Train GraphicClick on the map to explore geographics
 
I need help
FAQ
Emergency
About .
Travel & transport from BBC stories as at 19:35 28 Mar 2024
* Easter getaways hit by travel disruption
- How do I renew my UK passport and what is the 10-year rule?
- Passengers pleaded with knifeman during attack
- Family anger at sentence on fatal crash driver, 19
- Easter travel warning as millions set to hit roads
Read about the forum [here].
Register [here] - it's free.
What do I gain from registering? [here]
 02/06/24 - Summer Timetable starts
17/08/24 - Bus to Imber
27/09/25 - 200 years of passenger trains

On this day
28th Mar (1988)
Woman found murdered on Orpington to London train (*)

Train RunningCancelled
17:54 Cardiff Central to London Paddington
17:57 London Paddington to Worcester Foregate Street
18:03 London Paddington to Penzance
18:08 London Paddington to Frome
18:36 London Paddington to Plymouth
19:23 Reading to Gatwick Airport
19:24 Newbury to Bedwyn
19:33 London Paddington to Worcester Shrub Hill
19:35 Exeter St Davids to London Paddington
19:55 Bedwyn to Newbury
20:13 Swindon to Westbury
20:16 Frome to Westbury
20:49 Newbury to Bedwyn
20:56 Worcester Foregate Street to London Paddington
21:16 Bedwyn to Newbury
21:53 Newbury to Bedwyn
22:25 Bedwyn to Newbury
22:47 Newbury to Bedwyn
Short Run
15:03 London Paddington to Penzance
16:19 Carmarthen to London Paddington
16:23 Portsmouth Harbour to Cardiff Central
16:35 London Paddington to Plymouth
16:50 Plymouth to London Paddington
17:03 London Paddington to Penzance
17:30 London Paddington to Taunton
17:36 London Paddington to Plymouth
17:50 Gloucester to Salisbury
17:59 Gatwick Airport to Reading
18:19 Reading to Gatwick Airport
18:29 Gatwick Airport to Reading
18:54 Reading to Gatwick Airport
18:59 Gatwick Airport to Reading
19:04 Paignton to London Paddington
19:06 London Paddington to Bedwyn
19:13 Salisbury to Bristol Temple Meads
19:29 Gatwick Airport to Reading
20:03 London Paddington to Plymouth
20:42 Bedwyn to London Paddington
21:04 London Paddington to Plymouth
Delayed
13:59 Cardiff Central to Penzance
14:15 Penzance to London Paddington
16:03 London Paddington to Penzance
16:15 Penzance to London Paddington
Additional 17:17 Exeter St Davids to Penzance
Additional 17:26 Castle Cary to Penzance
19:04 London Paddington to Plymouth
19:54 Reading to Gatwick Airport
19:59 Gatwick Airport to Reading
23:04 Reading to Bedwyn
PollsOpen and recent polls
Closed 2024-03-25 Easter Escape - to where?
Abbreviation pageAcronymns and abbreviations
Stn ComparatorStation Comparator
Rail newsNews Now - live rail news feed
Site Style 1 2 3 4
Next departures • Bristol Temple MeadsBath SpaChippenhamSwindonDidcot ParkwayReadingLondon PaddingtonMelksham
Exeter St DavidsTauntonWestburyTrowbridgeBristol ParkwayCardiff CentralOxfordCheltenham SpaBirmingham New Street
March 28, 2024, 19:42:35 *
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Forgotten your username or password? - get a reminder
Most recently liked subjects
[133] West Wiltshire Bus Changes April 2024
[132] would you like your own LIVE train station departure board?
[53] Return of the BRUTE?
[44] If not HS2 to Manchester, how will traffic be carried?
[41] Infrastructure problems in Thames Valley causing disruption el...
[32] Reversing Beeching - bring heritage and freight lines into the...
 
News: A forum for passengers ... with input from rail professionals welcomed too
 
   Home   Help Search Calendar Login Register  
Pages: 1 ... 35 36 [37] 38 39 ... 170
  Print  
Author Topic: IETs into passenger service from 16 Oct 2017 and subsequent performance issues  (Read 543872 times)
broadgage
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 5398



View Profile
« Reply #540 on: June 17, 2018, 09:41:30 »

Indeed, half length new trains are primarily a weekday issue.(though the odd one appears at weekends)
No train at all due to lack of staff is primarily a weekend issue (though some weekday cancellations result from lack of staff)
Logged

A proper intercity train has a minimum of 8 coaches, gangwayed throughout, with first at one end, and a full sized buffet car between first and standard.
It has space for cycles, surfboards,luggage etc.
A 5 car DMU (Diesel Multiple Unit) is not a proper inter-city train. The 5+5 and 9 car DMUs are almost as bad.
bobm
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 9809



View Profile
« Reply #541 on: June 17, 2018, 12:02:32 »

No doubt the official line from GWR (Great Western Railway) would be:

"Due to the delay in electrification works and also the delay in acquiring new rolling stock, we have had to condense our driver training into a shorter timeframe so as to minimise disruption in the future. This requires our drivers to come in on allocated rest days to carry out training therefore they are unable to work weekends..... etc etc"


Instead of the far simpler explanation of:

"It's Fathers Day, and as a result many drivers have not turned up"


It is probably a combination of the two.  Drivers may have been away from home during the week attending classroom training sessions and don't feel inclined to be out of the house again today. 

As well as getting the training finished another big help to running Sunday services will be an agreement between GWR and ASLEF» (Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen - about) over making Sunday part of the working week rather than voluntary.  Talks are ongoing apparently.
Logged
ellendune
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 4452


View Profile
« Reply #542 on: June 17, 2018, 12:54:57 »

It is probably a combination of the two.  Drivers may have been away from home during the week attending classroom training sessions and don't feel inclined to be out of the house again today. 

As well as getting the training finished another big help to running Sunday services will be an agreement between GWR (Great Western Railway) and ASLEF» (Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen - about) over making Sunday part of the working week rather than voluntary.  Talks are ongoing apparently.

If drivers have attended training on a rest day during the week are they even permitted to work a Sunday? Surely drivers working 7 days a week is not a good idea on safety grounds. 
Logged
IndustryInsider
Data Manager
Hero Member
******
Posts: 10095


View Profile
« Reply #543 on: June 17, 2018, 16:17:10 »

As well as getting the training finished another big help to running Sunday services will be an agreement between GWR (Great Western Railway) and ASLEF» (Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen - about) over making Sunday part of the working week rather than voluntary.  Talks are ongoing apparently.

They are indeed talking about it.  Though implementation date is not expected to be before January 2021 as it is recognised that a significant recruitment drive will be needed to bring it in and cover shifts for the rest of the week, and a trainee driver, once they have passed all the initial tests, take a year to become fully qualified.

However, if a 'harmonisation' deal which is currently being voted on passes (and it is likely to) any driver who is employed after that date will not have the option of throwing their Sunday away unless it is able to be covered by someone else, regardless of which sector they work for (some currently don't have that option anyway).  I believe this is what Broadgage suggested should happen.  Personally I think it will take several years to make much of a meaningful difference, and of course there's nothing stopping a driver from 'throwing a sickie' other than the fact that they would get no sick pay for it.

If drivers have attended training on a rest day during the week are they even permitted to work a Sunday? Surely drivers working 7 days a week is not a good idea on safety grounds. 

A minimum of one day off after thirteen consecutive days worked is the regulation which is nationwide following the Hidden Enquiry after the Clapham disaster.
Logged

To view my GWML (Great Western Main Line) Electrification cab video 'before and after' video comparison, as well as other videos of the new layout at Reading and 'before and after' comparisons of the Cotswold Line Redoubling scheme, see: http://www.dailymotion.com/user/IndustryInsider/
TaplowGreen
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 7746



View Profile
« Reply #544 on: June 17, 2018, 16:29:36 »

As well as getting the training finished another big help to running Sunday services will be an agreement between GWR (Great Western Railway) and ASLEF» (Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen - about) over making Sunday part of the working week rather than voluntary.  Talks are ongoing apparently.

They are indeed talking about it.  Though implementation date is not expected to be before January 2021 as it is recognised that a significant recruitment drive will be needed to bring it in and cover shifts for the rest of the week, and a trainee driver, once they have passed all the initial tests, take a year to become fully qualified.



So three more years of this (to a greater or lesser degree) then?

GWR should have got this sorted out so that the latest tranche of recruits could not just opt out of Sunday working at will - they knew they were joining a 7 day a week operation, for God's sake it's not 1975 any more.

I know of no other service industry which feather beds its workers quite so much to the detriment of its performance and customers.
Logged
IndustryInsider
Data Manager
Hero Member
******
Posts: 10095


View Profile
« Reply #545 on: June 17, 2018, 17:12:33 »

So three more years of this (to a greater or lesser degree) then?

Yes.  Though perhaps better that than rush arrangements in and not have the cover and end up with even more cancellations over the rest of the week?  They should of course have attempted to get on top of it years ago.
Logged

To view my GWML (Great Western Main Line) Electrification cab video 'before and after' video comparison, as well as other videos of the new layout at Reading and 'before and after' comparisons of the Cotswold Line Redoubling scheme, see: http://www.dailymotion.com/user/IndustryInsider/
broadgage
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 5398



View Profile
« Reply #546 on: June 19, 2018, 07:13:11 »

17 half length IETs (Intercity Express Train) today, so far. So much for the hope that the arrival of a couple of full length IETs might help.
Very poor show with the summer holiday season now underway.
Logged

A proper intercity train has a minimum of 8 coaches, gangwayed throughout, with first at one end, and a full sized buffet car between first and standard.
It has space for cycles, surfboards,luggage etc.
A 5 car DMU (Diesel Multiple Unit) is not a proper inter-city train. The 5+5 and 9 car DMUs are almost as bad.
CMRail
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 400


View Profile
« Reply #547 on: June 19, 2018, 07:46:04 »

Can’t wait for all the people going West on the 802s this August when they are cut in half!
Logged
bobm
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 9809



View Profile
« Reply #548 on: June 19, 2018, 07:55:22 »

17 half length IETs (Intercity Express Train) today, so far. So much for the hope that the arrival of a couple of full length IETs might help.
Very poor show with the summer holiday season now underway.

The two 9-cars won’t really change anything as they are on self-contained diagrams to new destinations. I suspect the contract specifies that in the same way as a failed HST (High Speed Train) cannot be replaced by an IET.
Logged
Adelante_CCT
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 1314



View Profile
« Reply #549 on: June 20, 2018, 10:20:27 »

Apparently no short forms planned at the moment, its strange not seeing loads of blue lines heading west from Paddington on the top left graphic.
Logged
bobm
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 9809



View Profile
« Reply #550 on: June 20, 2018, 10:22:45 »

Correct - GWR (Great Western Railway) have confirmed they have had all the sets they need for traffic this morning.  Apparently for the first time in three months.
Logged
IndustryInsider
Data Manager
Hero Member
******
Posts: 10095


View Profile
« Reply #551 on: June 20, 2018, 10:33:38 »

Does that mean the remaining units waiting acceptance have now joined the fleet?
Logged

To view my GWML (Great Western Main Line) Electrification cab video 'before and after' video comparison, as well as other videos of the new layout at Reading and 'before and after' comparisons of the Cotswold Line Redoubling scheme, see: http://www.dailymotion.com/user/IndustryInsider/
LiskeardRich
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 3457

richardwarwicker@hotmail.co.uk
View Profile
« Reply #552 on: June 20, 2018, 11:31:32 »

As well as getting the training finished another big help to running Sunday services will be an agreement between GWR (Great Western Railway) and ASLEF» (Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen - about) over making Sunday part of the working week rather than voluntary.  Talks are ongoing apparently.

They are indeed talking about it.  Though implementation date is not expected to be before January 2021 as it is recognised that a significant recruitment drive will be needed to bring it in and cover shifts for the rest of the week, and a trainee driver, once they have passed all the initial tests, take a year to become fully qualified.



So three more years of this (to a greater or lesser degree) then?

GWR should have got this sorted out so that the latest tranche of recruits could not just opt out of Sunday working at will - they knew they were joining a 7 day a week operation, for God's sake it's not 1975 any more.

I know of no other service industry which feather beds its workers quite so much to the detriment of its performance and customers.

Anyone in my work who started before 1994 can opt out of any Sunday. Those of us who started after have no choice, although a local unwritten agreement is in place on my department we can have either Saturday or Sunday off if wished. Nobody is contracted to work both weekend days unless voluntarily picked both for personal reasons of needing weekdays off.
Logged

All posts are my own personal believes, opinions and understandings!
GBM
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 1468


View Profile Email
« Reply #553 on: June 20, 2018, 13:31:40 »

Quote
Anyone in my work who started before 1994 can opt out of any Sunday. Those of us who started after have no choice, although a local unwritten agreement is in place on my department we can have either Saturday or Sunday off if wished. Nobody is contracted to work both weekend days unless voluntarily picked both for personal reasons of needing weekdays off.

Admittedly not quite on topic, but; in First Kernow bus your contract states a 5 day out of 7 working days, which will include weekends and bank holidays. No choice but weekend and bank holiday working.




Edit note: Quote marks fixed, for clarity. CfN.
« Last Edit: August 16, 2018, 00:13:39 by Chris from Nailsea » Logged

Personal opinion only.  Writings not representative of any union, collective, management or employer. (Think that absolves me...........)
Witham Bobby
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 556



View Profile
« Reply #554 on: June 20, 2018, 15:12:53 »

Correct - GWR (Great Western Railway) have confirmed they have had all the sets they need for traffic this morning.  Apparently for the first time in three months.

Seems to conflict with this, from Thatcham Crossing ...

Quote
I was arriving in PAD» (Paddington (London) - next trains) this morning and at around 1120 observed a 2-car 165 departing to Worcester Foregate Street, absolutely rammed to the gunnels.

As it left, the Chiltern (Parliamentary) 165 pulled in next door, and I think 1 person got off!


Logged
Do you have something you would like to add to this thread, or would you like to raise a new question at the Coffee Shop? Please [register] (it is free) if you have not done so before, or login (at the top of this page) if you already have an account - we would love to read what you have to say!

You can find out more about how this forum works [here] - that will link you to a copy of the forum agreement that you can read before you join, and tell you very much more about how we operate. We are an independent forum, provided and run by customers of Great Western Railway, for customers of Great Western Railway and we welcome railway professionals as members too, in either a personal or official capacity. Views expressed in posts are not necessarily the views of the operators of the forum.

As well as posting messages onto existing threads, and starting new subjects, members can communicate with each other through personal messages if they wish. And once members have made a certain number of posts, they will automatically be admitted to the "frequent posters club", where subjects not-for-public-domain are discussed; anything from the occasional rant to meetups we may be having ...

 
Pages: 1 ... 35 36 [37] 38 39 ... 170
  Print  
 
Jump to:  

Powered by MySQL Powered by PHP Powered by SMF 1.1.2 | SMF © 2006-2007, Simple Machines LLC Valid XHTML 1.0! Valid CSS!
This forum is provided by customers of Great Western Railway (formerly First Great Western), and the views expressed are those of the individual posters concerned. Visit www.gwr.com for the official Great Western Railway website. Please contact the administrators of this site if you feel that the content provided by one of our posters contravenes our posting rules (email link to report). Forum hosted by Well House Consultants

Jump to top of pageJump to Forum Home Page