Do Southern deserve to be stripped of their Franchise?

[Virgo's Haircut]

There are a lot of rumours going around at Southern at the moment that they are about to be stripped of their rail franchise.

Do you think they deserve to, or are they doing a good job?

Please note that these are only rumours and as far as I know there is no actual fact involved.

 

[Uncle Buck]

They are no worse than any of the others, it just seems like Virgin that they have the shite lines that need sorting.

 

[Virgo's Haircut]

The main problems seem to lay with the new Electrostar trains.

Not a day goes by without one or more of them conking out somewhere and causing major delays.

I think it may have something to do with the fact that they use Windows 95 for the trains computer.

 

[Oval Gull]

There are a lot of rumours going around at Southern at the moment that they are about to be stripped of their rail franchise.

Do you think they deserve to, or are they doing a good job?

Please note that these are only rumours and as far as I know there is no actual fact involved.

I thought they had only recently got the franchise from Connex?

 

[Uncle Buck]

Re: Re: Do Southern deserve to be stripped of their Franchise?

I thought they had only recently got the franchise from Connex?

Yeah but they have just about got all the rolling stock painted in the corporate colours, so it must be time for a new company to have a go.

 

[Marc]

one thing I dont like about the new trains is the computerised doors (i.e. not manual handle jobbys like the old ones). I mean whats to say you're in a crash and the system fails...then the backup system fails aswell meaning you cant open the bloody door....your're f***ed! Espcially if theres a fire between you and the little hammer & emergency escape window!

 

[Hatterlovesbrighton]

The new trains are brilliant. They are far far far more comfortable than the slam door trains. My heart sinks whenever I have to get on an old one.

 

[Kryten]

the trains are alright, it's SOME of the staff i hate

 

[Nobby Nomates]

They are no more of a shower than Connex - but no improvement either. I'm not confident that another change of livery will make much difference to the lot of the average commuter. Mind you, they deserve to be stripped of the franchise just for that poster - you know the one

" At last, an announcement you'll be pleased to hear - South Central is changing iits name to Southern"

What makes them think we give a monkey's - f***ing retards!

And while we're on the subject of incompetent rail companies, a special message to Thameslink -

 

[Seagulls over Lewes]

one thing I dont like about the new trains is the computerised doors (i.e. not manual handle jobbys like the old ones). I mean whats to say you're in a crash and the system fails...then the backup system fails aswell meaning you cant open the bloody door....your're f***ed! Espcially if theres a fire between you and the little hammer & emergency escape window!

The door emergency handles are manual and don't reley on the computer to open them, so you will be able to open them in a emergency (or when the doors just don't open).

 

[Josky]

Southern is the biggest joke I've ever heard

I pay 320 a month to travel up to London, the trains are always late, are always overcrowded, are often delayed because the toilet doesn't work or because the doors don't open.

It's the biggest sham of a company I've ever seen, and as for those ads that say 'Southern - At last an announcement you'll be pleased to hear'

Why will I be pleased to hear it exactly? It's more expensive and a worse service.

I hope it loses its franchise and the sooner it's nationalised again the better.

 

[Deleted User X18H]

the trains are alright, it's SOME of the staff i hate

Your not wrong there mate.

 

[Marc]

The door emergency handles are manual and don't reley on the computer to open them, so you will be able to open them in a emergency (or when the doors just don't open).

marvelous, never even knew they had them thats put my fears of getting stuck at Fishersgate station to rest!

 

[Deleted User X18H]

Southern is the biggest joke I've ever heard

I pay 320 a month to travel up to London, the trains are always late, are always overcrowded, are often delayed because the toilet doesn't work or because the doors don't open.

It's the biggest sham of a company I've ever seen, and as for those ads that say 'Southern - At last an announcement you'll be pleased to hear'

Why will I be pleased to hear it exactly? It's more expensive and a worse service.

I hope it loses its franchise and the sooner it's nationalised again the better.

Get an annnual gold card mine cost £2736 that a saving of a grand over a year saying that they are shit I have the address (company) of Charles Horton the chief exec I am always writing him acidic letters.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

The Southern tossers have only had the franchise for what, three months? Actually no idea why I'm calling them tossers, other than the one image of their franchise in my mind is a nice shiny new pastel green train which is unfit for purpose because the doors - THE f***ing DOORS! - don't work. They DO literally re-boot the whole train in such an instance. Power down the whole f***ing thing and start again. So pathetically pitiful you couldn't make it up - especially as it comes at a time when the track side of things has just about started getting it's act in order. And don't even START on that 'teething troubles' bullshit. Kent side out of Victoria have the same trains and the doors ALWAYS open. The Sussex side doors don't open cos it's a different company with a different software release. Two different companies, they don't talk to each other. If Southern have any sense they'll jump ship on the franchise before the first fire on board one of their shitty non-door-opening trains is the direct cause of multiple random deaths and they all get done for corporate manslaughter.

Privatised Railways - Enemies Of The People

 

[Virgo's Haircut]

The Southern tossers have only had the franchise for what, three months? Actually no idea why I'm calling them tossers, other than the one image of their franchise in my mind is a nice shiny new pastel green train which is unfit for purpose because the doors - THE f***ing DOORS! - don't work. They DO literally re-boot the whole train in such an instance. Power down the whole f***ing thing and start again. So pathetically pitiful you couldn't make it up - especially as it comes at a time when the track side of things has just about started getting it's act in order. And don't even START on that 'teething troubles' bullshit. Kent side out of Victoria have the same trains and the doors ALWAYS open. The Sussex side doors don't open cos it's a different company with a different software release. Two different companies, they don't talk to each other. If Southern have any sense they'll jump ship on the franchise before the first fire on board one of their shitty non-door-opening trains is the direct cause of multiple random deaths and they all get done for corporate manslaughter.

Privatised Railways - Enemies Of The People

Southern is just a name change. South Central was the exact same company.

Thameslink is also owned by the same company, as is Brighton & Hove Buses, and Metrobus.

 

[Virgo's Haircut]

Speaking of Delboy not liking Rail Staff.

I know Delboy lives in the Lancing area, and it's one of the trouble hotspots.

Take last night for instance...

Youths were lobbing stones at trains from the road that runs alongside the track just before Lancing station travelling westbound, and a member of staff got hit by a stone and needed medical assistance. Do us staff really need that kind of shit? I dont think so.

 

[Cian]

Bring back state-owned trains

Irish Rail suck, but at least they're damn cheap, and the trains are all so old they're probably running on MULTICS instead of Windows

 

[Robbie G]

Well in the past week, on my way to college, a train has failed to stop at Burgess Hill, yet scheduled to.
Quite comical for us, as the bloke over the tannoy announced "it shouldn't pose too much of a problem for customers at Burgess Hill station. Rather the customers who wish to alight at Burgess Hill"

Also, the next day, I used one of the newer trains with the automatic doors. Unfortunately the train doors didnt open when it reached Burgess Hill, and so we were stuck waiting for them to open for 2/3 minutes. Then once we got to Haywards Heath, the doors packed in again, and we had to wait 3 mins for them to open. Also, the train said the next station was Angmering (sp) even though we were on the way towards London.

The sliding door trains (not quite the newest) are the best as never had a problem with the doors not opening. The newest ones are better inside than the older ones, just need to fix the door problem.

 

[Hunting 784561]

I was surprised to learn that each carriage on the new Electrostars costs £ 1 Million each. Yes, for each new carriage, not train. If the GSP system doesnt confirm that the train has stopped at the right station, the doors wont open....

You really couldnt make it up.