how early is acceptable to board train

[truckman060473]

A friend recently boarded a HST in Swansea at 12.00 and it was due out 12.28. The train was clearly in service and at the platform with most of the doors open. One of the train presentation staff told him abruptly "hey mate you can't sit there, it ain't been cleaned yet" I think this is rude and unprofessional. the doors should have all been locked closed if no one is meant to get on. this can sometimes be the case at Carmarthen when the HST stables there for an hour or so. I've seen the doors remain locked until 15m before departure.

 

[ukrob]

Did he really say "hey mate you can't sit there, it ain't been cleaned yet" or is it a friend of a friend story which gets exaggerated each time it is told?

 

[CarterUSM]

If the train had been announced as boarding by the departure board or by an announcement then there shouldn't be a problem. If it hasn't then it would probably be wise to bide until it has been. I've seen services board up to forty odd minutes before departure, though 10-15 is more common.

 

[MCR247]

A friend recently boarded a HST in Swansea at 12.00 and it was due out 12.28. The train was clearly in service and at the platform with most of the doors open. One of the train presentation staff told him abruptly "hey mate you can't sit there, it ain't been cleaned yet" I think this is rude and unprofessional. the doors should have all been locked closed if no one is meant to get on. this can sometimes be the case at Carmarthen when the HST stables there for an hour or so. I've seen the doors remain locked until 15m before departure.

If the doors are open, it does not mean you can get on. If it was on the screens you could have.

 

[anthony263]

Normally the London Trains are shown on the depature board on the platforms at Swansea about 30 minutes before they are due to depart. I do sometimes travel on the 14:28 service to Bridgend and i normally board the train at 14:05 and there are a few people on then.

 

[TheExmoorBeast]

Last summer I was in Plymouth and an Paddington service came in and terminated, the information screens were showing it as the next service back to London, so once everyone had left we boarded, but were politely asked if we could get back off again so they could clean & prepare the train for the return journey, so that we weren't disturbed & they could do the job quicker.

I & everyone else had no problems with that whatsoever, once the job was done, the doors were reopened about 15 minutes prior to departure; I think the keys to this are quite simple, in that:

When the train arrives the screens say where the train has come from for a couple of minutes after arrival, then it changes to something along the lines of:

STAND CLEAR

This train is not in service, Please do NOT board
Cleaning is in now progress, Thank you.​

Polite, clear & to the point.

 

[Geezertronic]

One of the train presentation staff told him abruptly "hey mate you can't sit there, it ain't been cleaned yet" I think this is rude and unprofessional.

I think you or your mate is over exaggerating. Even if that was the comment made, how is that rude or unprofessional?

Maybe if the phrase used was similar to "Get off now mate. You 'aint supposed to be on here so do one!" then you or your mate would have just cause to suggest a rude and unprofessional attitude. Otherwise I suggest you or your mate should get a grip and stop over dramatising the situation.

 

[Oswyntail]

Once again, information is the key!
But what about when the train is not being cleaned, inspected or anything else. There is nothing more frustrating (well, perhaps one or two things) than waiting on a cold wet platform 3b (ie no shelter) at Leeds of an evening, waiting for the doors of the 333 to be opened by the train crew who are sitting at either end reading. Do they have to stop reading if the doors can be opened (actually a serious question - is it a safety regulation)? And, as for signs saying "now boarding", never seen em.

 

[truckman060473]

I think you or your mate is over exaggerating. Even if that was the comment made, how is that rude or unprofessional?

Maybe if the phrase used was similar to "Get off now mate. You 'aint supposed to be on here so do one!" then you or your mate would have just cause to suggest a rude and unprofessional attitude. Otherwise I suggest you or your mate should get a grip and stop over dramatising the situation.

"excuse me sir the train is not ready for service yet" would be the correct thing to say - i do not need to get a grip at all geezertronic

 

[Aictos]

I think you or your mate is over exaggerating. Even if that was the comment made, how is that rude or unprofessional?

Maybe if the phrase used was similar to "Get off now mate. You 'aint supposed to be on here so do one!" then you or your mate would have just cause to suggest a rude and unprofessional attitude. Otherwise I suggest you or your mate should get a grip and stop over dramatising the situation.

I'm with you on this but saying that, I was travelling home after work with a colleague so asked a NXEC colleague if we could get a seat while it's still being prepared, now we were told no problem but upon getting two seats were told by another NXEC colleague we shouldn't have boarded just yet!

Still, I do agree with your point though which you kindly posted above.

 

[TheExmoorBeast]

That truckman could be something that could be said to cause quiet a vociferous debate; Especially when some of the questions that you have asked here can/could quite easily be solved by using the National Rail Enquires website or your local TOCs website or even Google.

 

[yorkie]

I think you or your mate is over exaggerating. Even if that was the comment made, how is that rude or unprofessional?

Do you seriously expect customers to be told "hey mate you can't sit there, it ain't been cleaned yet" and you seriously think that is a professional statement to make?! You're having a laugh!

 

[ralphchadkirk]

No, it's perfectly acceptable. As far as we know from what the OP provided, his friend boarded a train before it was ready. For all he knew, the train could have just had the passengers turned out and was about to leave ECS. It is acceptable to be told that he shouldn't have been there, and to get off.

Having said that I prefer the Excuse me sir approach when dealing with a situation like that.

 

[jon0844]

I think the actual words could have been more polite, but obviously we don't know that these were the exact words.

Also, if we're talking about contracted cleaners (e.g. Initial) then they don't generally get paid to deal with the public. Okay, no excuse for being rude or abrupt to anyone - training or not, but perhaps understandable.

 

[Geezertronic]

Do you seriously expect customers to be told "hey mate you can't sit there, it ain't been cleaned yet" and you seriously think that is a professional statement to make?! You're having a laugh!

"excuse me sir the train is not ready for service yet" would be the correct thing to say - i do not need to get a grip at all geezertronic

I think you both are having a laugh if you think that is rude and unprofessional. Like I said, it could have been worded a lot worse. Some people may not mean to be rude in the way they articulate themselves, but then again some people are over sensitive to the way other people's quirks and mannerisms present themselves

 

[Aictos]

I think you both are having a laugh if you think that is rude and unprofessional. Like I said, it could have been worded a lot worse. Some people may not mean to be rude in the way they articulate themselves, but then again some people are over sensitive to the way other people's quirks and mannerisms present themselves

Damn right, I told a passenger politely I was unable to help any further so walked off and closed the office door which I did to defuse the situation as it was getting out of hand only for said passenger to make a claim I slammed the door in their face.

Normally, I'm quite approachable but I'm only human at the end of the day.

 

[Bellwater]

This is another mountain out of a molehill. It happens at Skeg particularly in the summer(the regulars queue up, the Day Trippers sometimes barge through). Sometimes "get off" or refusing to take them is the only response they understand.. Maybe in the situation mentioned it would be better to lock Train Doors so the staff can clean the train.

 

[yorkie]

I wonder if the staff/wannabe staff () who reckon "hey mate you can't sit there, it ain't been cleaned yet" is a professional way to talk to a customer, would think it professional if they were a customer in any other business being spoken to in that way? The fact that it's considered professional by some in (or who want to be in) the rail industry speaks volumes about them and the culture that some people in the industry have.

You can also bet they wouldn't say that in an interview situation

 

[ralphchadkirk]

I don't see anything wrong with being told you "can't sit there because it ain't been cleaned". I wouldn't mind being told that as I would clearly be in the wrong.

Maybe some people are just over sensitive.

 

[CarterUSM]

To be fair, nobody REALLY knows what was said. I think there is a touch of over sensitivity here. Did this person complain about this treatment or just shrug it off? People generally do not like being told what to do, even if it is necessary, AND if it has been asked politely and in a civilised fashion.

 

[Oswyntail]

The most professional approach would be to have a sign to the effect of "Please wait while the train is cleaned". If a sign cannot be used, training the cleaning staff to say the same, politely - and consider it to be a part of their job - would be next best. In any organisation that deals with paying customers directly, all staff (even contract cleaners) should be made aware that they could be a part of that interface and should behave as if they were the company's representatives.

 

[Bellwater]

Cleaning shouldn't be contracted out anyway, FGW say should employ their own cleaners - Central did so - then you'll get the response oswyntail has mentioned more often. TOCs train their staff in customer service, Conglomerate cleaners don't.

 

[truckman060473]

I have asked my mate exactly what happened and this is it: boarded train and walked up the coach aisle where the cleaner was walking through with the large polythene rubbish bag. came up behind him and he knew full well i was standing there waiting to pass. he said nothing until he had reached the vestibule (i was walking up coach to be closer to buffet) and when he eventually moved his bag from my path to pass him, it was then he decided to say the exact words in the opening post. with regards to this all getting out of hand it is not a big issue and he did not complain. all i'm asking about is, should the train doors be locked out of use when the train is being cleaned.

 

[Aictos]

Why not just use the Aberdeen approach and close off access to the platform until the train is actually ready to be boarded?

I think however that when I was at Kings Cross as a turnround cleaner for FCC and we cleaned the Hull Trains sets, the doors were kept closed and we had to ask the train crew if they could kindly let us off after we had gone though.
That was in early 2007, I don't know if Hull Trains still contract FCC to clean their trains while at London or not.

 

[louis97]

Cleaning shouldn't be contracted out anyway, FGW say should employ their own cleaners - Central did so - then you'll get the response oswyntail has mentioned more often. TOCs train their staff in customer service, Conglomerate cleaners don't.

FGW services that terminate at plymouth are cleaned by station staff that are on a SA (station assistant) shift.

 

[TheExmoorBeast]

If that is the case then they do a good job of it!

 

[Geezertronic]

I wonder if the staff/wannabe staff () who reckon "hey mate you can't sit there, it ain't been cleaned yet" is a professional way to talk to a customer, would think it professional if they were a customer in any other business being spoken to in that way? The fact that it's considered professional by some in (or who want to be in) the rail industry speaks volumes about them and the culture that some people in the industry have.

You can also bet they wouldn't say that in an interview situation

I've been talked to worse by Security Guards at certain sites I have visited who usually get the same response off me and that is told to do one Maybe they are wannabe police officers?

Not too sure why you felt the need to emphasise wannabe?

 

[ralphchadkirk]

Presumably because I am not "real" staff (heritage railway), so he thought he would get a cheap shot in.

 

[GB]

If a train is in the platform, platform access is open and the train doors are unlocked, I can't see how a passenger is supposed to know if it is OK to board or not if no other information is availble beit a sign, announcement or being told by a *member of staff.

Personly Ill board as soon as possible unless told other wise.




*Before actually getting on

 

[Geezertronic]

Presumably because I am not "real" staff (heritage railway), so he thought he would get a cheap shot in.

That's ok, I thought he was having a dig at me as I am not in the Railway business, couldn't afford the pay cut anyway