|
12962
|
Journey by Journey / Bristol (WECA) Commuters / Re: "Ken Livingstone's Rejects"
|
on: February 19, 2008, 22:16:06
|
Chris These units are as built with 2/3 seating remember though our 150/2s had this style until Wales and West Trains or was it Wessex decided to replace them with the 2/2 Chapman Seats thus reducing the seating capacity, whilst increasing standing room.
So perhaps the 150/2 gives a distorted view of an overcrowded train comparied to the two 150/1s we have
dog box, thank you for your explanation ^ and I do understand that you are probably just trying to contain my boyish enthusiasm for 150/1s! However, while I was given a rare treat last Friday evening, having a ride home on a 150/1 on the 1753 from BTM▸ to Nailsea, (see http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=1753.msg12089#msg12089 ) I was brought back to reality with a bump yesterday! A 143 turned up for the 1753 service: not good news, as it^s half term this week and platform 8 was busier than usual. Sure enough, about 30 passengers (that is, me and 29 others!) were left behind, to catch the 1822 instead. My point remains that, compared with the 143 (or even a 150/2?) that we are normally crammed onto for the 1753 service, that 150/1 turning up last Friday was like an early birthday present!  |
|
|
|
|
12965
|
Journey by Journey / Plymouth and Cornwall / Re: Is it me??
|
on: February 17, 2008, 22:59:31
|
|
Vacman, thanks for raising this!
From what you say, RPIs▸ make your job (as an ATE?) easier: why is that? I assume it's because they have greater 'powers' than you - but what powers, and why?
As I hope you know by now (based on my previous posts!), I'm against fare dodging in any guise. What annoys me is (for example) when train staff on our local trains habitually stay in the rear cab between two stations, so regular passengers get to know that they're unlikely to be checked between those stations and therefore don't bother to buy a ticket.
At my local station, which is unmanned and does not have barriers (not sure where they'd fit them in anyway!), I think that's an issue - costing FGW▸ a lot of revenue!
|
|
|
|
|
12967
|
All across the Great Western territory / Across the West / Re: Station and on board train announcements - merged topic, ongoing discussion
|
on: February 17, 2008, 21:11:55
|
And such announcements are (or were) broadcast at Nailsea and Backwell: "any unattended articles will be removed without warning." Oh, yes: removed by who, exactly? As Nailsea is an unmanned station, is this yet another job opportunity for the civilian lady who runs the coffee van at the foot of the steps to platform 2, perhaps???
It's even funnier that she says "...may be removed without warning, or damaged or destroyed by the security services"...what security services, if the station's unmanned?! Hmmm. Yes, I'm becoming convinced that the friendly lady who runs the little coffee van on the roadside at Nailsea is in fact also SAS-trained and has body armour, a balaclava and Heckler & Koch ready in her glove compartment ... |
|
|
|
|
12968
|
All across the Great Western territory / Across the West / Re: Station and on board train announcements - merged topic, ongoing discussion
|
on: February 17, 2008, 18:01:14
|
The one that gets on my tits is the ones at stations about lugguage 'any unattended lugguage will be removed without warning'. Well isnt that a totally daft statement? If its unattended lugguage who are you supposed to warn about removing it anyway??
That one drives me mad too ,.........something like please dont not leave unattended cases and parcels, i can understand the cases but Parcels when did you last see someone walking around BTM▸ with a parcel completely wrapped in brown paper and tied up with string. I agree, oooooo and dog box! The reference to 'parcels' brings up childhood images of 'brown paper packages tied up with string' - pure Sound of Music, surely? I think it may be Posh Pamela (who has been mentioned here previously) who tries to get round this by requesting that "unattended articles" should not be left lying around - you can almost visualise her disdainful look as she refers to "unattended articles"! And such announcements are (or were) broadcast at Nailsea and Backwell: "any unattended articles will be removed without warning." Oh, yes: removed by who, exactly? As Nailsea is an unmanned station, is this yet another job opportunity for the civilian lady who runs the coffee van at the foot of the steps to platform 2, perhaps??? |
|
|
|
|
12970
|
All across the Great Western territory / Who's who on Western railways / Re: Alistair Darling - FGW not good enough
|
on: February 17, 2008, 16:34:51
|
Yes, I think it's a bit rich, Alistair and Dawn laying into FGW▸ to 'get a grip' or risk their franchise being reviewed: it's the terms of the franchise that are at the root of the problem. Good for Charles Howeson, pointing this out: "FGW chairman Charles Howeson said Mr Darling should remember that as Transport Secretary he was responsible for many of the restrictions placed on the firm ... He told the WMN» : "As the Chancellor of the Exchequer will recall from when he was Minister for Transport, this franchise involved private sector investment of ^200 million on the complete refurbishment of all of the train fleet and payment of a premium of ^1.3 billion to the Government over the full life of the franchise ... The Government is responsible for the allocation of rolling stock these days and as deep as any company's chequebook might be, it is not frankly possible to obtain the rolling stock and locomotives that we need and would wish to put into service as soon as possible." AND Charles Howeson did acknowledge that some problems are within FGW's control: "However, he is right in that we have been undeniably under-performing because despite the best will in the world and along with a huge amount of resources and energy, we still don't have enough train crews or enough of the right sort of train sets to deliver the service that we certainly aspire to and that our customers would want." A very well balanced article, I think. The only pity is that it appeared in the Western Morning News, which I suspect is not Alistair or Dawn's usual breakfast table reading. Hopefully the Times will pick up the story?  |
|
|
|
|
12973
|
All across the Great Western territory / Across the West / Re: Safety critical or Not safety critical.
|
on: February 16, 2008, 23:54:46
|
Station Manager, thanks for starting this particular thread. I hope responses from non-staff are also allowed, as we are all affected by safety? For the benefit of the non-staff (including me ^ I^m just a passenger!), while I know that PTS▸ means -Personal Track Safety - could you explain what is meant by CIRAS▸ and SCWID▸ , please? Also, you will find some related information, on a previous thread in this forum, from http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=1528.msg9922#msg9922 onwards. However, could I ask that any new responses to Station Manager^s specific question above are posted here, please, to avoid duplication? Thanks!  |
|
|
|
|
12974
|
Journey by Journey / Bristol (WECA) Commuters / Re: 15/02 Your Journey PM?
|
on: February 15, 2008, 23:34:28
|
|
Thanks Jim!
That's interesting, because it's the 1718 (1530 from Paddington) which usually clears all of the 5:00 batch of commuters at BTM▸ (together with the 1725), leaving those who leave the office at 5:30 to try for the 1753. If the 1718 was that delayed this evening, maybe it also collected some of the normal 1753 crowd?
However, I was still impressed with my introduction to travel on a 150/1!
By the way, the 1530 from Paddington was canned altogether yesterday, 'due to an earlier train fault' according to the FGW▸ website.
|
|
|
|
|
Show Posts
