If you mean in the up direction, I don't see many people wanting to be in Preston at 3am.
-
Our booking engine at tickets.railforums.co.uk (powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!
Serco for Sleeper
- Thread starter Steve childs
- Start date
- Status
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R
RailUK Forums
WatcherZero
Established Member
- Joined
- 25 Feb 2010
- Messages
- 10,272
Outsourcing the traincrew would make a lot of sense, much more efficent for Scotrail to recruit, train and roster drivers than a mini franchise with only a dozen.
Similarly locomotive drivers for LHCS are generally outsourced to freight companies by the regular passenger franchises.
Similarly locomotive drivers for LHCS are generally outsourced to freight companies by the regular passenger franchises.
Last edited:
MidnightFlyer
Veteran Member
- Joined
- 16 May 2010
- Messages
- 12,857
Indeed, similarly I can't imagine many people are so desperate to get to Edinburgh from Preston that they catch a train at 0345... The earliest arrival from Preston currently is 0937, which I would have thought would cater for the majority of need.
Jdrowlands
Member
- Joined
- 27 Apr 2011
- Messages
- 182
I was under the impression that apart from the Edinburgh - Fort William portion of the Highland Sleeper (which is driven by Glasgow Queen Street and Fort William based ScotRail drivers), then all of the Caledonian Sleeper workings were driven by DB Schenker crews. Which sleepers do you drive, may I ask?
route:oxford
Established Member
- Joined
- 1 Nov 2008
- Messages
- 4,949
I could imagine a south-bound stop at either Manchester or Birmingham Airports (if the service was routed that way).
Aictos
Established Member
- Joined
- 28 Apr 2009
- Messages
- 10,403
Umm how would you do the Manchester Airport call as the branch currently terminates there unless you've referring to a though line there?
Manchester77
Established Member
None of the platforms at manchester airport are long enough for the sleeper anyway!
causton
Established Member
I have been through Birmingham International on the sleeper but that was heading north, so not very good stopping there at like 2am! May be better heading southbound though...
Especially if combined with an easement allowing doubling-back to Birmingham. I've done the sleeper to get to an early meeting in Birmingham and the current arrival at time Crewe is just a little too early AM.
scotraildriver
Established Member
- Joined
- 15 Jun 2009
- Messages
- 1,628
I can not fault your powers of deduction. Spot on my man!
(ps What has happened to all the buchshee sandwiches & cheese boards - there are semi starved staff all over the place now! Some shunters have even had to put their hands in theirs pockets and buy a piece!
)scotraildriver
Established Member
- Joined
- 15 Jun 2009
- Messages
- 1,628
Plenty of cheeseboards and grease laden burgers last time I worked it! The leftovers have to remain on the train now for waste counting so you will need to toddle down to the motorail for your goodies.
Last edited:
How could Serco afford to subcontract to Scotland Rail, given Scotland Rail lost the bid. Unless of course Serco had a more expensive bid but better bid in terms of what they were offering via the service?
scotraildriver
Established Member
- Joined
- 15 Jun 2009
- Messages
- 1,628
Not sure but that's what Serco tend to do. If you read up on them they are a company who believe they can run any type of business but tend not to be directly involved. The call themselves an "outsourcing company" so operate businesses by contracting people who can run them, then make off with the profits . They are also notorious for promising the earth then providing the bare minimum. ( e.g. Northlink ferries ) They are not interested in railways or any of their other businesses, but only running them for maximum profit. A bit scary really!
Last edited:
An actual monster in commercial terms, this company have created unbelievable wealth from government contracts here and abroad. Google them and you have a vast amount of information about their day to day businesses. But the one word that keeps popping up is 'outsourcing'. They bring in cheaper contractors to do their work for them and sit back to reap the rewards. The maintenance workers will be TUPE'd over to Alstom, not Serco and I suspect the hospitality team will be moved into another company, possibly Inverlochy Castle Management International? It does seem strange why they won't be announcing their forward plans until after the main Scotrail franchise is let. As for the train drivers, not sure how that works. Are you rostered only for sleepers scotraildriver?
scotsman
Established Member
- Joined
- 6 Jul 2010
- Messages
- 3,252
I wouldn't want to be sleeper staff now. Anyway, here's the brief on Serco. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szNLMtgI7hU
That is really quite disturbing. Makes you wonder how they are favoured so much by goverments around the world. I have my own theory I will keep to myself in case I am ever caught up in the web!
scotraildriver
Established Member
- Joined
- 15 Jun 2009
- Messages
- 1,628
No, we have plenty of other Scotrail work, the sleeper accounts for only 3 shifts per day from 90 odd drivers. But the whole thing is a concern as it is still a loss of work for us if it goes, and driving locos is a hugely differrent thing to 158 and 170's and most folk enjoy it.
Blindtraveler
Established Member
Its to be hoped that whatever they do, they dont create an industrial relations headake for themselves as they did at Northlink Ferries. The after effects of this are still being felt in terms of low staff moralle. Oh and Scotraildriver is correct when he says the promise the earth and deliver almost nothing!
This is the main problem really. Its all about the management that are put in place and how they deal with the work at hand and achieve those targets. If they cant deal with it properly then thats how it all goes to pot.
scotraildriver
Established Member
- Joined
- 15 Jun 2009
- Messages
- 1,628
It does seem strange why they won't be announcing their forward plans until after the main Scotrail franchise is let.
This is because they may want to subcontract to Scotrail for various things but First cannot give them quotes as they may not be the franchise holder. The new operator would have to do that but its not decided due to silly different timescales for the 2 franchises. Another government cock up.
This is because they may want to subcontract to Scotrail for various things but First cannot give them quotes as they may not be the franchise holder. The new operator would have to do that but its not decided due to silly different timescales for the 2 franchises. Another government cock up.
If the sleeper roster is a very small part for the Scotrail drivers then there isn't really an issue there as the drivers will just be re-rostered to cover the day trains. The worrying parts are for the drivers whose rosters are almost all sleeper work, i.e the Inverness DBS crew who don't have much else up here. Are they to be TUPE'd over to the new traction provider? More worryingly as far as I am concerned, are the arrangements that will have to be put in place for the depot. There will be a need to share the space with what could and probably will be, two separate companies who will be requiring pit time in a shed that's already too small for the work currently being carried out. I personally think that the cyclic maintenance will be removed from Inverness to either Polmadie or Wembley, but the sleeper will still need cleaned and prepped. I can't see permission for the set to be left in Platform 1 all day, so the coaches will require shunting to another area to be serviced.
I think the delay in announcing the forward plans are more to do with these kind of problems rather than waiting to see if the next Scotrail franchisee can run the sleeper for Serco or not. This is the reason why the all of the depot staff are on edge, not just the staff who will be TUPE'd to the Sleeper side of the business.
I think the delay in announcing the forward plans are more to do with these kind of problems rather than waiting to see if the next Scotrail franchisee can run the sleeper for Serco or not. This is the reason why the all of the depot staff are on edge, not just the staff who will be TUPE'd to the Sleeper side of the business.
Serco has considerable experience in Rail Operations in this country,
been involved with DLR, Northern, Merseyside? and many "test trains" for Network Rail.
As for a good company to work for, probably not given recent North Link Ferry issues! And former Rail Industry Employees!
been involved with DLR, Northern, Merseyside? and many "test trains" for Network Rail.
As for a good company to work for, probably not given recent North Link Ferry issues! And former Rail Industry Employees!
higthomas
Member
- Joined
- 27 Nov 2012
- Messages
- 1,131
Sorry to be a pain, but what happened with regards to Serco taking over Northlink ferries?
All I can find are news stories that don't look like they will tell all the story.
All I can find are news stories that don't look like they will tell all the story.
The Planner
Veteran Member
- Joined
- 15 Apr 2008
- Messages
- 15,963
I suspect GBRf are expecting to get all of the driving work to be fair.
Blindtraveler
Established Member
Serco bid for and won the Northink contract starting Jul 2012. Within months the cuts in staffing had strikes going on although many never happened and there refurb program for the ships was unpopular with regulars of which I was one at the time. Theres now a lot of staff changes and new Ts and Cs for the ones that remain. Suggest anyone interested reads the news articles.
theshillito
Member
I feel we should be discussing the plans for the new franchise rather than opinions on Serco as a company...
Works for their other sleeper trains in Australia, where they have a 'hook-and-pull' contract with the freight operator Pacific National.
- Status