Is the railway about to embark on a massive cost cutting exercise?

[Kite159]

A good example in my eyes of a Basket Case line must be the Barton-on-Humber branch, solely for the staffing costs.

IIRC there is a staffed crossing at New Holland Station, Goxhill station & at the signal box/crossing at Oxmarsh

Maybe even a staffed crossing between Thornton Abbey & Ulceby.

All for a 2 hourly (in pre Covid times) a single 153, which must not pay it's way (considering there is a more frequent bus service to Grimsby from Barton on Humber)

 

[Philip]

Part of the problem goes back to the Victorian era when they were being built. Why was so much spent on grandeur such as huge tunnel portals and viaducts when much smaller structures would have sufficed? The result is that these overly large and grand structures need more maintenance now.

Couple of examples - Souldern Viaduct goes over a stream but has around 10-15 arches. Kilsby and Box Tunnels have massively oversized portals and shafts.

 

[The Planner]

Part of the problem goes back to the Victorian era when they were being built. Why was so much spent on grandeur such as huge tunnel portals and viaducts when much smaller structures would have sufficed? The result is that these overly large and grand structures need more maintenance now.

Couple of examples - Souldern Viaduct goes over a stream but has around 10-15 arches. Kilsby and Box Tunnels have massively oversized portals and shafts.

Not sure you can consider the decisions made 150 years ago or more as part of the predicament the industry is in now.

 

[Philip]

Not sure you can consider the decisions made 150 years ago or more as part of the predicament the industry is in now.

The decisions have led to regular costly maintenance in the present day.

 

[The Planner]

The decisions have led to regular costly maintenance in the present day.

Really? How much work do these structures need over and above any other bridge and tunnel? There are other assets that will cost more to maintain over time than these such as signalling and track.

 

[class ep-09]

The current situation probably provides the best opportunity to pursue such a renegotiation with the unions in living memory.

Most unions are for Sundays inside of the week , TOC’s were not.

 

[yorksrob]

The decisions have led to regular costly maintenance in the present day.

I suspect that whilst a fancy portal or attractive victorian building do add some costs, these are probably a drop in the ocean in comparison to the cost of the working part of the asset.

Victorian railway engineers generally far preferred embankments and cuttings as they were cheaper to build, and tended only towards viaducts and tunnels where unavoidable for the technology of the time (or where a recalcitrant landowner wanted to hide the railway from his country pile window).

 

[deltic]

Sitting in an office over looking London Bridge station watching empty train after empty train is quite depressing. Time to move to a 6 day timetable with no extra peak services on the basis of what I'm seeing

 

[Aictos]

Most unions are for Sundays inside of the week , TOC’s were not.

No thanks, Sundays to me should stay outside the working week.

If it came to a vote, no matter how much extra money was put my way to give up the Sundays and have them as part of the working week would get a firm hell no from me.

 

[JonathanH]

Sitting in an office over looking London Bridge station watching empty train after empty train is quite depressing. Time to move to a 6 day timetable with no extra peak services on the basis of what I'm seeing

Don't forget that many offices of major employers are still at no more than 10% capacity, for at least the next five weeks. That may well not be the long-term position.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Sitting in an office over looking London Bridge station watching empty train after empty train is quite depressing. Time to move to a 6 day timetable with no extra peak services on the basis of what I'm seeing

People are still being told to work from home. Unless that will be permanent, we can't judge the long term situation until that has changed. We might want to cut short term to save a little on electricity/diesel and overtime, but we can't be doing long term stuff (disposing of stock, making staff redundant) until that is certain.

I do suspect an all week Takt with longer trains in the peak (as is mostly the case away from London) may well work, though.

 

[Wolfie]

Don't forget that many offices of major employers are still at no more than 10% capacity, for at least the next five weeks. That may well not be the long-term position.

Exactly so. My employer for example is looking to move to approx 50% of time in the office on average but that slipped to July after the latest announcement.

 

[yorksrob]

Sitting in an office over looking London Bridge station watching empty train after empty train is quite depressing. Time to move to a 6 day timetable with no extra peak services on the basis of what I'm seeing

Come visit Leeds - no empty peak hour trains around here !

 

[RobShipway]

Don't forget that many offices of major employers are still at no more than 10% capacity, for at least the next five weeks. That may well not be the long-term position.

Exactly so. My employer for example is looking to move to approx 50% of time in the office on average but that slipped to July after the latest announcement.

I am currently looking for work, and the majority of job adverts state, that while I maybe working from home Monday to Friday initially when things are enabled it would be a case long term that I would be working 3 days in the office and two days from home. Which to be honest suits me fine, as that is the type of percentage of office/wfh that I am looking for in any job role, especially if I have to commute a fair distance for the role.

People are still being told to work from home. Unless that will be permanent, we can't judge the long term situation until that has changed. We might want to cut short term to save a little on electricity/diesel and overtime, but we can't be doing long term stuff (disposing of stock, making staff redundant) until that is certain.

I do suspect an all week Takt with longer trains in the peak (as is mostly the case away from London) may well work, though.

I think the working from home even when we get to the date next month that we should be back to 'normal', I suspect that companies where possible will have their staff working from home two days a week and three days in the office or vice versa.

Sitting in an office over looking London Bridge station watching empty train after empty train is quite depressing. Time to move to a 6 day timetable with no extra peak services on the basis of what I'm seeing

I am sure that from next month, if it is the final date for change that the peak trains will fill up, but for a while there maybe a need to still be socially distant.

Come visit Leeds - no empty peak hour trains around here !

Are the trains in Leeds at peak times full up due to social distancing? If that is the case, then the trains are only a quarter to half full.

 

[yorksrob]

Are the trains in Leeds at peak times full up due to social distancing? If that is the case, then the trains are only a quarter to half full.

They're not rammed like they used to be. Most people can still get a double seat, but the point I'm making is they're not empty.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I think the working from home even when we get to the date next month that we should be back to 'normal', I suspect that companies where possible will have their staff working from home two days a week and three days in the office or vice versa.

I would agree there will be a change, my point was just that making choices about long term capacity isn't really feasible until we have seen the magnitude of that change (as what people say isn't necessarily what they do), so "permanent" cuts (i.e. scrapping of stock and laying off of staff) aren't really sensible for at least 6 months, probably a year. Though you could save a few quid by dropping frequencies temporarily.

 

[JonathanH]

I think the working from home even when we get to the date next month that we should be back to 'normal', I suspect that companies where possible will have their staff working from home two days a week and three days in the office or vice versa.

The Government’s review of social distancing has not been published yet, as its publication date is linked to the date of Step 4. There may continue to be a reduction in capacity in offices and other work settings depending on the outcome of that review.

 

[Grumpy Git]

The Government’s review of social distancing has not been published yet, as its publication date is linked to the date of Step 4. There may continue to be a reduction in capacity in offices and other work settings depending on the outcome of that review.

They'll wait to see what DM readers thoughts are first, then go with those.