Ok, just thought I'd have a little rant. Basically I have started commuting to College from Sudbury to Colchester every day by train, and I need a Season Ticket with a Student Discount. Now to my dismay, I found out that the number for NXEA is only open till 6pm in the evening, which I think is diabolical. What if you need to make a specific query later in the evening, or you need to speak to Customer Service? Frankly I think this is unacceptable. Not only that, but I don't usually get home till past 6 apart from Thursday's so as of yet I have had no chance to ring up to book my ticket - until today. So today I rung up to try and sort out my Term Ticket as I'm using a daily ticket at the moment which in the long run will be more expensive. To my horror, the automated voice on the phone said that they no longer handle ticket sales via the telephone.
I'm sorry, what? That's completely ludicrous. People should be able to have access to a phone ticket booking service till at least 9 in the evening I think. Even in this day and age, there are still a select few without home access to the Internet, and if you're isolated it may make it difficult to get to a station to book/buy a ticket. It's not so much the phone problem, but its more to the point that the College have said that apart from ringing up, there's no other way to book a Season Ticket. I'm sorry, but how the hell do they expect me to be able to purchase the ticket if I can't do it at the ticket office at Colchester or do it online, and they don't handle Ticket Sales over the phone, which by the way, is only open till 6pm? It's making me spend extra money on tickets, and its money that could be used on something else.
Another thing is the quite long connection time in the morning at Marks Tey. The past few days it has been quite cold, and the waiting room is usually full, so I've been standing outside. The train from Sudbury arrives at 08.20, and the connection to Colchester is at 08.33 which is to Colchester Town. Thirteen minutes is a long time to wait outside in the cold. I realise that if it leaves earlier than its booked time of 07.38 it'll conflict with the Norwich train and hold it up. But I still don't see why it can't be booked to leave Liverpool Street at 07.32 in front of the Southend service - they both call at Stratford and Shenfield anyway, so not really much of a problem as far as I can see. That'll mean the train will arrive at Marks Tey at 08.27, which will reduce the longer connection time there - and the train doesn't connect with the Sudbury bound train anyway, that leaves before the one to Colchester arrives.
Another thing is this service from Liverpool Street is very crowded as its only a 4 car 321. Again, I don't see how difficult it is to platform the set so it can couple up to another one at Liverpool Street to make an 8 car formation - it is needed. Most of the people alight at Colchester anyway, so it can always drop the rear 4 which can return to the depot and then couple up to an 8 car formation to make sure it gets back to London for the evening rush hour. Correct me if anybody knows the pathing better, but I'm pretty sure its not beyond the wit of man to rectify this situation.
Also the train's are a state - the 315's and Mark 3's as well as the 317's and the Sprinter's were the only classes to get a refresh/refurbishment under One and none of them serve the smaller stations along the GEML (apart from the 317's which will do the Harwich turns and the 17.02 to Norwich, but my point still stands), and so this leaves the 321's and 360's to serve these stations. The 321's are absolutely appalling inside, especially the ex LM one's which haven't seen a refresh since new AFAIK. Seat cover's have been worn away, the floor is quite often sticky and dirty, and the material covering the panelling on the 321421-437 is filthy and ripped as well. They really need a decent refurbishment, and some of my friends who aren't railway educated have said that the trains are unacceptable. The 360's aren't as bad, and quite often they are clean and presentable, but some of the seat covers are still relatively dirty and ripped.
Also, apart from the 321's which have recently visited Doncaster and are in plain white, all trains look dirty in my eye, even the NX liveried 321's, and some are still in tatty FGE, as well as 321446 in One which looks shocking to be honest, and the 360's which are looking tatty in their Blue livery. Not only that, but some of the 321's don't sound particularly healthy either, I usually sit in the Motor Car (for the Traction Motor scream, why else?
), and I did the same with 321318 today, and the motor's didn't sound healthy at all and cut out a couple of times. In short, National Express since they've re-branded have done a truly awful job with the East Anglia franchise, and have invested next to nothing in the trains and most of the station's, and they are making it difficult to do minor things such as purchase Student tickets. I really hope we get a decent franchisee next time round - 8 years with National Express isn't pretty.
I'm sorry, what? That's completely ludicrous. People should be able to have access to a phone ticket booking service till at least 9 in the evening I think. Even in this day and age, there are still a select few without home access to the Internet, and if you're isolated it may make it difficult to get to a station to book/buy a ticket. It's not so much the phone problem, but its more to the point that the College have said that apart from ringing up, there's no other way to book a Season Ticket. I'm sorry, but how the hell do they expect me to be able to purchase the ticket if I can't do it at the ticket office at Colchester or do it online, and they don't handle Ticket Sales over the phone, which by the way, is only open till 6pm? It's making me spend extra money on tickets, and its money that could be used on something else.
Another thing is the quite long connection time in the morning at Marks Tey. The past few days it has been quite cold, and the waiting room is usually full, so I've been standing outside. The train from Sudbury arrives at 08.20, and the connection to Colchester is at 08.33 which is to Colchester Town. Thirteen minutes is a long time to wait outside in the cold. I realise that if it leaves earlier than its booked time of 07.38 it'll conflict with the Norwich train and hold it up. But I still don't see why it can't be booked to leave Liverpool Street at 07.32 in front of the Southend service - they both call at Stratford and Shenfield anyway, so not really much of a problem as far as I can see. That'll mean the train will arrive at Marks Tey at 08.27, which will reduce the longer connection time there - and the train doesn't connect with the Sudbury bound train anyway, that leaves before the one to Colchester arrives.
Another thing is this service from Liverpool Street is very crowded as its only a 4 car 321. Again, I don't see how difficult it is to platform the set so it can couple up to another one at Liverpool Street to make an 8 car formation - it is needed. Most of the people alight at Colchester anyway, so it can always drop the rear 4 which can return to the depot and then couple up to an 8 car formation to make sure it gets back to London for the evening rush hour. Correct me if anybody knows the pathing better, but I'm pretty sure its not beyond the wit of man to rectify this situation.
Also the train's are a state - the 315's and Mark 3's as well as the 317's and the Sprinter's were the only classes to get a refresh/refurbishment under One and none of them serve the smaller stations along the GEML (apart from the 317's which will do the Harwich turns and the 17.02 to Norwich, but my point still stands), and so this leaves the 321's and 360's to serve these stations. The 321's are absolutely appalling inside, especially the ex LM one's which haven't seen a refresh since new AFAIK. Seat cover's have been worn away, the floor is quite often sticky and dirty, and the material covering the panelling on the 321421-437 is filthy and ripped as well. They really need a decent refurbishment, and some of my friends who aren't railway educated have said that the trains are unacceptable. The 360's aren't as bad, and quite often they are clean and presentable, but some of the seat covers are still relatively dirty and ripped.
Also, apart from the 321's which have recently visited Doncaster and are in plain white, all trains look dirty in my eye, even the NX liveried 321's, and some are still in tatty FGE, as well as 321446 in One which looks shocking to be honest, and the 360's which are looking tatty in their Blue livery. Not only that, but some of the 321's don't sound particularly healthy either, I usually sit in the Motor Car (for the Traction Motor scream, why else?
), and I did the same with 321318 today, and the motor's didn't sound healthy at all and cut out a couple of times. In short, National Express since they've re-branded have done a truly awful job with the East Anglia franchise, and have invested next to nothing in the trains and most of the station's, and they are making it difficult to do minor things such as purchase Student tickets. I really hope we get a decent franchisee next time round - 8 years with National Express isn't pretty.
Last edited:
