GWR Cancellations 28/05/17

[PHILIPE]

GWR plagued with mass cancellations today due to shortage of traincrews, too numerous to list but a look at their Journey Check will reveal the extent of the problem. GWR stating in many cases that passengers should catch the next available service which could imply they should camp out overnight as the next one would be tomorrow morning.

www.journeycheck.com/greatwesternrailway/

 

[spark001uk]

I wonder if this will spill into/continue during tomorrow? Was planning a Wessex rover.

 

[Parallel]

GWR plagued with mass cancellations today due to shortage of traincrews, too numerous to list but a look at their Journey Check will reveal the extent of the problem. GWR stating in many cases that passengers should catch the next available service which could imply they should camp out overnight as the next one would be tomorrow morning.

www.journeycheck.com/greatwesternrailway/

Indeed - not helpful, especially on a Sunday when there are much fewer services. What was the main reason for the shortage? Are they trying to conserve staff (hours) for next Saturday?

 

[richw]

Sundays are volunteers I believe. GWR always have issues on bank holiday Sundays.
It's unfair to single out GWR though as I've seen 2 XC services at Penzance cancelled due to no guard available. I think Penzance only gets 4 XCs all day so 50% of services dropped!

 

[455driver]

Indeed - not helpful, especially on a Sunday when there are much fewer services. What was the main reason for the shortage? Are they trying to conserve staff (hours) for next Saturday?

No, GWR are running several extra trains today (Sunday) but dont have enough crew to cover them.

I reckon next Saturday is going to be a sh-tfest as well, far too many extra trains and no extra staff to operate them, they are relying far too heavily on staff volunteering to work their rest days to help the Company out which is a bit of a gamble as most Saturday rest days are part of a long weekend off.

But then, to some, it will always be the staffs fault regardless of the actual reasons why there are 'shortages' of staff!

 

[455driver]

Sundays are volunteers I believe. GWR always have issues on bank holiday Sundays.
It's unfair to single out GWR though as I've seen 2 XC services at Penzance cancelled due to no guard available. I think Penzance only gets 4 XCs all day so 50% of services dropped!

XC have had quite a few more cancellations than that!

 

[Mag_seven]

GWR plagued with mass cancellations today due to shortage of traincrews, too numerous to list but a look at their Journey Check will reveal the extent of the problem.

"Dear DfT - please take account of this when considering who gets the next franchise. This is not acceptable."

How much profit did First Group make last year"

 

[Wilts Wanderer]

How much profit did First Group make last year"

Why does that make any difference at all? You can employ as many crew as you like but if the incentive to volunteer isn't there...

 

[Mag_seven]

Why does that make any difference at all? You can employ as many crew as you like but if the incentive to volunteer isn't there...

They can use some of that profit to get away from this ridiculous "volunteer" system for working on a Sunday - what if the emergency services or the airlines operated on this principle?

 

[Wilts Wanderer]

They can use some of that profit to get away from this ridiculous "volunteer" system for working on a Sunday - what if the emergency services or the airlines operated on this principle?

How do you propose to obtain agreement from the train crew unions to re-extending the working week? At present the arrangement is rather cushty, working Sundays when it's convenient and declining turns when it's not.

And yes, I also agree it's crackers, but it appears that we are where we are. The culprits are the short-sighted managers who agreed it in the first place. Not the current incumbent!
(Note this isn't a problem unique to GWR by any means.)

 

[JN114]

Sundays being "voluntary" harks back to BR days; and is the case at many TOCs. Some operators have successfully (and very expensively) brought Sunday in to the working week for Driving and Guard grades. It has been proposed a number of times and gets nowhere.

 

[BestWestern]

It's an interesting one. Generally speaking (as in the railway as a whole, not just GWR/FGW), opinion seems to float about who agrees and disagrees with sundays becoming part of the working week. There are views which say the unions support it as it would mean more staff (and thus members) being needed to fill the extended rosters, and others which suggest they are against it on principle. Equally, at times we hear the companies want it, to end the relentless crew shortage circus, but others will suggest they prefer to cover it with overtime because it's ultimately cheaper. Who knows!

 

[spark001uk]

Didn't it just used to be the case of, as most other 7 day shift rotas, that you agree to work one or two sats/suns every so many weeks?

 

[richw]

My former employer when they wanted to change Sunday's from voluntary to compulsory sweetened the blow with a £2000 compensation payment.