Nailsea Station Assistant

[whole diary]

[vacman]

On the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) website they are advertising for a rail operator at Nailsea/Weston, a job for you Chris?? 

[Chris from Nailsea]

Thanks very much for spotting, this, vacman! 

It^s all a bit intriguing, actually. Nailsea hasn^t been manned regularly since our old friend Dave the Station Manager ^retired^, quite some time ago (we believe ^ he was off sick for a long time with an eye injury).

This role is advertised as a six month fixed term appointment as a general purpose relief ^ suggesting that it^s not to cover for Dave^s old role, and it^s not a return to Nailsea being a truly ^manned^ station?

Perhaps someone at FGW^▸ (First Great Western) has read my posts on this forum, constantly mentioning the ^good old days^ when Nailsea had real staff selling tickets, and has decided to get someone in to do the job, just to stop me moaning?

 

[Lee]

Well, you have until 1700 tomorrow to apply....
http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/Job.aspx?id=624

I also came across this (link below.)
http://www.rewardingjourney.co.uk/

[Lee]

FOSBR^▸ (Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways) has been informed that a member of FGW^▸ (First Great Western) staff will be present at Filton Abbey Wood station occasionally over the next few weeks dealing with the ticket office and providing customer assistance.

Any chance of them also turning up 'occasionally' at Nailsea and Backwell, to provide similar services??? 

FGW - No plans to staff Nailsea and Backwell on a permanent basis.

[John R]

So no plans to fulfil what is shown on the NationalRail website as the standard facilities then (ie staffed 0630 - 0930 weekdays)?

When I wrote to them a year or so ago they said that the station should be staffed and they were recruiting. Appears to be destaffing by stealth. 

[John R]

Great news, we now have the station staffed from 6.30 to 9.30 each morning. I understand it's a 6 month trial.

The very cheery chap was there this morning with his broom sweeping away, and he told me that his other duties include helping passengers, checking that the screens are working correctly, and phoning through to FGW^▸ (First Great Western) control during periods of perturbation to keep passengers informed.

Spot the omission? Apparently he's had a lot of feedback that what passengers would really like him to do is sell tickets, but apparently he's not been given the facilities to do that......

In the immortal words of Homer, Dohhhh!

 

[swlines]

I suspect he hasn't been trained how to use a TIS^‡(resolve) ... an Avantix^▸ (Ticket Issuing System used on board trains) wouldn't be too hard to learn though. I figured it out in about 10 minutes (and that includes XS fares, vacman ).

[willc]

Did Avantix^▸ (Ticket Issuing System used on board trains) man make his much-heralded debut this morning?

[John R]

'Er indoors says she had a chat with cheery chap this morning (at the station before you say anything  ), so he was there for some of the time around 9ish.

[Chris from Nailsea]

Thanks, John, for that useful information! 

Indeed - well done to FGW^▸ (First Great Western) for acting so promptly on that one - but what about the (rather more useful?) machine on platform 2 - which would potentially be used by many more people (that is, all the Bristol-bound commuters in the mornings)?

And where is our local cheery chap?  He wasn't there this morning, either? 

[Chris from Nailsea]

At Nailsea & Backwell, we still have the ticket machine on the footpath below platform 1.  However, that machine is not covered by the CCTV^▸ (Closed Circuit Tele Vision) camera, so I suspect it's only a matter of time before that machine too suffers the fate of the nearby telephone kiosk - which gets vandalised every other Friday night, as far as I can make out ... 

Perhaps the answer is to follow the example set by Chiltern:

Machines along our route that have not been broken into will now only be accepting cards.

... and, sure enough, after the subsequent attack on that ticket machine on the footpath under platform 1 at Nailsea, FGW^▸ (First Great Western) have listened to me: that repaired ticket machine is now 'debit/credit card only - no cash'.

The notice on the machine 'apologises for the inconvenience': well, to be honest, it's no particular inconvenience to me - I just want to buy a ticket, whether that transaction is made on the station or on board the train.  In future, I may just make a point of only having the right change in cash to buy my ticket, on board: our local chap with an Avantix^▸ (Ticket Issuing System used on board trains) machine is not present nearly as often as we were led to believe he would be?

[John R]

And when he's there he seems to spend most of his time in the ticket office on the phone or otherwise ignoring those who wish to purchase a ticket, so I'm told by a very reliable source.

[Chris from Nailsea]

Hmmm.  I have to say, John, that your 'very reliable source' is absolutely right: the 'service' provided at Nailsea now isn't a patch on that offered by Dave, in the good old days. 

[Chris from Nailsea]

Passing the station this lunchtime it appeared as though repairs/replacement of the ticket machine was underway.

Certainly not before time, John!

This morning, for example, there was a group of passengers, chatting on platform 2 about the ticket office being locked and shuttered, yet again. "He's obviously been sent to work Weston again this morning," someone suggested, referring to this latest absence of our local Avantix^▸ (Ticket Issuing System used on board trains)-trained operative.

However, when our train to Bristol was announced, our local chap nipped out of the cabin, locked it behind him and scuttled off, rather furtively, over the footbridge - watched with wry amusement by that group of passengers: he'd been in there all along!?

Frankly, if he's that unwilling to sell tickets, the long-awaited repair of the machine on platform 2 will be most timely. 

[John R]

Sorry, hadn't seen this post before. Don't know why. Of course, I was wrong, the hive of activity was to remove the old machine, now replaced by a rather curious looking wooden box.

Mr Avantix^▸ (Ticket Issuing System used on board trains) man was pleased with himself yesterday, celebrating the renewal of his contract. I believe he even sold a few tickets in a rush of blood.