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Author Topic: Shortage of train crews on Great Western Railway since September 2017 - ongoing discussion  (Read 424462 times)
IndustryInsider
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« Reply #855 on: July 22, 2018, 09:48:19 »

Surprising, but great, to see a virtually full service today.  Don’t expect the remainder of the summer to be the same though, but hopefully the worst weekend was last weekend.

Reasons?  Well, the Oxford engineering blockade (and to a lesser extent the Newbury one) means fewer trains are running, so less crews are required, so that is definitely helping.  Holiday wise it’s potentially twice as bad when many staff are starting their holiday and others finishing their holiday on the same weekend.  Obviously with the schools just breaking up, very few are finishing their holidays this weekend.
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« Reply #856 on: July 22, 2018, 11:10:10 »

Appreciate everything you said but the issues on Sunday have been in place since last year. Either the driver training has actually come to fruition or the number of IET (Intercity Express Train) trains has increased.


I would seriously like to know now such a stepped change is possible.

We're normally told by those "in the know" that the situation re: availability is much worse during school holidays when drivers want to spend more time with their families and/or go on holiday themselves. Today is the first weekend of 95% of schools being on holiday, and nearly all advertised trains are running for the first time in months. Strange that.

 
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« Reply #857 on: July 22, 2018, 11:29:30 »

Basically nothing much has changed, just the ebbing and flowing of availability from week to week meaning we're either just surviving with what we've got (with a lot of jiggery pokery from the resourcing staff), or there are shortages.  Ongoing training is gradually easing things a little, but no magic wand can be waved.  Even last weekend you were only looking at less than a 10% shortfall in driver numbers over the day, but witness what an affect that has after you've wrung every last drop out of any slack in the existing diagrams, and factor in that most of the shortfall was for the late shifts.

I note that there are now four additional cancellations on the Cheltenham/Paddington route, indicating that we are very much in 'just about surviving' mode today.  A couple of late notice sick days and the cancellations would soon mount up into double figures.
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« Reply #858 on: July 22, 2018, 12:11:58 »

Also noticed there don't seem to be any 5 vice 10 IET (Intercity Express Train) services this weekend.  A 9 and a 10 were swapped around on Bristol services due to late running yesterday but I have not spotted anything else.
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« Reply #859 on: July 22, 2018, 15:51:29 »

A few other cancellations to Swindon<>Gloucester local trains now added, so the South Cotswolds line has once again drawn the short straw on a Sunday.
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« Reply #860 on: July 22, 2018, 15:54:23 »

And no diverted Cross Country services as back up this weekend either.
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CMRail
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« Reply #861 on: July 22, 2018, 16:27:37 »

And the plan for one train per hour direct to London from Cheltenham (and Sundays) would work successfully. or not.
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JayMac
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« Reply #862 on: July 22, 2018, 18:14:48 »

Somethings not right..... I have a bad feeling about this.....

I'm watching Groundhog Day as I type. Just saying...
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bobm
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« Reply #863 on: July 22, 2018, 18:28:45 »

Somethings not right..... I have a bad feeling about this.....

I'm watching Groundhog Day as I type. Just saying...

Lets hope it isn't really Groundhog day for you and the tv box blows up a second time....   Grin
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JayMac
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« Reply #864 on: July 22, 2018, 18:58:16 »

People may be wondering...

Last night while watching TV, my Youview set top box went pop, with an accompanying electrical flash and puff of smoke. Frightened the bejesus out of me. Fortunately today I managed to source a temporary replacement until engineer visit.
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"Build a man a fire and he'll be warm for the rest of the day. Set a man on fire and he'll be warm for the rest of his life."

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« Reply #865 on: July 22, 2018, 19:16:59 »

Are you certain it wasn't Finn telling you it's tiddle time ?
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martyjon
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« Reply #866 on: July 22, 2018, 19:22:14 »

Are you certain it wasn't Finn telling you it's tiddle time ?

No, Finn had already done the tiddle and that was what caused the box to flash and smoke !!!!
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« Reply #867 on: July 22, 2018, 21:12:08 »

I nearly tiddled myself, thanks. Made I jump, made Finn jump. And my loud expletive had him disappear into the bathroom.

I now think it was a capacitor that popped.
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"Build a man a fire and he'll be warm for the rest of the day. Set a man on fire and he'll be warm for the rest of his life."

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« Reply #868 on: July 22, 2018, 21:14:32 »

I nearly tiddled myself, thanks. Made I jump, made Finn jump. And my loud expletive had him disappear into the bathroom.

I now think it was a capacitor that popped.

Was it a canine comment on your choice of viewing? 😃
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JayMac
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« Reply #869 on: July 22, 2018, 22:48:15 »

No idea. But tonight it's a full power cut. ETR 0130.
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