SDO - just a problem on the cotswold line or else where as well....

[whole diary]

[12hoursunday]

FGW^▸ (First Great Western) seem to have surrendered on SDO^▸ (Selective Door Opening)!

Today both the Hereford-London trains stopped with standard class on the platforms at Cotswold Line stations. According to postings on the charlbury.info website's commuter blog, a train manager said on the PA^▸ (Public Address) that this was a "trial" for the next few days. FGW's top brass finally seem to have noticed their SDO can open the doors behind the panel being used as well as in front!

Has anything similar happened elsewhere today? Eg the West Country.

If this is true then I think you can say that common sense has prevailed. What you get when a couple of high up managers come up with a method of working without any consultation with the people that carry out the role is as in the first few days of SDO complete and utter chaos.

Worcester S.H the other day bloke with bike at front of train, platform staff without a clue as what to do, driver, who as instructed to do by management and unions not wishing to get involved and train manager at the very rear of the train 260 metres away.  Yeah you guessed it delay to the train and inconvenience to the "CUSTOMERS" This method of working was destined for failure. Don't hold your breath though as a change of policy isn't definante yet!

[dog box]

well said 12 hr.........SDO^▸ (Selective Door Opening) will though be here to stay in some form or other though because its the only way HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) can stop at shorter platforms which previously did not have Grandfather rights...WORLE Station springs to mind.

[Btline]

well said 12 hr.........SDO^▸ (Selective Door Opening) will though be here to stay in some form or other though because its the only way HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) can stop at shorter platforms which previously did not have Grandfather rights...WORLE Station springs to mind.

Why not open all of the platform side doors and let people use the built-in steps on the HSTs to climb down.

Sorry, the heath and safety talibans do not appreciate this kind of intelligence.

[willc]

Seems that perhaps some of the drivers are now confused about what they should do.

According to a post on the Charlbury commuter blog, the 06.43 off Hereford stopped with first class on the platform again yesterday morning. If it was doing this all the way from Hereford probably accounts for it running 13 minutes late by Charlbury and more delays outside Oxford made it 22 late on arrival there. By contrast, the 05.42 from Hereford called with standard on the platform and was running on time at Charlbury and a minute early into Oxford, to general astonishment. Pity both HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) either side of it were late, though the 05.50 from Moreton-in-Marsh, which is still 180 operated, was right time throughout to Paddington.

According to John Stanley of the CLPG^» (Cotswold Line Promotion Group - about), the change of heart on which coaches are on the platform followed a trip on the Cotswold Line on Wednesday morning by the 'general manager' - I'm guessing Richard Rowland, who is responsible for the Thames Valley area - after reports from the line's service delivery manager of the chaos she witnessed on the Monday and Tuesday mornings.

May be too little too late though. Anecdotal evidence on the commuter blog and personal observation suggests that passenger numbers, which fell at several Cotswold Line stations last year, have taken another hit. Would be interesting to know what Chiltern's takings at Bicester North were looking like this week...

[Mookiemoo]

The 0545 from WOS^» (Worcester Shrub Hill - next trains) stopped with standard on the platform.  Arrived late but that was purely because of congestion at Reading - we were ahead of schedule before that.  In terms of passenger numbers - it was me and the customer host until evesham and even by Pad there could not have been more that 20 (and thats beig generous) passenger in 1st class.

1822 out of Pad last night was also empty for a friday night,  Got busier at oxford but thats because the 1752 was terminated and we had to pick up the stranded passengers and crew.  We got to WOS late but that was due to adding in stops at hanborough and shipton - even then it was not notably late.

Have to say - costwold line passenger levels remind me of how it was back in 2004 before the adelantes were introduced.

The morning 0545 is perfect for an adelante - a turbo is not fit for purpose but a HST^▸ (High Speed Train) seems overkill if last week is anything to go by,

Seems that perhaps some of the drivers are now confused about what they should do.

According to a post on the Charlbury commuter blog, the 06.43 off Hereford stopped with first class on the platform again yesterday morning. If it was doing this all the way from Hereford probably accounts for it running 13 minutes late by Charlbury and more delays outside Oxford made it 22 late on arrival there. By contrast, the 05.42 from Hereford called with standard on the platform and was running on time at Charlbury and a minute early into Oxford, to general astonishment. Pity both HSTs either side of it were late, though the 05.50 from Moreton-in-Marsh, which is still 180 operated, was right time throughout to Paddington.

According to John Stanley of the CLPG^» (Cotswold Line Promotion Group - about), the change of heart on which coaches are on the platform followed a trip on the Cotswold Line on Wednesday morning by the 'general manager' - I'm guessing Richard Rowland, who is responsible for the Thames Valley area - after reports from the line's service delivery manager of the chaos she witnessed on the Monday and Tuesday mornings.

May be too little too late though. Anecdotal evidence on the commuter blog and personal observation suggests that passenger numbers, which fell at several Cotswold Line stations last year, have taken another hit. Would be interesting to know what Chiltern's takings at Bicester North were looking like this week...

[willc]

Anyone have any further observations of current practice in the stopping first or standard class at short platforms carry-on?

Apparently today the 05.30 from Great Malvern to Paddington stopped at Charlbury with the front end, ie first class coaches plus one standard, on the platform again. Was running late, though this was being put down to signalling problems.

[Jim]

Anyone have any further observations of current practice in the stopping first or standard class at short platforms carry-on?

Apparently today the 05.30 from Great Malvern to Paddington stopped at Charlbury with the front end, ie first class coaches plus one standard, on the platform again. Was running late, though this was being put down to signalling problems.

As it is supposed to! Front P/C MUST be platformed now at "short shacks"

[Mookiemoo]

Anyone have any further observations of current practice in the stopping first or standard class at short platforms carry-on?

Apparently today the 05.30 from Great Malvern to Paddington stopped at Charlbury with the front end, ie first class coaches plus one standard, on the platform again. Was running late, though this was being put down to signalling problems.

As it is supposed to! Front P/C MUST be platformed now at "short shacks"

But ONLY because of human policy!

The SDO^▸ (Selective Door Opening) system as I understand can cope with either power car being on the platform - its just for some reason FGW^▸ (First Great Western) decided front car only

And if they do - they will lose those who can switch (first class especially) to other carrier - or maybe that is the plan - shunt us all to virgin or chiltern then run economy only on a 3 hour journey

[Jim]

Anyone have any further observations of current practice in the stopping first or standard class at short platforms carry-on?

Apparently today the 05.30 from Great Malvern to Paddington stopped at Charlbury with the front end, ie first class coaches plus one standard, on the platform again. Was running late, though this was being put down to signalling problems.

As it is supposed to! Front P/C MUST be platformed now at "short shacks"

But ONLY because of human policy!

The SDO^▸ (Selective Door Opening) system as I understand can cope with either power car being on the platform - its just for some reason FGW^▸ (First Great Western) decided front car only

And if they do - they will lose those who can switch (first class especially) to other carrier - or maybe that is the plan - shunt us all to virgin or chiltern then run economy only on a 3 hour journey

The SDO system can cope with it yes, but front power car only is a lot easier!

[willc]

Jim, indeed it can cope, and did for the latter part of last week on the Cotswold Line after Richard Rowland came on the Wednesday morning to see for himself, after being alerted to problems on the Monday and Tuesday, especially at Charlbury - see my previous posts. Trains resumed stopping with standard on the platform, irrespective of formation, for a couple of days. Seems he may have been over-ruled by Swindon this week.

Does not get away from the fact that at 7.30am at Charlbury there is only one standard coach on the platform, with dozens of passengers trying to get into two doors, or tramping through first and the buffet to reach a seat. At Hanborough it is first class only. Wonder what the HSE^▸ (Health and Safety Executive) would make of this carry-on. I can't believe this was quite what people had in mind when SDO^▸ (Selective Door Opening) was made compulsory. Or is using common sense selective as well now?

[Jim]

Does not get away from the fact that at 7.30am at Charlbury there is only one standard coach on the platform, with dozens of passengers trying to get into two doors, or tramping through first and the buffet to reach a seat. At Hanborough it is first class only. Wonder what the HSE^▸ (Health and Safety Executive) would make of this carry-on. I can't believe this was quite what people had in mind when SDO^▸ (Selective Door Opening) was made compulsory. Or is using common sense selective as well now?

Whats H&S^▸ (Health and Safety) got to so with people walking through the train!?

[willc]

I was referring to the instinctive reaction of people with standard class tickets to go to the standard class coach, as that's all it is in the case of Charlbury, rather than boarding through doors in first, which results in an almighty scrum at the two doors on coach E. See the Charlbury commuter blog at charlbury.info for eyewitness views of events at 7.30 each morning.

Or are they just scaremongering and, once we have all been re-educated and agree to bend to FGW^▸ (First Great Western)'s iron will, we'll wonder why for so many years HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) ever stopped with standard on the platform.

It may be easier to stop with the front end on the platform, but does it make sense? That is the point we are raising and some of us are yet to be convinced. Today, it took three minutes to get the less heavily used 6.42 from Hereford back on the move from Charlbury. Not exactly sparkling performance with only seven doors to worry about, is it? And coaches A and B were no more than half-full on arrival at Oxford.

[Jim]

It may be easier to stop with the front end on the platform, but does it make sense? That is the point we are raising and some of us are yet to be convinced. Today, it took three minutes to get the less heavily used 6.42 from Hereford back on the move from Charlbury. Not exactly sparkling performance with only seven doors to worry about, is it? And coaches A and B were no more than half-full on arrival at Oxford.

I presume though that the train manager walked the length of the train to check the doors were shut properally, and if he had and doubts went back and checked...

[Conner]

It may be easier to stop with the front end on the platform, but does it make sense? That is the point we are raising and some of us are yet to be convinced. Today, it took three minutes to get the less heavily used 6.42 from Hereford back on the move from Charlbury. Not exactly sparkling performance with only seven doors to worry about, is it? And coaches A and B were no more than half-full on arrival at Oxford.

I presume though that the train manager walked the length of the train to check the doors were shut properally, and if he had and doubts went back and checked...

At unstaffed stations the TM^‡(resolve) has to open the doors, walk the length of the train shutting them, back the length of the train to the panel he used to open the doors as is the limitation of SDO^▸ (Selective Door Opening), the same panel MUST be used so two walks of the length of the train causes a lot of delay, especially in Cornwall where only the last coach isn't platformed.

[oooooo]

the SDO^▸ (Selective Door Opening) policy is under review and there are proposals to get the back half of the train platformed at certain stations on the up road in Cornwall (and other places). However as with most things this is currently causing much discussion/arguments among staff/management/unions....