Caledonian Sleeper discussion

[paulatthehug]

It will be tight getting the stock cleaned and ready for tonight, the crew may also be over their hours as well depending what time they arrive at.

You're worrying me now: I'm booked on tonight's sleeper south from Inverness.

 

[raveon]

Apologies if this has been disused before, but this page https://www.sleeper.scot/helprefunds suggests there is an online Delay Repay form (which I would expect to just be an electronic version of the downloadable PDF), but is just takes you to this page https://www.sleeper.scot/delay-repay-compensation-form, which rather than featuring any sort of form, just advises "To apply for delay repay compensation please contact the Guest Service Centre". Any ideas?

 

[Caleb2010]

In my experience, if you fill the contact form in with the required information they are pretty efficient in sorting out delay repay! I’ve not had to fill a form in for over a year now - they are quite good where that is concerned.

 

[185143]

https://twitter.com/CalSleeper/status/1042440551130382336?s=19

All Highlander Sleepers cancelled tonight, decision on the Lowlanders not yet been made.

 

[Scotrail84]

You're worrying me now: I'm booked on tonight's sleeper south from Inverness.

Cancelled

 

[Sleepy]

Why does their website state in the event of disruption we do not hold customer contact details if you booked through a station or other ticket retailer ? For GWR Sleeper bookings you are asked for contact number whether done online or at other TOC'S stations ?

 

[Furrball]

Northbound Highlander was booked to run then cancelled at late notice it seems.

Their Twitter accounts seems somewhat unresponsive.

 

[TimboM]

6X88
Post on scot-rail says driver reported hitting trees then derailed on points around 5mph at Culloden

66099 - 2 axles off I believe

Northbound Highlander was booked to run then cancelled at late notice it seems.

Their Twitter accounts seems somewhat unresponsive.

16:49 tweet stated both Highlanders caped

19:13 tweet just mentioned southbound Highlander and said all others running

19:53 92 044 then worked 5S95 (Highlander stock) into Euston - although 5S95 not reported on the system

Fairly soon after that, CS website reverted to saying that both Highlanders caped.

 

[Scotrail84]

All services caped. 1S25 and 1S26 in platforms 1 and 15 used as hotels for the night.

 

[TimboM]

All services caped. 1S25 and 1S26 in platforms 1 and 15 used as hotels for the night.

Looks like 1M11 doing the same in P10 at Glasgow Central

 

[185143]

All services caped. 1S25 and 1S26 in platforms 1 and 15 used as hotels for the night.

Have to wonder what happens to the poor souls at Watford/Crewe/Preston...?

 

[tsr]

Have to wonder what happens to the poor souls at Watford/Crewe/Preston...?

...particularly as VTWC tried to book hotels around Preston from mid-afternoon and couldn't!

 

[JModulo]

Passengers for 1C11 currently sat in Jury's Inn across from Waverley.

 

[Surreytraveller]

I thought they may have terminated at Aviemore then used onward road transport but I guess diverting via Aberdeen and arriving 2-3 hours late and giving everyone 100% refunds would still be cheaper than using buses. It will be tight getting the stock cleaned and ready for tonight, the crew may also be over their hours as well depending what time they arrive at.

And what would they have done with the train and the crew if it terminated at Aviemore?

 

[Scotrail84]

And what would they have done with the train and the crew if it terminated at Aviemore?

Taxied them to inverness....

 

[rosschap]

This has probably been covered before but what happens in this case? If trains are there, are pax given their berth for the night or hotel then a train in the morning and refund?

 

[GW43125]

Taxied them to inverness....

Interesting concept, putting a train in a taxi.

 

[route101]

Passengers for 1C11 currently sat in Jury's Inn across from Waverley.

Thats where the CS staff lodge too .

 

[Scotrail84]

Thats where the CS staff lodge too .

Only the London crews

 

[route101]

At Glasgow Central there was a notice saying that the Virgin Trains ticket office cannot sell CS Berth tickets , didnt mention seats . Says they should contact Serco with a website and phone number ,

 

[47271]

https://mobile.twitter.com/CalSleeper/status/1042583184788140035

A few people unhappy here about how the Lowlanders were cancelled on the Storm Ali night.

They complain about a lack of communication but, knowing others who have been caught up in this type of situation at Euston, I think what they were experiencing was a inability to decide to cancel on the basis of the information available to CS, which isn't the same thing at all.

A daytime train won't wait at its origin for two hours for a decision on whether it can run or not, it'll either get cancelled or merged with a later service. But a sleeper could stand a long time and still depart with a viable chance of arrival within an hour or so of time if it gets a good run once the line's clear.

What could CS have done here to improve communication with passengers? They could advise the unhappy passenger that alternative arrangements are made if the individual has pressing business the next morning, but what if the train departs after all? The angry people would then be angry because the sleeper went and they were sat at the airport trying to get the first flight of the morning.

 

[BRX]

I guess you just have to state the actual situation: at the moment we are still waiting to find out whether we can run the service; there is a possibility we won't so if you have urgent business you may wish to decide to look into other options at this point.

 

[Bletchleyite]

One thing they should perhaps do is ensure that passengers can remain on the stock overnight if it can't run (move it somewhere else if it can't sit at the origin). Arranging a hotel at that sort of notice is often impossible.

 

[Mike395]

One thing they should perhaps do is ensure that passengers can remain on the stock overnight if it can't run (move it somewhere else if it can't sit at the origin). Arranging a hotel at that sort of notice is often impossible.

They did exactly that with at least 3 services (both n/b and the Glasgow portion of the s/b Lowlander)

 

[JModulo]

They did exactly that with at least 3 services (both n/b and the Glasgow portion of the s/b Lowlander)

Those on the Edinburgh portion though were told it would be running but with a delay, fair enough. It's then when they turn round at 0030 and say its cancelled, punt you up to Jury's Inn reception to sit in a seat all night that you can't make any plans. Myself and a few others ended up doing this and caught a cheap flight early morning.

 

[Highlandspring]

Without getting into things too deeply on here, the issues with running the Down Lowlander were that the Down WCML was closed between Lockerbie and Gretna Jn due to multiple trees on the overhead line, the line being blocked and overhead wires de-energised due to this. The usual diversionary routes were also blocked with multiple trees down (G&SW via Dumfries and Kilmarnock) and overhead wire problems (East Coast Main Line at Innerwick). There was a lot of pressure being put on NR Scotland Route Control all evening to declare when the Down WCML would reopen but there was simply no estimate available from site, where the guys were working in atrocious weather to cut up trees as they came across them and repair damaged overhead line equipment. The information given to GBRf/CS and the NR National Operations Centre (NOC) was always that there was no estimate for when the Down line would reopen so the decision was made not to run the Down sleepers but keep the stock at Euston.

The intention all evening had been to run the Up Lowlander as the Up West Coast Main Line was available but two factors scuppered this; if the Down sleepers didn’t run, as looked likely, then the stock would end up unbalanced at the wrong end of the country (this was CS’s concern) and the driver of the empty stock for the Up Edinburgh portion refused to leave Polmadie depot as he felt it was too dangerous to take the train given the wild weather, which is absolutely his right to do. The option of running the Up Edinburgh portion into Glasgow Central to accomodate the Edinburgh passengers overnight was explored but this was not possible due to platform capacity - there just wasn’t anywhere to put it.

What I would say is that the people making these decisions are not faceless mandarins sitting in ivory towers who don’t give a toss about the punters. There is a huge amount of dialogue back and forth between NR Scotland, GBRf, CS and NR NOC when the sleepers are disrupted and all of it is focussed on doing what’s best for the passengers. Perhaps that sounds trite or hollow but it’s true. I know exactly how horrible it is to have your train cancelled at the last minute and how this is especially galling for an overnight train. It’s equally horrible to be phoned every 15 minutes and be completely unable to answer the simple question “do you know when the line is going to reopen yet?” knowing that your lack of an answer is the reason why 300 people are having their plans ruined.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Those on the Edinburgh portion though were told it would be running but with a delay, fair enough. It's then when they turn round at 0030 and say its cancelled, punt you up to Jury's Inn reception to sit in a seat all night that you can't make any plans. Myself and a few others ended up doing this and caught a cheap flight early morning.

And this is the issue. Putting people in seats overnight unless they were going to be in the seated coach is not acceptable.

As a minimum, they should find and make a standing arrangement by which people can be accommodated on the train. I totally fail to believe that there was nowhere it could be put anywhere in Scotland - and it needs to be a standing arrangement at all of the Scottish stations and Euston, not something to flounder about trying to arrange at midnight.

(Floundering about seems to be something CS are very good at, from my observation, which is not how a premium priced service is acceptable to be run)

 

[Bletchleyite]

What I would say is that the people making these decisions are not faceless mandarins sitting in ivory towers who don’t give a toss about the punters. There is a huge amount of dialogue back and forth between NR Scotland, GBRf, CS and NR NOC when the sleepers are disrupted

Should there need to be a "huge amount of dialogue"? Why, like for example the south WCML two-track timetable, is there not a standing arrangement, even if that is with a couple of hotel chains and taxi firms to find all their spare rooms in any suitable Scottish location when they are needed, and to buy up all remaining seats on morning flights for those who might want them? As soon as it is decided to cancel, this needs to kick in quickly and efficiently so the passengers paying a premium fare for this shambles can at least get a few hours of sleep before taking a morning train or flight.

This is Ryanair practice. Not a premium service which is one of the most expensive Standard Class journeys in the country.

It is not the first time the train will be cancelled, nor the last. There needs to be a standard procedure so it is simply a matter, once "cancelled" is on the board, of telephoning whatever agency they have contracted to make the alternative arrangements (or indeed their own on-call remote working staff, if they prefer that) and saying "go".

I've had late evening flight cancellations before, but it's always been sorted out properly, i.e. I've been in a taxi to a hotel for the night and briefed on what would happen in the morning within a couple of hours. It is unacceptable that CS differs from a budget airline given that the prices most certainly do.

 

[Highlandspring]

I can only give my perspective, I have no idea how CS deal with things once the decision to cancel a service (for whatever reason) is made.

 

[Essexman]

I was fortunate to travel back from Inverness the previous night but I accept that if all routes are blocked the train has to be cancelled. It does seem that CS do make a good effort to run and divert if necessary - eg Inverness diverted via Aberdeen on Wednesday.
I would however expect that if the train is cancelled the berths should be available for passengers to sleep overnight - either in the station or if this is not possible the train moved somewhere where it is.