Robinson
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They could, but they'd still be wrong.
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disastrous train journeys
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They could, but they'd still be wrong.
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RailUK Forums
Yeah, and they'd be wrong. It is a fact that Merseyrail have an excellent punctuality record.
It is a fact that Berlin is the capital of Germany. You can't have the opinion that the capital of Germany is Hamburg. That is wrong.
It is a fact that right now, Manchester City are top of the Premier League.
It is an opinion that Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is the best album ever made.
Honestly! :roll:
Back on topic
As others have said, I think I have faired quite well really as most of the time I have had small hold ups due to lineside equipment failure and such.
I'd say the worst I've had was earlier this year in Scotland when the high winds hit and it cancelled most of the trains throughout Scotland, unbeknown to me and a friend who were in Edinburgh at the time very aware of the weather but unaware of the ensuing rail chaos!
Long story short, after a very long wait in Edinburgh Waverley (at least 3 hours) and very little help from staff, we managed to get a cityLink bus back to Perth (where we were staying) which took a lot longer than it should have due to not being able to use the Forth bridge. We eventually got back though and the next morning, it'd have been mostly difficult to tell there had been any problems the day before!
As others have said, I think I have faired quite well really as most of the time I have had small hold ups due to lineside equipment failure and such.
I'd say the worst I've had was earlier this year in Scotland when the high winds hit and it cancelled most of the trains throughout Scotland, unbeknown to me and a friend who were in Edinburgh at the time very aware of the weather but unaware of the ensuing rail chaos!
Long story short, after a very long wait in Edinburgh Waverley (at least 3 hours) and very little help from staff, we managed to get a cityLink bus back to Perth (where we were staying) which took a lot longer than it should have due to not being able to use the Forth bridge. We eventually got back though and the next morning, it'd have been mostly difficult to tell there had been any problems the day before!
Badger
Member
I know that relatively speaking it's not that disasterous but on my way to a Uni open day a few years ago there was a car bomb outside New Street and a whole direction was closed off. Sat on an overcrowded Turbostar (as always) for an hour until the driver said he really didn't have a clue what was going on and then later that the train was cancelled. So we went and had a coffee, and got on the next train, thinking it was just that one; it eventually managed to crawl to Leicester somehow. Coming back it took an hour to reach Nuneaton where we were told New Street was closed. We had to catch the Nuneaton-Coventry service - with people standing shoulder to shoulder down the entirity of the train - and then got a pendelino from Coventry. No idea how it got to Wolverhampton avoiding Birmingham. I think we might have somehow waited until it opened again. That was pretty disasterous, but the silver lining was that I ended up at the Uni after all. 
That sort of overcrowding is just average now from Leicester to Birmingham though. Two coach turbostars for an incredibly busy intercity line, great idea! And let's continue it to Cambridge... and move all the seats closer together so I can't actually sit outside of the fold downs... sorry, I'm ranting.
That sort of overcrowding is just average now from Leicester to Birmingham though. Two coach turbostars for an incredibly busy intercity line, great idea! And let's continue it to Cambridge... and move all the seats closer together so I can't actually sit outside of the fold downs... sorry, I'm ranting.
All Line Rover
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You can't have an opinion on what the least punctual TOC is, as it is a fact that, at the moment, it is East Coast. You couldn't possibly have an opinion on whether the Earth is bigger than the Moon, as that is also a fact.
You can, however, have an opinion on what is your favourite/least favourite TOC!
It is also a fact that about 99% of commuters think that their local TOC is the worst and least punctual!
It is also a fact that about 99% of commuters think that their local TOC is the worst and least punctual!
That's the best known fact of them all!
S N Barnes
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- 20 Jan 2011
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- 16
One detail which makes for reliability is a robust timetable, and another is for planned contingency.
SW Trains re-wrote the whole timetable in 2004 and now you may well find your train is waiting at a station for the timetable to catch up. Sure we could give you Waterloo in 31 minutes from Woking but it would be a knife edge on arriving on time every time, and, confirmed by the MD of the time (Mr P) most passengers approved of a timetable which does what it says on the page, even if the times were a bit slack. Virgin's WCML is similar and I've gained a connection when the GLC-BHM services get in up to 5 minutes early.
Virgin and Scotrail also have some nice contingency built in By having 3 different routes for each of the 3 trains/hour MAN-EUS there is an immediate contingency of dropping one route and using one of the other two. Drivers are also signed for going to WVH via Bescot to avoid BHM, and famously in the very early years a train for EUS was wrongly switched to Bescot instead of COV, with the track and wires available it was simply sent round in a big loop and astonished passengers got a second visit running non-stop through BHM some 30 minutes later.
Scotrail drivers based at GLQ are now signed for the route via the main line and via CUB. thus any blockage on the main line - especially for a train without any calling points en route - is simply a call to the driver advising a change of route.
Little detail such as CRE-KID is perhaps more valuable than any massive pride projects (like HS2).
SW Trains re-wrote the whole timetable in 2004 and now you may well find your train is waiting at a station for the timetable to catch up. Sure we could give you Waterloo in 31 minutes from Woking but it would be a knife edge on arriving on time every time, and, confirmed by the MD of the time (Mr P) most passengers approved of a timetable which does what it says on the page, even if the times were a bit slack. Virgin's WCML is similar and I've gained a connection when the GLC-BHM services get in up to 5 minutes early.
Virgin and Scotrail also have some nice contingency built in By having 3 different routes for each of the 3 trains/hour MAN-EUS there is an immediate contingency of dropping one route and using one of the other two. Drivers are also signed for going to WVH via Bescot to avoid BHM, and famously in the very early years a train for EUS was wrongly switched to Bescot instead of COV, with the track and wires available it was simply sent round in a big loop and astonished passengers got a second visit running non-stop through BHM some 30 minutes later.
Scotrail drivers based at GLQ are now signed for the route via the main line and via CUB. thus any blockage on the main line - especially for a train without any calling points en route - is simply a call to the driver advising a change of route.
Little detail such as CRE-KID is perhaps more valuable than any massive pride projects (like HS2).
Scotrail84
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mappman1000
Member
I've had a few
1. Got off at Southall by accident instead of Hayes and Harlington once at midnight, and had to sit through the local chavs shouting violent threats from the opposite platform for 30 minutes.
2. Had a bad experience in the snows of late 2009, where my 90 left Liverpool street on time at 2230, but didn't get to Ipswich until 0245. Was a journey plagued by slow running, due to it being a snow snow/blizzaard the whole way, lights and heating going off in carriages and lack of information. The train was initally terminated at Colchester, where there appeared to be no staff whatsoever, so the train crew decided to solider on in the hope of getting to Norwich, did around 10mph all the way from Colchester - Ipswich, not sure how long it took to eventually get to Norwich, but I got a huge delay repay out of that.
1. Got off at Southall by accident instead of Hayes and Harlington once at midnight, and had to sit through the local chavs shouting violent threats from the opposite platform for 30 minutes.
2. Had a bad experience in the snows of late 2009, where my 90 left Liverpool street on time at 2230, but didn't get to Ipswich until 0245. Was a journey plagued by slow running, due to it being a snow snow/blizzaard the whole way, lights and heating going off in carriages and lack of information. The train was initally terminated at Colchester, where there appeared to be no staff whatsoever, so the train crew decided to solider on in the hope of getting to Norwich, did around 10mph all the way from Colchester - Ipswich, not sure how long it took to eventually get to Norwich, but I got a huge delay repay out of that.
CheekyBandit
Member
About 10 years ago - had a conference in Llandudno when I learned of a FNW strike upon arriving in Manchester (having suspected something was odd after a lot more people boarded at Stockport than usual). I had been given the normal printed train times on an airline-style ticket (when specifically asking for times and route) I bought at Sheffield a day or two before I travelled.
When I was just 15 I travelled from York to Northern Ireland for the first time by myself. It was a journey I'd made many times with my family, and by the age of 15 I was very timetable savvy and allowed to go out for days by myself. This was the first time a trip wouldn't have involved coming home the same day though.
I got to Newcastle OK, and boarded a brand new 143 for the run to Carlisle, which was express to Hexham (no MetroCentre then). We were bucketing along near Wylam when there was the most almighty bang and the train screeched to a halt. I narrowly missed losing all my front teeth on the metal handrail on the seat in front as my head whiplashed foward. The driver then came staggering out of his cab looking rather unwell. A few minutes later a policewoman boarded the train and informed the carriage that someone had topped himself under our train and that we would be delayed. At this point a female passenger stood up, ran to the [only] toilet and threw up all over the walls, sink etc, putting it out of action for the duration. Thanks. A relief driver was brought in from somewhere by road eventually, but couldn't get the brakes off due to a bit of bloke being stuck in the works somewhere. Eventually the following stopper came up behind and coupled on, which enabled the brakes to be got off and the cavalcade proceded to Hexham (all stations) where a fitter was waiting. Thanks goodness the following train hadn't been an incompatible 101. The fitter got our set moving again and we continued unaided to Carlisle. At Carlisle we disembarked (most people cast a sly but ghoulish glance downwards at the front end as the passed, but there was nothing to be seen), but of course had long since missed the boat train at 14:40. The station master told about a dozen of us heading to Larne that we should take the next train to Glasgow, then the 21:57 to Stranraer after hours of hanging about, giving a terrible connection into the 03:00 boat. A rather fierce woman travelling with two kids then tore a strip off the poor bloke ("haven't we suffered enough alreaduy?") who eventually gave in and hired a coach with commendable speed. There followed the drive of our lives along the A75, most towns unbypassed at that time, screeching into Stranraer with 20 minutes to spare for the boat, and only 20 minutes after the train had arrived after its 3 1/2 hour oddyssey via Kilmarnock and Ayr.
Not a total disaster in the end (except for the driver of the train from Newcastle to Carlisle), but it looked like it was going to be so.
I got to Newcastle OK, and boarded a brand new 143 for the run to Carlisle, which was express to Hexham (no MetroCentre then). We were bucketing along near Wylam when there was the most almighty bang and the train screeched to a halt. I narrowly missed losing all my front teeth on the metal handrail on the seat in front as my head whiplashed foward. The driver then came staggering out of his cab looking rather unwell. A few minutes later a policewoman boarded the train and informed the carriage that someone had topped himself under our train and that we would be delayed. At this point a female passenger stood up, ran to the [only] toilet and threw up all over the walls, sink etc, putting it out of action for the duration. Thanks. A relief driver was brought in from somewhere by road eventually, but couldn't get the brakes off due to a bit of bloke being stuck in the works somewhere. Eventually the following stopper came up behind and coupled on, which enabled the brakes to be got off and the cavalcade proceded to Hexham (all stations) where a fitter was waiting. Thanks goodness the following train hadn't been an incompatible 101. The fitter got our set moving again and we continued unaided to Carlisle. At Carlisle we disembarked (most people cast a sly but ghoulish glance downwards at the front end as the passed, but there was nothing to be seen), but of course had long since missed the boat train at 14:40. The station master told about a dozen of us heading to Larne that we should take the next train to Glasgow, then the 21:57 to Stranraer after hours of hanging about, giving a terrible connection into the 03:00 boat. A rather fierce woman travelling with two kids then tore a strip off the poor bloke ("haven't we suffered enough alreaduy?") who eventually gave in and hired a coach with commendable speed. There followed the drive of our lives along the A75, most towns unbypassed at that time, screeching into Stranraer with 20 minutes to spare for the boat, and only 20 minutes after the train had arrived after its 3 1/2 hour oddyssey via Kilmarnock and Ayr.
Not a total disaster in the end (except for the driver of the train from Newcastle to Carlisle), but it looked like it was going to be so.
Worst journey I can remember was just after the Electrostars were introduced and the ADO failed... the doors would sometimes not open, sometimes open the wrong side, sometimes open too far back given that we were at a short platform, and sometimes open not far enough back given that we weren't. We were stopped for a long while at every station while they tried to fix the problem, but bizzarely we weren't told to leave the train and the train wasn't terminated. They just kept trying to fix it, even when a train that was going to the same place overtook us at a station, we weren't told to get off and board that one. I think it was 6 hours back to Chichester from London, and I had come from Norwich so had just experienced a wonderfully smooth service from Norwich - Liverpool St on Loco hauled service with centrally locked slam doors.
dangie
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It is an opinion that right now Manchester City are the club most football fans want to lose
It is a fact that Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is the best album ever made
Sapphire Blue
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It is an opinion that right now Manchester City are the club most football fans want to lose
It is a fact that Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is the best album ever made
Not even in the top 3 Beatles albums!
Rubber Soul
Revolver
Abbey Road
Hydro
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Today was rather fun, not massively delayed but a combination of events that seemed rather improbable:
Arrive at Soton, to await the road to Eastleigh.
Informed that, in no particular order, the following has occured:
A freight train ahead has failed.
A lightning strike has affected the signalling systems.
A 5mph ESR has been imposed due to a rough ride on the Up at 76m02ch.
Crawling signal to signal, put inside at Bevois Park loop. XC and a Southern service, each stopping at the signal on the main to receive the caution and proceed. We get the road eventually.
Come to a halt at the last signal before Eastleigh. Wait. Wait. Driver gets on the ol' radio. "We can't get into Platform 2 or 3. 3 has one in, and a freight train has been left awaiting relief on 2. It's blocking everything on that side of the station. We're going up the Romsey branch to get out of the way."
Goes up round the curve past the panel. Wait. Wait. Wait. "The freight has gone. We're off".
What a combination. Always at the end of the day too.
Arrive at Soton, to await the road to Eastleigh.
Informed that, in no particular order, the following has occured:
A freight train ahead has failed.
A lightning strike has affected the signalling systems.
A 5mph ESR has been imposed due to a rough ride on the Up at 76m02ch.
Crawling signal to signal, put inside at Bevois Park loop. XC and a Southern service, each stopping at the signal on the main to receive the caution and proceed. We get the road eventually.
Come to a halt at the last signal before Eastleigh. Wait. Wait. Driver gets on the ol' radio. "We can't get into Platform 2 or 3. 3 has one in, and a freight train has been left awaiting relief on 2. It's blocking everything on that side of the station. We're going up the Romsey branch to get out of the way."
Goes up round the curve past the panel. Wait. Wait. Wait. "The freight has gone. We're off".
What a combination. Always at the end of the day too.
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