renegademaster
Member
Also was their any kind of duty to get you home if the last service gets cancelled like their is now?
Trains weren't cancelled unless there was a major reason either
When I commuted on the Southern Region in the early 1980s cancellations were common, particularly because of staff shortages. The 0814 Barnehurst to Blackfriars was cancelled so frequently that a song was written about it. But, where possible, special stop orders on other trains would be issued to fill gaps in the service.Trains weren't cancelled unless there was a major reason either - you might not like travelling in whatever was hauled out to replace whatever failed, but three was more chance something would turn up. There were on average less trains, though, I think.
I don't remember these from my early days of commuting. My recollection is that they were introduced in the John Major Cones Hotline era.You got days added into season ticket renewals for strike days or other days when there was major disruption.
There was a discount on season ticket renewals if the punctuality was below a certain level.
I think it was about 1991/92 that the charter was launched, but am happy to be corrected if I a wrong. What I do remember very clearly is a newspaper cartoon at the time. Two men talking, one is holding a polythene bag with a goldfish swimming in it. Man holding polythene bag says "I was given this because my train was 25 minutes late".The memory is hazy, but did BR launch the passengers charter which was based on the arrival time at the final destination? I recall additional minutes being added between Diss and Norwich so we usually arrived early and were never late.
Part of the Major government's "Citizen's Charter" initiative, the provisions of the Passenger's Charter came into force on 3 May 1992 (I presume a timetable change date). It still offered only discretionary compensation for ordinary tickets, but stated that this was expected to be "vouchers to the value of 20% or more of the price paid" on the leg of any journey delayed by an hour or more, or a full refund for any journey abandoned due to delay or cancellation before you travelled. Free non-alcoholic drinks from the buffet for delays over an hour were introduced. Season ticket discounts for failing to meet (new?) punctuality targets were also included from 10 January 1993. Compensation limits were doubled from £500 to £1000.The memory is hazy, but did BR launch the passengers charter which was based on the arrival time at the final destination? I recall additional minutes being added between Diss and Norwich so we usually arrived early and were never late.
And late running was common too, the running gag in Reggie Perrin did reflect reality.
CATS Teams were set up by Cyril Bleasdale after an initiative by Preston Area Managers staff and Preston were the first to have OnCall Retail Managers to handle the CaTS teams I was one of those Managers and did many a CATS team run both North and South of Preston sometimes having overnight layovers at Glasgow or Euston waiting for the first train back the next day. We had emergency bags with the National Timetable and a half Brick mobile phone and could request special Stop orders directly with Regional Control. On one occasion I organised a special stop at Hest Bank crossing to pick up a CATS team member there as the quickest way to get someone onto a late train going North.BR set up *"CATS" teams -volunteer staff (usually off the clerical side - and paid of it) who would be sent to late running, generally Inter City trains armed with all sorts of things to help the passengers - with reasonable powers to make things better. (like authorising taxi's etc , refreshments and so on.Then - with "one railway" it was easier to get things arranged
I recall one incident when an up West Coast train was badly delayed into Watford , and on board were 2 passengers on honeymoon bound for the USA - so when it got going , it was specially stopped at the latter station and a waiting taxi took them straight to Heathrow rather than going via London and they got their plane with no stress. A similar distress call re a passenger en route for his seriousely ailing father missed the DC at the point when it dropped to half hourly of an evening , so a taxi was arranged direct to the house - he got there in time.
Generally speaking it was interesting work , and reduced a lot of stress and claims.
*Customer Action Teams .......
CATS Teams were set up by Cyril Bleasdale after an initiative by Preston Area Managers staff and Preston were the first to have OnCall Retail Managers to handle the CaTS teams I was one of those Managers and did many a CATS team run both North and South of Preston sometimes having overnight layovers at Glasgow or Euston waiting for the first train back the next day. We had emergency bags with the National Timetable and a half Brick mobile phone and could request special Stop orders directly with Regional Control. On one occasion I organised a special stop at Hest Bank crossing to pick up a CATS team member there as the quickest way to get someone onto a late train going North.
Quite !!To think BR was deemed "inefficient and uncustomer friendly.....not that the Daily Mail recorded the good things but focused on the bad ones.
A Hatch End staff resident was picked up for CATS duties on the (disused) fast line platforms . Much like your initiative.
Organising things in Area Operations Control areas was possible - for example a special to St Albans Abbey to deliver a late running party group after the branch shutdown was organized.
Yes, I have experienced hastily cobbled together formations as last-minute substitutions, with 4-EPBs used instead of REP/TC stock on the Bournemouth line too on more than one occasion. Not ideal, but at least the train ran!I do remember such things as EPBs replacing mainline stock for journeys as long as London-Portsmouth on at least one occasion (October 1983). From what I gather this was not atypical.
There have also been tales on here in the past of 304s substituting on WCML IC services when they were the only option available.
You don't see that kind of thing these days, even within the same TOC (since privatisation I don't think I've ever seen a 455 on the South Western outside the suburban area, for example).
I did commute to school for most (7 years) of the 80s on the South Western, covering both the blue-and-grey and NSE eras, and delays did seem infrequent outside of exceptional circumstances (snow, October 1987 storm, strikes). I did of course avoid the evening rush hour when, from what I gather, delays were more commonplace.
Oh dear, rose tinted spectacles. Until the 1992 Passenger's Charter there was no automatic right to nay payment for delays. The 1992 Charter introduced some payouts but the Treasury set the bar very high to ensure that not much actually got paid out. Delay payments were in vouchers. The industry is in a shambles now but it went through appalling issues when nationalised - in 1989 when I worked for Southern Region Customer Services the peak hours were producing 25 to 30% cancellations due to driver shortage. Service frequencies were well below what is the norm now on many lines and several suburban routes had no Sunday service.You got days added into season ticket renewals for strike days or other days when there was major disruption.
There was a discount on season ticket renewals if the punctuality was below a certain level.
Last trains always ran back in BR days, unless there was a major reason why they couldn't. Hotels and taxis were normal if the last trains couldn't run
Back then the railways were seen as a public service, unlike the shambles they are now
Yes, arrival times were padded to try and reduce payoutsThe memory is hazy, but did BR launch the passengers charter which was based on the arrival time at the final destination? I recall additional minutes being added between Diss and Norwich so we usually arrived early and were never late.
And late running was common too, the running gag in Reggie Perrin did reflect reality.