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Post by Deleted on Sept 19, 2018 12:42:36 GMT
Or not... as the case may be. Lets all take a moment to digest this response on twitter to a disgruntled rail passenger...  |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 19, 2018 15:32:12 GMT
I remember when railway staff put a high priority on making sure that passengers go through to their destinations somehow, even if it wasn't on time. It used to be that when delays occurred the staff would use their knowledge and experience to work around the problems and keep things moving. One way or another the trains would get through. I was on one train that was heavily delayed not long out of London, and one passenger was on his way to the Shetlands (IIRC) and would miss the last ferry of the day. Before the train had reached Rugby the staff had found somewhere for him to stay overnight and arranged a rebooking for the rest of his journey. And that was usual.
A few years ago a signalbox near me was decommissioned as part of a resignalling project. They arranged an open day so people could look round before all the old equipment was removed. In the main signalling room there were two chairs for the signalmen, and five chairs for the managers — one for each company — who were installed post-privatisation to make sure that the signalmen gave proper consideration to business issues instead of irresponsibly concentrating on keeping the trains running.
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Post by TallPaul on Sept 19, 2018 15:55:45 GMT
I'm sure it wasn't the plan at the outset, but it has all become rather ridiculous. For example, if a train hits a bird smaller than a pheasant, it's the fault of the train operator, but pheasant and larger is the fault of Network Rail, which should have kept the track free of wildlife.
There is even a Delay Attribution Board.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 19, 2018 16:38:20 GMT
Slow clap for XC Trains.
Every time I use their services, I almost never get a seat unless I've specifically reserved one, because my station is the last one before Edinburgh which means the train has completely filled up if everyone there is going to Edinburgh.
Luckily, my station also has LNER and ScotRail so I try to use their services where possible.
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Post by crowblack on Sept 19, 2018 17:31:09 GMT
Lets all take a moment to digest this response on twitter And, in an era when we are killing ourselves and the planet with road and air traffic, an admission from train companies that we'd all be using this greener transport method if we didn't have what must be some of the most expensive train fares in the world. |
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Post by Stephen on Sept 19, 2018 17:46:35 GMT
I think they have HST trains now too but the 4 carriage Voyager XC trains from Glasgow were small and cramped.
Virgin used to have them too before they sold them to XC. The Pendolinos are much more spacious and Virgin actually add carriages on busier services!
#traingeek
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Post by Dawnstar on Sept 19, 2018 17:49:57 GMT
Slow clap for XC Trains. Every time I use their services, I almost never get a seat unless I've specifically reserved one, because my station is the last one before Edinburgh which means the train has completely filled up if everyone there is going to Edinburgh. Luckily, my station also has LNER and ScotRail so I try to use their services where possible. I never take a Cross Country train unless I have a seat reservation. Even then I sometimes have to stand, if I have luggage, because someone thought it was a great idea for trains that travel between Stansted Airport & Birmingham to have almost no luggage space. And to usually have only 2 carriages. And to run so slowly that I can get to Birmingham via London in about the same amount of time as it takes Cross Country's direct train. |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 19, 2018 20:17:25 GMT
We usually get the Voyagers on our route which are a bit crap. They occasionally lay on the 7 carriage trains but never at rush hour. It's always 4 carriages with the pointless empty first class carriage at the end. They're uncomfortable too with barely any legroom. Good thing is they're apparently introducing free Wi-Fi from 2019. Stephen You're right. XC do have some HSTs but they don't use them for the Aberdeen/Penzance route which is a bit stupid due to the length of the journey. Only been on an XC HST on a Glasgow Central/Plymouth service ages and ages ago. (I'm also kind of a train geek. Not ashamed to admit it.) |
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Post by daniel on Sept 21, 2018 10:29:32 GMT
The issue with overcrowding on XC is very much similar to that with Northern Rail over previous years. And it pretty much sums up one of the major flaws with our privatisation system. The government let out the franchise on certain terms, which will include a certain amount of expected growth. This is where the government will fund new trains etc. to cater for said growth. In the case of XC and the previous Northern franchise, very little to no growth was forecast, somewhat absurdly, so any cost of new trains would have to land on the operator rather than the government. So of course there is absolutely zero incentive for the private companies to invest in new trains. Sure, putting on more seats means they may well fill them, but with what it costs to invest in new rolling stock, they'd never get a return over the relatively short (10ish years) life of the franchise. They're more than happy - particularly in CrossCountry's case - to drive the fares to the highest possible point in order to fill the train to standing and maximise revenues. Oh, and of course they'll take their profits and run  Anyway, I've totally derailed this thread, shall we get back on track?  |
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