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« Reply #1470 on: December 18, 2020, 07:32:01 » |
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I can see two means by which the present situation could be slightly improved.
Firstly permit drivers and train managers to postponne or carry forward annual leave as desired, rather than forcing them to take leave by the normaly required date and making a bad situation worse.
This causes an issue where next year, you?ll have more drivers unable to use their leave. The company only guarantees a certain amount off on any given day. Been done. I am aware of several who have delayed retirement until the middle of next year have a similar problem with many front line staff who have not used this years full quota of leave, only a certain amount can be carried over to 2021 and only 5 days can be sold back to the company. Everyone is conscious of the fact that once restrictions on travel lift, possibly next summer, these frontline staff will want to take time off and use their stored leave |
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Starship just experienced what we call a rapid unscheduled disassembly, or a RUD, during ascent,”
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TaplowGreen
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« Reply #1471 on: December 18, 2020, 15:42:02 » |
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I can see two means by which the present situation could be slightly improved.
Firstly permit drivers and train managers to postponne or carry forward annual leave as desired, rather than forcing them to take leave by the normaly required date and making a bad situation worse.
This causes an issue where next year, you?ll have more drivers unable to use their leave. The company only guarantees a certain amount off on any given day. Been done. I am aware of several who have delayed retirement until the middle of next year have a similar problem with many front line staff who have not used this years full quota of leave, only a certain amount can be carried over to 2021 and only 5 days can be sold back to the company. Everyone is conscious of the fact that once restrictions on travel lift, possibly next summer, these frontline staff will want to take time off and use their stored leave Have NR/ GWR▸ staff been prevented or discouraged from taking their annual leave this year? |
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a-driver
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« Reply #1472 on: December 18, 2020, 20:33:59 » |
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Have NR» /GWR▸ staff been prevented or discouraged from taking their annual leave this year?
The majority of GWR leave is rostered, the 2021 leave roster would have been posted several months ago, so it's all done well in advance. You don't get rostered Christmas off that often, once in every 4 years, if that, so you aren't going to give up that up! Ad-hoc leave, the odd days you have left over (roughly about 7 days??). For the size of Plymouth depot, the company will only guarantee a maximum of probably 4 drivers ad-hoc leave per day so in reality, you aren't going to gain much from trying to discourage crew taking leave. Interestingly, GWR are trying other "methods" to obtain drivers https://www.tssa.org.uk/en/whats-new/news/index.cfm/gwr-tssa-covid-concerns |
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TaplowGreen
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« Reply #1473 on: December 18, 2020, 20:47:24 » |
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Have NR» /GWR▸ staff been prevented or discouraged from taking their annual leave this year?
The majority of GWR leave is rostered, the 2021 leave roster would have been posted several months ago, so it's all done well in advance. You don't get rostered Christmas off that often, once in every 4 years, if that, so you aren't going to give up that up! Ad-hoc leave, the odd days you have left over (roughly about 7 days??). For the size of Plymouth depot, the company will only guarantee a maximum of probably 4 drivers ad-hoc leave per day so in reality, you aren't going to gain much from trying to discourage crew taking leave. Interestingly, GWR are trying other "methods" to obtain drivers https://www.tssa.org.uk/en/whats-new/news/index.cfm/gwr-tssa-covid-concernsThanks, but it was more about Electric Trains point re: staff having a lot of leave stored up, but if as you say it's all planned so far in advance, most of 2020s will have been planned well in advance & used, and 2021s will have been posted so it shouldn't be an issue? |
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a-driver
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« Reply #1474 on: December 18, 2020, 20:52:05 » |
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Thanks, but it was more about Electric Trains point re: staff having a lot of leave stored up, but if as you say it's all planned so far in advance, most of 2020s will have been planned well in advance & used, and 2021s will have been posted so it shouldn't be an issue?
The only days GWR▸ drivers will have is their ad-hoc days stored... maximum 4 guaranteed off per day, 5 days can be carried over into 2021. NR» could obviously be different. |
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TaplowGreen
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« Reply #1475 on: December 19, 2020, 08:07:54 » |
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Over 100 listed including those pre-notified.
Cancellations to services between London Paddington and Plymouth
Cancellations to services between Reading and Gatwick Airport
Cancellations to services between Swindon and Cheltenham Spa
Cancellations to services between London Paddington and Cardiff Central
I do wonder how a safe environment on those trains which are still running is being assured.
Has the Tsar issued any guidance publicly for those still planning to travel on GWR▸ and elsewhere?
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Electric train
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« Reply #1476 on: December 19, 2020, 08:22:45 » |
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Have NR» /GWR▸ staff been prevented or discouraged from taking their annual leave this year?
The majority of GWR leave is rostered, the 2021 leave roster would have been posted several months ago, so it's all done well in advance. You don't get rostered Christmas off that often, once in every 4 years, if that, so you aren't going to give up that up! Ad-hoc leave, the odd days you have left over (roughly about 7 days??). For the size of Plymouth depot, the company will only guarantee a maximum of probably 4 drivers ad-hoc leave per day so in reality, you aren't going to gain much from trying to discourage crew taking leave. Interestingly, GWR are trying other "methods" to obtain drivers https://www.tssa.org.uk/en/whats-new/news/index.cfm/gwr-tssa-covid-concernsThanks, but it was more about Electric Trains point re: staff having a lot of leave stored up, but if as you say it's all planned so far in advance, most of 2020s will have been planned well in advance & used, and 2021s will have been posted so it shouldn't be an issue? The Frontline NR staff are professional and dedicated to what they do, and they understand the need to plan leave, the senior managers and directors also respect that staff need to have a holiday for well being reasons and for safety reasons. You have to remember the frontline staff have not had the opportunity to work from home, they have had to cover at short notice when colleges have had to self isolate, been sick. My experience of the frontline teams is they are still highly motivated to maintain an operational railway |
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Starship just experienced what we call a rapid unscheduled disassembly, or a RUD, during ascent,”
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Wizard
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« Reply #1477 on: December 19, 2020, 08:31:10 » |
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Over 100 listed including those pre-notified.
Cancellations to services between London Paddington and Plymouth
Cancellations to services between Reading and Gatwick Airport
Cancellations to services between Swindon and Cheltenham Spa
Cancellations to services between London Paddington and Cardiff Central
I do wonder how a safe environment on those trains which are still running is being assured.
Has the Tsar issued any guidance publicly for those still planning to travel on GWR▸ and elsewhere?
On the plus side at least some Cheltenham - Paddington trains have been replaced with a shuttle between Cheltenham and Swindon. |
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grahame
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« Reply #1478 on: December 19, 2020, 10:53:37 » |
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My experience of the frontline teams is they are still highly motivated to maintain an operational railway
My experience too ... and from a different personal background. Quoted separately as a "soundbite" to highlight it. |
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Coffee Shop Admin, Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, TravelWatch SouthWest Board Member
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grahame
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« Reply #1479 on: December 19, 2020, 11:28:48 » |
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Here's "what it looks like" this morning ... not sure if this is really best understandable.  Such diagrams work well in the case of a low number of trains with issues but the message gets less clear as numbers rise. Looking through the list on JourneyCheck, I find it equally obtuse / difficult to find what is actually expected to run. With automated systems, I really wonder if timetable generation software can't be linked in, so that a it's easy to pull up a timetable of what's actually running / expected to run for the (rest of) the day. Not really what I'm shouting for ... but the MRUG» "onward journey" pages can help - here for Bristol Parkway  and on there I can select my final/next destination to see services to there  Control case - here is the CURRENT services shown on the same diagram - as I write, almost the same as the image above - but it will change over time (less scribbling all over it, we hope) 
Links to(wards) the current versions of diagrams above: Map: http://new.passenger.chat/map/_DAAJAAACAA.jpgMap explorer: http://new.passenger.chat/better/map.htmlOnward trains: http://www.mrug.org.uk/bpw.htmlInformation pages including links to multiple status sources: http://new.passenger.chat/better/map.html?stn=BPW» Edit to add - I have taken advantage of all the cancellations and updated the reports to make them a little clearer at such times. Now greying out and striking through cancelled trains, and leaving out their calling patterns too. Example:  |
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« Last Edit: December 19, 2020, 12:41:34 by grahame »
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Coffee Shop Admin, Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, TravelWatch SouthWest Board Member
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TaplowGreen
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« Reply #1480 on: December 19, 2020, 13:12:49 » |
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GWR▸ Twitter now saying that social distancing cannot be guaranteed on the services that are running due to volume of customers displaced from cancelled trains.
A friend is on the 1203 Paddington-Penzance which is apparently full and standing throughout. Extra stops not helping.
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IndustryInsider
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« Reply #1481 on: December 19, 2020, 14:02:53 » |
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Double time being offered to those working on 27th December to perhaps coax a few more volunteers to work an additional shift.
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To view my GWML▸ Electrification cab video 'before and after' video comparison, as well as other videos of the new layout at Reading and 'before and after' comparisons of the Cotswold Line Redoubling scheme, see: http://www.dailymotion.com/user/IndustryInsider/ |
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a-driver
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« Reply #1482 on: December 19, 2020, 14:05:22 » |
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Double time being offered to those working on 27th December to perhaps coax a few more volunteers to work an additional shift.
Hull Trains have been approached as well. Wanting to see if they have any volunteer drivers to cover work out of Plymouth |
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TaplowGreen
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« Reply #1483 on: December 19, 2020, 15:09:03 » |
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4pm Press Conference today may make it all academic.
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broadgage
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« Reply #1484 on: December 19, 2020, 15:27:58 » |
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The station master at Brimpsfield might reasonably state that the service has "all gone to pot"
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A proper intercity train has a minimum of 8 coaches, gangwayed throughout, with first at one end, and a full sized buffet car between first and standard.
It has space for cycles, surfboards,luggage etc.
A 5 car DMU▸ is not a proper inter-city train. The 5+5 and 9 car DMUs are almost as bad.
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