• 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!

SWR Longest Strike - December 2019

Status
Not open for further replies.

d9009alycidon

Member
Joined
22 Jun 2011
Messages
837
Location
Eaglesham
Can anyone advise if any fares easements are in place, I am due to travel to Farnborough next week (Advance First Class Return Wednesday out via Glasgow - Euston - Waterloo - Farborough Main and return on Friday) and was wondering if the option to use GWR Farnborough North to Reading and then to Paddington was available)
 
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R

RailUK Forums

theironroad

Established Member
Joined
21 Nov 2014
Messages
3,692
Location
London
Can anyone advise if any fares easements are in place, I am due to travel to Farnborough next week (Advance First Class Return Wednesday out via Glasgow - Euston - Waterloo - Farborough Main and return on Friday) and was wondering if the option to use GWR Farnborough North to Reading and then to Paddington was available)

Ticket acceptance is in place with GWR including for advances , see link.

https://www.southwesternrailway.com/plan-my-journey/rmt-industrial-action

No specific mention of the Farnborough north to reading route though.
 
Joined
9 Nov 2017
Messages
260
I wonder why he was carrying it?
Going to/from a range; a gun-shop or maybe he's just bought it? Lots of people I know who shoot have carried firearms on trains out of necessity. As long as it's in a discreet case/bag and not displayed (which could be considered causing public alarm) I don't believe there are any legal issues in doing so. Hang around Green Park station long enough and you'll probably see someone with a gun case going to either Beretta or Holland & Holland nearby.

Anyway, back on topic...
 

theironroad

Established Member
Joined
21 Nov 2014
Messages
3,692
Location
London
Going to/from a range; a gun-shop or maybe he's just bought it? Lots of people I know who shoot have carried firearms on trains out of necessity. As long as it's in a discreet case/bag and not displayed (which could be considered causing public alarm) I don't believe there are any legal issues in doing so. Hang around Green Park station long enough and you'll probably see someone with a gun case going to either Beretta or Holland & Holland nearby.

Anyway, back on topic...

Interesting. After I posted that yesterday someone said that apparently carrying an air rifle in public is ok as long as in a bag.
 

hwl

Established Member
Joined
5 Feb 2012
Messages
7,354
It looks as if SWR will run just over 50% of services today given an OK morning today.

The RMT is calling for new talks despite saying there is "solid support" hence the question as to what defines "solid support"?
With the other recent strikes (Southern etc.) is there a baseline for what represents the union or SWR doing better than the other in terms of % services run on strike days?
 

43096

On Moderation
Joined
23 Nov 2015
Messages
15,159
It looks as if SWR will run just over 50% of services today given an OK morning today.

The RMT is calling for new talks despite saying there is "solid support" hence the question as to what defines "solid support"?
With the other recent strikes (Southern etc.) is there a baseline for what represents the union or SWR doing better than the other in terms of % services run on strike days?
Well, they have seemingly managed to run some trains between Ascot and Aldershot today - a line that was meant to be bustituted. I'm not sure that would have been my first choice for using any extra resources, when a station like Whitton is only being served by Reading trains which are already crush loaded by Staines.
 

train in vain

New Member
Joined
3 Dec 2019
Messages
2
Location
ash vale
Well, they have seemingly managed to run some trains between Ascot and Aldershot today - a line that was meant to be bustituted. I'm not sure that would have been my first choice for using any extra resources, when a station like Whitton is only being served by Reading trains which are already crush loaded by Staines.
I can confirm there were trains running yesterday and today on the Ascot to Aldershot line. This is despite information on the swr website that there would be no trains on the line all month. I checked this at the ash vale ticket office yesterday where the usual lady thought they were empty, locked trains. Not so, they ran today about every 70 minutes, maybe 2 trains in total doing the circuit though mostly empty as few knew they were running. SWR really need to post up to date info on this and all lines.
 

43096

On Moderation
Joined
23 Nov 2015
Messages
15,159
I can confirm there were trains running yesterday and today on the Ascot to Aldershot line. This is despite information on the swr website that there would be no trains on the line all month. I checked this at the ash vale ticket office yesterday where the usual lady thought they were empty, locked trains. Not so, they ran today about every 70 minutes, maybe 2 trains in total doing the circuit though mostly empty as few knew they were running. SWR really need to post up to date info on this and all lines.
In fairness, it was showing on their Journey Check page. I still think there are better things they could have done with the resources: crewing a 12-car 450 or 10-car 458 needs the same crew but can shift many more people.
 

43096

On Moderation
Joined
23 Nov 2015
Messages
15,159
I can confirm there were trains running yesterday and today on the Ascot to Aldershot line. This is despite information on the swr website that there would be no trains on the line all month. I checked this at the ash vale ticket office yesterday where the usual lady thought they were empty, locked trains. Not so, they ran today about every 70 minutes, maybe 2 trains in total doing the circuit though mostly empty as few knew they were running. SWR really need to post up to date info on this and all lines.
Running again today it seems.
 

pompeyfan

Established Member
Joined
24 Jan 2012
Messages
4,181
In fairness, it was showing on their Journey Check page. I still think there are better things they could have done with the resources: crewing a 12-car 450 or 10-car 458 needs the same crew but can shift many more people.

depends on route and traction knowledge of the contingency guards. Certainly they struggled on Monday with Winchester being closed due to a person having fallen/jumped from an over bridge. Usually all Bournemouth and Fratton crew would divert via Havant. I think only 2 managed to divert, which would be guards managers with full route knowledge or guards not in the union that crossed the picket.
 

SWT_USER

Member
Joined
29 Aug 2010
Messages
858
Location
Ashford Middx
Third day out of four the 07.09 Ashford to Waterloo has been 10+ minutes late at Ashford due to a late start. It would be good if they could properly plan and deliver the small number of services they are actually running according to the timetable before planning extras to cart fresh air between Ascot and Aldershot all day.
 
Last edited:

Sean Emmett

Member
Joined
9 Mar 2015
Messages
496
Dwell times are extended. 07.12 Reading - Waterloo has failed at Twickenham, adding to the joy. Now on a Kingston roundabout to get to town.
 

43096

On Moderation
Joined
23 Nov 2015
Messages
15,159
depends on route and traction knowledge of the contingency guards. Certainly they struggled on Monday with Winchester being closed due to a person having fallen/jumped from an over bridge. Usually all Bournemouth and Fratton crew would divert via Havant. I think only 2 managed to divert, which would be guards managers with full route knowledge or guards not in the union that crossed the picket.
I can’t believe there is anyone who just signs Ascot-Aldershot! They must at least sign either Waterloo-Farnham/Alton or Waterloo-Reading. Far better to run (say) an extra peak Staines-Waterloo via Richmond using 707s - much more impact than a branch line service.
 

Horizon22

Established Member
Associate Staff
Jobs & Careers
Joined
8 Sep 2019
Messages
7,443
Location
London
I can’t believe there is anyone who just signs Ascot-Aldershot! They must at least sign either Waterloo-Farnham/Alton or Waterloo-Reading. Far better to run (say) an extra peak Staines-Waterloo via Richmond using 707s - much more impact than a branch line service.

Perhaps an (ex)MP has got involved?
 

hwl

Established Member
Joined
5 Feb 2012
Messages
7,354
Offer on table to settle West Mids DOO dispute so why not same on SWR?
Different TOC, different owning group...

Minimising dwell time on SWR metro services may be more important to delivering overal improvements that at LNR/WMR.
 

Joe Paxton

Established Member
Joined
12 Jan 2017
Messages
2,450
What's the general assessment of how the first five days of consecutive weekday SWR strike services have gone?

From a casual glance it seems like SWR are managing to run a fairly substantial, if nonetheless diminised, service. How long might they keep it up? Any thoughts on how solid the RMT strike is?
 

RealTrains07

Established Member
Joined
28 Feb 2019
Messages
1,748
Noticed an article today in the independent that many people in the south coast are flying from devon to london to avoid the strikes
 

3141

Established Member
Joined
1 Apr 2012
Messages
1,771
Location
Whitchurch, Hampshire
That seems strange. The main passenger airport in Devon is Exeter, and if you can get to Exeter you can get a GWR train to Paddington.
 

Devon156

Member
Joined
3 Jan 2019
Messages
45
That seems strange. The main passenger airport in Devon is Exeter, and if you can get to Exeter you can get a GWR train to Paddington.
If you’re approaching Exeter from the east on the A30 you drive past Exeter Airport and can save yourself 20 minutes compared to getting to St David’s.
 

3141

Established Member
Joined
1 Apr 2012
Messages
1,771
Location
Whitchurch, Hampshire
It probably depends which part of London you want to get to. You may lose the 20 minutes you'd saved on the journey from Heathrow (or whichever airport you'd arrived at). But if there are indeed "many" people going by plane to avoid the strikes on SWR, the RMT is not doing its members much good, because some of them will continue to use the plane..
 

alangla

Member
Joined
11 Apr 2018
Messages
1,178
Location
Glasgow
Bear in mind, “a plane” = 1 coach of a Great Western high density HST if I remember right - in absolute terms it might not be a huge number, but good for FlyBe anyway.
 

Brown

Member
Joined
17 Feb 2017
Messages
61
Sorry if I sound stupid to ask this question at this time - what are the possibilities of doubling the tracks (I assume it is single tracks in each direction) from Reading to Feltham such that “real” fast journeys can happen in the future up to waterloo?

I know my question has nothing to do with strikes but at least having double tracks would help speeding up the journeys causing no havoc and less frustration to the common people :( .
 

Grecian 1998

Member
Joined
27 Oct 2019
Messages
416
Location
Bristol
Noticed an article today in the independent that many people in the south coast are flying from devon to london to avoid the strikes

If it's this article: [QUOTE https://www.independent.co.uk/trave...-cancelled-flight-exeter-london-a9238586.html /QUOTE] then the fact that there's a picture of a Flybe plane in the header along with a direct reference to Flybe suggests the Independent might have received a call from someone with an 'idea' for an article.

I suspect the number of people who 'commute' regularly to London from the four stations mentioned left with only a RRB service - Pinhoe, Cranbrook, Whimple and Feniton - is fewer than 10. Generally most passengers from Honiton westward needing to get to London quickly probably travel into Exeter St Davids or drive to Tiverton Parkway anyway to pick up the Paddington service, so their journeys aren't likely to be affected anyway.

Given also that the Independent acknowledges the early morning 1 way air fare on Monday was over £200, I doubt SWR will be losing too much sleep over this claim.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Top