Brighton Area Rail Services (photo inside)

[British Bulldog]

Indeed.

And they'll still moan.

They will but it falls on deaf ears most of the time LB. At the end of the day it's my job to get passengers from A to B, If I get you there late but safe it's better than the alternative!

 

[British Bulldog]

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.

Labour! Tory! LIb Dems! They dont like the railway's. There's so many improvements that can be made but there's no real investment!

 

[magoo]

On a side note I just got a text message from Southern saying a big thank you to all staff. You are a credit to the company.

except for health and safety

 

[Virgo's Haircut]

The railway is all about safety.

All drivers and conductors have regular safety days where we are reminded about the rules and reglautions of the railway.

For instance, if you come to work in a state of drunkness, and this is proved by a drugs and alcohol test you will probably be fired on the spot, and the rail operator will bring charges against you.

We also are "refreshed" about emergency situations such as fires, derailments and collisions etc.

Passenger safety is paramount, it has to be.

Unfortunatly, the derailement on Saturday was a terrible thing to happen, thank god no one was injured as it was an empty train. It has to be put down to driver error.

At the end of the day we are all human, and mistakes happen.

 

[bhaexpress]

Fine and dandy talking about buying a ticket but in the past I've lived near a station that is unstaffed, especially at weekends or else the ticket office has short opening hours. I could buy in advance except my Debit card isn't accepted which is not my fault. Also, more than once I've arrived with at least 10 minutes before departure only to find that there's a queue and more often than not the person at the front doesn't know what ticket they want. Of course quite often the ticket machines don't work and unless I have the cash on me they don't help either.

I've only once had a problem with no ticket however. That happened to be the day when nobody turned up at the booking office and I couldn't buy the weekly season I wanted. I still had to go to work though but the railway official on the train insisted I bought a Single which considering the cost, I refused to do and said that I wanted a weekly season which he couldn't sell me. I offered to let him escort me to the booking office at London Bridge to ensure I bought the ticket but he refused and said he'd have me arrested. I told him to go ahead as I would sue him and the Railway company for a lit of money. It wasn't my fault I couldn't buy a ticket after all I pointed out (it was a Monday and my local station was closed on Sundays).

However as thinks had started to vocal it turned out that I wasn't the only person on that train who had the same problem and several other passengers joined in on my behalf. Faced with a lot of aggro the official walked off mumbling.

I can accept that you should have a ticket before traveling but if the Rail Companies want to make it difficult then they can expect people not to buy a ticket.

 

[Da Man Clay]

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.

Kind of like mine then, I used to get the train from East Worthing where about half the time the permit to travel wasn't working. On one of these mornings one of the tossers tried to issue a penalty fare 30 seconds after id got on the train and was on the way to the guard. I ended up having a slanging match with the **** and he eventually gave in that it wasn't my fault.

 

[Uncle Buck]

Yes but then perhaps you could have thought about getting an earlier train then ?

Why?

I had given myself time to get a ticket, why should I need to get an earlier train? The one I got gave me 90 minutes check in time at the airport so it all fitted in.

The fine just means I have £20 less for internet gambling.

 

[Deleted User X18H]

Was the First Capital guard that gave me a penalty fare the other day on the train?

Don't know but how I would love to meet that man......... buy a fcuking ticket before you travel you dirty fare dodging pikey.......

 

[Cian]

Reading on this "permit to travel" - wouldn't replacing these machines with another full ticket vending machine be a far better use of kit/space? Seems a bit duplicitous...

 

[Mr Blobby]

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.

Beach Hut will tell you you will have to start leaving an hour earlier if you want to be in work on time! You dont expect the trains to run to timetable do you?

Also when you buy a ticket (and thats the only way you would get compensation blah blah blah) if thats forms a contract are the rail companys breaking the contract when advertised trains are late of cancelled??

I used to have a season ticket netween Balcombe and Falmer (Durrington to Falmer before that) for a number of years, but the stupid car park charges and the ever increasing fares for a very poor service have driven me to the road.

 

[crosbysleftear]

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.

I've got to say that I love long distance train travelling in this country and as I can't stand flying or airports I never take domestic flights. Earlier in the year I went from Brighton to Bristol then on to Leeds the next day and then up to Glasgow on the next and all the way back to Brighton the day after with barely a hitch. I think total delay for the whole trip was about half an hour and most of that was when the train broke down on the way to Bristol at Bath. If people planned long distance train journeys like they do flights they'd maon a lot less.

Always used to bunk the train from Fishergate to Shoreham when I worked there though. I refuse to use the travel permit machines as all they do is swallow money and never seem to dispense a permit. I think i used to get asked for my ticket about twice a week if I was unlucky and often less then that so it was well worth the risk.

 

[Deleted User X18H]

However I had give myself nearly 10 minutes at Preston Park to get a ticket, but still that was not enough time.

Although the guy was doing his job I felt his attitude stunk and then had a row with him when he started lecturing me about buying a ticket, after fining me and calling me by my first name.

Jobsworth.

I want to buy this ticket inspector a big big beer

 

[Uncle Buck]

I want to buy this ticket inspector a big big beer

Keep going Tim...

 

[Deleted User X18H]

Keep going Tim...

I want to buy this ticket collector/inspector/revenue protection officer,a big big big big beer

 

[Uncle Buck]

I want to buy this ticket collector/inspector/revenue protection officer,a big big big big beer

I am sure you went to your working class school together...

 

[Deleted User X18H]

I am incredibly proud to have gone to a working class school Hove Park in fact and to now hold down a job in the City of London and own properties in Brighton and Hove.

 

[Uncle Buck]

I am incredibly proud to have gone to a working class school Hove Park in fact and to now hold down a job in the City of London and own properties in Brighton and Hove.

Well that is super.

People always need goffers and it was good of your Laird to sell you the coach house.

 

[Deleted User X18H]

.................how about a pre christmas tru...............no forget that !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Uncle Buck]

.................how about a pre christmas tru...............no forget that !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nah, going to be doing even less constructive work prior to Christmas...

 

[British Bulldog]

You dont expect the trains to run to timetable do you?