Not so Greater Anglia

[captainbigun]

The infrastructure issues shouldn't come as a surprise to any franchisee, hardly a new feature! However, yesterday, cancelling a raft of trains, understandably, was somewhat hindered by then short forming some of those that did run. That's really inexusable, not as though there was a shortage of stock!

 

[ainsworth74]

However, yesterday, cancelling a raft of trains, understandably, was somewhat hindered by then short forming some of those that did run. That's really inexusable, not as though there was a shortage of stock!

It depends on where the stock is surely? If loads of it is trapped by the disruption then it's not going to be available to reinforce those services that do run.

 

[captainbigun]

It depends on where the stock is surely? If loads of it is trapped by the disruption then it's not going to be available to reinforce those services that do run.

There was little or no stock stuck at LST. Given the time it happened, all of the inbound peak stock was at the originating end.

 

[jopsuk]

No bank slip anywhere to be found when they went to find it...!

Really? How odd. Now they've got flooding on the Cambridge-Ipswich line and a person hit by a train between Sherringham and Cromer... and they had "an obstruction on the line" near Colchester, and signalling problems at Stansted Airport

 

[Pugwash]

I suspect GA rather like all these delays, National Rail will pay them out and then very few passengers claim through delay repay.

 

[andykn]

So after yesterday's litany of out-of-their-control problems:
Liv St platforms 7-10 blocked because of a broken rail in point work
Liv St platforms 1-6 blocked because of signal failure
Bethnal Green points malfunction
Person hit by a train out on the mainline

... this morning has kicked off with a landslip near Audley End. They can't catch a break at the moment can they?

I have to say they recovered well, I'd been keeping a nervous eye on the twitter feed all day but the 17.30 Norwich-London was on time, a bit early into London if anything.

 

[dk1]

No bank slip anywhere to be found when they went to find it...!

Reported by the first XC Stansted. Turnred out to be a tree we where told.

 

[Flywaver]

Reported by the first XC Stansted. Turnred out to be a tree we where told.

Nope reported by the 2nd XC Stansted i was the Driver....It was huge.. It was low light at 0530 so initially i thought it was a boulder as it was below the deepest part of the cutting. I managed to stop the job in time before the first Stansted got it on its return trip.... It was a tree trunk but upto coupling height so easily a derailment was possible. Im glad it was on the opposite line i have to admit... NR staff were inspecting the whole area when i passed on another trip around 12..All this water has nowhere to go. Lose tree trunks and roots then stability of embankments will be lost as well..

 

[jopsuk]

I have to say they recovered well, I'd been keeping a nervous eye on the twitter feed all day but the 17.30 Norwich-London was on time, a bit early into London if anything.

Aye, they seem to have been working very hard on service recovery, and information via Twitter has been exemplar (though they have occasionally had to use the back up account)

 

[dk1]

Nope reported by the 2nd XC Stansted i was the Driver....It was huge.. It was low light at 0530 so initially i thought it was a boulder as it was below the deepest part of the cutting. I managed to stop the job in time before the first Stansted got it on its return trip.... It was a tree trunk but upto coupling height so easily a derailment was possible. Im glad it was on the opposite line i have to admit... NR staff were inspecting the whole area when i passed on another trip around 12..All this water has nowhere to go. Lose tree trunks and roots then stability of embankments will be lost as well..

& boy was there some water around. Norfolk seemed ok but Suffolk & especially Needham Market where saturated. Half way up some garden sheds!!

 

[andykn]

Aye, they seem to have been working very hard on service recovery, and information via Twitter has been exemplar (though they have occasionally had to use the back up account)

Yes, that got an ironic snort from me in the office, so much bad news they'd overloaded their tweet limit!

 

[jopsuk]

Yes, that got an ironic snort from me in the office, so much bad news they'd overloaded their tweet limit!

I think the "going over the limit" is thanks to them trying to send personal replies to as many as possible

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Nope reported by the 2nd XC Stansted i was the Driver....It was huge.. It was low light at 0530 so initially i thought it was a boulder as it was below the deepest part of the cutting. I managed to stop the job in time before the first Stansted got it on its return trip.... It was a tree trunk but upto coupling height so easily a derailment was possible. Im glad it was on the opposite line i have to admit... NR staff were inspecting the whole area when i passed on another trip around 12..All this water has nowhere to go. Lose tree trunks and roots then stability of embankments will be lost as well..

Well done - hope your management picks up on this good work !

 

[elementalpat]

Points failure has struck Liverpool Street again!

Related to the problem earlier in the week perhaps?

 

[dk1]

Well done - hope your management picks up on this good work !

They would probably panic that they had to pay for the 10 buses that got stood down

 

[GB]

Points failure has struck Liverpool Street again!

Related to the problem earlier in the week perhaps?

Same set of points, different problem.

 

[Flywaver]

Eventually i got a Thankyou...

 

[SprinterMan]

How many 317/7s are still at Ilford?
Have they all gone to Eastleigh now?
Adam

 

[dk1]

How many 317/7s are still at Ilford?
Have they all gone to Eastleigh now?
Adam

None left in Alderbrook sdgs.

 

[GB]

Think there is still 2 units within Illford CS somewhere.

 

[SprinterMan]

None left in Alderbrook sdgs.

Think there is still 2 units within Illford CS somewhere.

Thanks
Are these two going to go to Eastleigh also.

 

[djdave]

So, do people think that the "service" has got better?

 

[SprinterMan]

So, do people think that the "service" has got better?

Infrastructure related problems are similar to how they were in NXEA days, but staff morale seems higher, trains are alot cleaner and there just seems to be a more positive buzz to the whole network. So yes, things are better

 

[HH]

Infrastructure related problems are similar to how they were in NXEA days, but staff morale seems higher, trains are alot cleaner and there just seems to be a more positive buzz to the whole network. So yes, things are better

Their next step must be to engage more with NR and push them to sorting out some of those infrastructure problems. The area seems to have been going downhill for some time.

 

[387star]

Is there not extra pressure to look good with the olympics coming up which wiull directly affect Greater Anglia. I wonder how many spectators will travel on class 315 units :P

 

[cj_1985]

there is one thing that i have not seen mentioned.. (although i apologise if i have missed it) its all the fuss that GA have made about the deep clean of their stock in time for the olympics... cleaning, even deep and heavy cleaning is not something that should be done just for a special event.. in this case visitors from overseas coming for the olympics, and we couldn't have them seeing how british passengers are treated/transported.

now i am more than willing to admit that this is not GAs fault... its down to lack of cleaning carried out while NX were in charge... but even so.. you should never have to draw attention to something that you have done (or are doing) that:
(i) You should have been doing anyway, and
(ii) something that you are only really doing now, because your forced to by a contract.

and that says alot about the DfT, if they saw fit to legaly forcewhoever was going to take over the Anglia regions railway operation (Ex Great Eastern, West Anglia and IC Anglia) in the form of the management contract, to clean the rolling stock interiors

 

[Dunderhead]

there is one thing that i have not seen mentioned.. (although i apologise if i have missed it) its all the fuss that GA have made about the deep clean of their stock in time for the olympics... cleaning, even deep and heavy cleaning is not something that should be done just for a special event.. in this case visitors from overseas coming for the olympics, and we couldn't have them seeing how british passengers are treated/transported.

now i am more than willing to admit that this is not GAs fault... its down to lack of cleaning carried out while NX were in charge... but even so.. you should never have to draw attention to something that you have done (or are doing) that:
(i) You should have been doing anyway, and
(ii) something that you are only really doing now, because your forced to by a contract.

and that says alot about the DfT, if they saw fit to legaly forcewhoever was going to take over the Anglia regions railway operation (Ex Great Eastern, West Anglia and IC Anglia) in the form of the management contract, to clean the rolling stock interiors

South West Trains seem to have no problems with keeping their stock clean and in excellent condition. What is it about the Greater Anglia region that makes this so much more difficult?

 

[SprinterMan]

South West Trains seem to have no problems with keeping their stock clean and in excellent condition. What is it about the Greater Anglia region that makes this so much more difficult?

Stock is alot older and in a far worse state after years of neglect by penny-pinching NX, and the infrastructure is knackered and most of Liverpool Street's infrastructure is very very old now.

 

[Dunderhead]

Stock is alot older and in a far worse state after years of neglect by penny-pinching NX, and the infrastructure is knackered and most of Liverpool Street's infrastructure is very very old now.

So essentially, SWT only clean and maintain their trains because it's not very difficult to do so due to them already being clean and well-maintained? So perhaps Greater Anglia and their successors might be more likely to keep their trains clean now that they've been deep cleaned?

 

[SprinterMan]

So essentially, SWT only clean and maintain their trains because it's not very difficult to do so due to them already being clean and well-maintained? So perhaps Greater Anglia and their successors might be more likely to keep their trains clean now that they've been deep cleaned?

Yes, probably. NX let everything go to pot because of their money troubles with EC. GA have done a good job fixing things so far, and hopefully things stay clean. Just like its easier and quicker to clean a slightly dirty room than a filthy room, and you are more motivated to do it because it is an easier job. Well done to GA for doing what NX seemingly never did.