Southern Rail STRIKE details

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Right, so you think:-

1. Government will get exposed.
2. Southern will lose the franchise
3. Southern will be replaced by a new efficient operator who will cave in and completely withdraw from the previous negotiating position.
4. Strikes all cancelled. Unions applaud "a victory for common sense".
5. Status quo maintained.

Really?

Yup, most of the above

 

[Lower West Stander]

Yup, most of the above

And who do you think the new operator will be?

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

And who do you think the new operator will be?

Don't give a shit as long as it's someone with at least the pretence of Putting The Customer First, as opposed to the current lot who shamelessly pay homage to Putting the Shareholder First.

 

[Neville's Breakfast]

And who do you think the new operator will be?

British Rail would be the ideal candidate. A transport network run for the good of the wider economy and passengers, subsidized through taxation because we all benefit. No more profiteering by private companies.

 

[pearl]

I walked past the Duke of York's on way home and someone has changed 'The Girl on the Train' to 'The Girl on the Rail Replacement Bus Service'

 

[Yoda]

Although a couple of days ago, show's how out of touch Tim Loughton really is:
https://www.facebook.com/TimLoughtonEWAS/videos/1819122125037552/

 

[Joe Gatting's Dad]

Why do some of you keep on about GTR working for the benefit of their shareholders?

Yes Go-Ahead made £100M profit in their last financial year, but GTR made a loss and therefore contributed nothing.

 

[Ernest]

Although a couple of days ago, show's how out of touch Tim Loughton really is:
https://www.facebook.com/TimLoughtonEWAS/videos/1819122125037552/

Tim nice but DIM

 

[biddles911]

British Rail would be the ideal candidate. A transport network run for the good of the wider economy and passengers, subsidized through taxation because we all benefit. No more profiteering by private companies.

You cannot be serious!?

Are you too young to remember how bad British Rail were......? With all its faults, using commercial operators is still the best option.

Part of the reason Southern Rail is such a shambles is because the DfT is still so closely involved in politicking the situation.


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[Neville's Breakfast]

You cannot be serious!?

Are you too young to remember how bad British Rail were......? With all its faults, using commercial operators is still the best option.

Part of the reason Southern Rail is such a shambles is because the DfT is still so closely involved in politicking the situation.


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I certainly can remember BR (not young at all I'm afraid).
Don't remember it being as bad as it is these days. I don't see any rationale for franchising a monopoly. Even if you believe in private provision of infrastructure, surely as a capitalist you believe that capital is rewarded for taking risk. What risk are the franchise holders taking to earn their fee ?

 

[biddles911]

I certainly can remember BR (not young at all I'm afraid).
Don't remember it being as bad as it is these days. I don't see any rationale for franchising a monopoly. Even if you believe in private provision of infrastructure, surely as a capitalist you believe that capital is rewarded for taking risk. What risk are the franchise holders taking to earn their fee ?

Volumes have gone up enormously since BR.

Having travelled on other franchises e.g. Virgin, it's clearly possible to give a far better customer experience than BR ever managed.

Southern Rail and its franchise are the exception to the rule, partly because of the volumes in the South East and, partly, because of massive underinvestment over many years dating back to BR days, which is directly attributable to money only being available at Government's behest and the economics of the day.

I don't really see what relevance risk plays in the equation. Of course private operators need to balance their books so have an incentive to be efficient but it's up to Government to set appropriate parameters to ensure customer satisfaction too.

The problem with Southern is that Government are ignoring such parameters in favour of a political agenda. I have little sympathy with Southern as I think their management is terrible anyway, as evidenced by the poor service even before the RMT dispute, but I think that's far from sufficient reason to suggest a reversion to BR.....


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[Norman Baker suck my lozenge]

Tim nice but DIM

He's not even nice,a vile little human.


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[Deadly Danson]

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/b...-dispute-is-not-about-the-doors-a7361316.html Another good article. I particularly like this bit which explains better than I've been able to do why I don't believe a word Southern say:

Now I’ve spoken to both sides on this. In a rather tense exchange, the company said the battle was a power play by the union which doesn’t like the idea of drivers controlling the doors on its trains.

Every train will still have an on board supervisor (OBS) when this happens, I was told, so (crucially) there will always be someone there to assist disabled passengers (like me) who turn up to travel without having first given 24 hours notice. Which ought to be their right but often isn’t.

Au contraire, say the guards. If the company wins, trains will be able to run without an OBS on board. Disabled passengers will end up getting stuffed because that will end up happening a lot.

No, no, no, said the company to me. It will always be the intention to have one. But we will be able to run trains if, for example, an OBS rings in sick. If the guard rings in sick now we would just have to cancel the trains. To which I would respond by asking why the company can't work out a system of providing cover.

It isn’t hard to see an awful lot of trains running without an OBS if the company wins the dispute, because it isn’t hard to see some finance bod questioning whether the company wouldn’t make more money without them. Which is why I'm sympathetic to the guards' position.

Even if that doesn't happen, can we, in the light of the MPs' report, trust the company to keep enough OBSs on its books to ensure they’re always on its trains? Not if we accept its conclusions.

Staffing, or the lack of it, is one of the issues it highlights as is the lack of disabled access.

If staffing issues continue to bedevil the franchise after OBSs are brought it, that spells trouble for disabled passengers, or elderly passengers or even lone parents. It’s not just disabled people that sometimes need assistance.

As the guards I’ve spoken to explain, it’s not about the doors. Or it’s not just about the doors. It is about providing something approaching an acceptable service to passengers. All passengers.

 

[The Albion Roar]

Paul Barber has criticised the 'sheer arrogance' of the chief executive and management of Southern Rail for never communicating with the Albion 'one of, or maybe the biggest single customer with Southern'. They have tried getting explanations from SASTA, but they won't say anything to them.

Meanwhile, he praised the operational staff at Southern, being in the frontline, and doing their best to keep the club advised of ongoing situations.

http://albionroar.co.uk/index.php

 

[perseus]

What is the strike score for Tuesday and the Wolves match?

Aside: Train for the Preston NE match was stationary at Shoreham, but the driver must have closed the doors cause I could not get on, but the guard was still on the platform.

Who closes the doors, the guard or the driver?

 

[Butch Willykins]

Who closes the doors

Your mum

 

[Deadly Danson]

What is the strike score for Tuesday and the Wolves match?

Aside: Train for the Preston NE match was stationary at Shoreham, but the driver must have closed the doors cause I could not get on, but the guard was still on the platform.

Who closes the doors, the guard or the driver?

The guard.

 

[RandyWanger]

I tried to buy a ticket to get down tomorrow but Southern aren't selling online due to industrial action. Are the trains f**ked for Tomorrow night?

 

[dwayne]

....and will it be safe to come down from London.

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[Gilliver's Travels]

Got a friend planning to come down for the game tomorrow night. Preferred route East Croydon – Brighton – Falmer – Brighton – East Croydon.


What's the likelihood that viable train services will be running, pre-and post-match? And is there some kind of live, online timetable? Or is it going to be best for him to just drive down?