East Coast franchise - ongoing discussion, merged topic

[whole diary]

[thetrout]

bring back the GNER^▸ (Great North Eastern Railways) Livery

The NXEC^▸ (National Express East Coast) Livery is the most tacky thing i've ever seen, makes it look so cheap, when really, they charge some of the most expensive tickets on the Railway Network...

Also, anyone find it quite amusing that the same livery on their coaches sets their image "Uncomfortable Unreliableness..."

[JayMac]

Just recieved an email from 'East Coast' highlighting their improved 1st class offering:

We've extended our range of  complimentary snacks in First Class.

If you believe a cup of coffee or tea isn't complete without a tasty little snack, you'll be pleased to know the next time you travel First Class we'll offer you a whole host of delicious treats ^ with our compliments.

We've listened to your feedback and are working with a range of gourmet snack suppliers including Caf^ Bronte, Eat Natural and Burts to bring you a wider selection of complimentary nibbles. Our on-board team will offer you a choice from biscuits, fruitcake, peanuts, yoghurt bars and hand fried potato crisps. The selection available will depend on the time of day you're travelling.

We realise this is a small step along the way to improving our First Class service, but it is just the first. We will continue to make things better and listen to what you have to say. So keep an eye on our website where you'll always find the latest news and developments.

A welcome first step.....

[Super Guard]

So they are offering what FGW^▸ (First Great Western) already does (which most say is not good enough), but 'depending on time that you travel' ?

[Btline]

Until it's at the VT^▸ (Virgin Trains - former franchises) level, it's not good enough.

But it's a good start, and shows that the nationalisation will allow the service to get back to where it was before NX got their dirty hands on the keys.

[John R]

Until it's at the VT^▸ (Virgin Trains - former franchises) level, it's not good enough.

Do you express that view as a regular HSS^▸ (High Speed Services) 1st class passenger Btline?

I'm reasonably happy with the level of complementaries I get, and would not be happy if my fare had to rise several hundred pounds a year to pay for the food offering that Virgin provide.

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

CCTV^▸ (Closed Circuit Tele Vision) cameras are to be installed in trains on the East Coast Mainline in a bid to deter anti-social behaviour.
More than 1,600 cameras will be fitted on the entire fleet of 43 trains run by the government-operated East Coast trains.
They will include in-carriage cameras as well as forward-facing cameras in drivers' cabs.
Engineering director Ian Duncan said the move demonstrated a commitment to passenger safety. He said: "On the very rare occasions when a minority of individuals cause problems on our trains, CCTV systems on board will help protect passengers and our staff against anti-social behaviour, assist authorities with convictions against offenders and hopefully act as a deterrent. The introduction of CCTV on board our trains will help to reassure our customers that the train is a safe way to travel."
Work to fit CCTV systems to East Coast's electric trains is already under way, starting with the installation of cameras in the driver's cab.
Cameras will be installed in the carriages on the electric trains in April.
Similarly, work on the diesel High Speed Trains (HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train)) has already commenced, with two full train sets complete, and the remaining sets expected to be complete by October.

[grahame]

More than 1,600 cameras will be fitted on the entire fleet of 43 trains run by the government-operated East Coast trains.
They will include in-carriage cameras as well as forward-facing cameras in drivers' cabs.

So that's more that 37 cameras per train.  Who's going to be watching them all?  What proportion of time is the average CCTV^▸ (Closed Circuit Tele Vision) actually being watched?

[old original]

They will be used for "after the event" viewing, i.e. when something happens then they will be looked at later for evidence.

[readytostart]

Indeed, recorded onto a hard drive, either internal or external to the OTMR^▸ (On Train Monitoring Recorder), very good quality if what I saw of FSR^▸ (First Scot Rail) CCTV^▸ (Closed Circuit Tele Vision) was anything to go by.

[inspector_blakey]

The images from CCTV^▸ (Closed Circuit Tele Vision) on FGW^▸ (First Great Western) units that BTP^▸ (British Transport Police) have been releasing are also veyr high quality. Just a shame that the press releases are never put out until a month or more after the event!

[TerminalJunkie]

Train drivers' union Aslef is planning to put in a bid to run a main railway line as a not-for-profit business.

18 days too late!

[Electric train]

Be interesting to see

Wonder what would happen if ASLEF^» (Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen - about) were the successful bidder and then the RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) or TSSA^» (Transport Salaried Staffs' Association - about) called for industrial action over dispute its members had with their employer

[vacman]

Be interesting to see

Wonder what would happen if ASLEF^» (Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen - about) were the successful bidder and then the RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) or TSSA^» (Transport Salaried Staffs' Association - about) called for industrial action over dispute its members had with their employer

be even funnier if ASLEF members went on strike!

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Train guards on the East Coast Mainline between London and Scotland are to be balloted over strike action next week.
The Rail Maritime and Transport Union said members would vote whether to walk out in a row over the introduction of automated ticket barriers.
The union claims a fall in commission from the collection of on-board fares has left guards "seriously out of pocket" and undermined their position.
East Coast Mainline said any action was "completely unnecessary".
"We don't believe there's a genuine appetite for it among our guards - and it's the last thing our customers want," he said.
Union general secretary Bob Crow said: "Our members have made it clear that the loss of earnings arising from automation on East Coast is totally unacceptable. They are not prepared to see the position of the guard undermined to the point where these key staff are reduced to become amongst the lowest-paid guards in the country. East Coast Mainline needs to show very clearly they appreciate the role and responsibility of their guards with an offer that fully recognises the loss of income incurred through the installation of ticket barriers."

[Phil]

A debatable point, perhaps. Interesting article in today's Guardian though.

_{And not only posted here because of the rather fetching photo of the Chairman.}

East Coast's chairman, Elaine Holt, accepts that erasing the memory of recent events is a problem. "This is Britain's premier railway and there is a lot of pride in it among staff and passengers. What we are doing is trying to put some pride back in the railway. It is a company that has failed twice, and that inevitably has an impact on the service."

Link: http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/nov/05/elaine-holt-east-coast