Worst Run UK Train Company - New Excuses for terrible service

[whitburncolliery]

Well just when you thought that you had heard every excuse for trains running late, Govia Thameslink Railways (GTR) come up with a new one.

The taxi provider this morning had suffered a major failure of their booking system and as such a large number of drivers were out of their correct positions or severely late running as a result.
This affected drivers across all of the Govia Thameslink Railway network and as a result, disruption has been caused to Southern, Thameslink and Great Northern services.

And to make things better, today they announced that the new CEO would be Patrick Verwer. He was in charge of London Midland Trains who were fine £7m because he ran the company with insufficient drivers to run a service. London Midland has their licence taken away from them last year, in part due to Mr Verwer's handling of the company.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-engla...s-44569799&link_location=live-reporting-story

Really glad I don't use any GTR services.

 

[clam1952]

So all their drivers need taxis to get to work? sounds like another case of creative BS to me.

 

[Davie_UCF]

So all their drivers need taxis to get to work? sounds like another case of creative BS to me.

You'd be surprised how even a few drivers in the wrong location causes mayhem. I've had my train cancelled because my cab was running late and I couldn't get somewhere. Then that train is stuck somewhere else and it's next working with a different driver can't operate...

It always amazes me how train and driver diagrams fit together. I can't imagine how they originally plan all of this.

 

[whitburncolliery]

Given that GTR is actually 3 railway companies spread across a large geographical area and have a massive history of not supplying services, I wouldn't believe a word that comes out of their mouths.

The last CEO was just sacked because they couldn't run a timetabled service that they had been working on for 9 months. To be replaced by someone who has a history of doing the same thing.

The company has also been given Government dispensations to not run to the scheduled timetable many, many times in the recent past. Without being fined too. A really terrible company for the poor travellers, not so for the shareholders or senior management who still make hay regardless.

 

[Vern]

I think you will find most train operators use taxis to ferry crews where it I not possible to "dead head" or to transit to depots.

In BR days it used to be a staff minibus owned and operated by the railway. I have heard enough horror stories in my time about the quality and reliability of the taxi provision to actually put some credence in this one - up to the point where the staff travelling have had to instruct the driver to pull over and take the wheel themselves, due to safety concerns (not sure how that works with the motor insurance, though).

 

[rjhowie]

Maybe the idea of minibuses again might be a thought?

 

[Davie_UCF]

The taxi's we use in London are terrifying. They're often late, cutting into your break. They always take a different route and some of them have used their phones while driving.
Proper scary driving through London like that!

 

[acyunczyk]

Amtrak and Metra try every excuse in the book. Here are just a few of the excuses I heard yesterday:
Track construction
Goose strike
Near miss with a squirrel
Platform overshoot
'Heavy passenger load'
Signal problems
Switch problems
Late arrival of equipment
Freight train interference

All of those are for the same train, Metra 1205.

 

[cyberdongreen]

So all their drivers need taxis to get to work? sounds like another case of creative BS to me.

It's not Taxi's for drivers to get to work, Malc, it's taxis for Traincrews at work to get them from Booking-on-Points to Unit Sidings or Carriage Sidings etc (e.g Birmingham New Street to Tyseley or Soho DED) and in some cases perhaps from an outlying depot to a mainline or terminus station. In the old B.R. days there were B.R. owned 12 seater Staff Minibuses doing this ferrying of crewmen around. However, private companies decided that they could get rid of the men doing that job and use taxis instead (jobs for their mates private companies again of course.) Many of the British freight rail companies nowadays leave a hire vehicle at relieving points so that the Traincrew can drive home by road if they have no return working for any reason. It's cheaper for them to do that than to pay passenger companies for the right to use any of their services. That's the selfish nature of privatisation for you. Money, money, money. No compromise. Sad but true, to quote Metallica!

Dave