SWR Strike Action: Strikes every day in December except 1st, 12th, 25th & 26th

[kristiang85]

SWR contingency guards(managers) were trained in hours, days at the most, not weeks. They never got the full training, and some of those that 'volunteered' from their desk jobs are barely competent.

In my experience of previous strikes I found them much more proactive and customer-friendly than many of the usual staff (which many fellow passengers also commented on).

 

[pompeyfan]

The 0615 is running its normal pattern, then there is an 0619 stopper calling all stations. There is no 0645 running from what I can see.

In the evening there is a 1745 stopper and an 1830 fast service.

 

[Bill Badger]

Does anyone in the know happen to have access to the calling pattern and times of the additional services tomorrow during the strike on the direct. Information on the SWR website is very sparse.
I was interested in:

0615 PMH-WAT
0645 PMH-WAT

1805 WAT-PMH

The stock type (444/450) would also be appreciated should it be available.

Thanks in advance.

According to the SWT Website

• 06:15 Portsmouth Harbour to London Waterloo calling at Portsmouth and Southsea, Fratton, Havant, Petersfield, Haslemere, Guildford, Woking and London Waterloo
• 06:45 Portsmouth Harbour to London Waterloo calling at Portsmouth and Southsea, Fratton, Havant, Petersfield, Haslemere, Guildford Woking and London Waterloo
18:05 London Waterloo to Portsmouth Harbour calling at Guildford, Haslemere, Petersfield, Havant, Fratton, Portsmouth and Southsea and Portsmouth Harbour

They don't list the timings of the intermediate stops so have to estimate based on the standard timetable.

 

[pompeyfan]

https://www.southwesternrailway.com/plan-my-journey/rmt-industrial-action/tuesday-18-june

The following additional services will be running:

• 05:50 Southampton Central to Waterloo calling at Southampton Airport Parkway, Eastleigh, Shawford, Winchester, Micheldever, Basingstoke and London Waterloo
• 06:51 Southampton Central to London Waterloo calling at Southampton Airport Parkway, Eastleigh, Winchester, Micheldever, Basingstoke and London Waterloo
• 07:39 London Waterloo to Southampton Central calling at Clapham Junction, Farnborough Main, Basingstoke, Micheldever, Winchester, Eastleigh, Southampton Airport Parkway and Southampton Central
• 16:40 Eastleigh to London Waterloo calling at Winchester, Basingstoke, Woking and London Waterloo
• 18:39 London Waterloo to Southampton Central calling at Clapham Junction, Woking, Basingstoke, Micheldever, Winchester, Eastleigh, Southampton Airport Parkway and Southampton Central

• 05:57 Bournemouth to London Waterloo calling at Brockenhurst, Southampton Central, Southampton Airport Parkway, Winchester, Basingstoke and London Waterloo
• 08:35 London Waterloo to Bournemouth calling at Woking, Basingstoke, Winchester, Southampton Airport Parkway, Southampton Central, Brockenhurst, Bournemouth
• 17:35 London Waterloo to Weymouth calling at Basingstoke, Micheldever, Winchester, Eastleigh, Southampton Airport Parkway, Southampton Central, Totton, Ashurst New Forest, Brockenhurst, Sway, New Milton, Hinton Admiral, Christchurch, Pokesdown, Bournemouth, Branksome, Parkstone, Poole, Hamworthy, Wareham, Wool, Dorchester South and Weymouth.

• 06:15 Portsmouth Harbour to London Waterloo calling at Portsmouth and Southsea, Fratton, Havant, Petersfield, Haslemere, Guildford, Woking and London Waterloo
• 06:45 Portsmouth Harbour to London Waterloo calling at Portsmouth and Southsea, Fratton, Havant, Petersfield, Haslemere, Guildford Woking and London Waterloo
• 08:08 Portsmouth Harbour to London Waterloo calling at Portsmouth and Southsea, Fratton, Havant, Petersfield, Haslemere, Godalming, Guildford, Woking and London Waterloo
• 08:30 London Waterloo to Portsmouth Harbour calling at Woking, Guildford, Godalming, Haslemere, Petersfield, Havant, Fratton, Portsmouth and Southsea and Portsmouth Harbour
• 10:05 London Waterloo to Portsmouth Harbour calling at Woking, Guildford, Haslemere, Petersfield, Havant, Fratton, Portsmouth and Southsea and Portsmouth Harbour
• 11:08 Portsmouth Harbour to London Waterloo calling at Portsmouth and Southsea, Fratton, Havant, Petersfield, Haslemere, Godalming, Guildford, Woking and London Waterloo
• 13:05 London Waterloo to Portsmouth Harbour calling at Woking, Guildford, Haslemere, Petersfield, Havant, Fratton, Portsmouth and Southsea and Portsmouth Harbour
• 14:08 Portsmouth Harbour to London Waterloo calling at Portsmouth and Southsea, Fratton, Havant, Petersfield, Haslemere, Godalming, Guildford, Woking and London Waterloo
• 15:08 Portsmouth Harbour to London Waterloo calling at Portsmouth and Southsea, Fratton, Havant, Petersfield, Haslemere, Godalming, Guildford, Woking and London Waterloo
• 16:00 London Waterloo to Portsmouth Harbour calling at Woking, Guildford, Haslemere, Petersfield, Havant, Fratton, Portsmouth and Southsea and Portsmouth Harbour
• 17:05 London Waterloo to Portsmouth Harbour calling at Guildford, Godalming, Haslemere, Petersfield, Havant, Fratton, Portsmouth and Southsea and Portsmouth Harbour
• 18:05 London Waterloo to Portsmouth Harbour calling at Guildford, Haslemere, Petersfield, Havant, Fratton, Portsmouth and Southsea and Portsmouth Harbour

• 05:50 Basingstoke to London Waterloo calling at Hook, Winchfield, Fleet, Farnborough Main, Brookwood, Woking, Surbiton, Wimbledon, Clapham Junction and London Waterloo
• 06:12 Alton to London Waterloo calling at Bentley, Farnham, Aldershot, Ash Vale, Brookwood, Woking, Clapham Junction and London Waterloo
• 06:44 Alton to London Waterloo calling at Bentley, Farnham, Aldershot, Ash Vale, Brookwood, Woking and London Waterloo
• 07:12 London Waterloo to Woking calling at Clapham Junction, Surbiton, Walton-on-Thames, Weybridge and Woking
• 07:24 Basingstoke to London Waterloo calling at Hook, Winchfield, Fleet, Farnborough Main, Brookwood, Woking and London Waterloo
• 07:25 London Waterloo to Woking (non-stop)
• 07:47 Woking to London Waterloo calling at West Byfleet, Byfleet and New Haw, Weybridge, Walton-on-Thames, Hersham, Esher, Surbiton and London Waterloo
• 08:00 Woking to London Waterloo (non-stop)
• 08:12 London Waterloo to Farnham calling at Clapham Junction, Surbiton, Walton-on-Thames, Weybridge, Woking, Brookwood, Ash Vale, Aldershot, Farnham
• 08:42 London Waterloo to Farnham calling at Surbiton, Walton-on-Thames, Weybridge, Woking, Brookwood, Ash Vale, Aldershot and Farnham
• 08:53 London Waterloo to Basingstoke calling at Woking, Brookwood, Farnborough Main, Fleet, Winchfield, Hook and Basingstoke
• 16:44 Farnham to London Waterloo calling at Bentley, Farnham, Aldershot, Ash Vale, Brookwood, Woking, West Byfleet, Esher, Surbiton, Clapham Junction and London Waterloo
• 17:12 London Waterloo to Basingstoke calling at Woking, Brookwood, Farnborough Main, Fleet, Winchfield, Hook and Basingstoke
• 18:12 London Waterloo to Basingstoke calling at Brookwood, Farnborough Main, Fleet, Winchfield, Hook and Basingstoke
• 18:21 Basingstoke to London Waterloo calling at Woking and London Waterloo
• 18:23 London Waterloo to Alton calling at Clapham Junction, Woking, Ash Vale, Aldershot, Farnham, Bentley and Alton
• 19:24 Basingstoke to London Waterloo calling at Hook, Winchfield, Fleet, Farnborough Main, Brookwood, Woking, Weybridge, Walton-on-Thames, Surbiton and London Waterloo
• 19:25 London Waterloo to Alton calling at Clapham Junction, West Byfleet, Woking, Brookwood and Basingstoke
• 21:12 London Waterloo to Basingstoke calling at Clapham Junction, Surbiton, Walton-on-Thames, Weybridge, Woking, Brookwood, Farnborough Main, Fleet, Winchfield, Hook and Basingstoke

 

[infobleep]

Does anyone in the know happen to have access to the calling pattern and times of the additional services tomorrow during the strike on the direct. Information on the SWR website is very sparse.
I was interested in:

0615 PMH-WAT
0645 PMH-WAT

1805 WAT-PMH

The stock type (444/450) would also be appreciated should it be available.

Thanks in advance.

Edit: others beat me to it, regarding calling pattern.

So as others have said, it's a case of looking at other days and taking times from that. They may not be exactly the same but they will be near enough right.

In terms of stock type, I can't help as that's harder to figure out.

One thing I'm sure of, 442s won't be used.

 

[infobleep]

I noticed, from looking at the timetable, that three is some early morning rail replacement buses from Guildford to Epsom.

One stood out. The 6:23. It gets to Epsom at 7:56.

Providing it's not cancelled for other reasons, there is a 6 39 Southern service. This stops at the same stations and arrives into Epsom at 7:13. So 43 minutes ahead.

There is also a 7:12 Southern service. Whilst that skips stations between London Road and Effingham Junction, it still gets into Epsom at 7:44. So 12 minutes in advance.

When designing the replacement bus services, do they take into account train services run by other companies? Or do they assume a worst case scenario and assume such things might not run for any reasons?

On my above point, it's worth noting that when there were engineering works on Sunday, there were no buses between Guildford and Epsom, just one train an hour via Cobham, with one bus an hour running from Effingham Junction.

I assume the reason for that is that the bus would get overtaken by the train running 30 minutes later. As that is the case, you'd think they wouldn't run buses on Tuesday to Saturday, given the Southern train would overtake them, just as the Cobham train would overtake the via Epsom trains yesterday.

 

[SWT_USER]

A paltry 1tph from Ashford this morning. What is the process regarding delay repay, can I claim against the usual timetable as I purchased my season ticket before these strikes were announced?

 

[maxbarnish]

A paltry 1tph from Ashford this morning. What is the process regarding delay repay, can I claim against the usual timetable as I purchased my season ticket before these strikes were announced?

SWR are saying no - but a lot of people unhappy with it, and people on a different thread advised me that it should be vs the timetable when tickets bought. On Twitter, someone has called on the Ombudsman to be 'proactive' and prevent 'thousands' of people having to 'raise and deadlock' complaints. Not sure how realistic that is - but there's certainly a strong case for you to complain,. although if SWR hold out, it may need to go to Ombudsman

 

[Goldfish62]

A paltry 1tph from Ashford this morning. What is the process regarding delay repay, can I claim against the usual timetable as I purchased my season ticket before these strikes were announced?

It's 2tph. The half hourly Windsor services call there.

 

[SWT_USER]

SWR are saying no - but a lot of people unhappy with it, and people on a different thread advised me that it should be vs the timetable when tickets bought. On Twitter, someone has called on the Ombudsman to be 'proactive' and prevent 'thousands' of people having to 'raise and deadlock' complaints. Not sure how realistic that is - but there's certainly a strong case for you to complain,. although if SWR hold out, it may need to go to Ombudsman

Interesting - thanks. Looks like the train I am actually on will be late enough to claim anyway.

It's 2tph. The half hourly Windsor services call there.

Only after the morning peak. I had the option of a train at 07.06 or 08.06 to Waterloo and nothing in-between.

 

[infobleep]

Interestingly they have been able to confirm all the additional morning and evening peak services from today to Friday and they have been able to list the services in time order on their Web Site.
https://www.southwesternrailway.com/~/link.aspx?_id=03fe22914601439782e3b1ad6951cad9&_z=z

How far in advance do they work out the staff rosters?

The Web Site is understandably a bit slower today. Also some times are running with delays. Is this due to such few trains running. I imagine so but I'd also have thought people might work from home.

I notice there are two non stop evening trains from Waterloo to Guildford, which skip Woking but nothing in the morning that skips Woking. There is a non stop Woking to Surbtion train in the morning but no non stop Surbtion to Woking train in the evening.

Woking to Surbtion is at 8am, which is a nice bonus for those going to Surbtion in the morning peak.

Thosw going from Woking to Clapham Junction in the morning have a plethora of services, some of which are fast non-stop.

There are 7 between 7 and 8 and 6 between 8 and 9.

Normally there is 1 between 7 and 8 and 3 between 8.30 and 9. So a nice silver lining.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Apologies in case I missed it, but what was the last RMT press release concerning this matter?

 

[SWT_USER]

Despite only running a fraction of their usual services and hundreds of carriages sat in various depots I notice SWR are still running 8.455 on a Reading circuit today.

 

[infobleep]

Despite only running a fraction of their usual services and hundreds of carriages sat in various depots I notice SWR are still running 8.455 on a Reading circuit today.

No wonder the trains are rammed if they can't use 10 car trains.

This has happened before though so there must be some good reason for it as surely they would want to run as many carriages as possible.

 

[paok]

Apologies in case I missed it, but what was the last RMT press release concerning this matter?

Here's the latest one: https://www.rmt.org.uk/news/rmt-members-rock-solid-in-strike-action-again-this-morning/

18 June 2019

RMT Press Office:

RMT members rock solid in strike action again this morning in continuing fight for safety on South Western Railway

General Secretary Mick Cash said;

"RMT members are standing rock solid again this morning on South Western Railway in the long-running fight for safety, security and access on our trains while the private train company sends out the signal that it is prepared to gamble with their passengers well-being in the name of profit.

"RMT has campaigned relentlessly for the principle of putting safety on the railway first and the current stalemate over the safety-critical role of the guard on SWR trains cannot be allowed to drag on any longer .

“Our members have been left with no choice but to go ahead with strike action throughout this week. They are angry and frustrated that despite suspending action in good faith, and entering into talks in a positive and constructive manner, South Western Railway have dragged their heels and failed to bolt down an agreement that matches up to our expectations on the guard guarantee.

"We thank the public for their continuing support and understanding that this dispute is all about safety, access and passenger service on Britain's increasingly violent and dangerous railways."

Ends

 

[nlogax]

Full-on crush loading inbound from Surbs this morning. The sort where you can't put both feet on the floor and you can smell what half the carriage had for dinner last night. Good luck to anyone suffering on SWR this evening.

 

[infobleep]

I'm on a short 9:07 from Guildford to Surbtion. Not sure yet how many carriages but it's not 10. It may possibly be just 4! I'm not exaggerating. Slight possbility it might be 6 though. Nope. Just looked out at London Road. It's just the 4!

Now that would have been cosy earlier today. No it wouldn't be as this train is only just entering service. Let's hope earlier they ran 10 car versions of this.

Anyone care to guess why this train needs to be 4 carriages long? I know it terminates at Surbtion but I wouldn't have thought that would be an issue.

If no attachment takes place then by my reckoning the 17:50 Surbiton to Guildford will be 4 carriages.

 

[infobleep]

Also worth noting this:

We have identified some incorrect service information on National Rail Enquiries journey planner, due to this we advise you to check our website with PDF timetables for train service details.

https://www.journeycheck.com/swr/?
Note the PDF timetables don't include the additional peak time services so you need to read the additional peak time services section in conjunction with the PDF timetables, if the journey planning is not to be trusted.

Another solution is to use the journey planner and then check if the services are listed in the PDF or the additional services section.

Hopefully the errors will be corrected today, in advance of tomorrow to Friday.

 

[pompeyfan]

It appears some people have successfully claimed a 50% daily pro-rata refund using S75 rules from their credit card provider. Initially the card provider declined, but the customer took them to the financial ombudsman where it was ruled they had to pay a refund of 50% for the days affected plus 8% interest.

 

[SWT_USER]

Deleted

 

[infobleep]

I see the 15:08 Portsmouth to Waterloo and 17;05 Waterloo to Portsmouth are recorded on National Rail Enquiries as being cancelled due to lack of train drivers.

Do they schedule less drivers to work on days like this and give the reminder additional time off, given less trains are running?

 

[Bigfoot]

I see the 15:08 Portsmouth to Waterloo and 17;05 Waterloo to Portsmouth are recorded on National Rail Enquiries as being cancelled due to lack of train drivers.

Do they schedule less drivers to work on days like this and give the reminder additional time off, given less trains are running?

No, however some drivers are in the rmt and they may choose to not come to work. Also some aslef drivers will not cross any picket line, therefore the company can only hope drivers will come in as there is no obligation to inform the company you are not attending work due to strike action.

 

[infobleep]

The 18:50 Surbtion to Guildford is also just 4 carriages. This entered service as the 8:07 by my calculations.

So that's 2 diagrams with only 8 carriages.

There must be some reason for this. The train isn't rammed tonight but I don't know what the 17:50 would have been like, which also would have been a 4 carriage service.

Are any 707s running today?

I'd like to ask SWR help on Twitter but I feel they have more important things to deal with.

Actually my train has been delayed a lot of people are getting on. They have delayed the train so that people off the train to Woking could join.

An hour before there was no report but the train did leave Hinchley Wood on time. This suggests they didn't make it wait. Edit: it did wait. The 5riwn left Hinchley Wood two minutes late. So today at least they are holding trains for connections. That's another silver lining for passengers who value such things.

There are now people standing on this train. They wouldn't be standing if it had more than 4 carriages. Note this train would usually have 10, so it's a reduction in 6, never mind the less services running.

 

[SWT_USER]

Definitely some 707's running today, at least on the Windsor side.

 

[infobleep]

No, however some drivers are in the rmt and they may choose to not come to work. Also some aslef drivers will not cross any picket line, therefore the company can only hope drivers will come in as there is no obligation to inform the company you are not attending work due to strike action.

I thought sympathic striking wasn't allowed. Would this be people suddenly being off sick?

 

[infobleep]

Definitely some 707's running today, at least on the Windsor side.

If no 707s had been running I thought have said that was why the 455s were fewer in number.

Maybe there isn't enough contingency guards who sign 707s. I'm only singling them out as they are newer rolling stock. It just seems very odd that 455s are running from Guilford. It stables multiple 455s/456s of lengths longer than 4 carriages.

I will look to see if any are left in the sidings.

 

[Carlisle]

I thought sympathic striking wasn't allowed. Would this be people suddenly being off sick?

it’s illegal for unions themselves to organise sympathy strikes but individual workers can’t legally be dismissed for simply refusing to cross another unions picket lines, as this 2017 Irish Rail disruption proves
https://www.thejournal.ie/irish-rail-delays-2-3304026-Mar2017/?amp=1

 

[TEW]

RMT drivers are part of the ballot too, and there is no official way for the company to know if drivers are in a union, and which one.

 

[infobleep]

RMT drivers are part of the ballot too, and there is no official way for the company to know if drivers are in a union, and which one.

Good point

For those interested, here are two photos of a load of 455s and 456s in sidings at Guildford this evening. The services between Guildford to Surbtion are running with just 4 carriages, whilst carriages just lie in the sidings. I think they have saved money and helped the environment by turning off the lights inside at least.

The Guildford to Surbtion trains are using platform 1 at Surbtion. Is thre an issue with trains containing more than 4 carriages going from platform 1 to the down slow line?
!

 

[infobleep]

Yet again passengers are caught in the middle of the long-running dispute between South Western Railway (SWR) and the RMT union, writes Jeremy Varns, from campaign group SWR Watch.

The livelihoods of those who rely on the rail network are under threat due to daily cancellations, delays and now the re-emergence of industrial action.
.......
To break the deadlock, SWR Watch proposes the following:

1. Passengers should be invited to meet representatives of SWR, the RMT, rail staff and other relevant parties to discuss concerns around safety and accessibility across the network.

2. The government should require all train companies to update current policies on accessibility to enable spontaneous travel decisions for all passengers.

3. The number of fully accessible stations across the network must be increased as a priority.

4. Station staffing should be increased – we believe that this can be achieved through the redeployment of existing staff from different locations and other roles.

We have requested clarity from the Rail Minister, Andrew Jones, as to whether South Western Railway is receiving money from the Department for Transport as compensation due to this industrial action.

We are also calling on the government to put a package of compensation together for rail users who are, in many cases, being seriously inconvenienced by these strikes. Passengers should not be paying full fares for a significantly reduced service, especially where tickets have been bought in advance with the expectation that the published timetable will be in operation.

We cannot have a situation where those who use and rely on the rail network are not afforded the same levels of consumer protection as is available elsewhere, most notably for air travel.

https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/su...r.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sharebar

What do people think of the idea of passengers meeting both sides as part of talks? After all it's for benefit passengers that the services are run. Without passengers there would be no trains. I don't see why not, even if I don't agree everything SWR Watch say.