Use the *loody car instead then

[Kris]

These people - so quick to knock the railway. Do they rant so much when they are in a 3 hour traffic jam or their flight has been delayed for 12 hours?

http://www.geofftech.co.uk/rants/swt/april2004.htm

Monday 26th April

South West Trains I ****ing HATE you. You are a useless bunch of tossers with the pathetic trains service that you miserably fail to run.

It took me over two hours to get home this evening, as Waterloo was screwed due to multiple points failures outside Waterloo, Clapham Junction, and (bizarrely) Fratton. I wasted over an hour getting home. You can have a double red for that.

Time wasted today: 1 hour, 13 minutes

So ...... we own and maintain the tracks now do we? News to me.

Most of the time he complains about 3 minute delays. One of life's professional whingers methinks.

 

[kettlefan]

what a bum, we have an "enthusiast" at my school in yr 10 who obsesses over how much he despises SWT, just because he is such a steam buff (more so than me!). When questioned over why he hates them so much, it appears he has not done so much travelling on them, as just moaning about how "bad" they are. T****r.

I must be very lucky, every service I've been on has been reasonably punctual, with only one where a freight train split in section on the Addlestone Branch, so I was stuck at Virginia Water.

 

[Nick W]

These people - so quick to knock the railway. Do they rant so much when they are in a 3 hour traffic jam

Yes, but they'd often still beat an on-time train in many cases.

It takes under 2 hours by car from Felixstowe - Canterbury, but almost 5 hours by train.

This may change with CTRL domestic trains from stratford, but the government want to charge an extra fare for that when car is still quicker .

And train requires the use of the underground, so for non-enthusiasts you can't use the less stress debate...

 

[Mintona]

Ok, so there's one journey where that's not the case....

 

[Tom]

Strictly speaking, Geoff is a top man... for one he beat SK off the tube world record (hehehe this post will probably be deleted now).

But if you're commuting day in and day out, and are probably blind to the fact how the railway is run, who do you blame? The TOC.

 

[devon_metro]

Hang on, Is he the person who was on 'The Tube' on sunday morning om Sky 3?

 

[Mojo]

Hang on, Is he the person who was on 'The Tube' on sunday morning om Sky 3?

Didn't see it, but he has appeared on 'The Tube' in regards to a world record attempt Tube Challenge.

 

[Galvanize]

yes

 

[Oracle]

What about leaving 16.30 at Waterloo to go via Woking and Havant to get to Swanwick? Arrived home at 21.00! Leaves on the Portsmouth Direct had burnt out traction motors on trains in front..it was a nightmare!

Contrast that with flying Southampton-Manchester. I ddin't fancy the train, so elected to pay gold bars to go by 'plane instead. Allowance officially 45 minutes...did it in 35! On the way back, problem with the previous plane...cables snapped. A replacement was found and I and the whole world elected to go on it (that is all the earlier plane's people plus those of us wating for the next flight in two hours). No problem for BA...ticket changed and got home early. Only problem is it cost £280 2 1/2 years ago. Now I would drive...and get stuck on the A34, M40, M6............

 

[thefab444]

Hang on, Is he the person who was on 'The Tube' on sunday morning om Sky 3?

Yer, I took a dislike to him when I saw him on TV, my opinion hasn't improved, thanks to the total incorrectness of some of that document e.g. points failure nothing to do with SWT etc.

 

[Tom]

Note the age of that document, BTW. Oh, and as I said before, the "public face" of the railways are the TOCs, not Network Rail or Railtrack.

Anyway he lives in America now.

 

[Coxster]

SWT do this all the time and it really ****ing annoys me. You get to Waterloo and find out that the services are screwed due to a failure, and they make a big fuss about the fact that "It's Network Rails fault, not ours", which is so pathetic!

He awknowledges it's Network Rail's problem and they are responsible to rectify it yet still seems to want to blame SWT.

I don't care who's fault it is SWT, I'm just ****ed off yet again that my journey home is yet again screwed, so stop blaming other people

In other words, SWT are meant to get the blame for things out of their control.

just do what you can to help me get home as quickly as possible, ok?

Is that not what train companies do?

 

[thefab444]

Anyway he lives in America now.

Good.

On a more serious note, why does this remind me of SHRUG? And his 377s are da bessies comments, when I find 377s sorely inadequate for my needs. The seats aren't even any better, and are often worse than 450s! Also the "BRING BACK DA 442S" then if they brought them back it'd be "OMG DA 442S ARE CRAP GET RID OF THEM" then when SWT say they're getting rid of the 442s again "NOOOOO DA 442S ARE DA BESSIES".

Why have I never really experienced these problems. I guess I have one of the best backs in Britain then, but no, because some Mk3 seats make my back hurt.

I'm going to start a website www.yes455.co.uk get unrefurbished 455/8s on to the Portsmouth line immediately!

 

[Coxster]

I'm going to start a website www.yes455.co.uk get unrefurbished 455/8s on to the Portsmouth line immediately!

Good luck

 

[Tom]

www.no444.co.uk

 

[mbonwick]

Hurry up and make it:wav: Please!

 

[Mintona]

What's wroing with Desiros? They look an awful lot better than 442s...and are much comfier...

 

[Tom]

... ambience.

 

[thefab444]

Some people prefer 442s, which I suppose is fair, although I prefer 444s. 442s do, however, have better seats, but less legroom, dingy feeling, and the FC, whilst in compartments which is an nice touch, I prefer the FC seats in 444s. If 442s had the compartments, but 444 seats, that would excellent! And the little saloon converted to SC.

Some totally mad people say 377s are better than 444s, dunno where they are coming from though.

 

[Tom]

*rant mode*

Oookay, major argument time here.

444s are not better than 442s, in any way shape or form, except perhaps with FC seating. If 442s had the 444 FC seating in first class only, and normal 442 seating in standard class (which is basically what is in first class at the moment), then we'd be onto a winner. Fact of the matter is though, SWT are increasing FC fares because they can't cope with demand.

What the hell do you expect by reducing FC seating capacity by 30 seats per peak time train (10 car formation, 50F in 442, 35F in 444).

377 seats are a damn sight comfier than 444 seats by a long way, which is the only reason I travel on them as a preference to 444s when I get a chance and I have time.

*rant off*

*rant on*

Damn, didn't do a rant as long as WSXfan... oh well there is always next time.

*rant off*

 

[mbonwick]

unlucky! Poor Tom





Try again next year!

 

[5872]

These people - so quick to knock the railway. Do they rant so much when they are in a 3 hour traffic jam or their flight has been delayed for 12 hours?

http://www.geofftech.co.uk/rants/swt/april2004.htm

Monday 26th April

South West Trains I ****ing HATE you. You are a useless bunch of tossers with the pathetic trains service that you miserably fail to run.

It took me over two hours to get home this evening, as Waterloo was screwed due to multiple points failures outside Waterloo, Clapham Junction, and (bizarrely) Fratton. I wasted over an hour getting home. You can have a double red for that.

Time wasted today: 1 hour, 13 minutes

So ...... we own and maintain the tracks now do we? News to me.

Most of the time he complains about 3 minute delays. One of life's professional whingers methinks.

That person obviously has no brain SWT are great , its Network Rail that own the rails!

 

[devon_metro]

That person obviously has no brain SWT are great

Thats why they raise fares, get rid of the 442s, give people in Portsmouth commuter stock... Shall i go on

 

[Darandio]

That person obviously has no brain SWT are great , its Network Rail that own the rails!

And judging by recent events aren't doing a very good job either although I have no personal comment to make about the SWT side of things. Seems to be a mixed bag of opinions.

 

[thefab444]

TBH the 377 2 + 2 seats aren't that much more 'spongy' than 444 seats, maybe more curved but not really much better. They also need to keep them clean more!

377 FC is also totally crap. The aircon is totally crap. They're not bad trains, but I prefer 444s.