Virgin train without a driver tonight at Crewe

[Wirral]

Can you believe a train without a driver, journey started badly with half the train missing at euston, 5 car instead of 10.
7-10 London Euston to Chester train stopped at Crewe and announced they had no driver. Why waste money on HS2 when the current needs fixing.
Bring back BR before any more investment.

 

[causton]

Yes. I can believe a train without a driver has existed, as I have had it before.

It is not that rare an occurrance.

Same in any other workplace, i.e. a shop which has someone working 10am-3pm and someone working 3pm-8pm, the second person may run late. This is the risk that is taken in many businesses, the alternative is to employ even more train drivers as they will have to be sat around for hours 'just in case'!

 

[dk1]

In most jobs everything goes on as normal and nobody notices when they are indisposed. No train driver & everything STOPS. I like telling commuters with attitude that. Makes them seem very worthless

 

[Mojo]

This is the risk that is taken in many businesses, the alternative is to employ even more train drivers as they will have to be sat around for hours 'just in case'!

And typically train operators will have drivers sat around "just in case" (i.e. spares)! But there's a limit to the number you can have as on many days they won't be required but there will always be some days where there aren't enough.

 

[DaveNewcastle]

. . . but there will always be some days where there aren't enough.

or not at the end of the country where they are suddenly required (and perhaps when the physical cause for the need for unscheduled drivers will also restrict any available crew in getting there).

 

[455driver]

And typically train operators will have drivers sat around "just in case" (i.e. spares)! But there's a limit to the number you can have as on many days they won't be required but there will always be some days where there aren't enough.

We have one spare (cover turn) who starts at 0413 and another who starts at 1507, thats it for a depot of 72 drivers.

There may be more when some As Ordered drivers are not allocated work but these are the only booked spare jobs, and if the depot is short then either the cover turns will be uncovered or if a driver is booked on the cover job they will leave another duty uncovered that the cover manb can pick up so effectively there is no cover (spare) driver all day.

The days of drivers (or guards for that matter) sat around all day 'just in case' are a distant memory.

 

[A-driver]

It's also a seasonal thing and management get twitchy in some seasons as they feel they are paying too many drivers to sit around. Often between January and April there will be quite a few spares-that is when management see 7 drivers sitting spare at one depot and feel they are over staffing. But once the weather improves and drivers start taking annual leave and not volunteering for overtime as much no one is sitting spare and jobs are going uncovered.

 

[Welshman]

Incidentally, the reason the OP's Euston-Chester train was short-formed would probably be because VT now have two Voyagers stranded west of Rhyl due to the NW Coast line closure between Rhyl & Chester.

 

[Mojo]

We have one spare (cover turn) who starts at 0413 and another who starts at 1507, thats it for a depot of 72 drivers.

...

The days of drivers (or guards for that matter) sat around all day 'just in case' are a distant memory.

Not at my place. For a weekday there are 45 running turns and there are 5 early spares and 4 late spares, and (infrequently) additional spares too where the cover duties are not required. It isn't often that all the spares will be filled because of last minute absence, but that's the plan anyway.

 

[A-driver]

Not at my place. For a weekday there are 45 running turns and there are 5 early spares and 4 late spares, and (infrequently) additional spares too where the cover duties are not required. It isn't often that all the spares will be filled because of last minute absence, but that's the plan anyway.

Is that on the tube? Nowhere near that amount on the mainline.

On the GN all depots apart from kings Lynn have a standby turn booking on at 0500 until about half 2/3ish. That is it. So 4 cover men spread out across the route with nothing at kings Lynn. There are spares but most get allocated work before booking on. No afternoon standby.