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27421
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All across the Great Western territory / Your rights and redress / Re: Alternative arrangements when the last regional train is cancelled
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on: September 02, 2013, 08:06:44
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Thanks for those feedbacks - they rather confirm my view that some form of alternative transport as far as Melksham Station should have been offered - be it substitute bus or taxi - at no extra cost to the people who had already paid for transportation. A seat on the scheduled bus about an hour later may have been sensible and acceptable too. To only offer them the option to pay for a taxi themselves and reclaim really isn't right in the circumstances as told to me.
Again - qualified by "but I wasn't there" ... but strengthen by a very similar experience indeed that I had personally a few months back, and described on the forum.
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27423
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All across the Great Western territory / Fare's Fair / Ticket condition clarity ... again
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on: September 01, 2013, 20:53:01
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Into Bristol Parkway at 18:55, to buy a ticket and catch 19:09 to Manchester. Walk to ticket office but doors won't open. Surely it doesn't close this early? Chap walks up inside waves me away and locks the door. Looks like it does close this early!
Go to ticket machine - I already know what I want and find it on the panel. "Off Peak" I press and it says ...
"Please Enquire for Restrictions" But where can I ask - no staff to be seen anywhere!
"Valid via any permitted route" But isn't that tautlogy - surely every ticket is valid via the routes it's permitted on.
Why the heck not say "Valid on trains scheduled to leave after 09:30 on Monday to Friday and and time Saturday and Sunday", and "Valid on through trains, and also with changes of train at Birmingham New Street, Tamworth, Lichfield, Stafford and Crewe - also via Newport, Hereford and Shrewsbury". Hmm - I suppose that's getting a bit complex and I'm answering my own question!
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27424
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All across the Great Western territory / Your rights and redress / Alternative arrangements when the last regional train is cancelled
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on: September 01, 2013, 09:43:09
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A question I was asked yesterday at Melksham station ... I *think* I know the answer but may I check up here please.
Scenario. A group travelled from Melksham to Swindon on the 09:20 on a Saturday morning (return tickets) , spend the day there, took in a sporting event, met up with friends thereafter, and went back to the station to catch the 21:08 back home ... to find it cancelled. So they take the next train as far as Chippenham, on the understanding that there will be some sort of replacement transport available from there. However, they are told that "we only organise replacement buses for busy / mainline trains", and are advised that they may like to take a taxi, get a receipt, and write in to claim it back.
Now - that's as told to me. It's one heck of a business writing in, waiting for payment which may or may not be made, and indeed travellers may not have enough cash (over 20 pounds) with them having bought their rail ticket which they think gets them back to Melksham and lots of other things during the day.
It is true that substitute buses are only organised where there are a number of people, and it is true that people have the option of taking a taxi off their own bat and then asking the rail operator to pay back for it. But shouldn't one of the alternative of (a) we will put you on the 22:26 bus or (b) we will get you to your final station by taxi be offered, both at no additional expense to the customer who has already paid?
It looks as though - in this case - these options were only going to be available to people who wear "in the know" and prepared to stand on their rights - and in my view that's cheeky (within the letter but not the spirit of the rules) when an advertised service, for which payment has already been made, is not available. "If it happens again tonight, we won't use the train again" said one of the group - a great shame, as the line's there for the customers, going to improve for the customers, and it's a darned site more sensible for them to use the train than for them to drive after an early evening on the town!!
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27429
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Journey by Journey / London to Reading / Re: The Class 180s air con
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on: August 30, 2013, 13:49:12
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James - I don't think you've answered ChrisB's point about where the power to operate the air conditioning would come from if the engines weren't running. Lights are all well and good from limited batteries, but aircon would drain them very quickly indeed with little effect.
"On its know" confused me too - I think you meant "on its own" - and that was clarified by your later post. But it wasn't that it needed simplifying for the rest of us - rather than it needed clarifying.
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27432
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Journey by Journey / TransWilts line / Re: Connecting Wiltshire launch
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on: August 29, 2013, 18:03:20
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I am ... delighted ... so see these step - many of these steps - all of these steps. But there are some steps missing. Where is the pedestrian and cycle link from Foundry Close to the station in Melksham? Where is the additional car parking there? Both using land purchased from the BRB‡ Residuary Body by Wiltshire Council for the very purpose in 2009 - see [here] and [here]. A letter to me, enquiring about preparing Melksham Station for improved facilities about a month ago, stated I hope that my email is helpful and doesn't frustrate you too much - I think we should focus on the potentially great news on the Trans Wilts service and our ability to fund this though the successful LSTF▸ bid. Can I also highlight that the LSTF project is not just about the Trans Wilts service or improvements at Melksham station ... And I have to agree with much of that. Yes, we should focus on the potentially great news and make sure that we delete that word "potential" very quickly. And I agree that LSTF is about many more improvements than at Melksham Station ... but, come on, it's not about improvements at every station except Melksham either. Melksham station already has second class facilities when compared to others and it would be very regrettable if improvements elsewhere were to prevent funding, resources and time running out before it could at least keep it second class rather than dropping back to third. Now is the time to pursue these projects, part of the LSTF bid, with energy as well, and if necessary raise them again to ensure they remain active and practical to complete. On the local travel plans, I have to agree with the announced plans for them to take place in Bradford-on-Avon and Salisbury, and not in Melksham until the new year. There is little point in helping residents become aware of current services that they could make use of to improve their journeys only to find that those improvements are minimal; it's a very serious issue on our part of the TransWilts corridor to get people to our place by public transport and that will dramatically change in just over 3 months - best wait until then, and perhaps best wait to advise people on the other flows such as Trowbridge to Swindon which will be transformed. Edit to correct my inevitable typos when making a post from the heart! |
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27434
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All across the Great Western territory / Who's who on Western railways / Re: Knorr-Bremse aquires Railcare
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on: August 29, 2013, 10:54:00
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Further report from http://www.freight-online.co.uk/news_and_events/content/12422/knorr-bremse_acquires_railcare_business?Knorr-Bremse Rail Systems (UK▸ ) Limited has acquired the rail vehicle component and overhaul business of Railcare.
The acquisition sees the UK Company of the global Knorr-Bremse Group taking over the Railcare operational sites at both Springburn in Glasgow and at Wolverton near Milton Keynes.
Following the acquisition Knorr-Bremse has formed a new company called Knorr-Bremse RailServices (UK) Limited. This company now joins the three other established Knorr-Bremse Rail Group operations in the UK. Located at Melksham in Wiltshire is the UK engineering and manufacturing headquarters, at nearby Corsham is a satellite precision machining operation and at Burton-upon-Trent in Staffordshire, Knorr-Bremse operates a specialist HVAC facility.
Knorr-Bremse RailServices (UK) Limited will be fully supported by Knorr-Bremse UK but will operate as a specialist company with its own identity. The company will continue to offer customers its previous portfolio of services and remain fully focused on train maintenance and repair.
Paul Goodhand, Managing Director of Knorr-Bremse in the UK, commenting on the acquisition of Railcare said, ^We are delighted to welcome Railcare into the Knorr-Bremse family of companies based here in the UK.
"My team and I in the UK and the Executive Board of Knorr-Bremse are committed to the future success of Knorr-Bremse RailServices (UK) Limited. We see Knorr-Bremse RailServices operations developing and expanding in the future in what we view as a dynamic area of rail operations with much potential.
"Railcare currently has many skilled and experienced individuals working at both its sites, in vehicle overhaul and repair but also in specialist incident repair and logistics. We believe that with the support of Knorr-Bremse, both in terms of solid financial investment and in process and management experience and support, we will, together with the existing team, be able to create a strong, new company.
"Our vision for Knorr-Bremse RailServices (UK) Limited is to create a company which supports customers in keeping their trains running through offering them an outstanding range of quality train maintenance and repair specialist services going forward.^ |
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