Recent content by TheManBehind

On a perusal through my office and veritable collection of old documents, I was surprised to discover that I'd managed to keep just about every thank you card and commendation I was given in my time at SWT/SWR. A further rummage through led me to discover my favourite piece of correspondence...

Thus has it always been unfortunately. Some people will never understand the principle of biting the hand that feeds you.

I suspect the likelihood is that Trainline will end up providing a whitelabel version for GBR to use...at the appropriate cost...

Touché! Or by Exchequer, at least... To keep things on topic (well-noted Haywain!) - I cannot express enough my dislike of local notices like that! While I get that sometimes management need a boot stuck up 'em, notices like that just end up undermining the whole image and impression of the...

Is it profiteering if they don't keep the revenue? ;)

While that may be, there is also the fact that there is a larger body with sufficient presence and resource that has the ability to steer the process and other operators will jump on board because it makes sense to do so, which isn't the case in the UK - no one operator is large enough to make...

It would, for a national operator, make significant sense to have a central development team that can handle things like this - I've seen the SBB app and the difference between it, and UK apps, is like night and day. I'd give my right arm for systems of SBB's quality some days! (One more for the...

Reminds me of the loveliest letter I received as crew after I aided a chap in getting home from Farnham to Leighton Buzzard after a rather unfortunate drive down with his late father's car - but no wallet! The UFN remains one of the most useful tools in my eyes (although a lovely controller...

I do rather disagree with that - the railway are obliged to operate within the financial limitations they have. Where a small B&B or operator like Caledonian can trace things quite easily, and even a large hotel can keep lost property on site, railways don't have that luxury. Up to 200 sites...

I think half the trouble is simply that no-one knows. GBRTT have now all transferred to NR (for whatever reason), and it feels like in many cases it's the DfTO operators that are setting the future standards for the network - which may or may not actually meet the needs of the (still...

I always found that SWR either nailed it or completely cocked it up a drainpipe when it came to managing rail replacement interchanges!

Depends, surely, on what Operational Standards are required to do? If their remit is wider or at a larger operator, they'll naturally need more staff. TOCs have never been shy about putting recruitment freezes in place for departments that are featherbedded, so if there's 27 staff there, they...

Back when I was crew, drivers got staff cars, whereas us poor guards had to shlep it on the buses (despite being the one carrying the cash!) - I recall being told not to undertake ticket checks on buses because a) TOC insurance didn't cover us undertaking revenue activity on non-operator...

Which isn't a reason not to engage with the customer. It's relatively simple to direct them to the gateline or someone who might know more - just as I have to do if someone asks me something I don't know. I suspect that it depends on where and what operator - drivers at SWT when I was there...

Quite - it's a big vehicle, with a lot of responsibility. I'd rather a train be cancelled than driven unsafely - and if a few people take advantage to get an early finish, well then that's the cost of doing business ultimately. I've worked trains while healthily spattered in blood (not mine!)...