BBC Documentary 'The Railways'

[Clip]

Don't like it? Bleat to someone who cares because I'm bored of your tiresome responses now

And I'll add that to the list too.

Good, its getting to be quite a list.

Now tomorrow or when you are free pop down to the ba desk at heathrow and ask for a ticket to say miami and when they don't offer any other airline or splitting the journey into a couple of legs with different airlines, pop back, let us know,yeah. Because I guarantee you they won't.

As I said if you want to split then please do, but do tell the clerks this as they are not mind readers and they will have to deal with whoever is behind you and angry because they have had to wait an age to get served. You won't care though will you.

 

[martybabes]

Clip, thank you for that.

The first bit certainly amused me (and I suspect there is much more than an element of truth in what you say)

The second bit is truly helpful, and this is what I'll do when I next travel on the railways.

If I have offended you, I am sorry. I think it is always useful to have an exchange of views, sometimes a little frank, but always enlightening. I am interested in your side of events, and your clarity on the difficulties you face has given me a better and more complete picture.



Now I have a dinner to cook so I shall be away for a while...

 

[bluenoxid]

Clip, thank you for that.

The first bit certainly amused me (and I suspect there is much more than an element of truth in what you say)

The second bit is truly helpful, and this is what I'll do when I next travel on the railways.

If I have offended you, I am sorry. I think it is always useful to have an exchange of views, sometimes a little frank, but always enlightening. I am interested in your side of events, and your clarity on the difficulties you face has given me a better and more complete picture.



Now I have a dinner to cook so I shall be away for a while...

I understand that it is frustrating to think that there are potentially cost savings. The problem is that the number of tickets available is massive and to expect a human being to be able to instantly process the situation that you have provided (I want to travel now and I hope to come back sometime on Sunday) is pretty ridiculous.

I work in a call centre and you switch off from it mostly. Yes, there are ways that I can play the system to get you the best deal but if you don't provide the information when we need, I can't do that. Sorry. It is a fact of life in all customer service operations. It is just sad that people seem to think the railways are a special case of rip off.

Yes there are pretty poor value fares considering the service you receive but you watch the airlines, hotels, supermarkets and the rest. Do enough digging and you will find some pretty horrible rip offs.

It is a shame the railways have to publish their fare rises every year. You don't see the bus operators making a big story and you don't see Tescos or Asda doing it.

 

[Clip]

Clip, thank you for that.

The first bit certainly amused me (and I suspect there is much more than an element of truth in what you say)

The second bit is truly helpful, and this is what I'll do when I next travel on the railways.

If I have offended you, I am sorry. I think it is always useful to have an exchange of views, sometimes a little frank, but always enlightening. I am interested in your side of events, and your clarity on the difficulties you face has given me a better and more complete picture.



Now I have a dinner to cook so I shall be away for a while...

Oh you didn't offend me that's hard to do but I will always defend my profession to the hilt when I think it is being attacked unfairly when I believe they don't understand the constraints and framework we have to work in.

Enjoy your tea. I'm off to the pub

 

[Flamingo]

First probably told them where to go when they asked.

Well, you are wrong. (or is it anti-passenger to say that? :roll

Edited to add -= I think they should have. I don't know what any TOC could hope to gain from this.

 

[142094]

To be honest I don't think the railways will ever come off good in these documentaries - very hard to have a level playing field, as someone will always complain that it is biased towards the industry or the customer.

What I'd like to see is the same programme type but for other transport modes - quite a few for airlines etc but not much for bus/coach travel.

 

[Westboy]

Well, you are wrong. (or is it anti-passenger to say that? :roll

Thank you for correcting me.

I hope you recover quickly from whatever ailment is causing you to be passive agressive this evening.

 

[Flamingo]

Thank you for correcting me.

I hope you recover quickly from whatever ailment is causing you to be passive agressive this evening.

You are welcome.

I equally hope you get some education into what the big words you are using in your posts actually mean.

 

[CC 72100]

First probably told them where to go when they asked.

The only thing is, a subsequent program features Reading (so then inevitably FGW), which would contradict this. FCC may have said no, but FGW obviously didn't.

 

[Captain Chaos]

The only thing is, a subsequent program features Reading (so then inevitably FGW), which would contradict this. FCC may have said no, but FGW obviously didn't.

We are also being recorded for another documentary for someone else according to various notices around the station. Not seen a camera yet though. Didn't actually see one for this one though either (probably not a bad thing though. I'd rather not be on it tbh!)

 

[jon0844]

I hope that if FGW is covered, we might see Flamingo on TV again. It's been a while since seeing him at the start of Miami Vice.

 

[anthony263]

We are also being recorded for another documentary for someone else according to various notices around the station. Not seen a camera yet though. Didn't actually see one for this one though either (probably not a bad thing though. I'd rather not be on it tbh!)

I was just about to mention the documentary channel 5 are filming on FGW. It will be interesting to see how FGW come out when it is broadcast later this year.

 

[phil8715]

There seems to be a media interest in railways all of a sudden. Great British Railway Journeys, The Tube, Locomotion & now The Railways.

Does anybody know why there's sudden interest in railways all of a sudden?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[gimmea50anyday]

Cineflix (the same company behind air crash investigation and road wars) are making a series on east coast for sky tv, but I don't know when filming starts

 

[Butts]

I was just about to mention the documentary channel 5 are filming on FGW. It will be interesting to see how FGW come out when it is broadcast later this year.

Nice to see a broadcaster other than the BBC producing a "Railway Programme"

Not sure how this will fit into Channel 5's famous "Three F's" reputation.

 

[Shaggy]

We are also being recorded for another documentary for someone else according to various notices around the station. Not seen a camera yet though. Didn't actually see one for this one though either (probably not a bad thing though. I'd rather not be on it tbh!)

A producer was being shown around the HQ in Swindon yesterday getting an idea of what everyone does etc (Good Luck!).

I understand his train to Swindon was delayed by about an hour.

 

[VauxhallandI]

I hope that if FGW is covered, we might see Flamingo on TV again. It's been a while since seeing him at the start of Miami Vice.

 

[anthony263]

A producer was being shown around the HQ in Swindon yesterday getting an idea of what everyone does etc (Good Luck!).

I understand his train to Swindon was delayed by about an hour.

That was a good start then

 

[Flamingo]

I hope that if FGW is covered, we might see Flamingo on TV again. It's been a while since seeing him at the start of Miami Vice.

I'm easy to spot, I'm the one all in pink standing on one leg

 

[dggar]

Twenty pages and we've only had the first show!!!

 

[Cletus]

Twenty pages and we've only had the first show!!!

Only 6 pages if you change your settings to 50 posts per page!

 

[GNER 373]

Twenty pages and we've only had the first show!!!

And most of it bickering!

 

[VauxhallandI]

I enjoyed it and tried not to read in to it too much.

I didn't notice all the political angles raised in thread but then being non industry I wasn't looking for them.

Just a bunch of characters like there are in many work places.

 

[musicking1306]

I'm easy to spot, I'm the one all in pink standing on one leg

Where you at Reading yesterday because the sign suggests that the Channel 5 camera crew was too.

 

[Flamingo]

No, not yesterday. I do get days off occasionally

 

[ANorthernGuard]

No, not yesterday. I do get days off occasionally

and you call yourself a railwayman..pfffft! lol

 

[martybabes]

And most of it bickering!

Yeah, sorry about that

 

[Ferret]

Well, I watched it on BBC iplayer last night and cringed the whole way through. The NR manager was utterly vacuous and full of management-speak. I reckon if you asked her to explain herself, she'd struggle to put a sentence together. :roll:

The training session with the East Coast manager was just as bad - reading parrot-fashion yet more management guff-speak from a poster on the wall. And pecking Laxman on the cheek?! If I had 37 years service, was about to retire and some upstart gave me that kind of treatment, he'd be lucky to escape with his nose intact. It was disrespectful and rude. And unbelievably unprofessional.:roll:

As a railway employee, I was embarassed by that show.

 

[Aictos]

Just watched it and feel sorry for the crying young lady who forgot there ticket.

I think the cleaner Ronnie must of saw me sitting in 1st :P

If the TOC has to pay a fine for every minute a train is delayed isnt that a downward spiral? The more trains are delayed the more the TOC pushes up ticket prices?

The overcrowding on an Intercity is very poor. Fine if you are only traveling for a short while but to stand up for a 2 hours I would suffer a mental breakdown!

I really admire Laxman and hope I could hold down a job for 30 years!

One thing I thought was wrong was why was the lady in question not offered the option of SILK?

 

[Monty]

As a railway employee, I was embarassed by that show.

Couldn't have put it better myself, after finally watching the programme I have to say I found it absolutely cringeworthy.