theshillito
Member
I'm pretty sure some of them are off here even
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Caledonian Sleeper
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Yes it would appear that Transport Journalist of the year Al Dalton has some competition
Highlandspring
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1S26 in trouble tonight, TMS problems causing brake applications which in turn has caused wheel flats. Doesn’t look like it’ll get past Crewe.
Terminated at Stafford.
Scotrail84
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urpert
Member
Wow, coaches from Stafford to Glasgow.
Statto
Established Member
I've never known so many problems with this service, almost every other day there's a delay of some sort, even the southbound highland sleeper is over an hour late.
TimboM
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That’s a direct consequence of the north Lowlander delay. Driver from that also works the Highlander from Preston to Crewe.
MadCommuter
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The comments on Twitter point towards more confusing stories. Different travel options from on board staff members and CS Twitter
37047
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I'll be on the Highlander to Inverness in October (1st class at old stock price, booked last November). Hopefully things will have settled down by then - currently onboard the Night Riviera... berth, food, service and everything else have been faultless. Use of the lounge at PAD until boarding made a big difference to the experience. The refurbishment is fantastic - will be interested to compare it to the new CS stock.
My previous sleeper experience was on the Highlander to Inverness this February - 1.5h late boarding at EUS, 3 nearest toilets locked oou by Crewe, no food available, heating in the seated coach erratic to say the least... NR has raised the bar as far as I'm concerned - CS have a lot to live up to.
My previous sleeper experience was on the Highlander to Inverness this February - 1.5h late boarding at EUS, 3 nearest toilets locked oou by Crewe, no food available, heating in the seated coach erratic to say the least... NR has raised the bar as far as I'm concerned - CS have a lot to live up to.
I'm booked on the up Fort William service to return from a holiday in early August. I imagine it will be fine but talk of cancellations, busses and taxis has me wondering: in the event of cancellation, how is alternative transport provided to passengers from Corrour, such as myself on this occasion?
47271
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What's happening now is probably up there with the maintenance problems they had on the mk2s and mk3s in late 2015. That came close to a strike by the crews as well.
Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
It isn't, as there is no way to do it. Same with Altnabreac.
If you're planning to board there you really need to be kitted out for a possible overnight stay and a Delay Repay claim for a full refund.
As I understand it, the normal approach is for something to show up at Corrour if at all possible when there's a cancellation, if only to ferry the stranded passenger up to Tulloch to meet a coach. The last northbound train reaches Corrour half an hour after the sleeper, presumably in normal operation if the sleeper doesn't run any intending passenger can be rescued by it.
Out of curiosity, how is delay repay handled with berth supplements, that also only cover part of the original ticket?
I'm due to be travelling on the Lowlander next month on the return portion of a Dundee-London super off-peak return, with a berth supplement to Edinburgh (before onward ScotRail connection). Say I were on last night's service: what would I be entitled to get back?
Sounds like a better option than a long taxi ride along estate roads. I wondered if the train companies had any kind of grandfather access rights across the estate and then I had a vision of dragging all the passengers from further north on a 2-hour off-road detour by coach.
Scotrail84
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haggishunter
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Is all the new stock available for service with coaches being rotated on the lowlander? What the service implications for tonight and beyond of last night issues?
That's 16 carriages with wheel flats? Do they have enough spare in service to run the timetable? Might this impact on the highlander going over the Mk5.
And why is hauled stock built with software controlling the brakes? What's wrong with the time honoured and simple 2 pipe system?
The estate road (11 miles long!) would be a possibility though even that would spit you out on the A86 somewhere in Glen Spean; there's not so much as a forestry track to the south.
There definitely aren't grandfather rights, though, because the estate road wasn't built until well after the railway. I'm not sure exactly when, but suspect it was associated with rebuilding the lodge between 1999 and 2003, so the railway may well have been there a century longer than the road.
Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
My guess is that it has something to do with the passcom, which on modern stock generally causes a brake application if the driver does not acknowledge it promptly.
captainbigun
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The cause of the brake application is understood. It is not passcom related and appears to be related to another fault.
Times are running with quotes from passengers,
One passenger wrote: “Think I’d rather get the Virgin Train than a coach! Maybe common sense does not apply at 0500.”
Another added: “Currently we are standing in the rain and the coaches are here but no drivers…”
One wrote: “Seems every night there’s some sort of problem with this service.”
One passenger wrote: “Think I’d rather get the Virgin Train than a coach! Maybe common sense does not apply at 0500.”
Another added: “Currently we are standing in the rain and the coaches are here but no drivers…”
One wrote: “Seems every night there’s some sort of problem with this service.”
jagardner1984
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- 11 May 2008
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Wherever the fault lies, once again the social media, true or not, paints a damaging and bleak picture of the passengers experience.
It does make you wonder whether buses driving 240 miles up the M6 is really the best that can be done. Have they even arrived yet ? Accepting the limitations of rolling stock and staff availability, it makes you wonder when the first Virgin driver in the area booked on this morning, and whether with a little more co-ordination a Special Pendolino could not have taken passengers from Stafford to Glasgow and Edinburgh in a similar total journey time and a lot more comfort.
Of course it’s complex, but I think we have to ask questions about a railway running with so little flexibility and capacity to respond.
What would BA do in the context of a Pilot experiencing norovirus before the Glasgow shuttle, or the A319 failing a pre start check ? There would be a delay, passengers would be pissed off, but appropriate spare resources would be deployed. They sure as hell wouldn’t be ringing Megabus.
It does make you wonder whether buses driving 240 miles up the M6 is really the best that can be done. Have they even arrived yet ? Accepting the limitations of rolling stock and staff availability, it makes you wonder when the first Virgin driver in the area booked on this morning, and whether with a little more co-ordination a Special Pendolino could not have taken passengers from Stafford to Glasgow and Edinburgh in a similar total journey time and a lot more comfort.
Of course it’s complex, but I think we have to ask questions about a railway running with so little flexibility and capacity to respond.
What would BA do in the context of a Pilot experiencing norovirus before the Glasgow shuttle, or the A319 failing a pre start check ? There would be a delay, passengers would be pissed off, but appropriate spare resources would be deployed. They sure as hell wouldn’t be ringing Megabus.
Mainliner
Member
Also the Scottish Sun...
https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/ne...london-glasgow-technical-issues-bus-stafford/
Kendalian
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Couldn't arrangements have been made for 1S37 (0531 Euston-Glasgow) to have made a special stop at Stafford?
Would have been a 90 min wait at Stafford but I bet the guests going by road didn't get to Glasgow by 1048!
Didn't happen according to RTT....
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/P58618/2019/06/12/advanced
Would have been a 90 min wait at Stafford but I bet the guests going by road didn't get to Glasgow by 1048!
Didn't happen according to RTT....
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/P58618/2019/06/12/advanced
LeylandLen
Member
Id like to know who would have the authority to make an additional stop for 1S37 at Stafford ..
We mustnt forget the crew on the failed sleeper.The drivers change at Preston.Presumably the others have to get to Glasgow (or maybe some due to leave it at Preston?)
They would need a decent break before travelling back on the return from Glasgow?
Whats the typical makeup , numbers , etc on the sleepers?
As I write (1220 ) the failed 1S26 , now 5S26, is still at Crewe. I gather the loco on the train ws 92043.Not sure if 92043 still with stock
A tree has damaged OHL between Carlisle and Lockerbie according to Network Rail. They anticipate disruption until 2000 tonight . Not sure if trains can be diverted via Kilmarnock .
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WesternLancer
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Simple logic (but maybe not cost driven decision making) would say - a good reason to keep a set of Mk3 sleepers spare for longer over the transition period, but pics in the railway press show them being cut up ASAP. Maybe there are some spares?
But this thread isn't a place where people just want to bash CS, but worrying that few post on here with good mk5 experiences so far - so it's looking like the lowlander roll out maybe was too early?
There's nothing the main media like better than printing all the positive PR stores the comms people give them, but when things go wrong they happily come back with a vengeance on the 'angry passenger experience' stories.