NRE Ignoring Croydon tram shutdowns

[talldave]

Currently in Croydon, following NRE's route, except that the trams are not running due to not insubstantial paving works. Doesn't anyone have responsibility for removing trams from travel routing whilst they are out of action?

I walked, but less able travellers would have been stuck.

 

[RJ]

There is a replacement bus service on between Reeves Corner and Sandilands. I was out driving it on Sunday until 2am.

 

[talldave]

There is a replacement bus service on between Reeves Corner and Sandilands. I was out driving it on Sunday until 2am.

OK, not sure how I would have known that since the tram stops are completely inaccessible at West Croydon and East Croydon as half the road is shut for the works.

NRE happily reports "There are currently no reported service disruptions".

Disappointing really as I deliberately took that route to have my first ever experience of the Croydon Trams!

 

[RJ]

For some bizarre reason, the replacement buses seem to be unadvertised, save for the green signs on the bus stop flags. Try as I may, I can't find any publicity on them, though they are on every day this week. They run from Reeves Corner to Sandilands, calling in at East Croydon only. The route goes via the Croydon flyover, so avoids West Croydon completely.

 

[theageofthetra]

I had exactly this last weekend. I tweeted National rail enquiries , Tfl tram and their main twitter accounts. Not one had the courtesy to respond. Utter incompetence.

 

[Starmill]

I'm confused about what the OP expects. Does NRE ever offer service updates for non-National Rail services? I've never seen it mention disruption to Manchester Metrolink, Sheffield Supertram or Tyne & Wear Metro? Why would London Tramlink be any different...? How you 'transfer' between stations in Croydon is up to you... we don't have an integrated public transport network in the UK. Queries about that one to the new Government

 

[tsr]

It would probably be better to check the TfL website for that leg of the journey (not that you should expect to need to break the journey into segments like that), but of course if Tramlink is included in any given National Rail fares and displayed on NRE, a simple note for journeys on the affected dates couldn't be that hard to put in place, surely?

The buses are not well advertised at East Croydon station itself, either. There have been ways and means for me to check what's been going on without having to wander round bus stops in the area, but not everybody has that luxury.

 

[Starmill]

Checking the website of the relevant operator is essential. You wouldn't expect NRE to tell you about timetable changes to the Stagecoach bus that takes you from outside your house to the station, would you? But that's no less a part of your journey!

 

[MCR247]

That's not the same thing though. I think the main annoyance is that NRE is telling people to use the tram as part of their itinerary, even though it's shut.
So if NRE was telling me to get the stagecoach bus as part of my journey, then you I would expect them to tell me about changes.

 

[Starmill]

There isn't really a difference. NRE can't offer you information about things that aren't national rail services. It can suggest that you use them on some occasions, but fundamentally it's as up to you to sort that bit of your journey out as it is to get to the staion in the first place. It would be lovely if NRE did do these things, and it's an oversight that it doesnt bother, bit it really isn't that good - and they don't claim it's an integrated route planning service.

 

[PermitToTravel]

Checking the website of the relevant operator is essential. You wouldn't expect NRE to tell you about timetable changes to the Stagecoach bus that takes you from outside your house to the station, would you? But that's no less a part of your journey!

It would be completely fair for NRE to, before promising a bus / tram / magic carpet at a specific date and time, to confirm that said bus / tram / magic carpet will actually materialise!

 

[talldave]

Ok, so the answer to my original question is "No"!

But if NRE is going to present such an authoritative route plan with a confidence boosting "no disruptions" indication, then perhaps it should also warn of the need to check for the status of 3rd party suppliers.

I also wonder how long the trams would have to be out of action before NRE stopped routing via them. Again, I guess it's nobody's job?

 

[Starmill]

It would be completely fair for NRE to, before promising a bus / tram / magic carpet at a specific date and time, to confirm that said bus / tram / magic carpet will actually materialise!

Yes! Of course it would! I completely agree. But... it doesn't.

 

[RJ]

It's a weakness of the system - I've found it doesn't account for Tube engineering works either. Conversely, the TfL journey planner has been bad in the past with National Rail data - it told me there were trains running a Sunday service on Boxing Day a couple of years ago.

Conclusion - TfL and ATOC ought to talk to each other more!

 

[tsr]

The main issue that I have is that NRE is most likely obliged to offer Tramlink for some journeys because there are still a few National Rail network fares with integrated Tramlink segments. Therefore, planned tram disruptions really do need to be displayed, and it seems there is a genuine problem here, rather than a minor issue with a "nicety" of the NRE Journey Planner suggestions.

I could understand a lack of last-minute disruption information, but planned work for journeys where a (or the) permitted route is via Tramlink does really need to be publicised.

This is equally the case where a cross-London journey requires Tube travel, though in many cases there are alternative Tube, National Rail and/or short walking routes which can be used if "Maltese Cross" journeys are disrupted, so at least that is less problematic in the long run.

 

[IslandDweller]

Got caught out by this yesterday. Very annoying.
To those who say "I should have checked the operators website", there is no indication (using NRE on a mobile device, which you do on the move) that this connection is a tram. my partner had expected to get on a connecting train (yes, I know that doesn't exist, but the rest of the world - those who don't use these forums - don't have the rail map of London printed in their brain), and was shocked to discover it was (theoretically) a tram connection. If NRE offer the route, surely they need to update it when it's out (and out for about a month at that).

 

[infobleep]

It's a weakness of the system - I've found it doesn't account for Tube engineering works either. Conversely, the TfL journey planner has been bad in the past with National Rail data - it told me there were trains running a Sunday service on Boxing Day a couple of years ago.

Conclusion - TfL and ATOC ought to talk to each other more!

How dare you suggest ATOC or any TOC for that matter communicate with TfL and visa versa. Go and wash your mouth out. Sarcasm mode ends here.

TOCs and TfL not communicating with one another is a long standing issue. I don't know why they don't like talking to one another. Cliff Richard once had a hit we don't talk any more. One wonders if they ever did? OK that's an exaggeration but when I was travelling to and from Harrow and Wealdstone the communication of delays on London Midland and Southern services was worse than at stations not manned by TfL. This suggests communication problems between TfL and anyone else.