Milton Keynes Central-Cheddington today: what the hell?

[MK Tom]

Just did a quick NRE search for MCK-Cheddington and all the departures from MKC from 17:43 onwards are shown as cancelled with no road transport or alternative options of any kind. These look like unplanned cancellations - any ideas what's going down? NRE recommends going to Watford and back but says tickets wouldn't be valid.

 

[Zoidberg]

It appears to be down to London Midland train crew (non) availability.

I gleaned that from the "Service updates" on http://www.londonmidland.com/your-journey/live-info/

EDIT: Clicking on "Details" on the NRE website for the trains listed and marked with a red triangle for a journey between MK and Cheddington throws up the same - and there are trains running at 19:52 onwards according to the NRE site.

 

[Searle]

jesus I've never seen such a dire service in my life x_x look at all those disruptions!

 

[maniacmartin]

This is normal for London Midland lately. Hence the recent penalty they got on the day their franchise was extended. (The irony)

 

[Pumbaa]

Yep. Stations between Watford and Leighton Buzzard were left with no Down service for 2 hours last night after all the Tring and MK terminators were cancelled. Requests for SSO were ignored...

 

[Vicpaul]

What I'd give to transfer and help out

 

[Ferret]

Yep. Stations between Watford and Leighton Buzzard were left with no Down service for 2 hours last night after all the Tring and MK terminators were cancelled. Requests for SSO were ignored...

LM Control have no concept of service recovery! As for driver shortages, they claimed it would be sorted when the timetables changed. No new drivers (or very few) are out working trains though - all LM did was tighten up the diagrams to try and cover the work, so bare minimum PNBs etc. Of course, when somebody goes sick, or there's disruption, the effects are more noticeable! It's a sorry state of affairs!

 

[PR1Berske]

LM will never get hold of regular services to the northwest if they keep this up

 

[MK Tom]

I'll credit LM with stopping an extra southbound service at Cheddington which helped the guy trying to go to London when I was returning to MK.

Someone should've tipped LM and VT off about the match at MK this evening. Anything calling at Bletchley or MKC was RAMMED as I came home.

 

[87015]

Its all OK, they won an industry award for "putting customers first" (!!) and told Ned News how wonderful they are, so all this f**kwittery since the day they started must be imagined by everyone.

Talking yourself up on twitter is FAR more important than running trains...

 

[gordonthemoron]

surely the new LM timetable requires more drivers as the Crewe services are no longer attached to a Birmingham service?

 

[Robsignals]

surely the new LM timetable requires more drivers as the Crewe services are no longer attached to a Birmingham service?

Don't they have a much shorter turn-round at Crewe? May be getting more driving hours from the same number of drivers.

 

[Pumbaa]

More drivers required.

The PR guff about 'enough drivers to drive come December' came from re-doing many diagrams and redistributing work, ie skin all diagrams to the bone, bare minimum PNBs and same train all day, divvy some links up into AM only and PM only and then redistribute work across the depots. Result is p*ssed off traincrew and even more fleeing the nest, so expect this problem to continue.

Crewe depot are being stretched at the moment - they now sign to London. Not all of Northampton/Bletchley have completed their 110 training so the Crewe services are quite vulnerable to cancellation. Shouldn't be a problem for them though -throw a shiny penny their way and they're quite happy to do anything for you...
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Yesterday/today has seen 170s on the Liv Brum diagrams as a result of the chaos...

 

[Robsignals]

Where did they come from or are complete 170 diagrams cancelled due to driver shortage?

 

[Pumbaa]

I have no idea.

The last time this happened a few years ago, it was the direct result of staff endeavouring to run the service. Driver and guard teamed up off spare, found a spare 170, told Control they were going to Liverpool and were ready. Service advertised and ran late.... Control only realised it was a 170 till it got to Wolves! Apparently they tried to stop it but they just ignored successive attempts by Control to cape the train at Wolves/Stafford/Crewe.

 

[Robsignals]

I have no idea.

The last time this happened a few years ago, it was the direct result of staff endeavouring to run the service. Driver and guard teamed up off spare, found a spare 170, told Control they were going to Liverpool and were ready. Service advertised and ran late.... Control only realised it was a 170 till it got to Wolves! Apparently they tried to stop it but they just ignored successive attempts by Control to cape the train at Wolves/Stafford/Crewe.

Wonder if 170s are officialy cleared for the route...well it came back in one piece so it must be all right! Ignoring orders would normally be a serious matter, perhaps a sacking offence....ah! Why didn't they tell NR to terminate it - can't ignore a Red, sounds a bit of an urban myth really - mutiny on the railway.

 

[MCR247]

170s used to run the route before 350s came along

 

[Pumbaa]

Wonder if 170s are officialy cleared for the route...well it came back in one piece so it must be all right! Ignoring orders would normally be a serious matter, perhaps a sacking offence....ah! Why didn't they tell NR to terminate it - can't ignore a Red, sounds a bit of an urban myth really - mutiny on the railway.

That's why I said apparently

I have no way to verify the veracity of the claim and I think it's a somewhat exaggerated urban myth. But staff will still gleefully recount it!

 

[455driver]

Not all of Northampton/Bletchley have completed their 110 training

What sort of training is needed to run 10mph faster?
Or is this another ARSLEF "you want something, we want something" scenario?
Absolutely ridiculous!:roll:

 

[Qwerty133]

Its all OK, they won an industry award for "putting customers first" (!!) and told Ned News how wonderful they are, so all this f**kwittery since the day they started must be imagined by everyone.

Talking yourself up on twitter is FAR more important than running trains...

or replying to e-mails and delay repay claims apparently as there Customer Relations team are now tweeting 7-10 instead of 7-7 while they are taking around 6 weeks to answer delay repay and emails

 

[Mojo]

What sort of training is needed to run 10mph faster?
Or is this another ARSLEF "you want something, we want something" scenario?
Absolutely ridiculous!:roll:

As part of the project; certain services now run direct from Wolverton to Rugby via Weedon, whereas previously all London Midland services ran via Northampton.

I'd imagine part of it is ensuring the relevant route knowledge via Weedon for the crews.

 

[Pumbaa]

What sort of training is needed to run 10mph faster?
Or is this another ARSLEF "you want something, we want something" scenario?
Absolutely ridiculous!:roll:

No idea.

It's not route knowledge, that's still ongoing and a separate training issue. From a previous (informal) discussion, it was a simple 2 return trip runs at 'sustained' 110 running for competency.

Crewe got all trained up via Weedon in time, Northampton are still slightly behind. Top link already signed it which made it easier. I have no idea if Bletchley are going to get to learn via Weedon though.

 

[andyfrommk]

The last time this happened a few years ago, it was the direct result of staff endeavouring to run the service. Driver and guard teamed up off spare, found a spare 170, told Control they were going to Liverpool and were ready. Service advertised and ran late.... Control only realised it was a 170 till it got to Wolves! Apparently they tried to stop it but they just ignored successive attempts by Control to cape the train at Wolves/Stafford/Crewe.

Crikey! Were these the fellows that were manning it?

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Manchester travellers must be happy that they are not served by LM services to Manchester Piccadilly railway station.

 

[Tomonthetrain]

At least I have the choice of Chiltern on a Saturday on my line. Except the one run which they removed my station from because its now a skip.

If it ain't broke don't fix it