Train Service Compared With Chocolate

[whole diary]

[Electric train]

The dynamics of the railways must be remembered

NR^» (Network Rail - home page) - a Government owned company ……………………. which reports to its share holder …………………….. the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about)

GTR - a management company who's fee is paid by ………………………. the DfT Note GTR does not make a profit from collecting fares, from section 8 payments etc this all goes direct to DfT

The puppet master is to blame

Who is responsible for recruiting drivers for GTR, and for how long have they had to prepare for the new timetable?

The broad concept of how Thameslink would operate was laid down way back in 2006, it was amended by DfT / NR in around 2011 this was descoping some destinations mainly in the South.


Since GTR inception they would have known what the service pattern was going to be.  I do know that GTR initially thought they could continue to change train crew at Blackfriars as First Capital Connect had done until it was pointed out that Blackfriars was in the 24 tph and automatic train operation area and there would not be enough time to change crew.


I do feel GTR senior managers have not had it easy, they were given the unenviable task of combining 4 train operating franchise into one, I am almost certain they were not given the choice about the "Guards" on trains that dispute has possibly drained the senior managers and diverted a lot of their time

[bobm]

Of course the quality of the chocolate from which a chocolate teapot is made matters. A chocolate teapot may be almost useless as a container for hot tea, but it is still good to eat if made from decent chocolate.

Hmmm ... depends who you are.   A recent survey in our household revealed that only one of the four of us eats the stuff ... it makes the rest of us ill.

To avoid putting the health of your family at risk, please pack all chocolate securely and send it carriage paid to me.
For a small charge I will safely dispose of it for you.

Here is one to get you started broadgage

[Lee]

Grayling statement just in - https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/rail-timetabling

[Lee]

Rail timetables: Chris Grayling announces compensation and inquiry - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-44360017

[grahame]

Grayling statement just in - https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/rail-timetabling

I need help understanding some of that

It is for reasons like this that I am committed to unifying the operations of track and trains where appropriate to ensure we do not encounter problems like this in the future.

Can someone provide the proof that the linkage actually will ensure no such probles in the future

Officials in my department are working around the clock to oversee this process.

Anyone care to join me at 3 a.m. in Horseferry Road to check the lights are on?

So today (4 June 2018) I am also announcing that work has started to set up an inquiry by the independent Office of Rail and Road (ORR^» (Office of Rail and Road formerly Office of Rail Regulation - about)), chaired by Stephen Glaister, into the May timetable implementation.

It is necessary to have a full enquiry.

In parallel to the inquiry my department will assess whether GTR and Northern met their contractual obligations in the planning and delivery of this timetable change.

My department will be assessing whether these issues could have been reasonably foreseen and different action taken to prevent the high levels of disruption passengers are experiencing.

Have I missed something here, or do we have an ORR enquiry set up and a few sentences later have much of its enquiry work being duplicated with the angry spotlight on two of the players?

There clearly have been major failures that have led to the situation we are in today. I am clear that the industry must and will be held to account for this.

So it's already been concluded it's the industry that has had major failures rather that any problems with the framework in which is has to operate.  Is't that prejudging the outcme of the enquiry?

[rogerw]

One of the major failures being on the part of NR^» (Network Rail - home page) of which Grayling is the ultimate boss.  Are the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) officials working around the clock to identify and destroy any evidence against them?

[Electric train]

Grayling statement just in - https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/rail-timetabling

I need help understanding some of that

It is for reasons like this that I am committed to unifying the operations of track and trains where appropriate to ensure we do not encounter problems like this in the future.

Can someone provide the proof that the linkage actually will ensure no such probles in the future

It used to work 25 years ago .............. it was called British Rail a vertically integrated organisation which according to the Government in 1993 was a bad thing what was needed was competition to drive down costs especally public funding and improve reliability and passenger satisfaction ........................... let me think ................. this was a Conservative Government and now this Government believes a vertically integrated organisation is the answer 


This Railwayman is so happy his carree is close to an end and will retire before too much carninage is done .

[Cava]

Why can't they go back to the old timetable?

[Witham Bobby]

Why can't they go back to the old timetable?

I'd like an answer to that, too.  Might it not be an option, whilst they sort-out whatever resource problems there are which prevent the new timetable working properly.

[broadgage]

Why can't they go back to the old timetable?

Because it has melted in the sun, as does chocolate. (poundland or other)

[stuving]

Why can't they go back to the old timetable?

I'd like an answer to that, too.  Might it not be an option, whilst they sort-out whatever resource problems there are which prevent the new timetable working properly.

I'm sure that's been asked, by everyone from above Grayling down to the latest office intern. It seems that so far they have all been convinced by the answer, which I guess is some combination of:

• That would take a significant time, due to the amount of replanning of staff rosters etc. involved.
• As a result, there would still be cancellations in the short term.
• In almost all cases, there would be fewer trains and peak seats than the emergency timetable (or at least that's what we have been told).
• It would take a lot of effort in parts of the network not suffering new timetable problems just to find out how to do this and what the reduction in services would be.
• It would delay getting the new timetable to work.

Another way of answering is to say that, whatever people think, the affected TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company) are more than halfway to solving the problems, apart from the ones that can't be solved at all in the short term (e.g. finishing new infrastructure).

[Cava]

Cheers stuving, I found that very informative.

[Adelante_CCT]

One other reason of course is that other TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company) such as SWR^» (South Western Railway - about), SouthEastern and East Midland Trains have had to alter timetables to fit around the new TSGN timetable. Cant really go back to the old timetable without severly disrupting those TOCs as well.