Property left on train.Station master couldnt telephone the onboard train manager.

[cumfy]

A friend left their holdall bag on a cross-country train destined for Birmingham last night. Rang this morning and it's still not been handed in.

Apparently the station master couldnt telephone the onboard train manager as the station and train were run by different companies.
Is that plausible ?

 

[Fred26]

A friend left their holdall bag on a cross-country train destined for Birmingham last night. Rang this morning and it's still not been handed in.

Apparently the station master couldnt telephone the onboard train manager as the station and train were run by different companies.
Is that plausible ?

Yes, it is.

 

[bolli]

A friend left their holdall bag on a cross-country train destined for Birmingham last night. Rang this morning and it's still not been handed in.

Apparently the station master couldnt telephone the onboard train manager as the station and train were run by different companies.
Is that plausible ?

How would he have gotten the guards phone number?

 

[Condor7]

How would he have gotten the guards phone number?

He could have rung the rail company the train belonged to and asked them to ring him. Surely that could not be to difficult?

 

[bolli]

He could have rung the rail company the train belonged to and asked them to ring him. Surely that could not be to difficult?

Then surely the passenger doesn't need the station manager to do this for the customer?

 

[cumfy]

Thanks. Just curious.

There's no "central communication system" as such then ?

 

[Jimmy McNulty]

He could have rung the rail company the train belonged to and asked them to ring him. Surely that could not be to difficult?

Could the passenger not have phoned the rail company the train belonged to in that case?

 

[Daniel]

Thanks. Just curious.

There's no "central communication system" as such then ?

Unfortunately not, no

 

[AlexS]

It's not necessarily impossible but it does take a disproportionate amount of time, I think, to get the details required and deal with the follow up, particularly with the amount of lost property enquiries received. As a result most companies will simply advise you to contact customer relations.

 

[Condor7]

Could the passenger not have phoned the rail company the train belonged to in that case?

Yes of course they can, and I also take on board AlexS's comment above, however when time is of the essence one perhaps wrongly assumes that rail staff would have these numbers to hand more readily, and know the protocol when ringing and of course have the authority to do so.

 

[AlexS]

If you've left critical medication or something like that on the train then by all means contact a member of staff or a police officer and it will be dealt with as a matter of urgency, I'm sure (even if you contact customer relations it will be progressed urgently I'd have said).

However crucial alas though something like your wallet or phone is to you, the number of them that get left means that generally it can't be considered crucial to the railway company because you'd never have time for anything else, by the time you've gone through the process of a) contacting control to confirm the train manager and their phone number b) successfully contacting the train manager (phone signal could be a problem on a train) c) waiting for the train manager to conduct the search and get back to you and d) making arrangements for the item to be returned should it be found.

It has to be remembered unfortunately that running a railway is a business, at the end of the day a passenger's personal belongings are their own responsibility and if they lose them, every effort will be made to return them - but subject to the agreed process and staff availability - they won't drop everything else to find it unless they happen to have time to.

 

[wintonian]

Yes, it is.

It is quite possible as Crosscountry don't actually run any stations.

If you've left critical medication or something like that on the train then by all means contact a member of staff or a police officer and it will be dealt with as a matter of urgency, I'm sure (even if you contact customer relations it will be progressed urgently I'd have said).

However crucial alas though something like your wallet or phone is to you, the number of them that get left means that generally it can't be considered crucial to the railway company because you'd never have time for anything else, by the time you've gone through the process of a) contacting control to confirm the train manager and their phone number b) successfully contacting the train manager (phone signal could be a problem on a train) c) waiting for the train manager to conduct the search and get back to you and d) making arrangements for the item to be returned should it be found.

It has to be remembered unfortunately that running a railway is a business, at the end of the day a passenger's personal belongings are their own responsibility and if they lose them, every effort will be made to return them - but subject to the agreed process and staff availability - they won't drop everything else to find it unless they happen to have time to.

Precisely, lost property will hopefully end up at the relevant err lost property office for that TOC.

 

[Ferret]

A friend left their holdall bag on a cross-country train destined for Birmingham last night. Rang this morning and it's still not been handed in.

Apparently the station master couldnt telephone the onboard train manager as the station and train were run by different companies.
Is that plausible ?

Two possibilities - it was handed in at New St, or it went to Central Rivers when the unit ran ECS there last night. Have XC Customer Relations been informed?

 

[Prairie_5542]

The station master could have found out the next station the train is to stop at, ring that station by obtaining the phone operater, either ask the staff at that station to quickly search the train if carriage is known, or get the staff to give the guard the phone number of the station that is enquiring about the lost property, then speak to them about lost property.

 

[Zoidberg]

The station master could have found out the next station the train is to stop at, ring that station by obtaining the phone operater, either ask the staff at that station to quickly search the train if carriage is known, or get the staff to give the guard the phone number of the station that is enquiring about the lost property, then speak to them about lost property.

... while, with his other hand ...

 

[Jimmy McNulty]

The station master could have found out the next station the train is to stop at, ring that station by obtaining the phone operater, either ask the staff at that station to quickly search the train if carriage is known, or get the staff to give the guard the phone number of the station that is enquiring about the lost property, then speak to them about lost property.

Just playing Devils advocate but the Station Master in the OP couldn't contact the train because it was a different TOC than the one he was employed by. What if the next station was managed by a different TOC than he worked for or by Network Rail?

 

[Condor7]

If you've left critical medication or something like that on the train then by all means contact a member of staff or a police officer and it will be dealt with as a matter of urgency, I'm sure (even if you contact customer relations it will be progressed urgently I'd have said).

However crucial alas though something like your wallet or phone is to you, the number of them that get left means that generally it can't be considered crucial to the railway company because you'd never have time for anything else, by the time you've gone through the process of a) contacting control to confirm the train manager and their phone number b) successfully contacting the train manager (phone signal could be a problem on a train) c) waiting for the train manager to conduct the search and get back to you and d) making arrangements for the item to be returned should it be found.

It has to be remembered unfortunately that running a railway is a business, at the end of the day a passenger's personal belongings are their own responsibility and if they lose them, every effort will be made to return them - but subject to the agreed process and staff availability - they won't drop everything else to find it unless they happen to have time to.

Yes I can see that, good point.

 

[bronzeonion]

After the customer gives details of their train like what time it departed from xxxx and the station master/supervisor finds out details such as headcode, couldn't the station master/supervisor phone the relevant signaller and ask him/her to talk to the train in question?

 

[AlexS]

You're thinking about it way too much now - I can't imagine any station supervisor is going to be silly enough to try and involve the signaller in a lost property hunt - they really have got far better things to be doing like keeping the trains safe.

 

[Ferret]

Right, for the avoidance of doubt, the station staff should've rang XC Control and asked them to either give them the TM's number, or get XC Control to ring the TM. Why he didn't, heaven only knows - I get endless phone calls about lost property on my trains - we are such a nation of forgetfuls!

 

[snail]

It wouldn't have happened under BR.

 

[Clip]

I didn't realise we had station masters anymore on the railway. Though an old clerk of mine used to love giving himself that title to passengers.

Seems a bit daft why he couldn't have called XC control - he wouldve known the number and even if he didn't his own control would have.

 

[GadgetMan]

I didn't realise we had station masters anymore on the railway. Though an old clerk of mine used to love giving himself that title to passengers.

Seems a bit daft why he couldn't have called XC control - he wouldve known the number and even if he didn't his own control would have.

The days of the station manager doing just managing are long gone. TOCs have cut staff down at stations to the point where Station Managers are regularly out on the platforms carrying out dispatch and assisting passengers. This means they don't always have the time to phone around tracking lost property as they may have dispatch duties to carry out instead.

 

[Flamingo]

Probably for the reason Alex S said, and to put more bluntly, the station staff had more important things to do than chasing up lost property!

I know I dread the phone-calls "Hello mate, somebody left a black suitcase on the train, they can't remember where they were sitting, the might have left it on a luggage rack, chuck it out at the next Stop, will you? Cheers!"

 

[wintonian]

Right, for the avoidance of doubt, the station staff should've rang XC Control and asked them to either give them the TM's number, or get XC Control to ring the TM. Why he didn't, heaven only knows - I get endless phone calls about lost property on my trains - we are such a nation of forgetfuls!

I am surprised by this, I would have thought that like signallers both you and control would have better things to do than go hunting for something a passenger thinks they left on your train.

The days of the station manager doing just managing are long gone. TOCs have cut staff down at stations to the point where Station Managers are regularly out on the platforms carrying out dispatch and assisting passengers. This means they don't always have the time to phone around tracking lost property as they may have dispatch duties to carry out instead.

Or be clearing shopping trolleys from the line.

 

[Clip]

The days of the station manager doing just managing are long gone. TOCs have cut staff down at stations to the point where Station Managers are regularly out on the platforms carrying out dispatch and assisting passengers. This means they don't always have the time to phone around tracking lost property as they may have dispatch duties to carry out instead.

Hmm I'm well aware of what happens now thanks. We don't and a few TOCs I know don't have even station managers except for the biggest stations - we got rid ages ago and have now got group or area managers.

People left in booking office or dispatch staff are just that.

 

[Ferret]

I am surprised by this, I would have thought that like signallers both you and control would have better things to do than go hunting for something a passenger thinks they left on your train.

We do, but I suppose it's good customer service to at least look if we have time. On a busy train, I dread the type of call which says 'a bloke left a suitcase in coach so and so on your train'. 'What colour is it?'.............. 'BLACK'. Argh!!!!!!! And after I've found it, would you like me to feed the five thousand? Turn some water into wine? Perform any other miracle you'd care to name?!

Most lost property is easy though - people are wonderful at leaving their wallets on board, and that's the usual phone call from a station or Control. Two in recent times have been lucky enough to have their wallets delivered back to them by me - one student at Southampton Uni who left an email address in his wallet, and a businesswoman who left a business card in hers.

 

[DarloRich]

A friend left their holdall bag on a cross-country train destined for Birmingham last night. Rang this morning and it's still not been handed in.

Apparently the station master couldnt telephone the onboard train manager as the station and train were run by different companies.
Is that plausible ?

Thanks. Just curious.

There's no "central communication system" as such then ?

What kind of world do you live in? This is the 2st century British Railway System. Centralised communication? Customer service? Integrated operations? This man is clearly insane and speaks in tongues!

No i am afraid, sadly, that this all too plausible.

As for not handed in I find it can take a few days for the item to be located, identified, delivered to the lost property office, cataloged and then "advertised" as being lost property.

 

[O L Leigh]

This is a problem today. I've had members of station staff boarding my train at intermediate points looking for items of luggage, but that is where just one company is involved.

XC are in a tricky situation because they operate no stations, so the station staff may not immediately have a number to call to trace the train and get inform the train staff. If the train was only going as far as New Street there is a better than evens chance that the train involved was a Cl170 which would have ended up at Tyseley, which is itself operated by another company.

The simple answer to the original question is no it is not impossible for the station staff not to know the phone number for the guard on the train concerned.

O L Leigh

 

[Flamingo]

I recently had a call about a lady left a "Black Bag" at a seat - I was looking for a suitcase, it turned out to be a small handbag, and they had left it in a toilet, not at their seat, somebody very kindly handed it into the buffet (a very honest gentleman). There was a passport, driving license, airline tickets, credit cards and a few thousand pounds in it!