ScotRail "Minor changes" 31/12/2024

[cairntoul]

A look on the ScotRail website shows all services as green with some labelled as "Minor changes".

Closer reading of those so called "Minor changes", shows no services between Inverness and Perth or cancellation of service; no service north of Helmsdale from or total cancellation; a similar scenario on the West Highland Line.

The forecast is bad. Services need altered. So call it for what it is. These are effectively cancellations that will prevent passengers making end to end journeys, these are not green "Minor changes".

 

[Horizon22]

A look on the ScotRail website shows all services as green with some labelled as "Minor changes".

Closer reading of those so called "Minor changes", shows no services between Inverness and Perth or cancellation of service; no service north of Helmsdale from or total cancellation; a similar scenario on the West Highland Line.

The forecast is bad. Services need altered. So call it for what it is. These are effectively cancellations that will prevent passengers making end to end journeys, these are not green "Minor changes".

If you’re looking now it’s 0130. It will probably be changed by early morning. Give them some chance to work through the train plan.

 

[800001]

If you’re looking now it’s 0130. It will probably be changed by early morning. Give them some chance to work through the train plan.

Correct now showing ‘Major Disruption’ on several routes including on the Inverness line.

 

[GusB]

I'm not surprised that there's disruption. It has been raining fairly steadily here since Sunday and when I was out that evening the roads were pretty bad. It's still tipping it down now and there was a bit of sleet last night; if it freezes, conditions are going to be fairly treacherous.

Flood Updates – SEPA Floodline

floodline.sepa.org.uk

SEPA (Scottish Environment Protection Agency) currently has 28 flood warnings across the country and 3 severe flood warnings, all in the Aviemore/Kincraig area.

 

[yoyothehobo]

In scottish borders currently and the wind is ferocious

 

[Sealink]

A look on the ScotRail website shows all services as green with some labelled as "Minor changes".

Closer reading of those so called "Minor changes", shows no services between Inverness and Perth or cancellation of service; no service north of Helmsdale from or total cancellation; a similar scenario on the West Highland Line.

The forecast is bad. Services need altered. So call it for what it is. These are effectively cancellations that will prevent passengers making end to end journeys, these are not green "Minor changes".

I have noticed ScotRail do this a lot. Earlier today Inverness Glasgow cancellations were classed as Major Changes, while Inverness Edinburgh cancellations were classed as Minor.

When the sole Sunday service on the Far North Line to Wick is cancelled, this is also a Minor Change.

 

[WAB]

I have noticed ScotRail do this a lot. Earlier today Inverness Glasgow cancellations were classed as Major Changes, while Inverness Edinburgh cancellations were classed as Minor.

When the sole Sunday service on the Far North Line to Wick is cancelled, this is also a Minor Change.

How manual are these messages? I know some TOCs during Storm Darragh had minor changes showing on routes which were part suspended, because it was looking at the cancellation rate rather than a considered view being taken of the service.

 

[Horizon22]

How manual are these messages? I know some TOCs during Storm Darragh had minor changes showing on routes which were part suspended, because it was looking at the cancellation rate rather than a considered view being taken of the service.

Almost guaranteed to be manual. Someone in TOC control / customer information team would be responsible for it. Even TfL service statuses are manual and is dependent on an assessment of service (within defined paramaters) being made.

 

[Sealink]

How manual are these messages? I know some TOCs during Storm Darragh had minor changes showing on routes which were part suspended, because it was looking at the cancellation rate rather than a considered view being taken of the service.

ScotRail must be a mixture of both, given the spelling errors that creep in. Also, and LNER do things ike this too...

Catering will be provided on this service

Or

This service will have 4 carriages instead of 3.

Followed with:

We are sorry for the inconvenience to your journey.

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So the only train from Wick to Inverness tomorrow (2nd January) has been cancelled. Nothing on the ScotRail website, of course.

And no alternative transport arranged. This was the only public transport operating to Inverness tomorrow as for some reason, Stagecoach is taking tomorrow off so no X99 bus.

If this is what government run rail services are like I am dreading GBR.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 2 Jan 2025 ==

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Happy to update that a Rail Replacement Coach was provided. Phew!

 

[Sealink]

With the next train over four hours later, and no indication of a rail replacement bus or ticket acceptance on Stagecoach, and admittedly fewer passengers affected than if it was further say, a Glasgow Perth service,
I do still wonder why ScotRail class this as a "minor change"

08:02 Wick to Inverness due 12:27 was terminated at Thurso.
It will no longer call at Georgemas Junction (towards Inverness at 08:47), Scotscalder, Forsinard, Kinbrace, Kildonan, Helmsdale, Brora, Golspie, Rogart, Lairg, Invershin, Culrain, Ardgay, Tain, Fearn, Invergordon, Alness, Dingwall, Conon Bridge, Muir Of Ord, Beauly and Inverness. This is because of a fault on the train.

 

[Bletchleyite]

With the next train over four hours later, and no indication of a rail replacement bus or ticket acceptance on Stagecoach, and admittedly fewer passengers affected than if it was further say, a Glasgow Perth service,
I do still wonder why ScotRail class this as a "minor change"

08:02 Wick to Inverness due 12:27 was terminated at Thurso.
It will no longer call at Georgemas Junction (towards Inverness at 08:47), Scotscalder, Forsinard, Kinbrace, Kildonan, Helmsdale, Brora, Golspie, Rogart, Lairg, Invershin, Culrain, Ardgay, Tain, Fearn, Invergordon, Alness, Dingwall, Conon Bridge, Muir Of Ord, Beauly and Inverness. This is because of a fault on the train.

I think it's just automatic as JourneyCheck isn't that clever - a single cancellation would on most lines be minor.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 27 Jan 2025 ==

If this is what government run rail services are like I am dreading GBR.

You've seen Avanti West Coast failing to operate between Preston and Carlisle when they can't get further north simply because they don't consider it important enough, right?

 

[JKP]

ScotRail must be a mixture of both, given the spelling errors that creep in. Also, and LNER do things ike this too...

Catering will be provided on this service

Or

This service will have 4 carriages instead of 3.

Followed with:

We are sorry for the inconvenience to your journey.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 1 Jan 2025 ==



-------------------------


So the only train from Wick to Inverness tomorrow (2nd January) has been cancelled. Nothing on the ScotRail website, of course.

And no alternative transport arranged. This was the only public transport operating to Inverness tomorrow as for some reason, Stagecoach is taking tomorrow off so no X99 bus.

If this is what government run rail services are like I am dreading GBR.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 2 Jan 2025 ==

-----------------

Happy to update that a Rail Replacement Coach was provided. Phew!

January 2 is a public holiday in Scotland. There were no buses in the Scottish Borders on that day either.

 

[Sealink]

Apropos of nothing, just noticed that the last train of the day from Wick to Inverness (1600hrs) has been cancelled.

ScotRail say they have been unable to source replacement transport.

Would hotel accommodation be provided in these circumstances? Or even a taxi?

 

[Watershed]

Apropos of nothing, just noticed that the last train of the day from Wick to Inverness (1600hrs) has been cancelled.

ScotRail say they have been unable to source replacement transport.

Would hotel accommodation be provided in these circumstances? Or even a taxi?

Legally speaking they woud be obliged to arrange one of the two for passengers holding tickets bought before the cancellation was announced.

It shouldn't come as a huge surprise to ScotRail that replacement buses can't be drummed up at a moment's notice in such rural parts of Scotland. You'd hope they would have contingency plans for the affected passengers, though given my experience with lots of TOCs I wouldn't hold out huge hopes.

 

[scotraildriver]

They would normally provide a taxi. It's not uncommon for ScotRail to provide taxis for large distances, Glasgow to Oban or Aberdeen isn't unheard of. Whether or not there are taxis in Wick willing to make the journey to Inverness on a Friday night is another question. Oban taxis regularly refuse ScotRail hires to Glasgow as they only get paid one way and are away for the best part of 7 hours.

 

[MrEd]

They would normally provide a taxi. It's not uncommon for ScotRail to provide taxis for large distances, Glasgow to Oban or Aberdeen isn't unheard of. Whether or not there are taxis in Wick willing to make the journey to Inverness on a Friday night is another question. Oban taxis regularly refuse ScotRail hires to Glasgow as they only get paid one way and are away for the best part of 7 hours.

Similarly with Inverness taxis sometimes refusing trips to Wick and Kyle for Scotrail - with almost no prospect of a return fare, these time-consuming runs on often slow (esp. in tourist season) single-carriageway A roads are not commercially viable for a taxi driver working off a meter. A private hire driver who can charge both ways might be more willing to do the run, but these are unlikely to be available to Scotrail at short notice.

On the rare occasions that Scotrail have been able to source taxis for passengers when a Kyle-Inverness train is cancelled at the Kyle end, these have always come from Inverness, never Kyle itself - there are only two taxis in Kyle and these are heavily booked up with tourist traffic between April and September.

I'm not sure what would happen at Wick as I've never been there in that situation but I cannot imagine that Wick has a large enough taxi fleet sitting spare on a Friday night in tourist season to provide transport for an entire trainload of stranded passengers.

If there was a service bus (Citylink or similar) between Wick and Inverness at a similar time to the train, could ticket acceptance be arranged on that, assuming it had space? Admittedly that would go down the A9 so would not serve many of the locations with stations on the Far North Line, but would be better than nothing.

 

[Bletchleyite]

There isn't a service bus south at that time, the last one is early afternoon.

 

[Dfatcontroller]

There isn't a service bus south at that time, the last one is early afternoon.

The last X99 leaves Thurso at 09:20! (That's 09:20 AM, in the morning, not early afternoon!)

Hopefully when Ember start their Caithness services there will be workings from the Inverness end too which allow for southbound coach transport.

 

[Bletchleyite]

1120 on a weekday. Still early!

 

[Dfatcontroller]

1120 on a weekday. Still early!

I do believe Ember will shake that up with services operated from bases at both ends of the route.
Amazing that Stagecoach don't run anything from the Inverness end.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I do believe Ember will shake that up with services operated from bases at both ends of the route.
Amazing that Stagecoach don't run anything from the Inverness end.

Stagecoach has form for that, such as the X5 being exclusively operated from the Bedford end which means a one way evening service.