northwichcat
Veteran Member
Don't know if it's weather related or another problem but there are currently delays of up to 45 minutes on the Mid-Cheshire line with no reason given by NRE.
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Flooding and Weather Disruption (Nov 2012)
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ushawk
Established Member
The WCML has joined the rather wet and windy party !! No service from Oxenholme to Penrith, other direction can run with delays. Cumbria is getting hit badly now.
Line between Lancaster and Barrow is already closed.
Line between Lancaster and Barrow is already closed.
https://twitter.com/search?q=#ukrain&src=typd
This is the link publicised for the latest information on the NRES website. Is this really a professional way to provide railway information? I have to wade through inane comments from members of the public and even discussion between a bunch of Ukrainians to sift out the useful realtime updates. Other than 'because twitter is well cool, innit' is there a reason why this is a superior information provision platform to a realtime updating website? The content in the tweets is not relayed to the NRES site so you need to view the twitter link to see it..
When I want train information I want train information, I don't want to read that Bob Smith is 'Listening to the wind and #ukrain with some trepidation (on Somerset Levels) '
This is the link publicised for the latest information on the NRES website. Is this really a professional way to provide railway information? I have to wade through inane comments from members of the public and even discussion between a bunch of Ukrainians to sift out the useful realtime updates. Other than 'because twitter is well cool, innit' is there a reason why this is a superior information provision platform to a realtime updating website? The content in the tweets is not relayed to the NRES site so you need to view the twitter link to see it..
When I want train information I want train information, I don't want to read that Bob Smith is 'Listening to the wind and #ukrain with some trepidation (on Somerset Levels) '
MCR247
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transmanche
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Apart from perhaps a poor choice of hashtag in #ukrain, there's nothing wrong with using Twitter. It's faster - because it's easier to use then a website CMS.
But they constantly use non-specific poor hashtags. Last month it was delays near Starcross using a hashtag which provided not rail travel information but American teenagers discussing a band or something.
Can't they pick hashtags unlikely to be used by anyone else so you are presented with a page of railway specific travel information not the inane witterings of people who think we care what they had for dinner or whether the cat is getting wet?
Currently the most up to date information on the twitter feed using the chosen hashtag is some girl telling us she is scared about getting home. Yea, great. Somebody else is currently at Waitrose, which is good to know. And this stuff is linked directly from the NRES site as an up to date source of proper travel disruption info..
That hashtag isn't quite as bad as Su's Anal Bum Party..
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ams-embarrassing-hashtag-double-entendre.html
It's actually not always easy to use a unique hashtag as you don't reserve or register them, and some hashtags are just fine until certain times of the year when they might be used for an event, possibly somewhere else in the world. This can be quite common if you're using acronyms or abbreviations.
Make it too long and you improve your odds, but you've only got 140 characters in the first place!
While you can do some clever things like restrict Tweets by area, I am not sure most clients make that sort of thing easy - and it's more about finding things being said in your locality. I suppose what Twitter needs is a way to only show Tweets by a specific country or something. I have no idea if Twitter can do this, or would want to do it.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ams-embarrassing-hashtag-double-entendre.html
It's actually not always easy to use a unique hashtag as you don't reserve or register them, and some hashtags are just fine until certain times of the year when they might be used for an event, possibly somewhere else in the world. This can be quite common if you're using acronyms or abbreviations.
Make it too long and you improve your odds, but you've only got 140 characters in the first place!
While you can do some clever things like restrict Tweets by area, I am not sure most clients make that sort of thing easy - and it's more about finding things being said in your locality. I suppose what Twitter needs is a way to only show Tweets by a specific country or something. I have no idea if Twitter can do this, or would want to do it.
LexyBoy
Established Member
Shouting out the window that it's a bit rainy is also quicker, and just as likely to be read by me. If doing it properly is too slow then they need to sort out their IT, not use some third party social media site which specialises in getting people to make tits of themselves.
Seriously, Twitter is excellent to relay information and the best way is to just follow the accounts that will post the information - so you can just read what is said officially, not related comments, arguments, totally irrelevant conversations etc. That's what happens if you search by hashtag.
Twitter will push updates to your device, in a matter of milliseconds. If Network Rail or your TOC sent an update saying 'Trains are now running from King's Cross' for example, you'll have it almost immediately. It's even quicker than having text alerts, which might cost you and can't easily be turned on or off.
The alternative is to have someone updating a site, and for you to reload it (assuming you know it's been updated). Not only that but you now have to read through to see what's been updated.
There are of course ways to update the page without refreshing, but that takes a hell of a lot more bandwidth - and when there's serious disruption we've seen time and time again that these sites fall over, and often have to resort to a static webpage giving minimal information.
Believe me, Twitter is awesome for this sort of thing - and far more valuable than following the latest rant/shameless promotion from some Z-list celeb.
Twitter will push updates to your device, in a matter of milliseconds. If Network Rail or your TOC sent an update saying 'Trains are now running from King's Cross' for example, you'll have it almost immediately. It's even quicker than having text alerts, which might cost you and can't easily be turned on or off.
The alternative is to have someone updating a site, and for you to reload it (assuming you know it's been updated). Not only that but you now have to read through to see what's been updated.
There are of course ways to update the page without refreshing, but that takes a hell of a lot more bandwidth - and when there's serious disruption we've seen time and time again that these sites fall over, and often have to resort to a static webpage giving minimal information.
Believe me, Twitter is awesome for this sort of thing - and far more valuable than following the latest rant/shameless promotion from some Z-list celeb.
The trouble is the links NRES provide on their website are exactly that - a search by hashtag. They need to change the way they use Twitter and use it more intelligently. Tweeting everything with a single generic hashtag and then linking from the main site to a search for that hashtag is just a pain.
As I type this there is almost zero train information on the first page of the search results, just endless gibber about how its raining outside.
It's like they know they should use twitter, but they've not taken the time to work out HOW they should use it.
You should be given the relevant Twitter IDs to follow.
Such as @nationalrailenq or @FirstCC or whatever.
Yes, you'll get everything but it's a lot easier to filter yourself just by scrolling (the timestamp will help here too, as you can see if it's relevant based on when it was sent.. ignoring stuff from 2d or 3d ago etc).
Some Twitter clients are better than others though.
Such as @nationalrailenq or @FirstCC or whatever.
Yes, you'll get everything but it's a lot easier to filter yourself just by scrolling (the timestamp will help here too, as you can see if it's relevant based on when it was sent.. ignoring stuff from 2d or 3d ago etc).
Some Twitter clients are better than others though.
And as an aside, the longer the problems continue the more it becomes less about weather and more about how they are managing the problem. Nobody can help the weather but the operators can help the response they make to it.
Currently there are buses between Exeter and Taunton. But there is no information, anywhere, about how this provision is working. Does it connect with trains either side? Are they every X minutes? Is there a timetable? Is it ad-hoc?
The M5 Motorway is fully functional and Exeter and Taunton are both 100% passable from it so there should be no reason why, as the disruption moves into its third day, why we can't reach a stage where there is some sort of an organised plan that the travelling public can have visibility of.
Currently there are buses between Exeter and Taunton. But there is no information, anywhere, about how this provision is working. Does it connect with trains either side? Are they every X minutes? Is there a timetable? Is it ad-hoc?
The M5 Motorway is fully functional and Exeter and Taunton are both 100% passable from it so there should be no reason why, as the disruption moves into its third day, why we can't reach a stage where there is some sort of an organised plan that the travelling public can have visibility of.
The NR departure boards are showing an hourly bus from Exeter to Bristol calling at Tiverton Parkway, Taunton and Bristol Temple Meads. I'm not quite sure why the buses are running through to Bristol when the line is open from Taunton unless it is so that the limited FGW services don't get overcrowded with XC passengers. For some reason XC are not running through to Taunton even though the line is open.
Northbound it shows the buses as calling at Taunton then Tiverton then Bristol!!! Also the jounrey times look very wrong whereas the southbound buses look fine.
Also realtimetrains shows none of the buses running anywhere and shows all Exeter-Waterloo trains cancelled at all stations which is wrong too..very poor
Its probably as they can get through, the roads are almost as bad as the railways and the thought of the coach drivers trying to keep to a schedule in these conditions is ridiculous.
I am sure most of the passengers realise that we are doing the best we can with what we have got.
I am sure most of the passengers realise that we are doing the best we can with what we have got.
I believe most operators have done/are doing the best they can but XC have been their usual poor self terminatng at Brum/Bristol whenever possible rather than running as far as the line is open (ie Taunton). I realise potential crew issues may arise but it does leave a huge unnecessary void from Bristol to Taunton.
ushawk
Established Member
Well the website isnt updated with short-notice changes and isnt official - what else did you expect ?
Yea, I noticed that. The bus from Exeter apparently takes almost 3 hours and goes to Taunton before going back to Tiverton then up to Bristol?
Taunton presumably had sufficient space to stable Voyagers so I'm not entirely sure why XC are not runing to Taunton with a buses to Exeter?
Taunton presumably had sufficient space to stable Voyagers so I'm not entirely sure why XC are not runing to Taunton with a buses to Exeter?
DavidBrown
Member
That really doesn't look good... can't see me going through there this time tomorrow night, looks like it'll be bus to Taunton at this rate.
Looking at footage from BBC Spotlight, that's the Tarka Line at Cowley Bridge, although the mainline does also have damage. The major problem for the Tarka Line is that this will completely stuff up the engineering works further up the line, so the whole line to Barnstaple could be closed for a very long time.
As for the replacement buses, as 455driver had elluded to the roads here are almost as bad. The A377 and A396 immediately north of Exeter St Davids are both closed, so all buses are having to make their way across Exeter to the M5 - there really isn't any flexibility left in the road network.
I seem to remember Virgin did the same back in 2000.
Do they have crew 'stuck' the other side or something then? Otherwise surely if they had the crew to get down to Plymouth and back prior to the weather then... whats up with Taunton? I guess there is a traincrew depot in Plymouth which will have something to do wiht it but taxi's up and down the M5 would surely be cheaper than hiring buses or irritating all the Devon and Cornwall pax?
Especially as Taunton to Plymouth is quicker by road than rail anyway. When there are buses from Tiverton during engineering works you can usually still get to Plym without being delayed much.
The depots are at Plymouth and Bristol. Plymouth crew will provide the shuttles west of EXD, and Bristol/Brum crew will cover the work that Plymouth crews should be doing between Bristol and Brum. By taking people off road review days and using any spares, there seems to be just enough bodies available to run a service from Bristol. Running to Taunton would need crews that just don't exist.
Traincrew are needed so an XC service can still run from Exeter to Plymouth.
You could cape that and run buses from Plymouth to Taunton as per engineering work, resulting in almost-normal journey times and sufficient traincrew to work from Taunton?
That said I'm fairly sure they are not all sat aorund wondering how best to screw everything up and are doing what they can. But whats the internet with idle armchair speculation
That said I'm fairly sure they are not all sat aorund wondering how best to screw everything up and are doing what they can. But whats the internet with idle armchair speculation
Whaaaaaat?! Buses from Plymouth to Taunton?! Why on earth would XC do that? Think about it....
By doing so you would inconveience anyone wanting to travel to Exeter from Plymouth by reducing the frequency to just an hourly FGW service.
To cover for the missing XC trains from Plymouth to Taunton?
Which is exactly what will be running from late February due to engineering works between Plymouth and Exeter.
I assume you are alluding to the fact it'd be a bus full of FGW passenger bound for Paddington. Could they not.. work together on this? I'd imagine FGW would/are providing buses too.
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By not doing so you inconvenience anyone not wanting to only travel as far as Exeter. Swings and roundabouts? Surely those travelling further have paid more for the ticket, too...
Under the circumstances 'only' having an hourly service between Plymouth and Exeter would seem a fair price to pay for the resumption of some sort of resaonable way further north than Exeter.
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D1009
Established Member
Not sure I buy that. XC trains south of Brum are worked by either Birmingham, Bristol or Plymouth, so presumably someone diagrammed to a return Brum Plymouth at the moment sits at Temple Meads until the diagrammed return working. Whilst I agree it wouldn't be possible to run all trains to Taunton, I'm sure it would be possible to run some.
No, I'm talking the same language as Zoe. Frankly, it's a preposterous suggestion that XC should cape all trains west of Taunton when there's no need. And what about the practicalities?! That's a hell of a lot of coaches needed for a replacement service. Easier to sort out when planned months in advance for engineering work, but at short notice because of flooding? Keep dreaming!
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