Shortage of train crews on Great Western Railway - ongoing discussion

[whole diary]

[IndustryInsider]

All cancelled so far today due to crew shortage - weekend seems to be worse for isolation?

Shortages due to isolations are harder to soak up at weekends, especially Sundays.  In the case of Saturday's there is often the maximum number of staff allowed on leave at most depots, so the standby drivers aren't available in such great numbers as they are on weekdays to cover for any additional shortages such as staff who've been told to self isolate.  In the case of Sunday's there are, as we know, many drivers who can say they are unavailable with 5 days notice, which can exacerbate the Saturday situation further.

Over half a million people told to isolate last week alone, which is having ramifications across the country: https://www.theweek.co.uk/news/science-health/953517/inside-government-plan-to-track-and-trace-pinging-epidemic

[TaplowGreen]

All cancelled so far today due to crew shortage - weekend seems to be worse for isolation?

Shortages due to isolations are harder to soak up at weekends, especially Sundays.  In the case of Saturday's there is often the maximum number of staff allowed on leave at most depots, so the standby drivers aren't available in such great numbers as they are on weekdays to cover for any additional shortages such as staff who've been told to self isolate.  In the case of Sunday's there are, as we know, many drivers who can say they are unavailable with 5 days notice, which can exacerbate the Saturday situation further.

Over half a million people told to isolate last week alone, which is having ramifications across the country: https://www.theweek.co.uk/news/science-health/953517/inside-government-plan-to-track-and-trace-pinging-epidemic

Thanks for that, a good explanation.

It's regrettable that Hopwood and the Unions still haven't sorted out the Sunday situation, ongoing for years, which would at least have made the service more robust, COVID notwithstanding.

Suspect it's still sitting on the "too difficult" pile.

[phile]

All cancelled so far today due to crew shortage - weekend seems to be worse for isolation?

Shortages due to isolations are harder to soak up at weekends, especially Sundays.  In the case of Saturday's there is often the maximum number of staff allowed on leave at most depots, so the standby drivers aren't available in such great numbers as they are on weekdays to cover for any additional shortages such as staff who've been told to self isolate.  In the case of Sunday's there are, as we know, many drivers who can say they are unavailable with 5 days notice, which can exacerbate the Saturday situation further.

Over half a million people told to isolate last week alone, which is having ramifications across the country: https://www.theweek.co.uk/news/science-health/953517/inside-government-plan-to-track-and-trace-pinging-epidemic

Thanks for that, a good explanation.

It's regrettable that Hopwood and the Unions still haven't sorted out the Sunday situation, ongoing for years, which would at least have made the service more robust, COVID notwithstanding.

Suspect it's still sitting on the "too difficult" pile.

GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) not alone.

[IndustryInsider]

Nothing will happen regarding Sunday’s now without the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) getting heavily involved, so in other words nothing will happen.  Once GBR^▸ (Great British Railways) is established it would be a good time to push through a standard set of train crew agreements nationwide covering Sunday’s in the working week.

They will have rather a lot of other plates to spin though.

[ellendune]

I am not sure that the situation at the moment would be much better if they had 'sorted the Sunday situation'. 

[TonyK]

The place to start is with new staff. It wouldn't be fair to burden them with every summer weekend just because no-one else will do it, so there will still be regular issues. Within a decade, though, there will be a great number of train drivers and managers whose contracts include weekends in rotation, and within 20 years, the staff who can choose not to work weekends will be a small minority. That's quicker than renegotiating contracts between unions, ToCs aand DfT^» (Department for Transport - about).

[IndustryInsider]

The place to start is with new staff. It wouldn't be fair to burden them with every summer weekend just because no-one else will do it, so there will still be regular issues. Within a decade, though, there will be a great number of train drivers and managers whose contracts include weekends in rotation, and within 20 years, the staff who can choose not to work weekends will be a small minority. That's quicker than renegotiating contracts between unions, ToCs aand DfT^» (Department for Transport - about).

Bear in mind most staff are currently rostered to work two in three Saturday’s and have to take leave if they want the day off.  Yet Saturday’s remain fragile for coverage.

How many more Saturday’s should new staff be rostered to work?  Three in four?  Four out of five?

[a-driver]

The first batch of new drivers since the pandemic started are due to be passed out from Monday so hopefully that’ll help ease the situation.

[Sixty3Closure]

The place to start is with new staff. It wouldn't be fair to burden them with every summer weekend just because no-one else will do it, so there will still be regular issues. Within a decade, though, there will be a great number of train drivers and managers whose contracts include weekends in rotation, and within 20 years, the staff who can choose not to work weekends will be a small minority. That's quicker than renegotiating contracts between unions, ToCs aand DfT^» (Department for Transport - about).

This is how we did it in what is still a fairly unionised industry. New staff have different contracts and T&Cs and over the last 20 years or so most of the staff on old terms & conditions leave or adapt.

I'd argue we've probably gone too far in that nearly all payments for short notice change, bank holidays, weekends etc have gone and its quite hard to rely on goodwill. However, there is now a culture of 24/7 and weekend and night working that is part of the job. I think its fair so long as you know what you're signing up for.

I have done some recruitment which includes 'night shifts' in 'a 24/7 environment' prominently in the advert and have people ask if that means they go home at 10PM or late evening.   

[TaplowGreen]

The place to start is with new staff. It wouldn't be fair to burden them with every summer weekend just because no-one else will do it, so there will still be regular issues. Within a decade, though, there will be a great number of train drivers and managers whose contracts include weekends in rotation, and within 20 years, the staff who can choose not to work weekends will be a small minority. That's quicker than renegotiating contracts between unions, ToCs aand DfT^» (Department for Transport - about).

Bear in mind most staff are currently rostered to work two in three Saturday’s and have to take leave if they want the day off.  Yet Saturday’s remain fragile for coverage.

How many more Saturday’s should new staff be rostered to work?  Three in four?  Four out of five?

Do you think the can should be kicked down the road for the next 10-20 years?

The railways face a significant contraction in demand for business use with the new world of hybrid working - God knows where that leaves the argument for HS2^▸ (The next High Speed line(s)) but that's for another time.

The opportunity for the railways is in leisure travel - the aspiration writ loud in this forum by many - get people out of their cars and onto the train.

To achieve that, you need a product that can at least approach the convenience of a car and (mostly!) it's reliability when people want it- leaving COVID aside, that is not going to be achieved by unpredictable reliability and frequent mass cancellations when customers want to travel most - and that, I'm afraid, is often Sunday afternoons after a weekend away.

There is a reasonably narrow window of opportunity for the railways to step up to the plate and provide a service that might tempt people off the A38/M5/M4 etc.

Those waving contracts around and beating their chests may care to consider that reduced demand overall means reduced career opportunities - and if the ability to bring the London commute to a halt, which let's be honest is largely what the RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) have relied on for leverage over the years becomes a lot less significant with the rise of remote working, those desperate to hang on to outdated ts and cs may well reflect that they may have to bend a little, or lose a lot more than the occasional Sunday.

Change can be difficult and uncomfortable for some - but for the railway to succeed, it'll be essential, and I'm not sure it can wait for a couple of decades.

Perhaps one to discuss at the next (socially distanced) BBQ? 

[broadgage]

With each year that passes there will be more staff required to work on Sundays, supplemented by some of those who don't HAVE to work on Sundays, but choose to so do.

A lot of the present problems are due to a general lack of staff, with recruitment and training being delayed. Observe for example the number of weekday cancellations due to lack of staff.
Once sufficient staff are recruited and trained to offer a better weekday service, then this will help somewhat with Sundays.

IIRC^▸ (if I recall/remember/read correctly), some newly passed out drivers are due to start work very shortly.

Before any undue optimism breaks out though remember that infrastructure failures and lack of serviceable trains are ongoing. Enough staff is only solving one of the problems.

[grahame]

Before any undue optimism breaks out though remember that infrastructure failures and lack of serviceable trains are ongoing. Enough staff is only solving one of the problems.

Have you been reading my correspondence with GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway)?  - As you know we have had an appalling record at Melksham so far this month and I have been trying to establish what we should do about a nationwide campaign at the end of this month - hat we can offer in terms of day trips where people are assured they can (a) get there in the morning and (b) get home without hassle / long delay later in the day. In the analysis, as well as a dozen services cancelled due to lack of train crew, over a dozen have been cancelled due to point, signalling and train faults so far this month.

[TaplowGreen]

Mayor of London calling for essential TfL^» (Transport for London - about) staff to be allowed the same exemption from isolation as NHS staff....ie double jabbed with negative test & they can carry on working if pinged.

Would seem sensible for the railways too.

[stuving]

Mayor of London calling for essential TfL^» (Transport for London - about) staff to be allowed the same exemption from isolation as NHS staff....ie double jabbed with negative test & they can carry on working if pinged.

Would seem sensible for the railways too.

And Boris has answered, in his usual sort-of manner, already:

As you know we will be moving on August the 16th to a system of testing rather than isolation for those who are double vaccinated by which time we hope that the wall of immunity in our country will be even higher.

And, in the meantime, I want to assure you that we will protect crucial services including the staffing of our hospitals and care homes, the supplies of food, water, electricity and medicines, the running of our trains, the protection of our borders and the defence of our realm, by making sure that a very small number of named, fully vaccinated, critical workers to leave isolation solely for this work. But for the vast majority of us, myself included, I’m afraid we do need to stick with this system for now. And, of course, the only reason we are able to open up in this way at all, is that we have vaccinated such a large proportion of the population – and at such speed.

[a-driver]

Have you been reading my correspondence with GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway)?  - As you know we have had an appalling record at Melksham so far this month and I have been trying to establish what we should do about a nationwide campaign at the end of this month - hat we can offer in terms of day trips where people are assured they can (a) get there in the morning and (b) get home without hassle / long delay later in the day. In the analysis, as well as a dozen services cancelled due to lack of train crew, over a dozen have been cancelled due to point, signalling and train faults so far this month.

The issue at Melksham can easily be solved by giving back all drivers route knowledge between Bristol and Taunton to enable diversions to take place without affecting Melksham.
Drivers, signallers and planners are frustrated that this option has been taken away creating them a huge headache when issues occur.