theironroad
Established Member
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- 21 Nov 2014
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PleaseDitto..
Absolutely 100% correct.
The regulations concerning this are called HIDDEN -(I think, introduced by a Lord? Hidden circa '89??).
Came about after the Clapham disaster, it was ruled safety critical personnel -(that being; Drivers, Guards, Dispatchers, Shunters, Signallers, COSS's or anyone else involved in the movement of stock) CANNOT work for more than twelve hours in any one turn, more than seventy-two in a week or more than thirteen consecutive days on duty and must have minimum twelve hours rest between turns of duty.
I think the hosts on the sleepers are non-SC staff and therefore exempt from HIDDEN, enabling them to work slightly more than the maximum twelve hours straight?
As for Drugs & Alcohol (D&A), this is ZERO TOLERANCE. Both random and "FOR CAUSE" med-screenings take place all the time across the industry and for those who test positive or refuse to cooperate = instant summarily dismissal...
We were indoctrinated with this from day one in the school.
Safety is above all else on the railway, period.
Surely this will all become app-based along the lines of airline and some hotel checkin processes?
It's perhaps not all possible right now, but with the target hardware now available, someone (other than me!) will be thinking through how this can be made slicker for passengers. Staff time is then freed up to help people.. and hand out physical keys when mobile networks or wifi stops working.
- You arrive at the station and open the CS App,
- A geofenced area around the station presents your checkin options and directions (to a waiting room, to a platform, tells you when boarding starts, etc),
- Optionally CS could have you scan a barcode that's at the station (maybe on the help point screens?) which proves you're in the right station (to double check geofencing),
- The app downloads a room key to your phone to get you in to your room (and at some stations, through barriers),
- The app presents your breakfast options and tells you how long you have to make your selections (or confirm/reselect if you pre-booked)
- App offers to set a wake-up call at a specific time, predicted time from destination, (with optional "don't wake me if early!") - this data is transferred to the train where the alarm in your berth is triggered at the appropriate point in the journey
Sounds good in theory, not quite sure how it will fit in with serco plans for a hotel experience on wheels. I guess a personal meet and greet is part of that at 'check in' rather than an app.