How our Railways are Run

[Multiple Unit]

I keep on wondering how our National Railways would be if they where run by Volunteers like our Heritage Ralways as would we have a Better more Reliable Railway and a more accomadating Ralway with enogh Carioges to fit everyone on the train no Fast Services doing the work of the local Stopping Service.

Just think about it,

 

[VirginTrainFreak]

I keep on wondering how our National Railways would be if they where run by Volunteers like our Heritage Ralways as would we have a Better more Reliable Railway and a more accomadating Ralway with enogh Carioges to fit everyone on the train no Fast Services doing the work of the local Stopping Service.

Just think about it,

i wish they would because id volunteer for them

 

[Bill EWS]

What kind of fool would volunteer for fulltime employment in a job that holds such responsibility, operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in all conditions and travel too and from work, whatever the distance, at their own expense etc! You just have to be kidding, surely! I know some train spotters and enthusiasts are thought of as 'anoracks' but what would you call these people? Wow the Tory Government and Big business would just love you folks. I have heard of cheap labour but volunteered slavery, just doesn't fathom.

 

[mumrar]

Ha, ha and haha. So, you think if we ran it with volunteers, who'd be willing to work any hours between 02:00 and 02:00 and put up with the abuse from violent offenders, drunks and other ne'er do wells, as well as having signallers and p'way maintenance duties also carried out by unpaid volunteers. And you seriously think this is the way forward. We should model our railway transport system on sections of railway that had to close because of the lack of business viability. That is priceless. While we're at it, why not do away with all the extensive weapons training etc we give the military, and just sit them down with a box-set of Dad's Army?? Good job I was sat down while reading this.

 

[Multiple Unit]

Just to note that if you are in Full Time Voluntree Employment then the Emplyer pays a Living Expense instead of a wage probably the saem amount as yur wages buit as the company will not be runnig for profit it becomes Expensess.

 

[mumrar]

Just to note that if you are in Full Time Voluntree Employment then the Emplyer pays a Living Expense instead of a wage probably the saem amount as yur wages buit as the company will not be runnig for profit it becomes Expensess.

And? This is still an abosutely ludicrous suggestion. You also say plenty of carriages and no fast services doing the job of stopping services. This implies to me you want all WCML services to be all-stops from Euston to Glasgow, just how long will that take I wonder? We might as well rip up that expensive four-track that was just laid.

 

[Multiple Unit]

plenty of carriages and no fast services doing the job of stopping services. This implies to me you want all WCML services to be all-stops from Euston to Glasgow, just how long will that take I wonder? We might as well rip up that expensive four-track that was just laid.

No what I was saying there was looking at this morning form Warrington Ctl to Crosby on the 07.53 from WAC it stops at Widnes, Hough Green, Hunts Cross, L-Pool Sth Parkw ay Then Lime St on that Section ok Huints Cross is fine you get a good conection with Merseyrail,

But Widnes & Hough Green the Local Stopping service should be picking people up here and formed of enogh cariages not the Fast Service over crowding it.

Plus at times of the day youve got a fast Service Behind a Stopping Service surley it should be the other way round ok youve got a passing loop but still fast service should be in fornt not behind.

 

[Failed Unit]

And? This is still an abosutely ludicrous suggestion. You also say plenty of carriages and no fast services doing the job of stopping services. This implies to me you want all WCML services to be all-stops from Euston to Glasgow, just how long will that take I wonder? We might as well rip up that expensive four-track that was just laid.

You mean like on the ECML at the moment

0700 Edinburgh - London anyone.

Current stops
Berwick, Newcastle, Durham, Darlington, York, Doncaster, Grantham, Peterborough.

Does it really need to stop at Durham and Grantham?

Is 4.52 minutes a good time for this journey?

I know it will all be resolved soon.

I was going to pick on the 1200 Edinburgh - London with its stops at Newark and Grantham but it isn't as bad as if you want a quick service you can get the 1130 or 1230 anyway.

I am going of on a wild tangent, but there cases where fast trains are doing local service again on the ECML Doncaster, Retford, Newark, Grantham & Peterborough all stops in a perfect world would be a local train, shame there is no capacity for this to exist! You could then have fast trains stopping a 1 but not all of them.

 

[Drsatan]

No what I was saying there was looking at this morning form Warrington Ctl to Crosby on the 07.53 from WAC it stops at Widnes, Hough Green, Hunts Cross, L-Pool Sth Parkw ay Then Lime St on that Section ok Huints Cross is fine you get a good conection with Merseyrail,

But Widnes & Hough Green the Local Stopping service should be picking people up here and formed of enogh cariages not the Fast Service over crowding it.

Plus at times of the day youve got a fast Service Behind a Stopping Service surley it should be the other way round ok youve got a passing loop but still fast service should be in fornt not behind.

How would making the national rail network volunteer-run solve those problems???

Although I'm not familiar with the rail network around Liverpool, having lived all my life on the former Southern Region, it appears from the example you've given that a passing loop needs to be installed somewhere. Now, if the rail network was volunteer-run, how would the funds be raised to install the passing loop, assuming there's a requirement for one, and space to lay one? People aren't going to donate just to install a passing loop on a railway line they may never use. However, people are willing to donate to preserved railways because that's a worthy cause, but no-one's going to donate to NR to build a passing loop because NR gets most of its funding from the government.

Laying a passing loop requires lots of men and machinery. If the railway was volunteer-run how would you get the equipment (tamping machines, ballast wagons etc) since it would cost money to buy? And, not many people will have the spare time or skills to lay a passing loop?

Either you're 12 years old or trolling. Go back to the drawing board.

 

[SouthEastern-465]

I was thinking if our railways were run with volunteers there would be people quiting when ever they want? That wouldn't work?

 

[jopsuk]

I keep on wondering how our National Railways would be if they where run by Volunteers like our Heritage Ralways as would we have a Better more Reliable Railway and a more accomadating Ralway with enogh Carioges to fit everyone on the train no Fast Services doing the work of the local Stopping Service.

Just think about it,

I think that's staggeringly idiotic, to be honest.

 

[mumrar]

I thank you for your responses Multiple Unit, but this is one of the worst thought out ideas I've ever heard of. Do you know why heritage lines stop at all stations? It's because they have a lot of bi-directional single lines, there'd be no speed advantage to not calling somewhere. They run services for pleasure, they hold trains for customers buying tickets late, they run at a maximum of 25mph and they all operate under the 1955 British Railways rulebook. The heritage lines represent an era in Railway history when competition from buses and cars was minimal, exactly what can they offer the modern railway in terms of knowledge or improvement?

 

[Hydro]

The railways run by bitter, infighting, inexperienced, misguided, selfish, ignorant and poorly paid people, with a minority of skilled and knowledgable folk trying to hold it all together?


Network Rail have beaten you to it, mate.

 

[ralphchadkirk]

This is a contender for the most stupid idea of 2010 I think!

Mumrar summed it up for me:

Ha, ha and haha. So, you think if we ran it with volunteers, who'd be willing to work any hours between 02:00 and 02:00 and put up with the abuse from violent offenders, drunks and other ne'er do wells, as well as having signallers and p'way maintenance duties also carried out by unpaid volunteers.

I volunteer on a heritage railway, which does run to the same standards as NR, albeit under a Light Railway order, but you can have it from me that I wouldn't volunteer on the mainline!

 

[starrymarkb]

Widnes? Oh dear - this isn't who I think it is is it!

 

[Royston Vasey]

We'll have clapped out 37s and 12 Mk Is on every service! And a new batch of 200 HSTs identical to the originals regardless of cost.

The day a bunch of trainspo... sorry, enthusiasts, take over the railways will be my last journey. The lunatics take over the asylum, anyone??

Seriously though, caring on an emotional level about the subject of your job is not a positive thing. Passionate feelings lead to bad and unbalanced decisions.

 

[DaveNewcastle]

I keep on wondering how our National Railways would be if they where run by Volunteers like our Heritage Ralways as would we have a Better more Reliable Railway and a more accomadating Ralway with enogh Carioges to fit everyone on the train no Fast Services doing the work of the local Stopping Service.

Just think about it,

Lovely spelling!

I'm stuck with understanding the question - What does "run by Volunteers" mean?
Would the type of retired folks who work in high-street charity shops be doing the rapid coach cleaning of mainline services at terminii? Would (unpaid) ex-railway workers be getting to their signal box in the middle of the night for the first ECS of the day? Would the NR training centre trainers be instructing teams only if they felt like coming in that day and with course materials they prepped while watching TV the night before? Would the telephone support staff have calls diverted (f-o-c) to their homes so that they can advise on tickets, lost property, sleeping berths and holiday plans inbetween lawn-mowing and the school-run? Would the catering team stock the trolley with their home-made scones and jams? Would the volunteers dip into their own pockets to pay out compensation for failures to fulfill obligations? Would the S&T expertise be found in trained former IT, telecomms and military specialists who retired early but became bored playing golf? Would there be a whip round in the pub to collect money to re-fuel a stalled freight? Would the management, HR, PR, industry liaison, finance and investor-relations departments all be run by back-to-work volunteers? Would an insurance company underwrite risks incurred by volunteers trained by volunteers? Would the voluntary "workers" receive no sick-pay, maternity-pay, pension or HR support? Would the unions extend their support to volunteers? Would the BTP, planners, fitters and manufacturers' service depots be voluntary too?

And if there would be a mix of paid and unpaid staff, how would that work? Would unpaid station crew volunteers be content to service toilets alongside paid teams collecting rubbish from under the seats. And would paid p/way maintenance teams be satisfied with instructions given by volunteer signallers?
Or would you pay the "external" contractors and ask the volunteers to work to the same standards of responsibility, punctuality and accountability alongside their fully paid contracted colleagues?

What would provide the confidence to each day's passengers travelling to work etc that the committment to reliability, safety and accountability on a "volunteer railway" would meet their expectations of reaching their destination (safely, reliabily and accountably)? What could give freight operators the same confidence? What would give investors the confidence to continue investing (or would they become "volunteer investors" too)?

What's the total no of personnel working on UK railways?
That's a lot to replace with volunteers. A lot of instant unemployment. A massive loss of disposable income to remove from the country's workforce at a stroke. And a lot of knowledge, expertise and qualification to take out of the national economy.

I didn't quite catch what the benefit was, either. Was it

enogh Carioges to fit everyone on the train

Does this imply that Rolling Stock manufacturers are volunteers too?