Brighton Area Rail Services (photo inside)

[West Hoathly Seagull]

In nearly 30 years of signalling trains thats the first time i've been refered to as a clown.



I know it's a bit of a fucker having signals at red but thats what stops trains crashing into each other!

7.47 East Grinstead to Victoria. I know it must be a pig of a job with the number of trains coming through at that time, but why does a down Gatwick Express always get priority (again with about 20 people on) ahead of a packed commuter train and why oh why do we regularly get switched to the slow lines, meaning we usually get caught behind the slow trains? It gets a bit much having to explain to your boss four days running that the train was 10 or more minutes late. As I said earlier, it had been brilliant for ages - we were arriving spot on at 8.44 at Victoria. Now we rarely arrive before 8.50. By the way, I apologise for the insult; I let myself go rather as one does to a referee and retract it whole heartedly.

 

[Ernest]

I think those train conductors do a lovely job apart from that Virgos Haircut who is simply a workshy fop

 

[Lord Bracknell]

It's not like Southern or FCC try to keep it a secret. There are big posters at every station telling you.

Not at my local station.

Which is:-

(a) unstaffed;

(b) without a machine that will sell tickets; and

(c) without a 'permit to travel' machine.

 

[Ernest]

Not at my local station.

Which is:-

(a) unstaffed;

(b) without a machine that will sell tickets; and

(c) without a 'permit to travel' machine.

But thats on the Bluebell Line

 

[British Bulldog]

7.47 East Grinstead to Victoria. I know it must be a pig of a job with the number of trains coming through at that time, but why does a down Gatwick Express always get priority (again with about 20 people on) ahead of a packed commuter train and why oh why do we regularly get switched to the slow lines, meaning we usually get caught behind the slow trains? It gets a bit much having to explain to your boss four days running that the train was 10 or more minutes late. As I said earlier, it had been brilliant for ages - we were arriving spot on at 8.44 at Victoria. Now we rarely arrive before 8.50. By the way, I apologise for the insult; I let myself go rather as one does to a referee and retract it whole heartedly.

No insult taken it made me laugh! I'm not going to lie and say that I know the timetable in my head of every train because we have too many for that. The east Grinstead up trains usualy cross slow to fast line at selhurst and the down gatwick express services are often booked down the fast line in front of them. If we cross your train over first and delay the down service we get bollocked for it and network rail pick up the costs of the delay. Sometimes to minimilise overall delay the up east grinstead services do get put up the slow line from selhurst, because if the up main line services are running late the overall delay becomes less by putting them up there rather than try & cross them over to the fast lines thus delaying the up premium srevices! if that makes any sense!

 

[Lord Bracknell]

Agreed, called Railway Privatisation - would you be happier paying more tax for a state funded Railway ?

Hold on ...

When we HAD a state funded railway, the subsidy levels were lower.

And there was a consistent pricing system across the country.

In the southeast, we have train companies that offer reduced fares to people who decide to travel at the last minute. In the rest of the country, people pay MORE if they just want to turn up and go.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

But thats on the Bluebell Line

Nope.

It's a Southern station.

Incidentally, the Bluebell Railway is probably the most OVERSTAFFED railway in the world. And I'm including Belgium.

 

[Cian]

Conductors will sell you a normal ticket, and don't issue penalty fares, they also are in charge of the train.

RPI's are able to issue you penalty fares, the running of the train is nothing to do with them.

How come the same person can do -both- jobs in Irish Rail then?

I'm on a route where one of the stations is permanently unmanned since scumbags burnt it down, and most of the others (bar mine) are unmanned at night/weekends. so theres a need both for conductors and inspectors, and yet the same person managers to do both. amazing....

 

[Lord Bracknell]

... thus delaying the up premium srevices! if that makes any sense!

It makes NO SENSE WHATSOEVER that the "premium services" are the ones used by fewer passengers, who are mostly only occasional rail travellers, whose journeys are less time-sensitive than commuters.

 

[London Irish]

Sorry if this has already been asked, but what caused the derailment and should we be worried given that I'm sure that many of us use that section of track pretty regularly?

 

[British Bulldog]

Hold on ...

When we HAD a state funded railway, the subsidy levels were lower.

And there was a consistent pricing system across the country.

In the southeast, we have train companies that offer reduced fares to people who decide to travel at the last minute. In the rest of the country, people pay MORE if they just want to turn up and go.

A hell of a lot of people complained about British Rail, At least we were all one company pulling in the same direction in those days and we all worked for each other. Today it's all about money and who has to pay who money for delay's. It's so wrong! The safety on the railway is good but the way it's all fragmented into different company's just makes the job harder!

 

[KNC]

Well, ex. After 25yers. Gizza job.

 

[British Bulldog]

It makes NO SENSE WHATSOEVER that the "premium services" are the ones used by fewer passengers, who are mostly only occasional rail travellers, whose journeys are less time-sensitive than commuters.

Because the rail authorities decide that 1 minutes delay to a premium Brighton - London service can cost more than say 10 minutes delay to a caterham - London Bridge service. They set the cost & we have to signal to it! Passengers don't really come into the equasion when it comes down to train delay's to be honest!

 

[British Bulldog]

Sorry if this has already been asked, but what caused the derailment and should we be worried given that I'm sure that many of us use that section of track pretty regularly?

I'm not allowed to tell you what caused the derailment because if I do and I get found out I get the sack and I've got a family to support. The Railway have they're own press office and i'm sure they will give you the full details! There is absolutely no worry about safety on that or any other railway line LI because believe it or not ( and i know how we get slated) we are professional in what we do and safety is paramount.

 

[bigc]

am I being harsh in saying it's no f***ing surprise it was FCC?

to me they seem like a joke of a franchise, EVERY time i use them, something goes wrong.

oh and their trains make a really annoying noise these days, sounds like someone is tapping the roof.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

I'm not allowed to tell you what caused the derailment because if I do and I get found out I get the sack and I've got a family to support. There is absolutely no worry about safety on that or any other railway line LI because believe it or not ( and i know how we get slated) we are professional in what we do and safety is paramount.

I guess it was "human error".

It usually is.

 

[British Bulldog]

I guess it was "human error".

It usually is.

Well keep guessing then LB. All I know is it's been a very trying weekend for all of us involved and come Monday morning I know a lot of people will have been working they're bollox off trying to get everything right for the commuters in the morning!

 

[Lord Bracknell]

Well keep guessing then LB. All I know is it's been a very trying weekend for all of us involved and come Monday morning I know a lot of people will have been working they're bollox off trying to get everything right for the commuters in the morning!

Indeed.

And they'll still moan.

 

[Ernest]

Well, ex. After 25yers. Gizza job.

 

[West Hoathly Seagull]

A hell of a lot of people complained about British Rail, At least we were all one company pulling in the same direction in those days and we all worked for each other. Today it's all about money and who has to pay who money for delay's. It's so wrong! The safety on the railway is good but the way it's all fragmented into different company's just makes the job harder!

Indeed; we can list huge numbers of improvements under British Rail: Liverpool Street to Norwich and Kings Lynn electrification, East Coast Main Line electrification, Thameslink (though the Class 319 trains are horrible), Networkers into Charing Cross, East Grinstead electrification (although it was a cheap bodge job), etc, etc, etc, etc. The network received less than £1 billion in subsidy, whereas until recently it was receiving £4 billion. If BR had had that amount of subsidy, think what sort of railway we would have had now. I blame the Tories, and specifically the goon who dreamed up the privatisation scheme, Sir Stephen Robson, splitting the railway into almost 100 companies, when a BR PLC would have been far better. But, I also blame Labour for being far too timid to do anything about it. If anything the current Department for Transport is worse than the Tories. Its latest closure guidance says that domestic air services are a realistic alternative to long distance rail journeys. When we are trying to save the planet and cut greenhouse gases, what does this Government do? Expand airports, rather than build a long-distance fast railway. In France and Germany, there virtually aren't any domestic air services because the rail services are so good. Will we ever learn here? Very unlikely.