Great Western Coffee Shop

What a day we have had today. Tried to get the 0707 train this morning from Reading to Basingstoke. We got on, we then overheard the announcer on the station telling us that our train has now been cancelled. Then we were told to get off the train. Then nothing......
0730 still we have been told nothing, myself and three others went in search of the duty manager and requested replacement buses. Once she confirmed how long the obstruction was going to be on the line, she came back and confirmed that yes buses were on there way. When I asked how long, she stated about 15 - 30 mins. and we should listen out for announcements.
0745 No announcements and no signs that they even knew we were there! Chased the duty manager again, and she said buses any minute now and we should listen out.
0800 not announcement and no buses so went in search of her again. She is full of apologies and explained buses would not be there until 0900 at the earliest. Myself and three others (we had stuck together) did not feel this was acceptable, therefore she organized taxi. Arrived in Basingstoke 0915 ???!
Why is it not possable to keep us updated with the truth? Why do we have chase and extract inch by inch?

Thinking about it Reading Basingstoke is one of the worst lines in the area to have blocked.

It's not just the local trains but the hourly XC plus quite heevy freight traffic. It can have knock on effects from Bournmouth to Scotland.

You ask why did you have to chase the SM?

It's one of the paradox's of railway work that if everything is running smoothly all your staff have booked on and the trains are running to time it runs itself. When it goes haywire there now so many people in the loop, at a minimum for this one Networkrail, FGW, XC, any freight TOCs and SWT, that it becomes very difficult for the people at the passenger interface to find out what's  going on, let alone convey that to the poor passenger.

The problem is there is now longer a Fat Controller responsible for  all the signal boxes, stations, all the trains that run on it and all the staff working on a particular stretch of line.

Freight train going to Southampton failed outside Bramley and it took a good couple of hours for the rescue engine to be organised and travel up from Eastleigh!

Then around midday, another freight train failed but thankfully this one got moving pretty quickly again!

Regardless of how good/poor the flow of information is, if I had given out an estimation for onward travel which was then proven incorrect, then I would put an announcement out with the new information and/or apologise for the initial incorrect info and I was trying to find out what I could etc.

Excellent, Donkey Guard - that's just as it should work!  :-X