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

[Starmill]

Considering the rest of the industry is just starting to heal the rifts this kind of thing causes internally

Is there a great deal of evidence of 'healing' going on? If there is, I have missed it.

How difficult is it to remove journey planner errors?

It seems that, all things considered, they are having more than a typical amount of difficulty uploading a timetable that accurately reflects the reality for passengers. I won't speculate as to why.

 

[Bookd]

Considering the rest of the industry is just starting to heal the rifts this kind of thing causes internally I find it a bit heartbreaking to see this still happening in this industry years after amicable agreements have been reached elsewhere. There are certain contributors to this forum who are systematic of the modern management thinking who know the costs of everything but the value of nothing. It’s come back to bite some in the industry hard afterwards. I firmly believe that as an industry we should learn the value of people who feel valued and not just a number of an accountants spreadsheets. I really hope another amicable agreement can be reached and the industry can once again start to heal the damage stuff like this does.

This whole issue has similarities to the interminable Brexit debate. One side (SWR / EU) believes that it has offered a deal which answers all the demands and sees no scope to change - the other side (RMT / ERG) refuses to believe what they are told.
Both cases are equally insoluble.

 

[infobleep]

https://twitter.com/Tarahwelsh/status/1140883518966419457?s=09

The above link takes you to a video on Twitter, where on Tuesday, a BBC reporter, Tarah Welsh filmed the queue outside Surbtion Station.

Given the queue there I wonder if it would have been better to have gone to Kingston Station or would they not have been able to board a train there?

I don't think Berrylands would have been any good though as trains would definitely have been packed.

I don't think agreements were are place to use the buses to Kingston, or they weren't previously, so unless passengers have a travel card, it would have cost them. Still that may have been faster than queuing.

The barriers outside the station seem a bit pointless, given most of the queue has no barriers. It does seem an orderly queue though. Still don't say they we like a good queue in this country!

Yesterday I don't think there was such a queue as this.

I never got a reply about the number of carriages running on the Guildford to Surbtion route. I wonder if they have been instructed not to answer such questions? It was a perfectly reasonable question I thought. They have answered short formation questions in the past. What harm could possibly be done in answering the question?

There was a recent discussion on here about keeping passengers informed and being as transparent as possible, within reason, as passengers are more understanding.

 

[infobleep]

It seems that, all things considered, they are having more than a typical amount of difficulty uploading a timetable that accurately reflects the reality for passengers. I won't speculate as to why.

Is it possible for someonne who works in timetable amendments to be a member of the RMT? I hadn't thought of that possibility. If so maybe those who work on this are on strike. That would be an issue if so.

Of course the reason might be something else entirely.

 

[Goldfish62]

Is it possible for someonne who works in timetable amendments to be a member of the RMT? I hadn't thought of that possibility. If so maybe those who work on this are on strike. That would be an issue if so.

Of course the reason might be something else entirely.

That would constitute sympathy action as well as leaving the employee liable to discipline for failure to carry out their job. Quite clearly timetable planning is not a train crew role and they are not in dispute.

 

[jamesst]

Is there a great deal of evidence of 'healing' going on? If there is, I have missed it.

It seems that, all things considered, they are having more than a typical amount of difficulty uploading a timetable that accurately reflects the reality for passengers. I won't speculate as to why.

Yeah I'm with you on this, I've never seen this industry so bitter and divided as it is at the moment.
Re the timetable planners they're more likely to be tssa rather than the rmt. They may well be working as guards on strike days?

 

[infobleep]

Yeah I'm with you on this, I've never seen this industry so bitter and divided as it is at the moment.
Re the timetable planners they're more likely to be tssa rather than the rmt. They may well be working as guards on strike days?

Would people doing timetable updates be trained as guards though? It's quite a different kind of role I'd have thought.

 

[molecrochip]

I've just learnt something new. Additional services cannot be reported on Journey Check.


https://twitter.com/SW_Help/status/1141009064937381889?s=19

This isn't correct. They proved it today - see piccy.



In the past they have also added additional services - often on the Salisbury line where is necessary to terminate a service from Exeter before Salisbury and a separate unit/crew work an additional service forward from Salisbury.

 

[infobleep]

This isn't correct. They proved it today - see piccy.

View attachment 64671

In the past they have also added additional services - often on the Salisbury line where is necessary to terminate a service from Exeter before Salisbury and a separate unit/crew work an additional service forward from Salisbury.

Perhaps it only applies to cancellations. In that cancellations cannot be reported but additions can be added in.

 

[samuelmorris]

Perhaps it only applies to cancellations. In that cancellations cannot be reported but additions can be added in.

Or that the person in control at the time didn't know how to do it?

 

[pompeyfan]

Interesting workings coming to light, with additional Woking fast shuttles working formed of 10.444 and also a Basingstoke stopper formed of 10.707.

 

[infobleep]

Or that the person in control at the time didn't know how to do it?

If they don't know how to do it that doesn't mean it's not possible. If it is possible the Twettwe staff say it is not, that is misleading.

 

[infobleep]

Interesting workings coming to light, with additional Woking fast shuttles working formed of 10.444 and also a Basingstoke stopper formed of 10.707.

Do you have the time of which train this was? The 8am the other day was a 450

This evening I had tune to kill so decided to catch a train vfrom Berrylands.

All I can say is good job it was a 10 carriage train. I suspect it was quieter towards the front I did get on. Then I picked up the 20:50 to Guildford. It was just 4 carriages from Surbtion.

I still don't know the reason I guess I'm going to have to send an e-mail to customer services.

I notice the form on their Web Site is very adversarial. It gives you six complaint options, include staff; one praise option on staff and one general feedback option.

There isn't a single option to asking for information, except complaint - information.

I shall use their e-mail address, which is given out of Twitter but isn't on their Web Site as far as I could gather.

 

[infobleep]

Does anyone have any examples of journey planner services that are inaccurate? I'm not found any myself but I've not been actively seeking such things out.

 

[nlogax]

Interesting workings coming to light, with additional Woking fast shuttles working formed of 10.444 and also a Basingstoke stopper formed of 10.707.

707 to B'stoke? Fun times!

 

[greaterwest]

I believe that's the first time a 707 has ever operated to Basingstoke in passenger service.

 

[samuelmorris]

If they don't know how to do it that doesn't mean it's not possible. If it is possible the Twettwe staff say it is not, that is misleading.

But nonetheless that sort of thing can come out on twitter if the people manning the desk don't know otherwise.

 

[Starmill]

707 to B'stoke? Fun times!

I believe that's the first time a 707 has ever operated to Basingstoke in passenger service.

Does anyone have a photo?

 

[infobleep]

But nonetheless that sort of thing can come out on twitter if the people manning the desk don't know otherwise.

You'd hope those manning Twitter would have been given some insight into how Journey Check works.

 

[infobleep]

Does anyone have a photo?

Alas no but I do have some photos of 456s and 455s still resting in the Guildford sidings. Even their lights are on. Are the lights being on autonatuc when the lines are live? As in you would never switch them off?

The sidings north of the station contained two trains although only one viable here.

You'd think it was a Sunday. Although to be fair on Sundays some via Cobham trains run with 8 carriages.

 

[Bromley boy]

Even their lights are on. Are the lights being on autonatuc when the lines are live? As in you would never switch them off?

External and internal lights are generally left on whenever units are “cut in”, even when stabled. External lights help visibility incase something else shunts into the same siding, internal lighting is useful for cleaning staff, who often work in the dead of night.

Units are usually only “cut out” (ie isolated from the traction current and left “cold and dark”) when there is to be a current isolation. Otherwise, when the juice was shut off, they would drain their emergency batteries and might then prove impossible to cut back in when current was restored!

 

[infobleep]

External and internal lights are generally left on whenever units are “cut in”, even when stabled. External lights help visibility incase something else shunts into the same siding, internal lighting is useful for cleaning staff, who often work in the dead of night.

Units are usually only “cut out” (ie isolated from the traction current and left “cold and dark”) when there is to be a current isolation. Otherwise, when the juice was shut off, they would drain their emergency batteries and might then prove impossible to cut back in when current was restored!

Thanks for explaining that. I forgot about the cleaners at night. In these perticular cases at least they haven't had to bother with the cleaning of the carriages for the past few days.

 

[Goldfish62]

Yeah I'm with you on this, I've never seen this industry so bitter and divided as it is at the moment.

I have. The 1970s and 80s. Disputes just seemed to be continual.

 

[pompeyfan]

I’ve seen pictures on a group I belong to of the formation arriving into Basingstoke, but they’re not mine to recirculate.

I suppose the passengers for Winchfield/Hook had a choice, a train with questionable seats and no toilets, or wait 30 minutes for the next train regardless. Mind you I imagine the driver might have enjoyed it, an opportunity to actually stretch the legs of what are regarded as a real train drivers train (even if their power output is less than a 700 they still fly)

 

[irfquake123]

Trains from Ashford to Waterloo via Brentford at 07.06 and 08.06 - that is an hourly service for the morning peak (arrival in to London before 9am).

Just seen a 442 head in to Waterloo. Surprised they are running!

Interestingly yesterday (Thursday) they ran the 7.41 to Waterloo. It appeared on the National Rail app in the morning but definitely wasn't there before. Needless to say it was empty as nobody knew it was scheduled!


Update: Just happened again. Ghost train.. totally empty and not showing on national rail. Lots of seats so I'm not complaining!

 

[maxbarnish]

Interesting advice from SWR to me on Twitter. I am not going to dispute it as I am far too busy and it's a low value journey. No trains Cranbrook today due to strike. I have an advance ticket for 17.39 booked before the strike was called. The advice is to get the bus with an ETA as close as possible to that of your original itinerary. Not a departure time as close as possible. Or just any replacement bus - which would seem reasonable. You'll remember the extensive debates on various of our forums about Delay Repay during strikes - this seems one cynical way of stopping being liable, even if Ombudsman would uphold the reasoning of people on here. By asking people on advance tickets to match ETA, they are ensuring there is no delay. So, my ETA was 21.04 at Waterloo departing 17.39. My new ETA is 21.00, so i will be 4 mins early, although my new departure is 16.31...

 

[SWT_USER]

Interestingly yesterday (Thursday) they ran the 7.41 to Waterloo. It appeared on the National Rail app in the morning but definitely wasn't there before. Needless to say it was empty as nobody knew it was scheduled!


Update: Just happened again. Ghost train.. totally empty and not showing on national rail. Lots of seats so I'm not complaining!

I checked this morning before I left home and it wasn't showing so I got the 07.06 all stations again!

Really annoying that the xx.05 and xx.35 peak extras from Waterloo are not stopping at Ashford this week even though they do normally!

 

[kristiang85]

Interesting advice from SWR to me on Twitter. I am not going to dispute it as I am far too busy and it's a low value journey. No trains Cranbrook today due to strike. I have an advance ticket for 17.39 booked before the strike was called. The advice is to get the bus with an ETA as close as possible to that of your original itinerary. Not a departure time as close as possible. Or just any replacement bus - which would seem reasonable. You'll remember the extensive debates on various of our forums about Delay Repay during strikes - this seems one cynical way of stopping being liable, even if Ombudsman would uphold the reasoning of people on here. By asking people on advance tickets to match ETA, they are ensuring there is no delay. So, my ETA was 21.04 at Waterloo departing 17.39. My new ETA is 21.00, so i will be 4 mins early, although my new departure is 16.31...

What about people who can't leave early though? e.g. those in actual jobs?

Unless I'm reading it wrong, but that seems ridiculous advice.

 

[irfquake123]

I checked this morning before I left home and it wasn't showing so I got the 07.06 all stations again!

Really annoying that the xx.05 and xx.35 peak extras from Waterloo are not stopping at Ashford this week even though they do normally!

I agree! Especially annoying when they've scheduled it to stop at Whitton which is a similarly sized station.

 

[greaterwest]

For this evening's trick, the 18:32 ex Waterloo will be extended from Basingstoke and terminated at Salisbury.

Calling at:
Surbiton
Woking
Farnborough
Fleet
Basingstoke
then all stops to Salisbury

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/O15838/2019/06/21