Recent content by Kettledrum

Where was the contingency planning or IT disaster recovery plan here? If there was a plan, then when was it last tested to make sure that it could be implemented immediately? It looks like XC had a single point of failure and was incapable of putting emergency alternative plans into action...

The announcement from the driver on the Liverpool bound train (stuck behind the stranded train), suggested that it was some sort of air leak, so maybe pushing was not possible.

Yes, the Avanti driver of the Liverpool train mentioned that the broken down train was going to be evacuated, and we eventually passed both trains when the Liverpool train set off North from Milton Keynes again

Driver has just announced that this will be the plan after all.....just minutes after I posted!

My avanti train has been stuck for an hour on the fast line (I think) because the train in front has broken down. The driver announced 40 minutes ago that he is waiting for control to come up with a plan.....but nothing since What sort of plan might that be? I wondered if the train I am on...

I am agnostic about the departure boards, but the earlier boarding is very welcome indeed. Perhaps some other operators could take note (East Midland Railway's platforms at St Pancras in particular)

On Thurs 13th November, I was on the 19.07 Euston to Liverpool. None of the seat reservations were working, but I found my reserved seat. About 5 minutes later, a lady came, who had a e-ticket with exactly the same seat reserved as per her e-ticket. I had a paper ticket, but surely that can't...

Bournemouth train station has a poster up to celebrate it's birthday today! It is now 140 years old. Apparently The station was designed by William Jacob, chief engineer of the London and South Western Railway, and opened on 20 July 1885 as Bournemouth East; it replaced the original station of...

So, would you be entitled to delay repay on the return ticket anyway because the blockage would entail a long diversion?

and if trains are delayed because of having to decant passengers out of a unit which is to be locked out of use, there would be delay-repay implications. And the delay-repay costs would exceed the costs of having to pay the catering staff more to staff the unit to keep it in use.....so that's...

Try telling that to passengers on the Cross country routes, where there is no evidence of the "vast over supply" and the passengers there do desperately want new trains but aren't getting any.

Grayling made a serious contribution???????? That's more than he did when he was Secretary of State for Transport!

"mediocre" is not the word that I would use. I would say "inadequate" is a better description

very disappointing when you see how packed some of the Birmingham to Oxford trains are. This is also entirely foreseeable. If you don't train and employ enough drivers, you will be short in holiday periods. XC have consistently under whelmed with their delivery and should be high on the list...

Some of XC fares are eye watering, and for distances of any length, other options such as travelling by coach or flying are often far cheaper, as is going via London and using different operators. The trains are often packed too, so the shortfall in revenue has always puzzled me. One factor...