As a passenger what problems/incidents do you report to station staff/TOCs/Network Rail?

thenorthern · 26 Aug 2019

As a passenger what kind of things do you/would you report to whoever is responsible? For example would you report unattended luggage, graffiti, trespasses, damaged fences, broken things, disruptive passengers or other things? What kind of thing would you not report?

I have reported a lot of things over the years some of which may seem minor for example a tree kept hitting the train window every morning so I asked Network Rail to cut it down. With graffiti however I generally just ignore it unless its offensive for example there was a swastika painted on a platform shelter which I asked East Midlands Trains to remove which they did within 24 hours.

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geoffk · 26 Aug 2019

I've reported trees and bushes brushing the train to the TOC but don't know if anything was passed on to Network Rail. Most recently on the Borderlands Line around Neston. Sheep on the line ahead once to a driver, who may not already have been made aware of it.

Skie · 26 Aug 2019

I've reported scorching hot water coming from an onboard sink before.

Terry Tait · 27 Aug 2019

I have reported a drunk passenger who was in first class near Rochester smoking a joint.

6Gman · 27 Aug 2019

Trespassers to BTP. Interior damage to rolling stock to Train Manager and via Twitter. Insecure fencing to Network Rail by phone (what a performance that was! I had the adjacent bridge identity for them and they still thought I was on a lane a mile away from the railway!). Insecure freight load to Control (I was at - railway - work at the time).

al78 · 27 Aug 2019

Someone who was vomiting on a train as it arrived at Three Bridges. I got off the train to report it to a member of staff, who dismissed it as being the standard someone who had had one too many, then the train left without me so had to wait for the next one to Horsham.

DarloRich · 27 Aug 2019

Anything I feel appropriate.

Terry Tait said:
I have reported a drunk passenger who was in first class near Rochester smoking a joint.

Where as i would have thought: Fair play there mate. Sticking it to the man

PeterC · 27 Aug 2019

The only time that I have reported anything was when I spotted small children playing beside the track.

Bletchleyite · 27 Aug 2019

I used to report a lot of stuff when the LM Twitter was run by one of the senior management, as it got quickly dealt with in pretty much every case (or he'd explain politely and in reasonable detail why it wasn't viable to fix it).

Now the "customer service" brick walls have been rebuilt, I would now only report something relevant to a specific train to the traincrew thereon (or something at a station to the station staff or police if it was serious - but not things like faulty PIS displays because that just gets ignored[1]). I would expect to be ignored for anything else based on bitter experience.

[1] There's a faulty display on Platform 4/5 at Bletchley by the lift which has been faulty for over 2 years. I reported it back in LM days (post-Twitter being taken over by customer service droids), the report was ignored.

Bungle158 · 27 Aug 2019

As a guard I once phoned in a body lying beside the track at Filton Junction. Everything went on stop and l continued to observe the corpse from my window. BTP turned up and the stiff turned out to be a very drunken vagrant. How he got there without incident is a miracle.

Whattraintoday · 27 Aug 2019

I've largely given up reporting dirty carriages to Northern via Twitter after I kept encountering the same crusty deposit on the seat of a 333 - a number of months after reporting it.
Reported my own clumsiness regarding 'breaking' a light fitting on a 150 (swinging my briefcase into the luggage rack, dislodged the fluorescent tube).
Never needed to report anything more serious, but it would be straight to NR or BTP depending what it was.

Flying Snail · 27 Aug 2019

Bletchleyite said:
Now the "customer service" brick walls have been rebuilt, I would now only report something relevant to a specific train to the traincrew thereon (or something at a station to the station staff or police if it was serious - but not things like faulty PIS displays because that just gets ignored[1]). I would expect to be ignored for anything else based on bitter experience.

Same, I have neither the patience or temperament to devote a portion of my day to the pointless head versus wall exercise that using corporate "customer service" departments entails.

On occasion I'd mention something to a staff member in person, the only time I went out of my way to do so was a carriage riding alarmingly badly where I had a word with the driver at the next stop.

DarloRich · 27 Aug 2019

Bletchleyite said:
[1] There's a faulty display on Platform 4/5 at Bletchley by the lift which has been faulty for over 2 years. I reported it back in LM days (post-Twitter being taken over by customer service droids), the report was ignored.

I am not the only one frustrated they haven't replaced it! I gave up reporting it ages ago

Ethano92 · 27 Aug 2019

I used to report pretty nasty sounding wheel flats however I haven't bothered in a while because I without any railway background surely can't be 100% sure it's a wheel flat. Better not to waste their time

Bletchleyite · 27 Aug 2019

DarloRich said:
I am not the only one frustrated they haven't replaced it! I gave up reporting it ages ago

I do sort of wonder if it's not being fixed because they are going to fit the new type Abellio-standard TFT LCD based system at Bletchley (as I believe is a franchise commitment), but it'd be nice if they'd acknowledge that with some sort of notice or something.

DarloRich · 27 Aug 2019

Bletchleyite said:
I do sort of wonder if it's not being fixed because they are going to fit the new type Abellio-standard TFT LCD based system at Bletchley (as I believe is a franchise commitment), but it'd be nice if they'd acknowledge that with some sort of notice or something.

exactly! it is the hope that kills you...............

800002 · 27 Aug 2019

Ethano92 said:
I used to report pretty nasty sounding wheel flats however I haven't bothered in a while because I without any railway background surely can't be 100% sure it's a wheel flat. Better not to waste their time

I think with today's abundance of WILD's (Wheel Impact Load Detector) anything tripping them is automatically checked (but I could be mistaken).

If it makes you feel uneasy - report it.

AlterEgo · 27 Aug 2019

I reported a train leaving with no tail lamp once, although I am more clued-up than most passengers about that sort of thing.

800002 · 27 Aug 2019

The railway line infront of me is a good 'access point' into the gardens of the houses along the road.
Called the signaller direct to advise on the mobile while dialing 999 on the landline at the same time, several times in the summer a couple years ago.
The shoddy fence still isn't totally fixed (could do with a new rigid metal installation to replace the flimsy chain mail one) - but I guess as long as the oiks can't use it, it'll be fine... :-/

800002 · 27 Aug 2019

AlterEgo said:
I reported a train leaving with no tail lamp once, although I am more clued-up than most passengers about that sort of thing.

It's the freight trains passing without one, that is the real concern

GatwickDepress · 27 Aug 2019

I've reported outdated information posters and damaged/vandalised station property to TOCs. With the exception of the aforementioned PIS display, I find they're usually quite good at dealing with issues.

Bletchleyite said:
[1] There's a faulty display on Platform 4/5 at Bletchley by the lift which has been faulty for over 2 years. I reported it back in LM days (post-Twitter being taken over by customer service droids), the report was ignored.

I've reported that as well. I feel like I'm part of an exclusive club now.

geoffk · 27 Aug 2019

Flying Snail said:
Same, I have neither the patience or temperament to devote a portion of my day to the pointless head versus wall exercise that using corporate "customer service" departments entails.

And that's only after getting through to the call centre after x minutes wait punctuated by annoying music or cheery announcements.

py_megapixel · 27 Aug 2019

I considered reporting the absence of toilet roll once, but I was unable to find a train manager.
I do occasionally report faulty passenger information systems (e.g. a GWR 150 which had announcements one station out of sync) but the reply is usually "we know it's bad, but we're not allowed to switch it off."

800002 · 27 Aug 2019

py_megapixel said:
I considered reporting the absence of toilet roll once, but I was unable to find a train manager.

I suppose on whose service you are on.
Also, always take your phone (and hope there is signal, i guess)

From Virgin, a while back now...

bussnapperwm · 27 Aug 2019

I've reported a few cases where the loos on board/displays not working properly at stations (such as nonsensical displays/where half the display is black) to the Twitter teams at TOCs

dyst · 27 Aug 2019

I've reported the help point at the front of Oxford station hasn't been working for months now, it's really frustrating.

yorksrob · 27 Aug 2019

On occasions I've reported a lack of bog roll to the guard.

ainsworth74 · 27 Aug 2019

I've reported beggars on a station to the BTP via text (and they usually text back with an outcome). I've reported vomit to a guard when on a train and platform staff when it was on a station. I once reported to a driver via hand signals that he was showing reds on the front (that got a wave of thanks). I also reported a dead pigeon on a platform when it was still there the next day (I'd assumed it'd be scavenged by local wildlife overnight but wasn't!).

To be honest though the main thing I report is helpful staff. Ticket office clerks who have persisted to issue what I need despite not knowing what it is. Catering crew who have been very friendly and generous with the booze. Guards who have got me out of sticky spots when trains are cancelled and I'm in danger of missing connections. Etc etc.

Tom B · 27 Aug 2019

A few years ago I saw a fence damaged adjacent to the GOBLIN. Reporting it to NR was a little like pulling teeth as the operator on the phone had no local knowledge or, seemingly, any easy access to maps.

chris_in_salop · 27 Aug 2019

I've never reported anything. This is probably a personal fault of mine, but it feels like telling tales to teacher. I realise that this is irrational!

As a passenger what problems/incidents do you report to station staff/TOCs/Network Rail?

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