What annoys you about railway companies?

[Stigy]

Anoraks...

I get called that all the time from colleagues...I just see me as thorough as opposed to an anorak....

 

I certainly don't have a thermos, at least not to stand around on station platforms, lol.

[my-spirit-soars-free]

Not being allowed to get on a train as the one wheelchair space is already booked, and then when I get on a train at a different time the staff put me in the corridor as the wheelchair space is full of suitcases.

 

Surely if I can travel in the corridor to give the suitcases a comfy ride I could get on the train I want to, and also travel in the corridor?

[Wriggler7]

Railways have a habit of treating wheelchair bound passengers a little bit like parcels. Lots of high visibilty 'disabled friendly' stuff, but in practice, poor service.

 

A couple of years ago, a station near me had a taxi rank moved away from the front of the station so that there could be a disabled parking space put in. It also gained a 'disabled' toilet, wide door, handrails and all that. There was still no access to platforms for wheelchair bound people. And then there are the tactile maps for blind people. How does a blind person find the tactile map? And the tactile paving stones that prevent snow clearance, and were so badly installed that they were a trip hazard. I could go on. I am glad that I am still fully mobile. Not all of my friends are.

[Grotesque]

...and on one of my 'local' lines, during the recent swathes of redundancies/ job cuts etc, the Company effectively de-staffed the platforms making it not possible for anyone to set up the wheelchair access ramp even though the stations have disabled access!

 

Unfortunately they were not sued for this.

[my-spirit-soars-free]

It is not possible to sue them for making stations inaccessible, as they do pay for a taxi to and from that station for anyone who cannot get on to the platform, and that is considered acceptable, as far as I know?

 

You have to pre book assistance to get it, and it obviously adds time to the journey, but at least it is possible for a wheelchair user to travel from any station. Oddly, they don't advertise the service terribly well, and sometimes they even suggest you should go from another station. The lines to pre book can also be very busy, my record is 45 minutes waiting on the phone, and you have to ring them again the day before travelling to confirm - but the service is available. It is just a shame that it seems to be one of the worlds better kept secrets.

 

Mind you, at one point they tried to tell me that I could not have a taxi at the time I wanted as the train at that time (the one I could not get onto) had no wheelchair space available - even though the train I would be getting from the nearest accessible station was OK.

[Wriggler7]

I am not an expert in 'disabled access', but my understanding is that if you build a new facility, station or whatever, it has to 'comply' with access standards. If you are running a facility that was built before the current standards, it does not have to comply. There are many charities and other public spirited organisations that open up historic buildings, and it would simply not be possible for something like Upminster windmill to arrange access to the top for a wheelchair bound person. Most railways have stations that were built long before Upminster windmill!

 

Hopefully, a real expert on disabled access will pop along soon and give us chapter and verse.

[Wriggler7]

There is no great incentive for railways to look after any group in the community that is 'labour intensive' and gives a low money return. Comments about wheelchair access also apply to 'young mums' with pushchairs & infants.

Railways in the UK are run by private companies, the object for all private companies is to maximise returns for shareholders.

The history of railway development is littered with examples where Governments were obliged to pass laws and force railways to comply with good sense and safe working practices. Bit off topic, but look at how hard it was to get railways to adopt continuos brakes on trains, interlocking points and signals, and the list goes on.

[my-spirit-soars-free]

The law on accessibility for new buildings is covered by schedule M of the building regs.

 

Businesses and services in older building have to make "reasonable provision" for access to services. There is some case law about what is reasonable, for instance a large shop found that offering to get the wheelchair users shopping was not on, a lift was "reasonable" for them. Sadly, given that the cost comes out of profits, some businesses decide that any adaptation is not reasonable - I could name and shame a certain burger chain here. However, "reasonable" is open to interpretation, and given that the railway do have a system for getting wheelchair passengers to any inaccessible station the courts are likely to find that they are being "reasonable".

 

No, I am no expert. There is no longer any body that enforces the rights of the disabled, the fight is up to the individual person who finds that they cannot access the service- and it feels like a bit of an uneven fight, especially when the law is vague. I have not found any experts in that area of law.

[Wriggler7]

Probably because there is no profit in taking up these fights. I would not want to be the well meaning high street solicitor representing 'Mrs Wheelchair' who has no money other than benefits in a fight against the legal team of Tesdarrissons or McWirgerking.

 

'Reasonable' is a term often met in civil actions that allows for some very wide differences of opinion.

 

Railways also have the joy of shared responsibility. Train operators only lease stations, which are owned by Network Rail. Who is responsible for the lift? Some actions will grind to a halt when an announcement is made that there are plans to upgrade facilities in the next round of station enhancements. Everyone goes away smiling, and the next round is postponed, or a different safety issue crops up that takes precedence.

[Wriggler7]

Naturally, this week I was annoyed by the complete stuff up involving overhead wires in my part of the world, not yet aware of who's fault it was. But: after hanging around in the (very) cold, when the rail replacement bus arrived, it was an absolutely pristine Routemaster, almost as old as me, but in much better condition. Took me back to my distant youth.

[Wriggler7]

Today's moan? KHAZIs.

 

Cold and damp weather, too many cups of tea, and a Gents khazi that isn't fit to pee into!

 

Admittedly, it has a baby changing compartment for all those south Essex dad's who know what a nappy pin is for, but what about some bog paper, and urinals that don't overflow even when a terminal prostate case is dribbling into it?

 

It has been a very long saga, but my local station has plumbing problems that have been going on since the trendy makeover. Before the makeover, robust if antideluvian gents bogs, after it, all company colours but no bloody good. Locked up when blocked up, due to the 'wrong type of urinal', flooded when open for the same reason.

 

I know that the train fare doesn't guarantee use of a clean loo, but even the continental Swiss manage to provide a decent lavvy.

 

Rant over.

[Stigy]

Today's moan? KHAZIs.

 

Cold and damp weather, too many cups of tea, and a Gents khazi that isn't fit to pee into!

 

Admittedly, it has a baby changing compartment for all those south Essex dad's who know what a nappy pin is for, but what about some bog paper, and urinals that don't overflow even when a terminal prostate case is dribbling into it?

 

It has been a very long saga, but my local station has plumbing problems that have been going on since the trendy makeover. Before the makeover, robust if antideluvian gents bogs, after it, all company colours but no bloody good. Locked up when blocked up, due to the 'wrong type of urinal', flooded when open for the same reason.

 

I know that the train fare doesn't guarantee use of a clean loo, but even the continental Swiss manage to provide a decent lavvy.

 

Rant over.

Dodgy plumbing at Railway Stations isn't uncommon, as you seem to already know! Alot of the toilets at the numerous stations I cover have been re-vamped and seem much nicer these days....Some even have those 'air-blade' hand dryers! (more recent revamps have made do with more convetional nad dryers though, I assume because of money/funding). I certainly wouldn't think to look for bog roll at a public toilet, as I certainly wouldn't intend to go for a read of the Metro!

[Wriggler7]

The Metro! You reminded me how annoying it is that railways make money by allowing that awful sheet to be issued freely and then littered all over trains. It is drivel, damages the environment, is stapled, making it hard to use in place of the missing bog roll.

 

If people want a newspaper, with news in, they should go to a newsagent and buy one. One with words in. As dear Lord Denning once said "Just because the public are interested does not make it the Public Interest'. Can't remember the subject, could have been Profumo, or David Mellors, but the principal applies.

 

According to the Metro, the most important issue facing the world is whether the ex wife of a footballer can mentor a chavvy bird that cannot sing. The destruction of rain forest simply doesn't matter, nor the potential collapse of the Irish economy, as longs as the public can be fed stories about 'celebrities'.

 

'We' tell many posters to face reality about their 'fare evasion' problems, but whilst they are evading fares, they are probably reading the Metro, with all of it's escapist crap and failing to address issues that are, actually, important.

[gertysingh]

Unfortunately we live in a society that feeds off superficial crap - just look at the mags in the newsagents.... Me finks society over the years has learnt to be less responsible and more materialistic. Better to escape than to face up to reality. Better to live on benefits than get a job or to contribute to society. Better to get ****ed than learn how to spend wisely.

 

I liked the conservate line (in John Major's days) about getting back to basics. They just didn't have enough vision to really know what they meant.

 

BTW There are many good things about the rail companies, like having trains that mostly run on time, clean trains, toilets that mostly work.

[Wriggler7]

Oh crikey, of course there are good things about railways, otherwise I would walk!

 

What is upsetting is that the good things are underused because we live in a get rich quick society. The rail companies should be aggressively growing their businesses such that we all get rid of our cars, but they know that real rail developement takes time and costs money, and will not make the same sort of profits that can be made in 'the City', or elsewhere. I doubt that there is a single 'real rail enthusiast' at the helm of a railway company. (Mixed metaphor! I should have said 'at the regulator')

 

Real enthusiasts would have platform staff in place before the first train, cosy (and supervised) waiting rooms, trains that get from A to B faster now than they did in the 1930s and so on.

[tired and late....again]

All that bothers me about train companies is the inability to keep to a schedule. The worst offender I have come across is northern rail. Constantly late or cancelled trains and even drivers not turning up for shifts and leaving passengers stranded at manchester oxford road.

[Wriggler7]

I don't use trains every day, and it is true that most days, they are 'on time'. But, yesterday, I was obliged to use 5 different trains. One of them was 3 minutes late, but, according to the dodgy statistics employed by the railway, it was 'on time'.

 

The timetable to which all these train ran is so arranged that there were no garaunteed connections, and I spent an awful lot of time standing in (what is for us soft southerners) very cold weather. And yet again, the khazi was locked up. It would have been quicker and cheaper to use a car, even allowing for the parking charges.

 

On the 'second train' of my day, I chose the alleged 'quiet carriage' as I had some very important reading to do, incidentally, important for other people, not that important to me, and the passengers were 'quiet'. Not so the silly mechanical voice that keeps saying 'coach A is a quiet carriage, the use of personal stereos is banned'. Reminded me of an old corporal I once knew, who used to shout 'keep quiet' or you'll wake up the W.O.'

[Wriggler7]

I guess a few people wre annoyed that trains have suffered delays during this 'weather'.

 

There are many issues with 'adverse weather'. I understand that 'third rail' electrics have trouble when the snow is this deep, and I am sad enough to have watched the old British Transport films about '1947' and trains stuck at places like Ais Gil.

 

Weather isn't 'new', and neither are railways.

 

Over the years, I have spoken to many railway managers about how these difficulties can (sometimes) be overcome, and always 'mitigated'. They have (generally) politely told me why things can't be done. But, it all comes down to 'cost'.

[Wriggler7]

One minor improvement would have allowed 'some' services to run 'slightly' better. All operators who use 'Electrostars' could easily have a couple of 'Turbostars'. Not a 'total answer', but one that would 'help'. Why won't they contemplate that? It would cost money to have drivers passed on mkore than one class of traction, it would be 'inconvenient' to have diesel fitters in all electric sheds. Fundamentally, it would cost the shareholder.

 

It is also unfortunate that the staff on my local line have just seen the draft roster for 'next year'. If they seem a tad surly, and are a little slow at leaning on the shovel this week, maybe changes that would have had every London Fireman on a picket line has something to do with it.

 

Those of a historical bent might call to mind the phrase 'lions led by donkeys'.

[Wriggler7]

BTW, in an earlier post, I suggested that there are no rail enthusiasts in charge of railways. That was neither accurate nor fair. I have now met two, not sure that I am allowed to name them, so I won't, but one works on a southern route, and the other works on a western route. Thoroughly nice men, both of them, and they both, honestly, care about running a decent railway.

 

There has always been a kernel of good people, we might think of Mr Churchward, Mr Gresley, but somehow they tended to be nudged away from things by the interests of the shareholders.

[SRPO]

Personally, I think blaming the TOCs for not running trains during this weather event is a bit like blaming the bus companies for not operating on snow blocked roads.

[RPI]

In a lot of areas the railways actually did a pretty good job of running a service, particularly where parralel bus services had been suspended totally!

[Wriggler7]

I agree! That some trains ran in some areas is actually rather amazing. I was chatting to staff at 'my local station'. The Post Office had not delivered post for 4 days as a result of the weather.

 

However, this is a thread for whingeing about railways, and letting us air views on what was 'wrong'.

 

One train I used on Friday was announced as being 'formed of 8 carriages'. A lot of folk wandered to the front of where an 8 car set would stop, it arrived, incidentally spot on time, but only 4 carriages long. The driver 'did the right thing', and waited for all the passengers to get on, and left 1 minute late.

 

People with a deep technical understanding of 'systems' will quite rightly point out that the mistake was caused by 'someone' entering the train wrongly onto 'PIDS' (? I don't know what 'PIDS' is, and maybe the member of staff who told me that one should bear in mind that even an ancient anorak should be told in plain language what happened) and it may be that the fault didn't rest with the 'TOC', and it was a very minor irritant on a day when the running of any train was a marvellous acheivement, but it is a mistake that makes the passenger (or customer, whatever) lose some trust and respect for 'the railway'.

[Wriggler7]

I stood and watched for a while, waiting for my train, full of respect for the cleaner who was clearing snow from the platform. There were some staff who have done a pretty heroic job running trains this week, or helping to keep the stations open. I think it is important that when we (collectively and metaphorically) beat people up for the things that 'went wrong', we try to identify the people who are actually responsible for the shortcomings.

 

In my formative youth, it was generally accepted that 'the manager' is 'responsible'. OK, the weather is outside of the control of 'the manager', but giving the cleaner the 'wrong sort of broom' and then leaving her to be the only person to whom we can whinge is most certainly something that 'the manager' could have done better with. I kid you not, she was equipped with a plastic snow scoop and a 12" soft broom. The scoop is particularly useless for removing snow from the tactile stones used to tell blind people that they are about to fall under a train, and the broom simply is no good for shifting the hard snow that was now clogging those stones. The station had run out of de-icer, which was described to me as being 'on it's way'. The weather had been predicted, the length of the platforms was known in 1912, the performance capabilities of 'soft brooms' is known to everyone who has used one.

 

If you leave staff ill informed, ill equipped and poorly supported, you will not get a good job out of them 'this time', and there is a strong risk that 'next time' you won't get them to 'try'.

[Wriggler7]

I have just been wandering around You Tube. Seems that the weather didn't stop 60007, Sir Nigel Gresley, from putting in some good work. Maybe that is the answer!