Shortage of train crews on Great Western Railway - ongoing discussion

[whole diary]

[grahame]

P.S.  Here's the total Journey Check comment - no advise here on what to do instead.

11:55 Swindon to Bath Spa due 12:30
11:55 Swindon to Bath Spa due 12:30 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

My Dad was a wise man. Much missed. 

If you have go give bad news to someone / say "NO" ...
1. Express Regret
2. Give Reason
3. Suggest Alternative

GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) are scoring just one out of three - pretty poor for a company that's been running these services for decades, and should know a bit about customer relations by now 


Edit to add - my attempt at advise ... not really my job to fill in for TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company) failures, but it doesn't half help the CRP^▸ (Community Rail Partnership)'s profile as an important and useful player for the passenger!

https://www.facebook.com/TransWilts/photos/a.402860103147371.1073741825.294993730600676/1356304114469627

[Timmer]

Indeed it would be useful to let those intending to travel out of Bath today just how they are going to be able to travel. I can only assume GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) have sourced buses to take Bath passengers to either Chippenham or Swindon to get a train from there.

I wonder how far back they knew they weren’t going to be able to run the timetabled service out of Bath today?

[martyjon]

Spare a thought for the passengers on the last Paddington - Cardiff service which "Will be terminated at Bristol Parkway due to lack of train crew"

Told at Paddington that there would be onward road transport to Newport and Cardiff available at Bristol Parkway.

Arrived at Parkway no road transport except a handful of taxis and almost as one the taxi drivers stood firm and refused to accept fares across the POW bridge claiming they'd been on duty since 14.00 or 16.00 hrs that day.

Harassed member of GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) staff on duty made a couple of phone calls and established there was a coach on its way from West Bromwich and would be there in about two hours time.

He was finishing his shift and he had to secure the station for the night and so left the luckless passengers shivering in the vehicle entrance to the multi storey car park as that was about the only shelter available from the torrential rain that night.

[Western Pathfinder]

The couldn't organise a piss up in a brewery syndrome strikes again
Frankly that is a disgusting way to treat paying customers,
And whoever locked them out of Parkway and went home ,definitely needs to be spoken too and harshly.

[grahame]

Spare a thought for the passengers on the last Paddington - Cardiff service ..

Harassed member of GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) staff on duty ...

Very much a thought for the passengers ... and also a thought for the staff on the ground who in most cases are doing their very best to be helpful.   

I noted your previous post about a member of staff leaving his job / retiring early, and the first few days of this month have brought more lomg-experienced operational staff who have to face passengers - platform staff, ticket office, train conductors / manager to the point of asking "why do I do this".

Provision  by management to the staff who face passengers daily of a service they can be proud of - or failing that excellent backup in adversity, with high-quality and accurate explanations and prompt alternatives - would not only help passengers, but would also help their staff retention.

[grahame]

The couldn't organise a piss up in a brewery syndrome strikes again
Frankly that is a disgusting way to treat paying customers

Agreed. Totally

And whoever locked them out of Parkway and went home ,definitely needs to be spoken too and harshly.

Agreed. With one proviso. If (s)he could not stay on due to health and safety rules / timeouts etc.  There is a slight possibility (I'm sure others will advise us) that staying on could have resulted in a significant disciplinary ... working too long a shift around the railway, etc ...

[TaplowGreen]

Cancellations so far today.........apparently the Famous Five are signing up with National Express.


08:00 London Paddington to Great Malvern due 10:54
08:19 Cardiff Central to Bristol Temple Meads due 09:09
08:22 Slough to Windsor & Eton Central due 08:28
08:27 London Paddington to Cheltenham Spa due 10:44
08:32 Windsor & Eton Central to Slough due 08:38
09:00 Bath Spa to Swindon due 09:33
09:10 Swindon to Bath Spa due 09:44
09:13 Cardiff Central to Bristol Temple Meads due 10:12
09:30 London Paddington to Port Talbot Parkway due 12:24
09:55 Swindon to Bath Spa due 10:30
10:00 Bath Spa to Swindon due 10:31
10:03 London Paddington to Weston-Super-Mare due 12:32
10:27 London Paddington to Cheltenham Spa due 12:44
10:55 Swindon to Bath Spa due 11:26
11:02 Bath Spa to Swindon due 11:35
11:14 Great Malvern to London Paddington due 14:07
11:18 Cheltenham Spa to London Paddington due 13:27
11:55 Swindon to Bath Spa due 12:30
12:13 Bath Spa to Swindon due 12:40
12:28 London Paddington to Cheltenham Spa due 14:45
12:55 Swindon to Bath Spa due 13:26
13:00 Bath Spa to Swindon due 13:35
13:09 Port Talbot Parkway to London Paddington due 16:06
13:20 Weston-Super-Mare to London Paddington due 15:59
13:38 Bath Spa to Swindon due 14:05
13:46 Cheltenham Spa to London Paddington due 16:01
14:16 Swindon to Bath Spa due 14:48
14:30 London Paddington to Cheltenham Spa due 16:45
14:42 London Paddington to Hereford due 17:56
15:11 Bristol Temple Meads to London Paddington due 16:58
15:25 Bath Spa to Swindon due 15:52
15:42 London Paddington to Worcester Foregate Street due 18:06
15:46 Cheltenham Spa to London Paddington due 18:01
16:30 London Paddington to Cheltenham Spa due 18:46
16:37 London Paddington to Port Talbot Parkway due 19:35
16:43 Bath Spa to London Paddington due 18:22
17:03 London Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads due 18:43
17:46 Cheltenham Spa to London Paddington due 20:00
18:26 Worcester Foregate Street to London Paddington due 21:00
18:27 London Paddington to Bath Spa due 20:08
18:30 Hereford to London Paddington due 22:13
18:43 Bath Spa to London Paddington due 20:22
18:57 London Paddington to Plymouth due 22:29
19:12 Bristol Temple Meads to London Paddington due 20:57
19:27 London Paddington to Bath Spa due 21:00
19:46 Cheltenham Spa to London Paddington due 22:00
20:15 Westbury to Bath Spa due 20:43
20:21 Bath Spa to Swindon due 20:48
21:03 Bath Spa to Weymouth due 23:11
21:07 Bristol Temple Meads to London Paddington due 22:52
21:25 Swindon to Bath Spa due 21:58
21:25 Bath Spa to London Paddington due 23:22
22:03 London Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads due 23:57
22:17 Westbury to Bath Spa due 22:42
22:23 Bath Spa to Swindon due 22:50
22:33 London Paddington to Bristol Parkway due 00:17
23:15 Bath Spa to Westbury due 23:43

[Timmer]

Spare a thought for the passengers on the last Paddington - Cardiff service which "Will be terminated at Bristol Parkway due to lack of train crew"

Told at Paddington that there would be onward road transport to Newport and Cardiff available at Bristol Parkway.

Arrived at Parkway no road transport except a handful of taxis and almost as one the taxi drivers stood firm and refused to accept fares across the POW bridge claiming they'd been on duty since 14.00 or 16.00 hrs that day.

Harassed member of GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) staff on duty made a couple of phone calls and established there was a coach on its way from West Bromwich and would be there in about two hours time.

He was finishing his shift and he had to secure the station for the night and so left the luckless passengers shivering in the vehicle entrance to the multi storey car park as that was about the only shelter available from the torrential rain that night.

West Bromwich!?!?!

How GWR can be allowed to get away with this is a joke.

[martyjon]

The couldn't organise a piss up in a brewery syndrome strikes again
Frankly that is a disgusting way to treat paying customers

Agreed. Totally

And whoever locked them out of Parkway and went home ,definitely needs to be spoken too and harshly.

Agreed. With one proviso. If (s)he could not stay on due to health and safety rules / timeouts etc.  There is a slight possibility (I'm sure others will advise us) that staying on could have resulted in a significant disciplinary ... working too long a shift around the railway, etc ...

I understand the local constabulary were called and attended with a 'blue lighter' and advised the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) staff.

[Timmer]

I’m not surprised the police were called after being told your bus is coming all the way from West Brom people would have had enough.

[martyjon]

Cancellations so far today.........apparently the Famous Five are signing up with National Express.

I like that comment.

BUT what is the Rail Regulator / Minister of Transport doing about the situation, I'll tell you, sweet F A, because neither of them got any guts.

[TaplowGreen]

Spare a thought for the passengers on the last Paddington - Cardiff service which "Will be terminated at Bristol Parkway due to lack of train crew"

Told at Paddington that there would be onward road transport to Newport and Cardiff available at Bristol Parkway.

Arrived at Parkway no road transport except a handful of taxis and almost as one the taxi drivers stood firm and refused to accept fares across the POW bridge claiming they'd been on duty since 14.00 or 16.00 hrs that day.

Harassed member of GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) staff on duty made a couple of phone calls and established there was a coach on its way from West Bromwich and would be there in about two hours time.

He was finishing his shift and he had to secure the station for the night and so left the luckless passengers shivering in the vehicle entrance to the multi storey car park as that was about the only shelter available from the torrential rain that night.

If, as appears to be the case it was known, hours in advance, that there was no driver available to take the service forward past Bristol and yet no provision was made by GWR for timely road transport, either by coach or taxi, and/or warm and secure accommodation to be made available whilst they waited, then something more than a "harsh talking to" is required, and at a somewhat higher level than the poor sap who was left to deal with it.

It is beyond comprehension that the disorganisation and disarray within GWR/First Group has got to such a stage that buses have to be summoned from the Midlands to Bristol to take customers on to Wales late at night, and for those already hugely inconvenienced passengers to have to wait hours on end for them to arrive.

As to Graham's comments about "elf and safety timeouts", you may recall that a couple of weeks ago the actions of a French Policeman, no doubt in contravention of Health and Safety advice, saved lives at the cost of his own.

I think that perhaps puts the dreadful dangers and self sacrifice of using one's discretion/common sense and sticking around to allow members of the public to wait in a safer, warmer and drier environment late at night into perspective.

I very much doubt he would have faced disciplinary action had he done so unless GWR wish to appear even more incompetent and ridiculous than they already do - it would perhaps however have been refreshing in the circumstances if a couple of Managers had shown leadership and pitched up to take over from him? It would be interesting to know what advice he was given in terms of closing the station.

[chuffed]

I am going to ask for a refund on my 3 year  Disabled Railcard, as there are simply not the trains to use it on! When the list of cancellations exceeds the number of services running, surely it is time for Hopwood to man up and speak out.

[broadgage]

It would have been preferable for the station employee to remain at work beyond their normal departure time. It would be unreasonable to insist on this of course.
If the employee was unwilling to remain, then yes I agree that a manager should have been sent.

A point not yet mentioned however is that the employee might well have felt it dangerous to be on their own and surrounded by a crowd of increasingly enraged passengers.

This sounds to me like lack of basic competency on the part of GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway)

Initially, lack of basic competence in recruiting, training, and retaining enough staff to run the advertised service.
Later, lack of competence in arranging alternative transport in a timely fashion. It was known before the service left London that onward road transport would be needed.
And finally lack of basic competence in shutting up the station, presumably without any effort to arrange overtime working by existing staff, or substitute staff from elsewhere.

Whilst I would not support violence, had I been present, I might have been tempted to try a bit of passive resistance ! Simply sit in the waiting area and decline to move. It would take several policemen to carry me out, and since the police are often a lot more reasonable than "the railway" One might hope that the police might enquire as to what was going on.

[YouKnowNothing]

Has the experience been documented anywhere else other than this forum?