Cross Country Destruction of service

[whole diary]

[Mookiemoo]

Have to say, as a long-time user of the 17.51, that I can't recall a single occasion when it has been subbed by a two-car 165 - three car 165s yes and also 166s, but never a two-car - even FGW^▸ (First Great Western) control aren't that cruel to Oxford commuters.

Winter 2007/08

Any 165 is not acceptable

[willc]

So not exactly a common occurrence. I've been on stand-in Turbos on that train a good few times in the past four years and they've always been three-car, never mind that substitutions seem to be rather rarer these days than they were last year.

And 165s - so long as the heaters work - are often a lot more acceptable than a 166 at this time of year, with the 166s' uncanny ability to turn one coach into a sauna, one into a fridge and the other into something in between, all in one train.

Are you really saying no train is better than a train of some sort? I would rather get into a sardine can than spend another 30 minutes or an hour hanging around at Oxford station. It's not as if you are being confronted with a packed Turbo day in day out, which is the lot of those commuting using the local services into Paddington.

[dog box]

getting back on topic....XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) have recently decreed to there cleaning contractor at btm that its feasibly possible to clean an entire vomiter with one person in 45 min, which is rather wishful thinking, they have also taken the supply of catering stock in house and put the prices up again.
The Maintainence now seems to being skimped some what, as sets are running about with lots of stuff broken, and damaged, something that never seemed to happen about 18 months ago.
Also the shop has gone and in it place we have the  bike rack, which  has got to be the design joke of the century

[thetrout]

I think dog box has summed things up there quite nicely...

45 mins to clean an entire train... Hmmm... I know for a fact that would defy (sp?) the laws of physics on the 17:44 & 18:44 BRI^» (Bristol Temple Meads - next trains) - PLY^» (Plymouth - next trains) services. Very much overcrowded...! I've been in FC^‡(resolve) and decided I would like sometime to eat... sometimes you can't even make it half way down the train... as some passengers are very reluctant to let you through... annoys them even more when you come back again

Maintainence is a joke at times... 1 toilet on a working on a 221 is not acceptable, never mind usable!

Any First Class passengers who travel between Penzance & Taunton also onto Bristol T M I would advise you to use FGW^▸ (First Great Western)... Yes sometimes they are slower... but IMHO^▸ (in my humble opinion) you get much more for your money than with XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise))... Also with Travelling Chef's on selected services... a hot at seat meal makes the journey much more pleasant

[Tim]

Also the shop has gone and in it place we have the  bike rack, which  has got to be the design joke of the century

It faces stiff competition from other design features on those awful trains.  How about:

- the sliding doors that require two button presses to open a double set.

The sliding doors that have a luggage area in front of the space the door opens into so that the doors can get jammed shut (a safety problem surely)or else open and crush the luggage.

- The former shop in the middle of SC so you got queques forming from both directions.

- The toilets that still stink years after Virgbn claim tohave soved the problem.

-The luggage racks that get a better view out of the window than the passenger.

-The the double luggage racks where about 8inches of space is taken up buy the width of the rack rather than being available for the luggage.

- The three disabled toilets per set where only one of them is actually reachable from a wheelchair space.

-The easily jamable door on the above.

- The too small toilet tanks (or perhaps they are just rubbish at emptying them).

- The awful electronic reservation system which take an age to read because they say "this seat ......is not rese....erved", rather than just "available".

- The automatic taps that switch on and wet your hands when you are trying to use the hand dryer.

[JayMac]

Over the past few weeks I was hoping to post a link to the new Winter AXC^» (Arriva Cross Country - about) timetables on their website like I have done with FGW^▸ (First Great Western) and SWT^▸ (South West Trains): http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=5676.0

BUT I can't as they aren't on their website! Not a lot to ask is it.

Terrible. Sniffy email sent to cross country:

ENQUIRY
"Quite simple, where are the pdf files on your website for the new pocket timetables?

One suspects the lack of them is another penny pinching reduction in service from Arriva Cross Country. Whose benefit are you running a train service for? It sure don't seem to be the passengers."

Just received this reply from CrossCountry Customer Service:

"I'm afraid you can no longer download a PDF version of our timetables from our website. You can however create your own timetable using the following link. I am sorry if you are disappointed."

Guess they need to change their passenger charter then:

"We also publish a number of timetables free of charge, which you can get from staffed stations across our network or from crosscountrytrains.co.uk."

[Lee]

Not being funny, but its not a lot of time, effort and money to put timetable pdf's onto a website.

Poor show indeed.

[Branch Line Connor]

At the end of the day Crosscountry seem to care more about cost and make stuff cheap than the quality of there trains and there passangers. Every time I travel with Crosscountry I seem to have to squeeze in somewhere and, fight for a seat. Disgrace Really.

[Btline]

Hopefully they are breaching their franchise requirement to provide timetables so Elaine Holt can take over!

[Branch Line Connor]

I just think Arriva are no good at running train companys and focus on the bus industry 

[vacman]

I think the biggets joke design of all time is the Voyager it'sself!

[Branch Line Connor]

I think the biggets joke design of all time is the Voyager it'sself!

Only really handy on branch line services because its no bigger than 2 dmu's

[Super Guard]

First thing they did when they took over: they decided that they would not provide a taxi for passengers who missed their connection (due to XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise))) when there was another service within 1hr59mins, whereas FGW^▸ (First Great Western)/SWT^▸ (South West Trains)/(VirginXC) all provided alternatives when the next service is 1hr+.  It was clear then AXC^» (Arriva Cross Country - about) was all about ^ and not customer service.

[Branch Line Connor]

First thing they did when they took over: they decided that they would not provide a taxi for passengers who missed their connection (due to XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise))) when there was another service within 1hr59mins, whereas FGW^▸ (First Great Western)/SWT^▸ (South West Trains)/(VirginXC) all provided alternatives when the next service is 1hr+.  It was clear then AXC^» (Arriva Cross Country - about) was all about ^ and not customer service.
[/quote
At least somebody agree's with me on something 

[dog box]

lots of XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) services have been scrapped today due to xmas..which has resulted in everything going North/South of Bristol being rammed which is what happens when you run 4 car toyagers {sorry voyagers}