Passengers "mutiny" on the train

[whole diary]

[ChrisB]

He did at the MMPA AGM^▸ (Annual General Meeting) recently. A lot down to training requirements, they’re around a year short of where they should be in terms of driver training. But we can ask again

[broadgage]

One to bring up with Mark Hopwood at our AGM^▸ (Annual General Meeting) in 10 days? Get the actualities from the horse’s mouth

Do you think MH will want to talk about it? Wasn’t exactly GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway)’s finest hour.

I very much doubt that MH will want to talk about this particular incident in detail. It would be hard to say too much without opening other worm cans.
More likely IMHO^▸ ('in my humble opinion') to make a rather general statement about "lessons being learnt, and procedures being reviewed, and communications being improved"

Cant say too much about lack of staff, apart again from a generally re-assuring statement about "recruitment and training going well despite the challenges of the pandemic"

Cant say too much about the failed IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train - replacement for HSTs (manufactured by Hitachi in Kobe, Japan)) project, again beyond generalities such as "We and our industry partners are all working very hard to overcome problems, but progress has been slowed by the pandemic"

I have more faith in Mr. Hopwood than in some railway managers, but criticising his company in any significant way is not on, and neither is any serious criticism of the new trains, nor of the government department that ordered them.

[ChrisB]

It doesn't need to be in detail....as long as lessons have been identified - he would then discuss these -  and he confirms that they will be learned....he can then be held to account.

[IndustryInsider]

It doesn't need to be in detail....as long as lessons have been identified - he would then discuss these -  and he confirms that they will be learned....he can then be held to account.

The main one being that if you make a decision to add stops, you only reverse that decision in very exceptional circumstances.  With a ‘set down’ policy instigated should crowding become an issue.

[ChrisB]

Couldn’t agree more, and the one I’d major on should he be willing to chat…

[PhilWakely]

It doesn't need to be in detail....as long as lessons have been identified - he would then discuss these -  and he confirms that they will be learned....he can then be held to account.

The main one being that if you make a decision to add stops, you only reverse that decision in very exceptional circumstances.  With a ‘set down’ policy instigated should crowding become an issue.

I fail to see how a 'set down' policy would work. I've been at Exeter St Davids on a Summer Sunday when Up Londons have been dangerously overcrowded. A member of station staff has announced that 'the arriving train is already full and standing, please wait for the next train' and folk still board the train unimpeded.

[IndustryInsider]

Quite simply you don’t announce it at all and you remove it from the station CIS^▸ (Customer Information System).  Sure, the odd person might get on, but the majority won’t.  As long as more people leave than join then you’ve improved the situation.  The crew also have the ability to easily put a ‘not in service’ message or blank the external displays on the IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train - replacement for HSTs (manufactured by Hitachi in Kobe, Japan)).

[TaplowGreen]

Quite simply you don’t announce it at all and you remove it from the station CIS^▸ (Customer Information System).  Sure, the odd person might get on, but the majority won’t.  As long as more people leave than join then you’ve improved the situation.  The crew also have the ability to easily put a ‘not in service’ message or blank the external displays on the IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train - replacement for HSTs (manufactured by Hitachi in Kobe, Japan)).

Just working that one through using Phil's example - summer Sunday afternoon at Exeter St Davids, platforms busy, almost certainly soaking up a number of long distance cancellations given that it's a summer Sunday and staff don't want to work.......train pulls in, a few people get off, already delayed customers ask platform staff ("Is that a London train?") - what are they supposed to say in reply? "Yes, but you can't get on"?

Given a busy platform, with the best part of an hour to wait for the next train, how do you think that'd play out?

[IndustryInsider]

In the case of Exeter all trains stop there so you wouldn’t have a situation where a stop there was added and then subsequently removed.

[jamestheredengine]

It doesn't need to be in detail....as long as lessons have been identified - he would then discuss these -  and he confirms that they will be learned....he can then be held to account.

The main one being that if you make a decision to add stops, you only reverse that decision in very exceptional circumstances.  With a ‘set down’ policy instigated should crowding become an issue.

I fail to see how a 'set down' policy would work. I've been at Exeter St Davids on a Summer Sunday when Up Londons have been dangerously overcrowded. A member of station staff has announced that 'the arriving train is already full and standing, please wait for the next train' and folk still board the train unimpeded.

There's always the good old announcement that goes "this train is set-down only; any passengers joining the train without a valid ticket will be required to pay the full fare from Plymouth/Newport/Inverkeithing".