Avanti M.D. quits.

[Bald Rick]

You would have to be very unlucky to have been booked to work every single strike day. But it does make for nice headlines..

Plenty of RMT members in NR will be.

 

[LRV3004]

Horrendous performance from Avanti this Saturday for their Glasgow bound services, with the majority of them being late and/or cancelled.

View attachment 120263

A lot of the services shown on there are duplicated though, as shown by the practically identical headcodes; some of them swapping the "S" for a "Z". Having looked at RTT for yesterday, 15 Avanti services ran to Glasgow. Oddly, both a scheduled and duplicate service ran together (the 1500 arrival at Glasgow), but these services arrived at different times! After looking at the services that did run, I obtained the following information for all Avanti arrivals at Glasgow yesterday:
1059 - on time
1201 - 3 minutes early
1308 - 16 minutes late
1400 - 9 minutes late
1500 - 8 minutes late
1500 - 22 minutes late
1600 - 4 minutes early
1717 - cancelled
1800 - 15 minutes late
1859 - 8 minutes late
2003 - cancelled
2104 - 1 minute late [1]
2125 - cancelled
2208 - cancelled
2312 - 2 minutes early [2]
[1] Started from Warrington Bank Quay
[2] Started from Preston
7 arrived late
4 cancelled
4 early/on time
What I did notice however was that the 1859 arrival was the last arrival that came through from London as the five arrivals after that were either cancelled or started from a different origin!

 

[Bullfield WEst]

Well, there are

It's a good job Grant Shapps still thinks there are plenty of direct trains each hour between the two cities.

Well, there are 4 Pendolinos an hour between MAN and EUS. If you want to travel between 6 and 7 am.

 

[Sorcerer]

Avanti’s contract will not be revoked. The DfT are pulling the strings whilst Avanti’s management team take all the blame. The DfT will be more than happy with this until they achieve the desired outcome.

What is the desired outcome exactly? Is it to ultimately pin it all on the workers of Avanti so they could use it to justify harsher laws against unions?

 

[Solent&Wessex]

What is the desired outcome exactly? Is it to ultimately pin it all on the workers of Avanti so they could use it to justify harsher laws against unions?

The desired outcome will almost certainly be some form of fire and rehire excercise with new contracts amd ts and cs requiring 7 day a week working as standard and greater flexibility, possibly more hours per week and removal of various working practices which the DfT consider old fashioned.

This will probably involve other TOCS as well. They will want everybody on as similar contracts as possible.

 

[Sorcerer]

The desired outcome will almost certainly be some form of fire and rehire excercise with new contracts amd ts and cs requiring 7 day a week working as standard and greater flexibility, possibly more hours per week and removal of various working practices which the DfT consider old fashioned.

This will probably involve other TOCS as well. They will want everybody on as similar contracts as possible.

Not surprising to hear, but I truly hope that this doesn't end up being the case.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

I would imagine that week will be targeted by all rail unions. To be honest I wouldn’t be surprised if continuous action is announced from the 2nd to the 5th.

Isn't that completely pointless?
The delegates will all have alternative means of reaching Birmingham, even if New St is closed for the duration.
Rail isn't vital to any of them.

 

[DelW]

Avanti’s contract will not be revoked. The DfT are pulling the strings whilst Avanti’s management team take all the blame. The DfT will be more than happy with this until they achieve the desired outcome.

What is the desired outcome exactly? Is it to ultimately pin it all on the workers of Avanti so they could use it to justify harsher laws against unions?

The Treasury are pulling DfT's strings too. I wonder if *their* desired outcome is to drive as many people as possible onto roads or airlines, so that they can justify slashing the network and with it, the subsidy. Beeching2 / Serpell could be around before long if they succeed.

 

[Agent_Squash]

The Treasury are pulling DfT's strings too. I wonder if *their* desired outcome is to drive as many people as possible onto roads or airlines, so that they can justify slashing the network and with it, the subsidy. Beeching2 / Serpell could be around before long if they succeed.

I really think this is pretty far from the truth.

Avanti (well, Virgin, but…) delivered a premium to the Treasury before COVID - far more than they’d earn through Air Passenger Duty on the domestic flights.

The government is investing £96bn in rail infrastructure through the IRP - yet airport expansion has always been a ‘fund it yourself’ thing. Funding for road projects is drying up, too.

If the Treasury/DfT was going for Beeching 2, you’d think a provincial operator that they run directly (like Northern) would be the place to do exactly that. But they’re investing more in Northern…

Avanti’s failure has been compounded by incompetent government, but it’s very much the internal culture that’s caused a lot of it.

 

[DelW]

I really think this is pretty far from the truth.

Avanti (well, Virgin, but…) delivered a premium to the Treasury before COVID - far more than they’d earn through Air Passenger Duty on the domestic flights.

The government is investing £96bn in rail infrastructure through the IRP - yet airport expansion has always been a ‘fund it yourself’ thing. Funding for road projects is drying up, too.

If the Treasury/DfT was going for Beeching 2, you’d think a provincial operator that they run directly (like Northern) would be the place to do exactly that. But they’re investing more in Northern…

Avanti’s failure has been compounded by incompetent government, but it’s very much the internal culture that’s caused a lot of it.

You may well be right that I'm being unduly suspicious - but post Covid, the money flow is very much from Government to the railway, and there may be at least an element within the Treasury that wants that reined in. There's also at least a suspicion that the government is behind the hard line in resisting settlement of the issues causing strikes, which also serve to drive passengers off the trains.

How this plays out will at least partly depend on passenger numbers recovering from the Covid crash, and the current state of the network isn't helpful to that.

 

[baz962]

The desired outcome will almost certainly be some form of fire and rehire excercise with new contracts amd ts and cs requiring 7 day a week working as standard and greater flexibility, possibly more hours per week and removal of various working practices which the DfT consider old fashioned.

This will probably involve other TOCS as well. They will want everybody on as similar contracts as possible.

If that is truly the case , then how do they close the pay gap. 20k between the lowest and highest paid drivers.

 

[dk1]

Isn't that completely pointless?
The delegates will all have alternative means of reaching Birmingham, even if New St is closed for the duration.
Rail isn't vital to any of them.

It would be a statement during the convention regardless of how little or much disruption it causes the delegates & would get onto the headlines. Personally I wouldn’t be surprised if unions in other industries don’t also target that week. Time will tell.

 

[Falcon1200]

It would be a statement during the convention regardless of how little or much disruption it causes the delegates & would get onto the headlines.

But it could also be a two-edged sword, in that if minimal disruption was caused to Tory Party Conference attendees, the Government would feel (even) less pressurised or incentivised to reach a settlement.

 

[dk1]

But it could also be a two-edged sword, in that if minimal disruption was caused to Tory Party Conference attendees, the Government would feel (even) less pressurised or incentivised to reach a settlement.

As I say time will tell. So much going on at the moment.

 

[Man_with_beard]

Bye bye he won't be missed. Let's hope he doesn't leave with a massive handout

 

[VP185]

Official statements will normally sweeten the position somewhat compared to the reality. Given the posting on another forum is from someone who knows what is going on, it is clear that he was sacked.

Those who claim to know what’s going on generally don’t.

 

[The exile]

I do like your Biblical wording above. The reference to First suddenly brought to mind Matthew 20:16...

" So shall the last be First and the First be last, for many are called, but few are chosen"

One for the classical scholars… I can’t remember which private operator in the Bath area had “non primus sed optimus” on the back of their buses!

 

[Solent&Wessex]

If that is truly the case , then how do they close the pay gap. 20k between the lowest and highest paid drivers.

You don't need to. You may for example have 3 different Driver's contracts, rates of pay and ts & cs nationally.

1 set for "Local" train drivers, eg Northern, parts of GWR, etc.

1 set for "Regional Express" train drivers, eg TPE, parts of EMR, etc.

1 set for "Intercity" train drivers, eg LNER, Avanti, parts of GWR, etc.

You also standardise Ts & Cs within each band above which always means some people gain and some people lose, so a combination of wage and terms changes together means it isn't as difficult as it sounds.

 

[43066]

If that is truly the case , then how do they close the pay gap. 20k between the lowest and highest paid drivers.

Based on previous posts that particular poster is a guard with a grudge against drivers/ASLEF, so I wouldn’t pay too much attention. Whether their view of the DfT’s desired outcome is right or wrong, they’re not speaking from a position of inside knowledge.

 

[Omnishambles]

Gus is a loss, knows his stuff. Off to drive the Class 50 more often I expect.

Absolutely spot on. A real loss.

 

[baz962]

You don't need to. You may for example have 3 different Driver's contracts, rates of pay and ts & cs nationally.

1 set for "Local" train drivers, eg Northern, parts of GWR, etc.

1 set for "Regional Express" train drivers, eg TPE, parts of EMR, etc.

1 set for "Intercity" train drivers, eg LNER, Avanti, parts of GWR, etc.

You also standardise Ts & Cs within each band above which always means some people gain and some people lose, so a combination of wage and terms changes together means it isn't as difficult as it sounds.

Let me put it another way then. Some inter city drivers are on a good 10k less than others, so how would that be addressed. Your post I originally replied to, alluded that they would want everyone on similar contracts. So that means what. Bring up the pay or drop some tocs pay. Raise the annual leave allowance or drop it.

 

[Halwynd]

I think the fact that Whittingham went on holiday during arguably the worst crisis of the franchise in itself demonstrates a lack of leadership ability - and perhaps even a certain amount of contempt for both the company and its passengers. I would have expected a competent Managing Director to have the commercial awareness to stay at their post until the matter had been largely resolved.

Replacements? The list of capable and effective senior railway managers is a very short one these days. Short of bringing back experienced, successful but now retired railway managers such as Chris Green or John Prideaux, I might suggest someone who already has experience of taking on a failing franchise and delivering a better outcome - Karen Boswell (East Coast) - if she can be tempted away from her current position with Baxi UK.

 

[Bald Rick]

I might suggest someone who already has experience of taking on a failing franchise and delivering a better outcome - Karen Boswell (East Coast) - if she can be tempted away from her current position with Baxi UK.

Not sure she’d want to take a pay cut.

 

[david1212]

...
They have more than enough drivers. What they don’t have is enough fully competent drivers.

Which raises the question
How the non-fully competent drivers allocated ?

 

[GalaxyDog]

He was doomed as soon as he attacked his own driving grade. Idiot.

The man was another "seagull manager" -swoop in, **** up everywhere, fly off for someone else to solve the mess. Didn't that happen elsewhere Dec 2017-Dec 2019?

 

[HamworthyGoods]

He was doomed as soon as he attacked his own driving grade. Idiot.

The man was another "seagull manager" -swoop in, **** up everywhere, fly off for someone else to solve the mess. Didn't that happen elsewhere Dec 2017-Dec 2019?

Except he’s been at West Coast since the early Virgin Days so not exactly just swooped in.

 

[GalaxyDog]

Except he’s been at West Coast since the early Virgin Days so not exactly just swooped in.

I can respect that, unlike the example I stated. Still, fancy attacking your own staff publically. Abellio Scotraill did it via social media, got a lot of public flack and a few months later, bang. Love karma.

As you were.

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

Labour got an urgent question in after PMQs about future of Avanti. Trudy Harrison deputised to answer says no decision yet taken but does then go onto to explain the issue with drivers not working rest days. Manchester is the priority service group to receive increased service levels but unable to say when that will happen.

The written version of the discussion won't be uploaded till tomorrow though but you can watch it here starts at 1238.

https://www.parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/766f21ee-487e-4e93-a3c6-d91aaf88a3bc

She goes onto say the problem isn't enough diversity in the driver community and they are too old.

Good level of moaning from both sides of the house about what a shambles AWC is and how its letting down passengers.

Would say she is inferring that timetables will be structured in future to reflect driver establishments not dependant on rest day working.

Totally incapable of answering the question about how long it will take to sort the issue and says its an industry wide problem with endemic shortage of train drivers.

Its not Avantis fault they only had 16 weeks to take over from Virgin.

Shes pretty honest for a Tory minister and has good command of the issues (if not when solutions will be provided) in transport lets see if they make her the Rail Minister.

Decision on AWC continuity will be on 16th October.

 

[mandub]

Labour got an urgent question in after PMQs about future of Avanti. Trudy Harrison deputised to answer says no decision yet taken but does then go onto to explain the issue with drivers not working rest days. Manchester is the priority service group to receive increased service levels but unable to say when that will happen.

The written version of the discussion won't be uploaded till tomorrow though but you can watch it here starts at 1238.

https://www.parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/766f21ee-487e-4e93-a3c6-d91aaf88a3bc

She goes onto say the problem isn't enough diversity in the driver community and they are too old.

Good level of moaning from both sides of the house about what a shambles AWC is and how its letting down passengers.

Bit of live reporting on a few things that were asked here from Twitter - Jen Williams FT

https://twitter.com/JenWilliamsMEN/status/1567480276715978753?t=mFDFBXQ42e4Vte9FUis1Nw&s=19

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Trudy wasn't the Rail minister but is the senior one left in the DfT until new appointments are made.
She probably didn't reflect any new thinking at the DfT - they've hardly had time to meet the new SoS yet.
While her responses seem quite reasonable, there's plenty of room in there to back or sack Avanti, according to taste.
What Graham Stringer says is not worth much, given his non-contributions to the Transport Select Committe.
"Lack of diversity in the driver population" is an interesting perspective to take.

There's also the view that public LNER is doing better than private Avanti, but then they had several advantages that Avanti didn't.
It also looks like RDW is on the way out, with limited timetables until non-RDW resources match the demand.
So that is going to depress wages for those that were happy to do RDW, and depress revenues on Avanti until full services resume.
North Wales MPs were able to put the boot in too, on behalf of our "branch line".