More dangerous overcrowding to the Westcountry

[whole diary]

[TaplowGreen]

I joined this train at Plymouth. It wasn't busy.

Numbers are still well down on what you’d usually expect on the vast majority of services, but are steadily building and will obviously leap upwards when the summer holidays start…though that should coincide with the removal of social distancing requirements.

Let's hope we don't have usual summer Sunday crew shortage/mass cancellation farce, especially if the numbers "leap upwards" as you suggest they will. This summer could be make or break.

Last weekend didn't bode well, let's hope GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) has got its act together.

[IndustryInsider]

Last weekend didn't bode well, let's hope GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) has got its act together.

The boss says plans are in place to mitigate shortages. 

We’ll see how robust those measures turn out to be, especially when it really counts from mid-July onwards.

[TaplowGreen]

Last weekend didn't bode well, let's hope GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) has got its act together.

The boss says plans are in place to mitigate shortages. 

We’ll see how robust those measures turn out to be, especially when it really counts from mid-July onwards.

I'm not clear as to whether GWR and the unions ever managed to sort out the issue of Sunday as part of the working week, however the line from some on this forum was that the new drivers that were being hired a year or two ago had Sunday as part of the working week in their contracts which in itself should largely resolve or at least largely mitigate the issue.

Is this the case?

[IndustryInsider]

Yes - Sunday’s are still not part of the working week, all has gone very quiet there, but all new driver contracts from a couple of years ago require them to work ‘committed’ Sunday’s unless cover can be found. 

That was also already the case for many drivers, but there is still a large percentage on the books that predate that arrangement, and there will be for many years to come - though through natural wastage it will lessen year by year, but is a long way off being ‘largely resolved’.

Training/route learning has obviously been affected by the pandemic, but that should be partly countered by more people wanting to work Sunday’s due to less extra shifts being available in the week.

Then there’s a similar situation with the Train Managers.

So, the Lord giveth and taketh away.

[TaplowGreen]

Yes - Sunday’s are still not part of the working week, all has gone very quiet there, but all new driver contracts from a couple of years ago require them to work ‘committed’ Sunday’s unless cover can be found. 

That was also already the case for many drivers, but there is still a large percentage on the books that predate that arrangement, and there will be for many years to come - though through natural wastage it will lessen year by year, but is a long way off being ‘largely resolved’.

Training/route learning has obviously been affected by the pandemic, but that should be partly countered by more people wanting to work Sunday’s due to less extra shifts being available in the week.

Then there’s a similar situation with the Train Managers.

So, the Lord giveth and taketh away.

Well, as you say, "The Boss" has a plan, so I'm sure there's no need to worry............

[IndustryInsider]

No need to worry, but every need to pull all the stops out to try and keep the cancellations to an absolute minimum.  I hope those that can have an impact on that will do so, including, of course, the boss.

[TaplowGreen]

No need to worry, but every need to pull all the stops out to try and keep the cancellations to an absolute minimum.  I hope those that can have an impact on that will do so, including, of course, the boss.

Indeed. After all, he's accountable.

[GBM]

Where a service is cancelled. road replacement is increasingly offered.
Bus crews expected to pick up the slack, so it's OK for them to work Sundays.
Years ago the senior drivers never/rarely worked Sundays or lates, but newer drivers were rostered Sunday as a normal part of their duty, and normal pay as part of that, so nothing extra for weekends.  Lates attracted a minute premium after 7pm!
Seen as a cheaper option to running a rail service perhaps

[Sleepy]

  1204 Paddington to Penzance departed today with over 1000 passengers on board  !! If GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) can do this why do LNER^» (London North Eastern Railway - about) persist in compulsory reservations for all services ?

[broadgage]

In all but exceptional cases I remain in favour of a "walk up, no reservations required" railway.

When a service is expected to be overcrowded I would restrict or even eliminate sales of discounted tickets. The original idea behind discounted tickets was to fill otherwise unused seats, not to make an overcrowded train even worse.

Does anyone know why this train was so busy ? previous service cancelled ? It was not even fine weather.

Presumably it was full length, 1,000 passengers on a 5 car would be a challenge.

[IndustryInsider]

Does anyone know why this train was so busy ? previous service cancelled ? It was not even fine weather.

Presumably it was full length, 1,000 passengers on a 5 car would be a challenge.

None of the London to Cornwall trains were short formed today.  However, the previous train terminated at Plymouth and the following one was cancelled - both due to crew shortages. 

On a summer Saturday long distance train with lots of ‘staycationers’ it matters little what the weather is like.