dk1
Veteran Member
They wouldn't be stepping into my cab. No interest in hearing their false promises.
-
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!
Do drivers know if a VIP is on board their train?
- Thread starter shakey1961
- 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
What colour pass would you give them...
DarloRich
Veteran Member
Brown
The train crew were made aware when BoJo was carried from St Pancras to Bedford last week.
It’s handled in a low key manner (for obvious reasons) and makes little difference from an operational perspective, aside from the coach he was travelling in being out of bounds to the general public.
Network rail would also have been aware of the presence of a VIP on board.
dk1
Veteran Member
Beat me to it
Thankfully it will never happen.
Raul_Duke
Member
- Joined
- 29 Mar 2014
- Messages
- 397
Had some B list (but titled) royalty on once. No one told me until we got to London. Did have a suspicious amount of greens, but that could be coincidence.
EssexGonzo
Member
- Joined
- 9 May 2012
- Messages
- 636
Do a VIP group's tickets get checked as normal?
70014IronDuke
Established Member
- Joined
- 13 Jun 2015
- Messages
- 3,699
AFAIK, that's always been the case, yes - including staff with footplate passes - except, I presume, locomotive inspectors. When holding a footplate pass, as I remember, it was always understood that the driver could refuse permission to enter the cab, and personally, I always showed my pass and requested respectfully to climb on board. Permission never refused, but it had to be requested. Quite right too, IMO.
And no, I don't think MPs or ministers should be allowed on the footplate without an inspector present. Some (many?) of these people are clueless about the responsibility of train crew, and the concentration and focus needed when on the road, and an inspector should be present to protect any driver from such people.
Coming back to the OP, when I was on BR (W) back in the 70s, we were informed that a Japanese govt minister (I think it was, a Japanese very big wig in any case) was to coming to S Wales on some visit related to investment, and could we select a locomotive that was unlikely to fail for his train. It's a long time ago, but I think I chose 47507. We had it especially monitored on a very early up Swansea - PAD train to check it out. And it didn't fail on the day it was needed either. Well, truth be told, I can't actually remember, but I'm sure that if it had, I'd have got a rocket that I would have remembered.
One of my gate line colleagues wouldn't open the barrier for Boris Johnson until he used his ticket like everyone else.
Llanigraham
On Moderation
If you consider Assembly Members to be VIP's then they certainly never got preferential treatment from the signallers on the Marches Line. Yr Gerralt/The Gerald got signalled the same way as any other train, and I've certainly held it at a Red.
The only train that got "preferential" treatment was The Royal Train and I believe we were instructed to have the Section in advance Clear before we cleared ours, so there was always 2 sections clear in advance.
The only train that got "preferential" treatment was The Royal Train and I believe we were instructed to have the Section in advance Clear before we cleared ours, so there was always 2 sections clear in advance.
theironroad
Established Member
Absolutely not. I was eating a pizza in New York at the time.
When HMQEII travelled down to Portsmouth from Waterloo shortly after the franchise change, 444040 worked the train, at the time it was the only mainline train in the new livery. The guard was told work the train as usual, and her maj had a 1st class ticket. The driver had a manager with her and was told to slow down as the track was a bit rough (give the locals one guess as to where). The driver also commented she’d never had greens over Havant junction in all her time driving apart from that day.
Requeststop
Member
Sorry to be a Pedant, but there is no such place as the "Scilly Isles". Isles of Scilly or just Scilly is fine. Mention "Scilly Isles to a Scillonian and they go ape.
On topic. I agree with Mag_seven, I'm a fare paying passenger so therefore I'm a VIP.
Only ever seen a so called VIP boarding a train and that was William Hague when the fool was "Leader of the Opposition" boarding a Birmingham New Street to London Euston service. He and his "team" delayed the train by nine minutes or so whilst the media were filming him and asking him questions as they were boarding. No time for head-in-arse so called VIP's.
On topic. I agree with Mag_seven, I'm a fare paying passenger so therefore I'm a VIP.
Only ever seen a so called VIP boarding a train and that was William Hague when the fool was "Leader of the Opposition" boarding a Birmingham New Street to London Euston service. He and his "team" delayed the train by nine minutes or so whilst the media were filming him and asking him questions as they were boarding. No time for head-in-arse so called VIP's.
Presumably the spiciest one on the menu? Given you would show no effects from it whatsoever.
Last edited:
Raul_Duke
Member
- Joined
- 29 Mar 2014
- Messages
- 397
PaulHarding150
Member
Ah, the automatic assumption that Welsh AMs use that one specific individual train
Llanigraham
On Moderation
No assumption made. I know very few did.Ah, the automatic assumption that Welsh AMs use that one specific individual train
Intermodal
Established Member
I always let the Driver know that I am on their train.
Dones't the Queen regularly travel on FCC down to King's Lynn (on her way to Sandringham). She travels 1st class, I wonder if ticket holders are kicked out?
The politician will no doubt then give a speech along the lines of "The train I travelled on today was absolutely spotless. I don't know what all these people are moaning about, everything's fine..."
matacaster
On Moderation
- Joined
- 19 Jan 2013
- Messages
- 1,602
Every passenger should be given a good service. Supposed VIP's should get the same treatment as any passenger according to whether they have a second or first class ticket that they have paid for.
johnnychips
Established Member
Which gives rise to the story that the Queen must think everywhere indoors has the faint smell of drying paint
All well and good in theory. In reality the queen and the prime minister are not just “any passengers”, and they are afforded different treatment.
The reasons why should be very obvious.
Reasonably sure the current leader of opposition just takes trains without informing the ToC/train staff, as was evidenced with the whole "had to sit on the floor" (or not) fiasco? Not wanting to get into the facts of that, but it was at least clear no special arrangements were in place.
Tetchytyke
Veteran Member
I hope he paid for the 30-odd seats that were taken out of use!
He was riding with an activist (also claiming to be a journalist or film maker?) and that was all a setup. I think JC learned a valuable lesson there, as he was caught out in a number of ways. Momentum not being as clever as they thought.
I am sure on other occasions he does inform the TOC and actually gets a seat.
Meanwhile, Boris gets handed letters on the train (!) so is obviously just sitting alongside ordinary members of the public (who carry personalised stationery with them).
In this case, Boris and co really think the general public are stupid.
https://twitter.com/BorisJohnson/status/1198665771808935936?s=20
dk1
Veteran Member
Not kicked out they are never allowed in. One first class area is cordoned off for her with security & TOC managers protecting the area. Any 1st class passengers are refunded if accommodation is full. I don't think anyone would begrudge HM this & probably proud to be travelling along with her even if it is in standard.
I have become very unpopular in my job
Job comes through ‘it’s for the CEO!!!111’
‘...and?’
Usually the super mega urgent critical job often turns out to be something about nothing too, the other month they were in a panic because they were unable to connect to the WiFi...
...at Manchester Airport.
Job comes through ‘it’s for the CEO!!!111’
‘...and?’
Usually the super mega urgent critical job often turns out to be something about nothing too, the other month they were in a panic because they were unable to connect to the WiFi...
...at Manchester Airport.
- Status