Our rail network is laughable, it's a F**king joke.

[Grassland Blue]

This was the departure board at Piccadilly late last night. Not a single train running anywhere. Yesterday wasn’t a strike day for those that have lost track.

Many staff care little about the railway these days. They don't have railways 'in their blood', so to speak.
Their main priorities lie elsewhere.
The type of anti-social shifts shown used to be covered by spare men or money hungry ones.
There don't seem to be many 'unproductive' spare men to cover and overtime merchants are also thin on the ground.

 

[metalblue]

I wrote an article for an (unrelated) trade paper that explained how daft it would be to separate track and trains. It stemmed from an EU directive and many claim it's been a success. I think it's been a disaster - sorting out the compensation for delays (was it a track / signal fault, was it a train operating company failure), then different TOCs means splitting revenue on tickets that can be used by different TOCs *, and most routes with no competition between the TOCs, drivers who only know a limited number of traction and routes (so another company exists to rescue stranded trains). * The Railway Clearing House used to do that before nationalisation, and it was always important to know where revenue was generated (and spent).

Nail on head. I don’t have your knowledge on the subject but if a layman like me can see the folly of it you’d like to think the “experts” would. Was it deliberate to create the structural mess? Do you have a link to the article would like to read it.

 

[metalblue]

Bring back steam.

It was quicker. We lack the tracks for the number of services, . A total lack of joined up thinking. Can’t be solved until track and trains are in a single entity.

 

[Vic]

Nail on head. I don’t have your knowledge on the subject but if a layman like me can see the folly of it you’d like to think the “experts” would. Was it deliberate to create the structural mess? Do you have a link to the article would like to read it.

It was nearly 30 years ago. I might have a copy, but retrieving Amstrad files converted to Word2 isn't easy.

But this might explain why it's getting worse.

Passengers are rightly angry about our northern railways – as a driver, I’m mortified | Secret Train Driver

TransPennine Express is not being straight with the public about a major cause of its cancellations, says the Secret Train Driver

www.theguardian.com

 

[Stephen230]

Many staff care little about the railway these days. They don't have railways 'in their blood', so to speak.
Their main priorities lie elsewhere.
The type of anti-social shifts shown used to be covered by spare men or money hungry ones.
There don't seem to be many 'unproductive' spare men to cover and overtime merchants are also thin on the ground.

I know quite a few rail staff. One of them is a pretty new train driver and she says one of the main problems is they are that keen to get new drivers out earning their money that as soon as they’ve done their basic training and have the knowledge to drive over one or two routes, that’s it. So if someone books sick or is running late or whatever they might have a whole bunch of drivers ready and willing to step in but none of them have the required knowledge to drive over that particular route, so the trip is cancelled. Whereas previously they’d stay in training until they had a knowledge of all the local routes. From an outsider it just seems like a short term gain for easily predictable long term chaos.

 

[Grassland Blue]

I know quite a few rail staff. One of them is a pretty new train driver and she says one of the main problems is they are that keen to get new drivers out earning their money that as soon as they’ve done their basic training and have the knowledge to drive over one or two routes, that’s it. So if someone books sick or is running late or whatever they might have a whole bunch of drivers ready and willing to step in but none of them have the required knowledge to drive over that particular route, so the trip is cancelled. Whereas previously they’d stay in training until they had a knowledge of all the local routes. From an outsider it just seems like a short term gain for easily predictable long term chaos.

Yes, that is also part of the problem, as is traction knowledge.
The traditional structure (hard fought for) is almost gone and with every passing year more and more 'old school' with a wealth of accumulated knowledge are retiring.
As a starting point, for reliability I would run fewer, but longer trains.

 

[Corky]

It has been a joke since the railway review deprived most towns of even having a station.

 

[remember arthur mann]

It has been a joke since the railway review deprived most towns of even having a station.

Another arsehole who had his finger in every pie to make money and fckd it all up.

 

[Vic]

Yes, that is also part of the problem, as is traction knowledge.
The traditional structure (hard fought for) is almost gone and with every passing year more and more 'old school' with a wealth of accumulated knowledge are retiring.
As a starting point, for reliability I would run fewer, but longer trains.

Longer platforms need to be built first.

 

[Vic]

Another arsehole who had his finger in every pie to make money and fckd it all up.

View attachment 64325

Be fair. That was in the day when an ICI executive was paid £24k a year, only 24 times the average wage. More like 60 times difference today for FTSE100 execs.