Thanks Didcot dean that's very interesting....sorry to see we've gone backwards over the last 40 years though....and fascinating that someone like Ray Buckton was putting the interests of the public over his members...not something he was renowned for as I remember!!!

Glad to hear it!

.....and I've no doubt that FGW^▸ (First Great Western) would take the opportunity to maximise ticket income were such a service to be introduced!!!

Quite right Grahame - almost all industries with safety considerations specify restrictions on the consumption of alcohol prior too (and during!) working hours.

The decision on running Boxing Day services should be demand led, the only legitimate reason for restricting it would be engineering works, but you would be surprised (or maybe not surprised) at the amount of rail staff (especially on the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) Rail forum) who beat their chests and take the position along the lines of "my contract/union say I don't have to do it and/or I'm not giving up my Christmas beer"

Others accept the need for their own Businesses/services to offer a service on Boxing Day, rail staff should be no different....or they should seek alternative employment...times change and people have to change with them....it comes down to providing a customer focussed service from top to bottom, the concept of and need for the railways and some of their employees seem to struggle with.

.....I am sure they are very strict and rightly so, same as airline staff etc...so basically the sensible thing to do would be not to drink if/when one's work doesn't permit it? So if someone had to work on Boxing Day, don't get plastered on Christmas Day.....simples? 

I fully appreciate the Engineering situation but I get heartily sick about people hiding behind outdated Trade Union agreements which were negotiated in a different age.....it is no longer 1973, and in common with most other staff in public or quasi public sector organisations they would no doubt be well rewarded for working on Boxing Day....like most others who are more used to living in the real world of the private sector, we often have to work on these days for very little additional reward, not double/triple pay with extra leave....and it really gets my goat when I hear people bleating that if they had to work on Boxing Day then they wouldn't be able to get drunk on Christmas Day...as if that was any sort of reason not to offer a service...why is it always primarily the interests of staff, rather than customers, that make the difference? The London Underground staff philosophy is exactly the same, evidenced by strikes on the last 3 Boxing Days.

.....so a bit of chilly weather and a small amount of snow is forecast....any thoughts on how long it'll take before everything grinds to a halt as usual?

 Southern Railway already getting their retaliation/excuses in first on the News tonight; "its up to Network Rail to keep the tracks free of snow and ice"

I'm not sure why this has turned into a debate about Bank opening hours, but the Banks, unlike FGW^▸ (First Great Western), do provide a service on a 24/7/365 basis via ATMs^‡(resolve), online Banking etc........I can't really see anyone wanting to negotiate a mortgage on Boxing Day, however I DO see a lot of people who want to travel on Boxing Day, so to return to the point......why are there no trains on Boxing Day when demand clearly exists (notwithstanding engineering works)

Cheers

The argument for a Boxing Day service is compelling...it would be more productive to look for ways in which it could be made to work, rather than for reasons why it can't...every other sector, from hospitals to airports to retail to restaurants seem to manage OK on Boxing Day and staff are expected to work, why should the railways be any different...it should work  according to the demand and for the benefit of the customers it serves...the only viable reason for not doing it I can see is the facility for large scale engineering work which the Xmas window provides...some of the arguments put forward against it ie "I wouldn't be able to drink on Christmas Day if I had to work on Boxing Day" are frankly laughable, and reflect the old style public sector culture of organisations being run for the benefit of those they employ rather than those they serve....I wonder what the guys holding the line in Afghanistan would think of that excuse, and I don't think they get double/treble time and extra days off?

Grahame you sum it up superbly and succinctly, well done.

As for the passenger v customer debate, if FGW^▸ (First Great Western) and some of their staff adopt a Customer Service culture and start treating their customers with more respect and consideration, rather than troublesome human freight who are there to be tolerated whilst funding their wages/bonuses, we might get somewhere!!!

"Customers" of course suggests choice, which is one thing we don't have unfortunately!

Insider - of course people don't think that....what they think, and have every right to expect, is a greater than 50/50 chance of being able to get to work in the morning, via the train for which we pay thousands of ^ per year....sadly over the last month this hasn't been the case.

We have the most expensive, and least robust and reliable system in Europe, its a disgrace.

As later posts have revealed, this latest farce was down to sheer incompetence/sloppy workmanship on several levels....will anyone be held accountable? I doubt it.



Edit note: Quote marks fixed. CfN.

BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) are saying it's due to an electrical fault, nothing to do with Crossrail - guess it's maybe the same problem as last week?

Whatever, it's appalling......I was due in London today and am in Reading tomorrow - if there's no trains I will get a cab and send FGW^▸ (First Great Western) the bill.

There should be a Boxing Day service no question - other public services are expected to operate so why should the railways be any different?

If it's down to outdated agreements with Trade Unions from the 1970s then renegotiate them and/or tear them up.......then again that may lead to the ASLEF^» (Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen - about) London Underground solution to not wanting to work on Boxing Day ie going on strike every year! 

......and now today - all this after the recent farcical service....it goes on and on....utterly pathetic......quote on NR^» (Network Rail - home page) website "...this will continue until further notice....." - how long will we wait until even a half decent service is restored?

 

(FGW^▸ (First Great Western) own website of course reports that service is expected to start around 1100, and Network Rail's departure boards from Taplow show pretty much everything running on time, so we've got 3 different versions to choose from)

If my company repeatedly failed in this manner, we would lose business,Directors would be sacked and the rest of us would be looking over our shoulders - no doubt however in this parallel universe we will get a load of flannel about "lessons being learned" and the whole show will roll on as usual - including bonuses.

Here's an idea - how about FGW Directors salaries being reduced by the % of trains which arrive late? ie if the current appalling 82% arrive on time, they only get 82% of their salary?

Heat - Australian Railways seem to manage OK..."very cold....rail head adhesion".....ever heard of the Trans Siberian?

..............so why can't all this "leading edge" technology cope with the vagaries of weather? I don't mean floods, no-one can legislate for that, I just mean a bit of frost, heat, snow, ice or leaves?

Personally I think Brunel would be very disappointed that over a 100 years later we still can't cope with the basics, with all the technology we have available, that he could only dream of....then again he was a real engineer.