2023 - Train update and amendment log - Swindon <-> Westbury

[whole diary]

[grahame]

Ongoing exchanges with GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) on the problem of the rail replacement bus refusing to pick up passengers without tickets, even though there are no ticket purchase facilities at Melksham this morning.   

As I understand it, ticket machine out of action (so even pre-purchased tickets cannot be collected) and no way to purchase on a card as there normally would be. No way to pay in cash (normally pay the train manager), and no-one there to ask for help - station itself unmanned and cafe with CRP^▸ (Community Rail Partnership) staff does not open on Sundays anyway.

A note from another driver who sometimes runs Rail Replacement Services that he's instructed not to check tickets, which seems sensible as the complex ticketing system of the railways is not something many bus drivers would understand, and they don't have rail ticket machines on the buses anyway.  So as reported, this appears to be a driver taking an authority and action outside the normal remit.

[IndustryInsider]

Yes, there should be no ticket checks made by RRB^▸ (Rail Replacement Bus) drivers as they are not trained.  I would perhaps say a “You need a ticket, mate” to any passengers who looks a bit dubious would be acceptable, but no more than that.  If tickets need to be checked then it’s up to the TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company) to provide a member of their staff to do the check.

[grahame]

I visited Melksham Station. I arrived at the station actually just after the bus arrived and was surprised to see people headed from the bus stop onto the platform the use the TVM^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine) (which contrary to earlier suggestions IS working for cards) before coming back to join the bus. I spoke with the driver of the bus (11:30 to Westbury) and told him about the limitations of ticket purchase at Melksham. He explained that he could only wait so long when people had been sent to the machine, as others on the bus have connections to make.  I suspect there will be no further issues during his shift. 

From 2 hours back, @GWRHelp don't seem to have got a message through to him (and he is a First employee) - wonderful what people in the local friends group (such as myself) can do to sort out a little local difficulty even when the TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company) can't!

Edit to clarify a couple of words (make it read better)

[Mark A]

Ongoing exchanges with GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) on the problem of the rail replacement bus refusing to pick up passengers without tickets, even though there are no ticket purchase facilities at Melksham this morning....

So as reported, this appears to be a driver taking an authority and action outside the normal remit.

Wondering if this might be a product of the new stance on penalty fares from certain TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company). Not sure if it helps front-line staff, and will encourage some to over-reach.

Cardiff Central the other day, two people who spoke very little english had managed to turn up at the barriers from London - and were  heading for one of the welsh valleys station. They seemed to think they'd paid for the London to Cardiff stretch using Oyster^▸ (Smartcard system used by passengers on Transport for London services) but the barrier mechanism wasn't so sure - they were wanting to know from the TfW staff outside the barrier how to purchase onward tickets to the valleys destination. I'm hoping the excess ticket window handled *that* gracefully. A tale that sort of indicates that no matter how complicated one might think ticketing is, real world examples manage to throw out something even more complicated and hitherto not imagined.

Mark

[ChrisB]

Are RRS drivers actually *instructed* not to check tickets and/or check whether they have a ticket (any ticket)? or just not instructed at all about ticket checking? There is a big difference.

If it's a rogue driver ignoring their instructions, there is very little (read: nothing) and TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company) can do om a Sunday morning - there would be no one within the bus control able to get a message to the driver within a couple of hours at least (remember that drivers are *instructed* not to check their phones while working)

Using Oyster^▸ (Smartcard system used by passengers on Transport for London services) to travel long distances....is a known problem. That'd hurt their pockets trying to sort that out, even i no penalty fare issued (which I doubt it was). That is exactly why on-train checks are necessary so that errors like that are caught early. I wonder why they thought Oyster might get them to Cardiff but not on up the valleys? Hmm, that raises me a flag that would be investigated. I can understand those with a language difficulty thinking Oyster might be a uk product across all rail, but then to want to buy a separate ticket up the valleys doesn't compute easily.

[grahame]

Are RRS drivers actually *instructed* not to check tickets and/or check whether they have a ticket (any ticket)? or just not instructed at all about ticket checking? There is a big difference.

He waved papers at me saying there was nothing in his instructions about checking tickets or not.

If it's a rogue driver ignoring their instructions, there is very little (read: nothing) and TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company) can do on a Sunday morning.

(remember that drivers are *instructed* not to check their phones while working)

Does "nothing the TOC could do" include asking a member of Chippenham or Westbury station staff to pop down to the RRB^▸ (Rail Replacement Bus) when it's there and inform or remind the driver of the situation with tickets?   

[ChrisB]

To catch every RRS & its driver, probably. Which RRS and which driver? Station staff won't have the roster, and nor would GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) control.

[grahame]

To catch every RRS & its driver, probably. Which RRS and which driver? Station staff won't have the roster, and nor would GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) control.

It's one bus, Chris.  Shuttling up and down today between Westbury and Chippenham.  The ONLY Rail Replacement bus all day at Westbury (where staff could have a word) and Trowbridge (more difficult as staff are in ticket office and bus call is brief).   There was no suggestion that this is an endemic problem across all GWR rail replacement services.    But, I grant you, far easier when the problem is identified for @GWRHelp to pass it on internally and be secure in the knowledge the problem will go away at the end of the day - at least for the time being.

[ChrisB]

Drivers can still be swapped over, depending on their hours & shift.

[grahame]

Drivers can still be swapped over, depending on their hours & shift.

Yep ... a brief chat with the current driver is not guaranteed to fix the issue, but it has a darned good chance and would have been a darned site better chance than just excuse/smokescreen mode.    Would have worked too, because there wasn't a swap / shift change.

[IndustryInsider]

Well said, Graham.  Sadly ChrisB’s ‘computer says no’ arguments seem to be endemic in the post-Covid government controlled railway.

[ChrisB]

Indeed - Problems can be increased with centralisation. Area Manager as was would have sorted that quickly wghere there was more local management.

[grahame]

05:17 Westbury to Swindon due 06:01

05:17 Westbury to Swindon due 06:01 will be terminated at Chippenham.
It will no longer call at Swindon.
It will be starting late from Westbury.
This is due to engineering works not being finished on time.

06:11 Swindon to Southampton Central due 08:07

06:11 Swindon to Southampton Central due 08:07 will be started from Chippenham.
It will no longer call at Swindon.
This is due to engineering works not being finished on time.

[TaplowGreen]

06:11 Swindon to Southampton Central due 08:07

06:11 Swindon to Southampton Central due 08:07 is being delayed at Westbury.
This is due to a broken down train.

[grahame]

06:11 Swindon to Southampton Central due 08:07

06:11 Swindon to Southampton Central due 08:07 is being delayed at Westbury.
This is due to a broken down train.

and now terminating at Salisbury.  It is (when it runs) the extra school train south of Salisbury to there many be some children  late to school this morning.  Not a huge deal as it would be further north - gap of 15 minutes before the next Salisbury to Southampton train, and most passenger on the train change as Salisbury so relatively few Warminster to Romsey or Southampton passengers.

06:11 Swindon to Southampton Central due 08:07

06:11 Swindon to Southampton Central due 08:07 will be terminated at Salisbury.
It will no longer call at Romsey and Southampton Central.
It has been delayed at Westbury and is now 36 minutes late.
This is due to a broken down train.