[Technology] Victorian train companies

happypig · Aug 29, 2018

Gwylan said:
Being able to have tickets sent to a mobile (as airlines and National Express do) wouldn't be rarely used, it's something that would be really, really useful. And I imagine a system that allows railway staff to talk to other railway staff without going through publicly available numbers would also be pretty useful.

British rail used to have their own national telephone network, the Brighton exchange was in the depot in New England Road. Last time I went there was in the late 80's though and I'm not sure they still operate it.

ac gull · Aug 29, 2018

As Private Eye put it recently - in olden Victorian days there was such a thing as a historic "train timetable" where by people turned up when they knew a train was due

In modern times you just turn up anytime and hope for the best re whatever may arrive I next two hours ...

Super Steve Earle · Aug 29, 2018

Gwylan said:
We hear a lot about our railway infrastructure and how it's basically Victorian but I hadn't realised that the train companies are basically Victorian ... until yesterday.

For reasons too complicated to get into, my daughter was stranded in Nottinghamshire with no bank card and no money. If she'd wanted to get a flight back from Europe, I could have bought a ticket and sent it to her phone - no problem but that's not possible with Ye Olde Railway Companye, nor could I buy one over the phone for her to pick up.

I had to go to Brighton station, queue at the ticket office, buy a ticket and then get the booking clerk to send a fax to the station. But to do that, he has to ring the station and ask for a fax number (a directory or a website with every station's fax number and internal phone is clearly beyond the imagination of the rail companies). There was no answer so he had to ring LNER's customer services, get an internal number off them, call it, get the fax number and then ring through to confirm it had been received). This whole process took exactly an hour.

If my daughter had been stranded in London, it could literally have been quicker (and a lot cheaper) for me to hop on a train and buy a ticket myself. I'm only amazed that they didn't use carrier pigeons.

After commuting for so long, I'm not shocked by the incompetence of the rail companies but this sort of administration is a sign that there's very, very wrong in the way they're run.

Maybe change your bank account to one that allows you to text a code to stranded family members to withdraw cash from your account at an ATM. Invaluable for dopey children who get in these situations yet somehow always have a mobile to phone bank of mum and dad.

happypig · Aug 29, 2018

just a thought but couldn't your daughter have given her phone to the ticket seller who could have input your CC manually ?

Madafwo · Aug 29, 2018

happypig said:
just a thought but couldn't your daughter have given her phone to the ticket seller who could have input your CC manually ?

Nope, card must be present for ticket sales, or it certainly was when I sold them.

Don't know if its been mentioned or not but this would have been so much easier had the Railway Operator service still been in existence, unfortunately they scrapped that a few years ago, always handy when I had to phone obscure stations in Wales to let them know of someone who requires assistance on the direct Brighton - Cardiff service.

Fran112 · Aug 29, 2018

So let me get this right.........

You went to Brighton Station, run by Southern Railway?
To buy a ticket, for a train, not operated by Southern Railway,
Departing from a station run by LNER?

So if I want a Big Mac, for my son, from Macdonalds in Newcastle,
I can go to Burger King in Brighton to pay for it AND expect Burger King to sort it for me?

Words fail me!

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

GT49er · Aug 30, 2018

Fran112 said:
So let me get this right.........

You went to Brighton Station, run by Southern Railway?
To buy a ticket, for a train, not operated by Southern Railway,
Departing from a station run by LNER?

So if I want a Big Mac, for my son, from Macdonalds in Newcastle,
I can go to Burger King in Brighton to pay for it AND expect Burger King to sort it for me?

Words fail me!

Not just words. How about logic?

Norman Potting · Aug 30, 2018

Ernest said:
But you forget we have a fragmented railway, in the old days the SILK system could have done what you needed in minutes as it was all centrally accounted for. Now it is akin to going into Sainsbury's to pay for your daughter's groceries in Tesco.
You have a problem but you want to blame others for the time it took to help you rather than blame them why not just thank the people who helped you out

Got involved with SILK on various occasions in my brief railway career in a TEB but never knew if it stood for anything, any ideas Ernest?

happypig · Aug 30, 2018

Norman Potting said:
Got involved with SILK on various occasions in my brief railway career in a TEB but never knew if it stood for anything, any ideas Ernest?

Stranded Individual Location Known apparently (from searching rail forums)

The Large One · Aug 30, 2018

Fran112 said:
So let me get this right.........

You went to Brighton Station, run by Southern Railway?
To buy a ticket, for a train, not operated by Southern Railway,
Departing from a station run by LNER?

So if I want a Big Mac, for my son, from Macdonalds in Newcastle,
I can go to Burger King in Brighton to pay for it AND expect Burger King to sort it for me?

Words fail me!

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

As analogies go, this one is dreadful.

Fran112 · Aug 30, 2018

The Large One said:
As analogies go, this one is dreadful.

Best I could do at short notice [emoji23]

However I took me just 3 minutes to search and find,
That you can buy and download LNER tickets direct to a mobile phone. [emoji849]

Is that classed as good use of current technology?

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

jackalbion · Aug 30, 2018

Is it not you who’s slightly archaic with technology having to ring up a train company? A simple google search right now can show you how to do it via a mobile phone / online.

jackalbion · Aug 30, 2018

Double Post

junior · Aug 30, 2018

Brok said:
Oh, please don't say that.
Try doing a two mile tunnel in a boat when you can't see the other end. Getting soaking wet by water leaking on you, thinking the bloody thing is going to collapse if you bash the side, hoping another boat isn't coming the other way, etc.
I hate tunnels.

Harecastle?

junior · Aug 30, 2018

Ernest said:
But the waste of time occurred because your daughter got stuck without money or a ticket so she is the one that wasted your time not the railway clerk who did their best to help you

Is the correct answer.

pastafarian · Aug 30, 2018

Ernest said:
It's a system that has worked well for years and still does work well for stranded and penniless people and apart from the time it seemed to have worked well again for you .

Just read this again, a lady is stranded and penniless, its 2018 not 1918

"I had to go to Brighton station, queue at the ticket office, buy a ticket and then get the booking clerk to send a fax to the station. But to do that, he has to ring the station and ask for a fax number (a directory or a website with every station's fax number and internal phone is clearly beyond the imagination of the rail companies). There was no answer so he had to ring LNER's customer services, get an internal number off them, call it, get the fax number and then ring through to confirm it had been received). This whole process took exactly an hour."

The fact you think this is acceptable service in the modern digital age is why i believe dinosaurs like you are the railways worst enemy.

Timbo · Aug 30, 2018

Tom Hark said:
The basic infrastructure is Victorian. All those tunnels and viaducts won't last forever. Just needs one to fail and the whole line fails. Which WILL happen at some point. Nothing's surer, sadly.

I’ve always thought this about the viaduct over Preston Circus. Would be nearly impossible to rebuild now and would take years even if they could.

pastafarian · Aug 30, 2018

Fran112 said:
So let me get this right.........

You went to Brighton Station, run by Southern Railway?
To buy a ticket, for a train, not operated by Southern Railway,
Departing from a station run by LNER?

So if I want a Big Mac, for my son, from Macdonalds in Newcastle,
I can go to Burger King in Brighton to pay for it AND expect Burger King to sort it for me?

Words fail me!

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

thats a pretty stupid comparison

Timbo · Aug 30, 2018

The problem with providing railway companies with any sort of technology is that it will be permanently out of order with nobody capable of maintaining it. Even something as simple as the ticket machine at Hassocks station works approximately one or two days a year meaning you have to get on the train and buy one from someone at Brighton station who thinks yours lying.

Herr Tubthumper · Aug 30, 2018

Wouldn’t happen in Germany.

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[Technology] Victorian train companies

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