BBC Documentary 'The Railways'

[Frothy]

Not working in the rail industry, I loved that first episode. I can't wait for next week's one when they go up North!

The people they focused on might have been oddballs, but they definitely gave the show charm. Best bit when they opened the new concourse and had the '*We are sorry to announce that the 16.33 East Coast service to Leeds is cancelled. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.*' all over again.

 

[stevefreestone]

Some points which made me chuckle.

The look on the passengers face when told it was £301 for a ticket
"But I can fly for less than that"
"Thats your perogative sir"
Maybe he felt better after the strawberries.

The Merseyside lady who immediately after asking a question had a slurp from a giant drinks container.

She was billed as the Station Manager. Not a particularly professional way to act, is it? As for the 'interviews'. Blimey, no wonder the staff at Kings X aren't very good.

 

[RJ]

Not working in the rail industry, I loved that first episode. I can't wait for next week's one when they go up North!

The people they focused on might have been oddballs, but they definitely gave the show charm. Best bit when they opened the new concourse and had the '*We are sorry to announce that the 16.33 East Coast service to Leeds is cancelled. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.*' all over again.

I was thinking, what is it with that service? Is it like at Euston where the xx:04/34 Trings are the first to go down when there is disruption?

 

[sarahj]

RJ, there is a book that we have, and when there is disruption we move onto plans marked in the book. So you get a text saying using plan A3 So, if we have a major issue on the the BML one of the first trains to go are the brighton expresses. On the ECML this service to Leeds must just be a handy train to take out to get things moving again. On the WCML I guess the tring stoppers give space up to the fast line services to use the slow lines, though just guessing here.

BTW, its a dull book

 

[DarloRich]

Just watched the first episode on I player and I thought it was a pretty decent documentary that showed some of the different types of people who work on the railways and some of the work that has to go on in keeping a big station moving. It has to appeal to and be accessible to the general public rather than focusing on the technical minutiae about trains that the spotters would like to see.

The East Coast manager chap was a bit David Brentish but he also seemed keen, anxious to do a good job, he knew the names of all the staff he interacted with and seemed to genuinely respect his most experienced staff member who came across very well. Yes, he was quite cringe worthy and a little embarrassing but i think he meant well.

Things like the customer service training frustrate me but it has to be done. Occasionally these kind of things turn out to be motivating or give you pause for thought to consider how you do things.

Every time there is a change at the top the new person is keen to see their "message" filters down to the lower levels. A good course/presentation should allow for experiences and views to be aired and debated for the benefit of the wider group. The KEY is in using those examples to illustrate to those in attendance what the new message is.

The railway is full of people like Laxman who are a credit to their employers and themselves, take pride in their work, are proud to be associated with the railways and who will take a great deal of time to pass on their experience to a younger generation or to try and help new recruits settle in and find their feet.

I am keen to see the future episodes as i hope they will offer more information as to the challenges faced in running such a complex, varied, in places antique and at times stretched railway network. It might show the general public what the people in the field go through to try and get them to and from work.

 

[ANorthernGuard]

RJ, there is a book that we have, and when there is disruption we move onto plans marked in the book. So you get a text saying using plan A3 So, if we have a major issue on the the BML one of the first trains to go are the brighton expresses. On the ECML this service to Leeds must just be a handy train to take out to get things moving again. On the WCML I guess the tring stoppers give space up to the fast line services to use the slow lines, though just guessing here.

BTW, its a dull book

In other words its about the £££££

what costs the less to cancel gets cancelled, No TOC wants there trains to be cancelled but you can guarantee a Northern service would get cancelled over a Virgin or XC service every time.

 

[jon0844]

The East Coast manager chap was a bit David Brentish but he also seemed keen, anxious to do a good job, he knew the names of all the staff he interacted with and seemed to genuinely respect his most experienced staff member who came across very well. Yes, he was quite cringe worthy and a little embarrassing but i think he meant well.

I watched a bit again and wonder if the programme makers asked him to act in a certain way to come over better on camera. For example, he might normally be quite chummy with staff that he knows really well, but that might not come over very well. Likewise, being asked to talk about the company policy on things in detail and using simple to understand terms etc, which again might be out of character and come over as 'odd' simply because it wasn't his natural way of doing things or how you'd expect someone to talk.

I used to be extremely laid back with staff I worked with, and those that worked underneath me - and we all had a respect for each other that meant they knew that all I wanted was for people to get their work done, and I wasn't that bothered how they did it (in terms of keeping to hours, or spending some time on Facebook etc). At the end of the day, getting the job done was all that mattered - which for a print magazine was simple; getting the magazine to the printers on time and without mistakes.

If I had a camera shoved in my face, I'd have needed to do a fair few things different! I'm fairly certain I'd have looked strange trying to act a different role to look good for the viewers, and also to portray an image that my employers might have also asked for.

 

[Muzer]

Not working in the rail industry, I loved that first episode. I can't wait for next week's one when they go up North!

The people they focused on might have been oddballs, but they definitely gave the show charm. Best bit when they opened the new concourse and had the '*We are sorry to announce that the 16.33 East Coast service to Leeds is cancelled. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.*' all over again.

Offtopic, but I really do hate that particular automated announcer. I don't quite know why, but something about her voice really grates with me. I much prefer Celia Drummond for female voices; though I'd still choose Phil Sayer out of all the ones I've heard simply because his voice seems to be a lot better at carrying over the sound of the diesel engines!

 

[Domeyhead]

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.

Why are some rail employees so bloody tetchy? The gesture and the words were affectionate and well meant regardelss of the man delivering them, but you are just determined to find offence, I suppose you would prefer no communication at all in order to preserve that archaic barrier between "workers" and "management". I thought all you prickly offence riddled BR dinosaurs had retired.
Good job you don't hear the kind of leaving speeches I attend - you would be so offended at the "humour" you'd explode.

 

[Ferret]

Why are some rail employees so bloody tetchy? The gesture and the words were affectionate and well meant regardelss of the man delivering them, but you are just determined to find offence, I suppose you would prefer no communication at all in order to preserve that archaic barrier between "workers" and "management". I thought all you prickly offence riddled BR dinosaurs had retired.
Good job you don't hear the kind of leaving speeches I attend - you would be so offended at the "humour" you'd explode.

Au contraire, I'm quite young in relative terms, and have no desire to preserve any archaic barriers between staff and management. There are some very good managers on the railway, but the two shown in this episode were two of the very worst. They remind me of Tony Blair - lots of style and not much in the way of substance.

I'm sure there was an element of acting up for the cameras involved in the part I complained about, but it doesn't make it any less disrespectful.

 

[Skimble19]

That woman on the gateline singing her awful songs - how do they always managed to find such people for thes sorts of programmes?

Sorry, but she's actually one of the friendliest gateline staff you'll ever meet.. She's brilliant with kids, and extremely helpful if you have any issues. I've bumped into her on many occasions whilst at Kings Cross (usually on the small gateline onto the bridge!).

 

[IanD]

Sorry, but she's actually one of the friendliest gateline staff you'll ever meet.. She's brilliant with kids, and extremely helpful if you have any issues. I've bumped into her on many occasions whilst at Kings Cross (usually on the small gateline onto the bridge!).

I din't say she was awful but her songs are awful and someone should tell her straight rather than encourage her.

 

[jon0844]

I am not sure about the song that encouraged people to run either.

 

[trainophile]

I hope all the episodes are going to be repeated (was it late on Thurs nights?) as I won't have access to a TV tomorrow .

 

[Starmill]

Heard a bunch of girls on what I have dubbed 'The Police Train' (the 21:46 and 22:46 from Manchester Pic to the Airport and then Wilmslow or Alderly Edge, which I often see 2 BTP onboard) drunkenly shouting about how the driver was going slow because he felt like it and thought he should be paid more. They blamed the late arrival of the train on the driver 'taking a break' (it had been held by a four-train queue that I had just watched come through p13, and had to wait for the signal when it arrived) and used many profanities regarding the apparent need of anyone driving a train to urinate every once in a while.


Okay, who cares what they think? My point is, this programme has made the great gullible public think that that sort of "£10,000" delay is caused by PNBs :/

Offtopic, but I really do hate that particular automated announcer. I don't quite know why, but something about her voice really grates with me. I much prefer Celia Drummond for female voices; though I'd still choose Phil Sayer out of all the ones I've heard simply because his voice seems to be a lot better at carrying over the sound of the diesel engines!

That announcer is wonderful!!!! Anne, isn't it?

Although you can tell when she says "We apologise... for the inconvenience caused" the second clause is much lower. At Manchester Pic, she says "First TransPennine Express... apologises for this late-running and the inconvenience this may cause you." Her essay about "opportunist thieves" at Paddington is also a giggle.

 

[D365]

I hope all the episodes are going to be repeated (was it late on Thurs nights?) as I won't have access to a TV tomorrow .

iPlayer? SD and HD for 7 days after initial broadcast.

 

[trainophile]

iPlayer? SD and HD for 7 days after initial broadcast.

Cheers. I'd have fallen back on iPlayer if it hadn't been repeated, but luckily on getting home today it seems the aerial problem in the building my flat is in has been fixed, after being "no signal" since Sunday morning. Perfect timing .

 

[alcockell]

Here we go...

 

[christopher]

Ah, EDL scumbags! Knew they would play a part somewhere.

 

[alcockell]

Poor FCC - having to deal with those numpties...

 

[Muzer]

Previous one was anti-rail, this one is anti-passenger

Well, at least it balances out as a series (so far at least)

 

[crispy1978]

The good old ale trail!! What a flaming nightmare that must be to a) travel on, b) drive, c) conduct and d) police/security

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Tonight's show must be interesting: even my Mum (who has no interest in railways) is watching it!

 

[Class172]

Tonight's show must be interesting: even my Mum (who has no interest in railways) is watching it!

So was my mum, until she noticed the program about a fried chicken shop was on. hock:

 

[175001]

No recognition on the show its infact that its Man Vic crew who deal with the numpties at Slaithwaite and Marsden

 

[WCMLaddict]

I found this part about deaths on track very difficult to watch ...

 

[crispy1978]

I found this part about deaths on track very difficult to watch ...

Yeah, that was very difficult.

 

[Starmill]

Ohhh! Do you get to drive the big shiny ones!?
*shot of two 170s*

*slams head on table*

 

[alcockell]

Here we go - that downpour...

 

[crispy1978]

Here we go - that downpour...

Is that the rain, or the drunk urinating at Leeds station?!?