South Hampshire Rail Users (SHRUG)

[whole diary]

[Btline]

At first glance, it seems strange that SHRUG don't complain about SN's Arun Valley line (Oh - it's not Stagecoach.). Because tired commuters are often DUMPED at Horsham, so the Soton train can make up time by having all stops AXED. I suppose the policy here benefits Hampshire - this just demonstrates the hypocrisy of the website.

Are there any other examples of issues blatantly being ignored? I'm so pleased that this website is much more balanced. Grahme: can you imagine a SHRUG forum? If anyone dared suggest a converse view, they'd get their membership AXED!

[thefab442]

They completely fail to mention the many times when "family friendly" Southampton-bound Southern trains are turned back at Havant, or diverted to Bognor Regis.

[grahame]

Grahme: can you imagine a SHRUG forum? If anyone dared suggest a converse view, they'd get their membership AXED!

Hmm .. that's your view, said tongue in cheek I'm sure.   Denis of SHRUG is a member here, and posted earlier in this thread.  He's very welcome to contribute / post further, though I think that some of his views on how best to work for the improvement of rail / services differ from most of ours to the extent that he might find us intimidating.  Denis?  Are you there?

P.S.   Having done a bit of CRP^▸ (Community Rail Partnership) work and had around 250 people on the 19:37 Westbury to Swindon each August Sunday (comparison - Sunday 5th September, when there was no southbound service in the morning - 10 people), I do feel that working with the train operator to our mutual benefit has much to commend it.

[Btline]

The latest thrilling* edition of the Hogrider is out!

http://www.shrug.info/

_{* Containing some SHOCKING conspiracy theories about the Lymington Town station master.}

[inspector_blakey]

I currently have something of a headache - would you suggest I hold off on perusing the Hogrider until it's gone Btline? Or would that just give me another one?! 

Edited to add...
Got to about paragraph 5 and gave up! This was the breaking point - in a discussion about the Ian Faletto case the following is quoted:

Former SWT^▸ (South West Trains) Manager, Martin Bedford, stated: ^No one knows better than he did about the train times, the signals, the perils of the third line and when trains are due, so he would not have put himself in any danger.^

It might seem pedantic, but as many of you will know one of the first rules of track safety is that you never rely on a timetable, and must expect trains to approach from any direction at any time.

Off to find something a little more easy-going...

[JayMac]

Shortly before the start of the Tribunal my legal advisers told me that I had no realistic chance of winning my case because SWT^▸ (South West Trains) had followed due procedure.

That one sentence says all that needs to be said. 

[eightf48544]

It's a pity that it is so long and vitriolic that your brain begins to hurt as Inspector Blacky says.

Thre some interesting points. The one about Secure Stations and bike thefts i agree with it's a nonsense for an unmammed staion and somewhat dubious for a single manned station who is in the office most of the time, to be called secure.

Also the number of AXED LATE DUFF SHORT FORMED trains and DUMPED passengers does seem to be high but the way it's presented doesn't allow you analyse the results.

A simple table of the trains what happened to it with totals for each type of incident would give much better picture.

I presume with even with these seemingly high numbers of incidents SWT^▸ (South West Trains) is meeting it's performance targets due to large number of trains it runs each day that are ontime  or upto 5.10 late) or not AXED etc.

Are missing stops, turning back short  or short formed count against SWT?. If they don't then a simple table of all these events would be far more effective in pointing out what SWT are getting away with and might just if it's pointed ot to the local MPs^▸ (Member of Parliament) persude DaFT^» (Department for Transport - critical sounding abbreviation I discourage - about) to include them in the statistics for all TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company) and for adverse figures to leaad to rebates.

This would be of benefit to all rail users throughout the country and might get poor perfoming TOCs to pull their socks up or if they are infrastructure problems to start beating Networkrail around the head.

[IndustryInsider]

It's a pity that it is so long and vitriolic that your brain begins to hurt as Inspector Blacky says.

The latest edition is out on the website.  To save brains hurting too much I'll sum up the topics discussed in it:

REFRANCHISING THREAT TO THE SOUTH - Negative story about Stagecoach

SWT^▸ (South West Trains)^S SATISFACTION SCORES CRASH - Negative story about SWT

NEW SWT MANAGING DIRECTOR DISPLAYS CUSTOMARY STAGECOACH SCORN FOR LONG DISTANCE COMMUTERS - Negative story about SWT

WHAT PEOPLE THINK OF STAGECOACH RAIL - Negative stories about SWT and Virgin (49% Stagecoach owned)

SWT^S PASSENGERS PANEL OTIOSE?  - Negative story about SWT

EXTRAORDINARY ATTEMPTS TO FAULT PASSENGERS - Negative story about SWT

UNSAFE TO SERVE REFRESHMENTS ON THE 06.50! - Negative story about SWT

THE SMALL SOCIETY: SWT DRIVES OUT VOLUNTEERS - Negative story about SWT

IS SWT MISUSING POLICE RESOURCES? - Negative story about SWT

FAILURES TO STAFF SWT TICKET OFFICES CONTINUE - Negative story about SWT

SWT STATION LIFT FAILURES CONTINUE - Negative story about SWT

RAILFUTURE MEETING - Neutral story about developments in the area

TRAINS TO HYTHE STILL ON THE AGENDA - Positive story about future developments in the area (non TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company) specific)

STAGECOACH BUS DANGERS SPREADING - Negative story about Stagecoach

DFT^▸ (Department for Transport)^S GREAT WESTERN FRANCHISE REPLACEMENT CONSULTATION - Replies from the group to the consultation

CONGRATULATIONS TO SOUTHERN AND SOUTH EASTERN - Positive story about Southern and SouthEastern

IN BRIEF - Several negative stories about SWT and Stagecoach and the odd neutral one

DUFF SWT TRAINS CAUSE MISERY ON THE IDES OF MARCH - Negative story about Stagecoach


Meanwhile, I had cause to use a SWT train from Basingstoke to Clapham Junction the other week.  It was on time, clean, had seats available just after the rush-hour so still at a busy time, and I had my ticket checked.

[Btline]

 

[inspector_blakey]

I've been a little slow on the uptake here, but you'll be delighted to hear that Hogrider 137 was sh@t out published recently. For your reading pleasure and edification, point your browser in this direction:

www.shrug.info

[Network SouthEast]

Ouch! Just visited their website and it isn't exactly easy on the eye, is it?!

[IndustryInsider]

I'd encourage all new members to visit this site, as it's a great example of how not to run a user group, whilst being very entertaining, if a little painful on the eye.

[trainer]

This makes the heaviest of 'rants' in this Forum look like a nursery rhyme.  There is no let-up in excoriating criticism and not one piece of encouragement to the staff to change anything.  Is nothing right in Hampshire for SWT^▸ (South West Trains) users?  How sad that this group had deteriorated into such a negative frame of mind.  I'd rather be part of a balanced Forum with an excellent informative grape-vine than one which is basically a gripe-vine.

[TonyK]

Like the Daily Express on steroids...

[Brucey]

What worries me is that someone is spending an awful lot of time writing these "articles" which are probably just being laughed at by SWT^▸ (South West Trains) and other user groups (such as ourselves).

I assume hope they automate the list of AXED services