East Coast Scuppered

[amcluesent]

Just had a txt from EC to let me know the 18.00 KGX to Glasgow service will stop short at Waverley on Thu. Very helpful in getting back for Xmas.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

The Chieftain is due into Inverness at a minute to midnight (2359) - it left Pitlochry at 2225, due into Kingussie at 2315 and Aviemore at 2326...

 

[cuccir]

Just had a txt from EC to let me know the 18.00 KGX to Glasgow service will stop short at Waverley on Thu. Very helpful in getting back for Xmas.

Not sure if that's sarcastic or genuine - but its both a sensible move in the circumstances, and good customer service to provide 19hrs notice!

 

[causton]

And why are so many screens now disconnected permanently (not turned off, just sitting there with no data to display)? The one at Hatfield hasn't worked in a month, so when the station building is closed after 8pm there's no screen and no audio. In other words, ZERO information to anyone going to London. Shouldn't someone be trying to restore the connection one day?

You could get some binoculars out and look through the side window to the screen opposite the ticket windows in the building as I don't think that is turned off at night... perhaps I should go there with my phone on the journeycheck website and shout out the departures!

 

[jon0844]

The screens inside do indeed remain on, but it's very small isn't it! Much smaller than they expected it would be.

Staff have the PC next to the gate controller and that gives more accurate info, as it bypasses the FCC system completely!

 

[Red Dragon]

I'm travelling tomorrow lunchtime (Thursday 23rd) from Kings Cross (KGX) to Leeds (LDS) - with a reservation on the 12.10 and I see the 11.35 KGX to LDS will not run. Assuming this info is correct the 12.10 train will be heavily loaded.
Any views on whether the 12.10 seat reservations will be put out........

Now all sorted - I'm retired and don't have a cab pass these days, so I was pretty desperate to know the platform in advance.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
The representative of the ToCs currently on Radio 4 is giving very poor and misleading information regarding the service today. Light on facts, and heavy on bull. Appauling.

 

[Aictos]

The screens inside do indeed remain on, but it's very small isn't it! Much smaller than they expected it would be.

Staff have the PC next to the gate controller and that gives more accurate info, as it bypasses the FCC system completely!

Not really as it still depends on the information being paged out being accurate and as the same information is also supposed to be displayed on the CIS screens I don't know how the PC can be even more accurate?

As a example, if the 08:44 Hatfield to Lincoln was displayed as cancelled on the CIS screens on the Platform then the PC should also display this information as it's from the same feed.

However I do think it's a move in the right direction as long as the accurate information is kept flowing.

 

[jon0844]

You are right that it gets the same raw data, but FCC's system seem to make some odd assumptions, presumably based on the software it uses, as well as having all the issues with old services hogging the display (it loves to show trains from earlier in the day as cancelled, but not remove them hours after) - hiding current and future services, as well as questionable (sometimes random) delay descriptions. I know the old system could do this, but I see it much more now.

What the PC gets is the raw data from National Rail, which invariably shows things right - including the actual timings of where a train is and estimates of when it will arrive (like the staff version).

FCC now has a system that repeatedly shows trains arriving in the wrong order, with a very last minute correction. It nearly always shows the 0924 at HAT as coming late, after the 0927. In many cases it arrives on time, despite being shown as coming at, say, 0930. Finsbury Park now does this too, showing trains out of order. I am not even sure HOW this is possible, when it says a train is going to call before it has even left KGX! Can't the software detect that something must be wrong?

Now I'm not sure if the Atos system is trying to be extra clever by working out that it misses its path somewhere arond Welwyn>Hitchin and will be delayed by the 0927 that started at WGC, but it's usually wrong and risky to make assumptions like that (plus I'm not sure that any software could be that clever). It's ironic when such logic would be great, given that the train CAN be delayed and miss its path, then have to sit behind the all station service unless it can be put out onto the up fast.

This is just one example and there are many. All it highlights is that the new system is failing miserably and, in my opinion, not fit for purpose - especially when FCC has opted to turn off the screen on platform 1 to stop people boarding the wrong trains, and turned down the volume so you can't hear anything there either!

 

[Aictos]

I doubt Twitter ever knew was it was for, and has evolved as people worked it out. And, FYI, it was around before the celebs jumped onboard - or the BBC and the like realised they could steal news from it and bypass the usual checking procedures (just saying 'a source on Twitter is reporting...'! There are plenty of bad things about Twitter, Facebook etc but that doesn't mean you disregard them as some scary form of new technology that we must all ignore.

I never said Twitter should replace the websites or text (and if I did, it was a typo) because that would be ridiculous!! I've been subscribed to text alerts from the day FCC introduced it - but in recent months, I now get the texts incredibly late nearly all the time (so I am putting the blame on FCC, not my network, as other texts arrive immediately). I can be told my 'watched' train is cancelled an hour after it was cancelled, and I've even had 'the train is now reinstated' messages later in the day, long after it has been and gone.

In other words, the FCC system is totally broken and therefore useless. That has been the case for months, and isn't down to exceptional conditions in recent days. We all know the new CIS system is not fit for purpose in its current state - so it was hardly surprising that it has failed so miserably when put to the ultimate test. And when you switch timetables, you need to remove the old services to stop this duplication and confusion. Many trains aren't stuck or delayed; they've been replaced with another service entirely. That information is KNOWN and can therefore be conveyed to people.

Also, do you think that many people are signed up to the text alert service - which costs FCC money to send? I doubt it, as it's not widely advertised. Twitter is free and they have been advertising it.

Too much info is posted way too late, as if FCC is simply providing a diary for reference to those who are interested. If they haven't got a clue and there's no info out there to give, they may as well say 'Don't travel' and give up.

I used to have the same view as you on Twitter, but you can't be so dismissive - and suggesting that a driver would Tweet updates is crazy (and, sorry, but I don't think you were joking as you then said 'Its because some of you seemed so worried about them not using twitter', and I couldn't care less if they use Twitter or not, although hopefully not when driving a train, and are we likely to start following loads of individual Twitter accounts for drivers?!). I hope to God that more than just a driver knows when a service has been terminated.

Like it or not, social media is becoming incredibly important for businesses now. In fact, I hope that this is what Twitter will eventually be most useful for, not reading what celebrities (or their agents) are supposedly doing, when you can obviously say (and make up) anything you like.

The FCC information has been appalling, just as it has been many times before. Naturally, they'll say they will investigate if anything went wrong with a view to fixing it for next time, but I no longer believe they will. Let's remember that THEY proudly advertised how they were embracing Twitter.. I am sure the posters are still up at stations throughout their network.

And, finally, you can/could use their Twitter service to get personal messages sent via direct messaging on any particular service - duplicating the SMS service but with the advantage that you can pick up the message on any device (or multiple) devices as it effectively comes through as an email, a Tweet and even an SMS (sent via Twitter) if you set it up. It's far more flexible.

While discussing the use of Twitter and other social messaging tools with regards to the lack of updates, I found this query asked at the last FCC Meet The Directors web forum:

Question number 23

From Andrew Young

Q

Why do FCC pretend to have SMS, Twitter & Email update systems, when they are never updated correctly? The only information I ever receive is incorrect & usually relating to parts of lines that I never travel on, and the Twitter account posts about once a season.

A

Dear Andrew

Can you please check your settings as if you are receiving incorrect route information there may be a problem with those. If the correct pasramaters are not in the system this may explain the lack of information. If this isnot succesful pleaase conntact our customer rerlations department on:

by telephone: 0845 026 4700
- by post: Freepost RRBR-REEJ-KTKY, First Capital Connect Customer Relations Department, Plymouth PL4 6WP

Or via the website

Kinds Regards

And yes the reply was originally typed up like that!

 

[jon0844]

I missed that and it's shocking! At best, they misread the question. At worst, they don't understand it at all.

Now I am starting to think that what has probably happened is a previous MD (or acting MD) set up, or authorised the creation of, the Twitter account, got the posters designed and did the necessary IT to get it up and running - and now the new management have decided it's not worth continuing, perhaps due to a similar view of Twitter as posted on here recently.

As a result, it is still there (as nobody probably knows how to shut it down) but not being updated and there's nobody with the responsibility to manage it.

If FCC had staff responsible for information that had any sense of pride, they wouldn't allow all of this to happen - over and over again, I might add.

I can't wait for the patronising, cut-and-pasted, statement that tells us FCC will review their procedures and investigate where things went wrong etc. No doubt slip in a mention of the unprecedented weather we suffered, even though the complain is about the problems with the trains, it's the lack of information and ACCURATE info that gives people the option to just stay at home, or wait before travelling, or make alternative arrangements.

I should mention that it's not just FCC either. Information seems like a very last resort thing, whether it's the railway or air travel (perhaps any method of transport). No matter how good technology gets, or new ways to relay it, things don't seem to improve because I fear businesses don't take it seriously enough.

Take yesterday when my train was failed; the driver kept us fully informed, and we had staff come down to tell passengers where to go for the next service (in my case just moving from platform 10 to 11, but for some a wait for another hour). I can have no complaints, yet FCC didn't update its own system to tell people along the line that the train wouldn't be coming - not for 24 minutes did anyone else know it wasn't going to turn up!

 

[amcluesent]

Reckon I've now received more EC 'delay repay' cheques than Xmas cards in December. Which is nice

 

[dickdarlington]

Right. What's everyones thoughts please. In-laws are coming down from Newc to D'ton tomorrow afternoon. Plan is that they will get the train to assist with logistics. However, with the ECML being in the mess that it is, should I just drive up and get them? Or are things on the fix? I know that most of the issues are further south. But in the NE, we seem to be having signalling issues and the like.

 

[OMGitsDAVE]

I would say let them get the train to Darlo, I mean things are running pretty well now anyway.
Only few problems are affecting it now, so its worth taking the risk.

 

[Bittern]

Weren't EC to pull out of Glasgow almost entirely with only two trains a day to Glasgow? Looking at NRE, it still says there's plenty of EC trains a day to Glasgow in January.

 

[MCR247]

That's May.

 

[PTF62]

Cracking journey home yesterday, made worse by a lack of information from FCC.

19:10 Peterborough train showing as delayed with no departure time at Kings Cross, so at 19:15 when the 19:22 platform was announced, everyone piled onto that train.

At Finsbury Park one set of doors won't close, and it takes 25 minutes for the driver to fix them (all credit to the driver though, he kept us informed throughout, and was clearly working hard to fix the problem).

At Stevenage the driver announces that 'control' have decided to turn the train into a non-stop to Peterborough, so everyone for intermediate stations between Stevenage and Peterborough must get off and wait for a subsequent train.

20 minutes later in sub-zero temperatures a following train finally turns up (and of course this is the first train out after the evening peak restrictions, so has a higher proportion of families and children than other trains).

And the really ironic thing is the delayed 19:10 actually left at 19:25, so would have passed us at Finsbury park...

 

[ess]

I can accept that the wagn.co.uk on the screens is hard coded on the screen itself (it's the default for when the connection is lost) and may cost money to change

Surely this type of configuration would be part of the terms of winning a franchise? Any outdated branding should be removed?

FCC should address that asap and also the WAGN merchant info that appears on your credit card statement after buying a ticket.

 

[jon0844]

I am sure National Express were meant to remove it, but they didn't. I think it's probably too late to ask them now.

A simple solution would be to renew the domain and forward it to FCC (as it did for some time). It is still silly for us, but for someone who just types the URL they are given, it works fine.

 

[Aictos]

I am sure National Express were meant to remove it, but they didn't. I think it's probably too late to ask them now.

A simple solution would be to renew the domain and forward it to FCC (as it did for some time). It is still silly for us, but for someone who just types the URL they are given, it works fine.

Well as I thought First Group at the franchise change from WAGN to FCC had paid the then CIS Supplier Amey Datel to change the default message within the CIS displays to show FCC and not WAGN, However when FCC changed to the new and improved ATOS system, FCC had discovered that WAGN had also had the WAGN Default notice hard coded into every display on GN, the notice will only appear on the displays when the display loses comms to the server, any default notice posted by the system will show FCC.

The good news is that once the New Year is here and the service is back to normal, the GN displays will be changed manually by site visits to have FCC instead of WAGN details.

 

[jopsuk]

chieftain was thirty minutes late at Stirling- not bad going really! Points/signalling problems at newcastle, and running break tests from Newcastle to Edinburgh

 

[Skimble19]

The good news is that once the New Year is here and the service is back to normal, the GN displays will be changed manually by site visits to have FCC instead of WAGN details.

Are you sure? When I last asked about that (only a couple of months back) I was told it would be far too expensive for it to be changed and wasn't "economically viable"

 

[jon0844]

It is either a chip change, or perhaps a simple download if there's some sort of port inside - Serial, USB or whatever. It can't be that hard to change - but I can understand that ANY cost might be considered pointless as the screens should be getting a data feed at all times, meaning it can show the new URL.

I wonder why so many are no longer working since September/October? The ones that don't have a connection are also losing or gaining time, so they're not even helping by working as a simple clock for people who know when a train SHOULD arrive!