Pointless TOC Engineering Announcements

[Deepgreen]

The Brighton Road bidge on the BML at Coulsdon is to get bridge impact protection beams. The BBC News web site has a brief story about it, which includes the wise words of the TOC's management. It claims that the works will "improve the journeys of thousands of passengers each day" - no; it will reduce the number of bridge strikes that cause service disruption, which is not something that happens "each day" - it's (I would imagine), maybe once or twice a year for this bridge. My question is, who decides to put out these bland and useless press releases that are so generic as to be almost meaningless? Why not simply do the works without having to provide this nonsense every time?

'Bashed' Brighton Main Line bridge gets vehicle collision protection

The bridge, in Coulsdon South, carries trains that run on the Brighton Main Line.

www.bbc.co.uk

Collision protection beams are being installed on a rail bridge on the Brighton Main Line, says Network Rail.

The Brighton Road bridge in Coulsdon South, which carries trains that run on the Brighton Main Line between London and the south coast via Gatwick Airport, has been struck "multiple times" by vehicles causing disruption to services.

The steel beams and support frames have been designed to absorb vehicle impacts and protect the structure.

Lucy McCauliffe, Network Rail's Sussex route director, said: "These works at Brighton Road will help reduce delays and improve the reliability of services for thousands of passengers each day."

 

[Nova1]

What else would you like them to say?

 

[rmHawk765]

You could also question the overall state of marketing departments and the mainstream media. It's like this everywhere.

 

[68000]

The Brighton Road bidge on the BML at Coulsdon is to get bridge impact protection beams. The BBC News web site has a brief story about it, which includes the wise words of the TOC's management. It claims that the works will "improve the journeys of thousands of passengers each day" - no; it will reduce the number of bridge strikes that cause service disruption, which is not something that happens "each day" - it's (I would imagine), maybe once or twice a year for this bridge. My question is, who decides to put out these bland and useless press releases that are so generic as to be almost meaningless? Why not simply do the works without having to provide this nonsense every time?

'Bashed' Brighton Main Line bridge gets vehicle collision protection

The bridge, in Coulsdon South, carries trains that run on the Brighton Main Line.

www.bbc.co.uk

If you read further in the article then it explains the expected disruption to the public - that is the reason for the press release. The NR route director put in 'each day' in her statement that was probably not needed but overall, this is NR engaging with the local community to explain what they are doing and the expected disruption. This is a good thing.

 

[800001]

The Brighton Road bidge on the BML at Coulsdon is to get bridge impact protection beams. The BBC News web site has a brief story about it, which includes the wise words of the TOC's management. It claims that the works will "improve the journeys of thousands of passengers each day" - no; it will reduce the number of bridge strikes that cause service disruption, which is not something that happens "each day" - it's (I would imagine), maybe once or twice a year for this bridge. My question is, who decides to put out these bland and useless press releases that are so generic as to be almost meaningless? Why not simply do the works without having to provide this nonsense every time?

'Bashed' Brighton Main Line bridge gets vehicle collision protection

The bridge, in Coulsdon South, carries trains that run on the Brighton Main Line.

www.bbc.co.uk

Damned if they do, damned if they don't.

Over the last year or 2 I've seen a massive improvement in the comms that NR put out to the general public, including on distruption days.

 

[thelongestroad]

Must be a slow Sunday in Gomshall... may I suggest stepping away from the internet and getting some fresh air?

 

[Deepgreen]

What else would you like them to say?

Nothing - for work like this it isn't necessary to explain things, and certainly not so blandly (and misleadingly in this case). Where works actually do merit an explanation, make it more specific rather than the stock "making journeys more reliable".

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 3 Aug 2025 ==

Must be a slow Sunday in Gomshall... may I suggest stepping away from the internet and getting some fresh air?

Ha! ALL Sundays are slow in Gomshall! Been doing that for the last few hours, but the question remains - I think it ls a valid one regarding the TOCs/NR seemingly feeling the need to explain every piece of work they do, especially when it's misleading, as here.

 

[68000]

Nothing - for work like this it isn't necessary to explain things, and certainly not so blandly (and misleadingly in this case). Where works actually do merit an explanation, make it more specific rather than the stock "making journeys more reliable".

"To allow works to take place, Network Rail warned there would be disruption on Brighton Road and access to the station would be restricted at certain times.

Night-time road closures will be operation every Monday to Friday, from 21:00 BST to 05:30, from 8 September to 17 October.

A full weekend closure of part of the Brighton Road will take place on 18 and 19 October.

To access the station during the night-time closures, passengers can make a left turn before the closure point.

On 18 and 19 October, station access will be via the south side of the station.

The station car park will also have reduced capacity during the works."

 

[Deepgreen]

Damned if they do, damned if they don't.

Over the last year or 2 I've seen a massive improvement in the comms that NR put out to the general public, including on distruption days.

For me, they wouldn't be "damned if they don't" for stuff like this - it's straightforward engineering, not every bit of which should need an explanation. To say that it will make passegers' journeys better "each day" is just wrong - it will do so every few months or so only.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 3 Aug 2025 ==

"To allow works to take place, Network Rail warned there would be disruption on Brighton Road and access to the station would be restricted at certain times.

Night-time road closures will be operation every Monday to Friday, from 21:00 BST to 05:30, from 8 September to 17 October.

A full weekend closure of part of the Brighton Road will take place on 18 and 19 October.

To access the station during the night-time closures, passengers can make a left turn before the closure point.

On 18 and 19 October, station access will be via the south side of the station.

The station car park will also have reduced capacity during the works."

Yes - that part is fine, as it is about the road element, but the rail element, of 'making journeys better' is trotted out every time there is any work. BTW, If I am alone in this, fair enough, but I have seen comments from many other forum users on other threads bemoaning the same old phrases being used every time. Hey-ho.

 

[68000]

For me, they wouldn't be "damned if they don't" for stuff like this - it's straightforward engineering, not every bit of which should need an explanation. To say that it will make passegers' journeys better "each day" is just wrong - it will do so every few months or so only.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 3 Aug 2025 ==


Yes - that part is fine, as it is about the road element, but the rail element, of 'making journeys better' is trotted out every time there is any work. BTW, If I am alone in this, fair enough, but I have seen comments from many other forum users on other threads bemoaning the same old phrases being used every time. Hey-ho.

So your beef is with two words?

 

[styles]

So your beef is with two words?

A contender for the post where 'sorted' vs 'sort it' in the 61016 announcement is discussed.

For what it's worth, the actual quote being:

These works at Brighton Road will help reduce delays and improve the reliability of services for thousands of passengers each day.

It could be interpreted that 'for thousands of passengers each day.' meant 'for thousands of passengers who use this route each day'. As in, the each day refers to the thousands of passengers, not the disruption being each day. It would be sloppy if that's what was intended, but I wouldn't rule it out.

Seems a very trivial thing to get worked up about.

 

[Deepgreen]

So your beef is with two words?

No - it's more generally the lazy generic output that tries to equate every bit of engineering work with noticeable improvements for everyone. It's just basic engineering work - do it and don't 'fanfare' misleadingly about it. My thread was partly to assess the general feeling about these messages - if it's just me, so be it, perhaps I am being too critical.

 

[DarloRich]

No - it's more generally the lazy generic output that tries to equate every bit of engineering work with noticeable improvements for everyone. It's just basic engineering work - do it and don't 'fanfare' misleadingly about it. My thread was partly to assess the general feeling about these messages - if it's just me, so be it, perhaps I am being too critical.

It is just you! it is positive PR about the railway fixing problems and a simple story for Phil Space to cover.

 

[styles]

No - it's more generally the lazy generic output that tries to equate every bit of engineering work with noticeable improvements for everyone. It's just basic engineering work - do it and don't 'fanfare' misleadingly about it. My thread was partly to assess the general feeling about these messages - if it's just me, so be it, perhaps I am being too critical.

Are you a regular user of the line?

I'm not so I can't comment from first hand experience, but if it is struck multiple times, and the bridge has to be closed for hours at a time, and delays carry on until the end of the day, as appears to be the case for this bridge; I imagine regular users (or indeed people heading to Gatwick airport) will welcome the news. It's a positive thing for rail users, as well as road users who end up stuck behind a trapped lorry.

 

[Deepgreen]

Are you a regular user of the line?

I'm not so I can't comment from first hand experience, but if it is struck multiple times, and the bridge has to be closed for hours at a time, and delays carry on until the end of the day, as appears to be the case for this bridge; I imagine regular users (or indeed people heading to Gatwick airport) will welcome the news. It's a positive thing for rail users, as well as road users who end up stuck behind a trapped lorry.

Yes. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying the works themselves are unnecessary - far from it. The bridge may be struck a couple of times a year - I don't have the stats.

 

[kieron]

What else would you like them to say?

If you were being picky, they could have said which bridge Network Rail are due to work on, given that the railway crosses Brighton Road twice near Coulsdon South station. They could also have given the road number. Maybe the journalist thought better of it, though, given that Network Rail's announcement (link) states that it's the A23 but includes a diagram which labels it as the A237.

 

[Minstral25]

Nothing - for work like this it isn't necessary to explain things, and certainly not so blandly (and misleadingly in this case). Where works actually do merit an explanation, make it more specific rather than the stock "making journeys more reliable".

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 3 Aug 2025 ==


Ha! ALL Sundays are slow in Gomshall! Been doing that for the last few hours, but the question remains - I think it ls a valid one regarding the TOCs/NR seemingly feeling the need to explain every piece of work they do, especially when it's misleading, as here.

Whilst I agree that the wording here is poor, I've spent years trying to get more information about hy things are happening into the Public domain so passengers know why their journey is disrupted. Something is better than nothing.

And Sundays in Gomshall reminds me I haven't been for a walk around Shere for ages

 

[Sleepy]

You could also question the overall state of marketing departments and the mainstream media. It's like this everywhere.

"Marketing monkeys" is a regular term heard at larger organisations.......

 

[Deepgreen]

Whilst I agree that the wording here is poor, I've spent years trying to get more information about hy things are happening into the Public domain so passengers know why their journey is disrupted. Something is better than nothing.

And Sundays in Gomshall reminds me I haven't been for a walk around Shere for ages

Just come back from the village - I still can't get used to living somewhere that attracts tourists!

I would simply not have included the bland and now-generic 'making thousands of journeys better each day' (misleading) blurb - the rest is fine.

 

[LickeyIncliner]

I'm all in favour of Network Rail putting out this kind of press release, both to alert the public to possible disruption (road as well as rail) and to publicize the work that is proactively done to prevent future problems rather than simply reacting to them. What grates slightly for me is the wording, specifically the phrase saying that the improvement "will improve the reliability of services for thousands of passengers each day". For the passengers using the service each day, trains are either on time, late or cancelled; "reliability" is a rather abstract way of describing how that turns out over a period of time. So "improve the reliability of services used by thousands of passengers every day" would be more logical - and avoids giving the impression that the work is fixing a problem that occurs every day when (as pointed out in one of the posts above) bridge strikes are not that frequent and only one of the things contributing to unreliability.

I realise by the way that the quote in the OP is from the BBC, who may or not have quoted Network Rail exactly; and that what Network Rail published may or may not have been what Ms McCauliffe said or wrote. So I'm mildly criticizing the wording as quoted, without blaming any one person or organization for it!

 

[Deepgreen]

I'm all in favour of Network Rail putting out this kind of press release, both to alert the public to possible disruption (road as well as rail) and to publicize the work that is proactively done to prevent future problems rather than simply reacting to them. What grates slightly for me is the wording, specifically the phrase saying that the improvement "will improve the reliability of services for thousands of passengers each day". For the passengers using the service each day, trains are either on time, late or cancelled; "reliability" is a rather abstract way of describing how that turns out over a period of time. So "improve the reliability of services used by thousands of passengers every day" would be more logical - and avoids giving the impression that the work is fixing a problem that occurs every day when (as pointed out in one of the posts above) bridge strikes are not that frequent and only one of the things contributing to unreliability.

I realise by the way that the quote in the OP is from the BBC, who may or not have quoted Network Rail exactly; and that what Network Rail published may or may not have been what Ms McCauliffe said or wrote. So I'm mildly criticizing the wording as quoted, without blaming any one person or organization for it!

Agreed.

 

[Farnborough]

The Brighton Road bidge on the BML at Coulsdon is to get bridge impact protection beams. The BBC News web site has a brief story about it, which includes the wise words of the TOC's management. It claims that the works will "improve the journeys of thousands of passengers each day" - no; it will reduce the number of bridge strikes that cause service disruption, which is not something that happens "each day" - it's (I would imagine), maybe once or twice a year for this bridge. My question is, who decides to put out these bland and useless press releases that are so generic as to be almost meaningless? Why not simply do the works without having to provide this nonsense every time?

'Bashed' Brighton Main Line bridge gets vehicle collision protection

The bridge, in Coulsdon South, carries trains that run on the Brighton Main Line.

www.bbc.co.uk

I note that that bridge is 15'3" (as opposed to the standard height of 16'6") - I can't help wondering whether excavating 15" from the road might be a cheaper and more effective solution.

Idiots who don't know the height of their vehicle, and cannot read signs, are just as likely to thump the new beams - which undoubtedly will take an inch or two off the headroom...