Do you support the RMT?

[Stephen230]

It won't matter soon anyway, people will be put off from the trains forever and who can blame them.
Both sides are both absolutely pathetic.

You caught a train recently? Every one I’ve gone for these last few months, the major problem has been squeezing on the fucker. Yet I keep reading that everyone has given up using them.

 

[bluethrunthru]

You caught a train recently? Every one I’ve gone for these last few months, the major problem has been squeezing on the fucker. Yet I keep reading that everyone has given up using them.

You probably read that from Mail readers and people who never use trains but believe Mark Harper tells the gospel truth in every interview.

 

[Vic]

It won't matter soon anyway, people will be put off from the trains forever and who can blame them.
Both sides are both absolutely pathetic.

You don't use trains anyway, do you? Public transport is for poor people.

 

[Zubrman]

You probably read that from Mail readers and people who never use trains but believe Mark Harper tells the gospel truth in every interview.

I can tell you first hand that commuter trains in and out of London are back to and above pre-Covid levels of over-crowding. I drive them. The income for my company is there; the compensation for losses during industrial action is paid to them, the fare increases due to inflation are paid to them. And I haven't had a pay increase for four and a half years.

 

[TinFoilHat]

Trains are full to bursting at weekends.

"They can't be because our revenue data doesn't show it. You're obviously not doing your job and collecting fares. You will now be put on a 6 month training plan."

Bit difficult to sell tickets if your short formed train is at kissing windows stage after its first departure point.

"We see your train was 7 minutes late leaving *****. Why was this?"

"Passengers getting on and off an already full to bursting train."

"So it's your fault for not managing your train correctly. We'll send the delay charge to your line manager."

Advert: Are you a team player? Were looking for contingency staff during periods of industrial action. You will be paid 3 times as much as those militant bastards on strike and if requested we'll put you up in a 5 star hotel with a beer tab that you can post on Facebook after as bantz to wind up all those silly people who've lost wages. Please apply to IamSausageChipsandBeans@*********.com

 

[Stephen230]

I can tell you first hand that commuter trains in and out of London are back to and above pre-Covid levels of over-crowding. I drive them. The income for my company is there; the compensation for losses during industrial action is paid to them, the fare increases due to inflation are paid to them. And I haven't had a pay increase for four and a half years.

I mean, you expect commuter trains to be busy in pretty much every biggish town or city. But I generally use trains at weekends and in the last few months I swear I’ve never seen them so busy.

And I don’t drive and have been travelling by train regularly for decades, so I’m not basing that observation on a short term thing.

Maybe some of it is there’s less trains these days with all the strikes and cancellations. But I got one the other week for example on a Saturday morning about half 7, expecting to be the only fucker out and about at that time and ht was fucking rammed.

 

[TinFoilHat]

I mean, you expect commuter trains to be busy in pretty much every biggish town or city. But I generally use trains at weekends and in the last few months I swear I’ve never seen them so busy.

And I don’t drive and have been travelling by train regularly for decades, so I’m not basing that observation on a short term thing.

Maybe some of it is there’s less trains these days with all the strikes and cancellations. But I got one the other week for example on a Saturday morning about half 7, expecting to be the only fucker out and about at that time and ht was fucking rammed.

Leisure travel passenger numbers have risen substantially.

Especially when you have TOCs such as northern offering tickets for a couple of quid between Manchester and Liverpool.

The terms of the purchase say they must catch the specific train they've bought the tickets for.

The misuse of those tickets is through the roof. Many times I've had passengers catching trains 5/6 hours early than that are valid for. They have no tickets officially and many will kick off at me and my colleagues rather than pay. And management wonder why colleagues are going off with mental health/stress issues thus exacerbating the issue as more trains are cancelled because of staff shortages.

 

[Stephen230]

Leisure travel passenger numbers have risen substantially.

Especially when you have TOCs such as northern offering tickets for a couple of quid between Manchester and Liverpool.

The terms of the purchase say they must catch the specific train they've bought the tickets for.

The misuse of those tickets is through the roof. Many times I've had passengers catching trains 5/6 hours early than that are valid for. They have no tickets officially and many will kick off at me and my colleagues rather than pay. And management wonder why colleagues are going off with mental health/stress issues thus exacerbating the issue as more trains are cancelled because of staff shortages.

I know quite a few guys who work on the railways and even they don’t understand the thinking behind these ridiculously cheap tickets.

I know they’ve done away with selling cheap tickets at the stations. Which is probably against discriminatory laws but at least you can understand the reasoning behind it. Every fucker will be driven away from the station’s ticket point and they’ll use that as justification to shut them all, like they have on London Underground.

But they can’t be making money on £2 tickets, so why they think that is a good business move I wouldn’t know.

 

[Scottyboi]

I mean, you expect commuter trains to be busy in pretty much every biggish town or city. But I generally use trains at weekends and in the last few months I swear I’ve never seen them so busy.

And I don’t drive and have been travelling by train regularly for decades, so I’m not basing that observation on a short term thing.

Maybe some of it is there’s less trains these days with all the strikes and cancellations. But I got one the other week for example on a Saturday morning about half 7, expecting to be the only fucker out and about at that time and ht was fucking rammed.

My sister works for a big rail contractor, and since covid the weekday footfall for trains have significantly dropped and weekend is hammered instead. Not sure what the long term implications are but market conditions change all the time so it is down to the rail operators to adapt.

 

[TinFoilHat]

My sister works for a big rail contractor, and since covid the weekday footfall for trains have significantly dropped and weekend is hammered instead. Not sure what the long term implications are but market conditions change all the time so it is down to the rail operators to adapt.

We're not averse to "adapting".

The adapting they want involves us being expected to work longer hours for less pay with one weekend off in 18.

Sunday working used to be an issue as it was voluntary. Now most TOCS have agreements in place for inclusive Sunday working with staff on them getting a 6 day 'long weekend' In return every 6 weeks.

The aspiration is to run the same levels of service everyday. However they don't want to pay for either the extra trains required or the staff to run it. RDG directed by the government want a Skeleton crew of permanent contracts with 3 month short term contracts to back them up 'in peak periods.' And that only applies to "major stations". The rest will be unmanned with passengers expected to use "smart technology."

I don't see how using an app will stop the local smackhead robbing passengers but the government knows best.