becoming increasingly malicious, now that they know they're more or less immune from any political intervention. Presumably they're turning the screw hoping to turn more of the travelling public against their own hard-working frontline employees to soften them up for whatever profit-motivated shit they care to throw at them. Just say no, folks.

Are these the same hard working employees that fancied Christmas and new year's off so are going on strike then where all they do is dampen the festive spirit? I have zero sympathy with the striking staff

 

[BN9 BHA]

I'd say why are you defending Southern. The only problem with the staff is that there are not enough of them, there are also not enough trains. This has always been the case. Whenever there is a major event Southern do their best to avoid servicing it. It is Southern and their total disregard for the travelling public that is to blame here, as well as the DfT who allow them to do this punishment free.

Spare me the tired old staff didn't turn up BS unless you have some hard evidence to back it up, "some bloke told me" doesn't count. I waited the best part of an hour for a bus last night and put up with this shit on a daily basis as a commuter. The service is shit because the company is shit and they can act with impunity. It's a disgrace.

Last night was a disgrace and an embarrassment for the club and GTR. We have certainly reached the point where the club should be taking action against GTR for failing to run their service. A service they know they can't run due to permanent lack of staff and rolling stock. They have sold us a pup and have been handsomely paid for it, they don't care.

He didn't say who he was defending after I had a rant, my rant was at Southern employees, that could mean any member of staff.

Many fans were asking what was happening on the ramp to the platform at Falmer last night, an Albion steward did his best to try and find out what was going on, the police were also doing the same. Hardly some bloke.

The company is a disgrace and I won't argue with that.

 

[Beach Hut]

I have to drive now to all evening games.

So sadly that means less ales, hitting Paul Barber in his beer sales pocket, and reducing my matchday enjoyment.

Same here, given up on the trains altogether for night games

 

[Rugrat]

The only problem with the staff is that there are not enough of them, there are also not enough trains. This has always been the case. Whenever there is a major event Southern do their best to avoid servicing it. It is Southern and their total disregard for the travelling public that is to blame here, as well as the DfT who allow them to do this punishment free.

.

Where do you get this information? Can you give us some facts behind this so we can come to a properly informed view?

If they don't employ enough staff to cover totally unreasonable levels of sickness and absenteeism then I can understand that. Equally if they don't employ enough staff then why is it the trains run fine some of the time? So they must have enough sometimes?

My first thoughts on last night are a rota was compiled and names put in and SASTA thought it was OK and told the club. The club told the fans. Now it appears that nobody was then told that the trains wouldn't run so logically something happened very late in the day. Forgive my stupidity but that suggests staff weren't where they should have been (at work). Of course if SASTA employed loads more staff then that wouldn't matter!!!

They're both a shower a shit, neither are concerned about the travelling public just trying to score points off the other and each with their own propaganda much of which gets recycled on this board

 

[knocky1]

**$**** The trains. I'm going to use my brother's favourite transport method next game.

 

[KJP]

I'd say why are you defending Southern. The only problem with the staff is that there are not enough of them, there are also not enough trains. This has always been the case. Whenever there is a major event Southern do their best to avoid servicing it. It is Southern and their total disregard for the travelling public that is to blame here, as well as the DfT who allow them to do this punishment free.

Spare me the tired old staff didn't turn up BS unless you have some hard evidence to back it up, "some bloke told me" doesn't count. I waited the best part of an hour for a bus last night and put up with this shit on a daily basis as a commuter. The service is shit because the company is shit and they can act with impunity. It's a disgrace.

Last night was a disgrace and an embarrassment for the club and GTR. We have certainly reached the point where the club should be taking action against GTR for failing to run their service. A service they know they can't run due to permanent lack of staff and rolling stock. They have sold us a pup and have been handsomely paid for it, they don't care.

Not enough trains? At 10.20 there was about 30 empty carriages sitting at Brighton station going nowhere. Yet they send 3 carriage trains towards worthing.

 

[Stuart Munday]

Luckily I got a lift back last night but the warning signs were there before the game at Brighton station, got there at 18.15 and got on train that left around 18.50 by which time there must have been thousands behind me.

I think a lot of people miss midweek games people with kids for example so normally the system just about works but last night must be one of the first night games where 30000 people have attended rather than about 20000 and even without Southerns actions it is clear they cannot cope.

If we are looking to get to the Premier League it is quite possible we could be playing the likes of Chelsea or Man Utd on a Tuesday night and it is a disaster waiting to happen. We have been lucky that home and away supporters have been good natured but one day trouble will happen and although I think they do a good job there are not enough staff at the station to deal with a couple of dozen fans trying to force there way through the barrier.