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Chase Line... Shambles..??

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Chui323

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Joined
4 Mar 2018
Messages
5
dangie said:
Thanks. I understand what you mean by 'no crews today' but why wouldn't there have been no crews today?
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I wonder if the dispute with the RMT has had anything to do with the shortage of train crew?
 
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bionic

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8 Nov 2013
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883
According to my mate who works for them, there was an OT agreement in place for the last couple of months whereby drivers and guards were getting extra to work rest days and sundays. While the agreement was in place they didnt struggle to cover work because people were coming in for the extra money. That agreement ran out last week and OT is back to being paid at the normal rate. The weather was good yesterday and WMT staff got paid on Friday, so that's pretty much the reason why there were loads of turns uncovered.

This is nothing to do with the RMT or staff going sick, it's just what happens when TOCs haven't got enough staff to cover the work and rely on OT. Sadly the entire national rail system is run like this.

Simply put, there aren't enough train crew at any TOC. One look at the recruitment thread on here shows you how desperate so many people are to work on the railway but can't get on. It's very sad that it's so hard to get jobs when TOCs blatantly need far more drivers and guards than they actually employ. It's a depressing fact of life that TOCs would rather cancel trains than have people sitting spare.

Edit: a quick internet search shows there was also a rail defect near Birmingham New Street yesterday which can't have helped things.
 
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Silverlinky

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Joined
3 Feb 2012
Messages
683
bionic said:
According to my mate who works for them, there was an OT agreement in place for the last couple of months whereby drivers and guards were getting extra to work rest days and sundays. While the agreement was in place they didnt struggle to cover work because people were coming in for the extra money. That agreement ran out last week and OT is back to being paid at the normal rate. The weather was good yesterday and WMT staff got paid on Friday, so that's pretty much the reason why there were loads of turns uncovered.

This is nothing to do with the RMT or staff going sick, it's just what happens when TOCs haven't got enough staff to cover the work and rely on OT. Sadly the entire national rail system is run like this.

Simply put, there aren't enough train crew at any TOC. One look at the recruitment thread on here shows you how desperate so many people are to work on the railway but can't get on. It's very sad that it's so hard to get jobs when TOCs blatantly need far more drivers and guards than they actually employ. It's a depressing fact of life that TOCs would rather cancel trains than have people sitting spare.

Edit: a quick internet search shows there was also a rail defect near Birmingham New Street yesterday which can't have helped things.
Click to expand...

The first part ref the agreement is indeed correct. There has however been a spike in sickness post agreement (part of the agreement stated that if you went sick during the length of that period you would lose all enhancements earned over the entire period)

There are, on paper, more than enough traincrew, however there may be numbers of non-productive staff, due to medical, safety, union or whatever reasons. There is also still the summer leave roster, so despite the school holidays being over, there will be people who like to take leave outside of these periods.
Rosters will have a percentage of spare turns, and cover turns, that doesn't change. but there's no doubt that TOCS will want more and more out of staff productivity wise, they are private businesses after all. The days of a messroom full of crew drinking tea and playing cards are long gone.

Yes, the railway runs on overtime....but there are rest day working agreements, special OT agreements and so on put in place, which is strange seeing as both unions want to see an end to institutionalised overtime (at least thats what their charters say)

When you have all drivers and some SC's earning the money they are, all overtime is taxed at 40% and then NI on that too, so over half of what you earn is gone before you see it. When you're getting enhancements over and above the norm its worthwhile, when its back to normal rates it makes people think twice! Plus when they've earned what they have over the past month or two, perhaps most think its time for a rest.
 
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bionic

Member
Joined
8 Nov 2013
Messages
883
Ah, didnt know that about the sickness. Surely though, if that was the agreement, they must have expected people to go sick afterwards? It seems a bit naive to think otherwise.

Personally I don't understand those people who smash the overtime. Its nice to have the option but some people seem to work every day just to be the richest man in the graveyard. If you can't live comfortably on a drivers basic wage (outside the south east) then I don't know how people in other jobs manage.
 
H

HLE

Established Member
Joined
27 Dec 2013
Messages
1,405
Your mate is correct. Usually agreements get extended to keep the job moving but this time around it hasn't been.

bionic said:
According to my mate who works for them, there was an OT agreement in place for the last couple of months whereby drivers and guards were getting extra to work rest days and sundays. While the agreement was in place they didnt struggle to cover work because people were coming in for the extra money. That agreement ran out last week and OT is back to being paid at the normal rate. The weather was good yesterday and WMT staff got paid on Friday, so that's pretty much the reason why there were loads of turns uncovered.

This is nothing to do with the RMT or staff going sick, it's just what happens when TOCs haven't got enough staff to cover the work and rely on OT. Sadly the entire national rail system is run like this.

Simply put, there aren't enough train crew at any TOC. One look at the recruitment thread on here shows you how desperate so many people are to work on the railway but can't get on. It's very sad that it's so hard to get jobs when TOCs blatantly need far more drivers and guards than they actually employ. It's a depressing fact of life that TOCs would rather cancel trains than have people sitting spare.

Edit: a quick internet search shows there was also a rail defect near Birmingham New Street yesterday which can't have helped things.
Click to expand...
 
D

Dave91131

Member
Joined
13 Jun 2018
Messages
671
Hopefully the correct thread for the below, but please feel free to move if not.

Last Saturday evening, circa 1800, I witnessed at Birmingham New Street something I can only describe as disgraceful.

In a nutshell, an 8-car 350 had arrived from Euston in platform 5. Front 4 coaches for Rugeley Trent Valley, rear 4 detached to await the arrival of another unit (ex Rugeley I think) then work back to Euston as an 8-car.

The passenger information screens along the full length of the platform, even those adjacent to the detached unit, were displaying the Rugeley service. Numerous passengers were trying to board the detached unit, thinking it was the Rugeley train as the screens were suggesting, to no avail as the doors had been locked.

Platform staff waiting to dispatch the front unit (the actual Rugeley train) noticed said passengers in the distance and waved them up the platform to board the correct unit. Less than 30 seconds later, with the 30+ passengers having made a valiant effort with shopping etc to get up the platform, the Rugeley train was locked and dispatched as they arrived at the doors of the rear coach to try to board.

Given the information shown by the screens and the fact that the platform staff (along with the train guard) of the Rugeley train had seen the passengers trying to board the incorrect unit, I was lost for words when the train was dispatched with them at the doors. Needless to say numerous expletives were audible, I didn't but I was tempted to 'let rip' too at what I had witnessed.

Has anyone else seen anything like this, specifically given the general shambles of the local Birmingham routes of late?

Thoughts / opinions / discussion welcome.
 
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sufian123

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Joined
1 May 2017
Messages
1,160
Location
Birmingham
Dave91131 said:
Hopefully the correct thread for the below, but please feel free to move if not.

Last Saturday evening, circa 1800, I witnessed at Birmingham New Street something I can only describe as disgraceful.

In a nutshell, an 8-car 350 had arrived from Euston in platform 5. Front 4 coaches for Rugeley Trent Valley, rear 4 detached to await the arrival of another unit (ex Rugeley I think) then work back to Euston as an 8-car.

The passenger information screens along the full length of the platform, even those adjacent to the detached unit, were displaying the Rugeley service. Numerous passengers were trying to board the detached unit, thinking it was the Rugeley train as the screens were suggesting, to no avail as the doors had been locked.

Platform staff waiting to dispatch the front unit (the actual Rugeley train) noticed said passengers in the distance and waved them up the platform to board the correct unit. Less than 30 seconds later, with the 30+ passengers having made a valiant effort with shopping etc to get up the platform, the Rugeley train was locked and dispatched as they arrived at the doors of the rear coach to try to board.

Given the information shown by the screens and the fact that the platform staff (along with the train guard) of the Rugeley train had seen the passengers trying to board the incorrect unit, I was lost for words when the train was dispatched with them at the doors. Needless to say numerous expletives were audible, I didn't but I was tempted to 'let rip' too at what I had witnessed.

Has anyone else seen anything like this, specifically given the general shambles of the local Birmingham routes of late?

Thoughts / opinions / discussion welcome.
Click to expand...

I have accounted it on the Euston-Crewe/Rgl spilts. 10s left behind or ended in wrong direction. Worst part is first stop is TameBridge then it’s a long way to get back. Then again this happens with virgin Shrewsbury train spilts. It will take time for passengers/staffs to get use to
 
T

The Planner

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Joined
15 Apr 2008
Messages
15,933
Llanigraham said:
Quite simply, timings for access to New St are so tight that holding any train even for a couple of minutes can screw-up a huge area and delay hundreds of passengers.
Click to expand...
No excuse for dodgy PIS and not informing people on the trains or platforms though. New St, whilst busy, can recover.
 
londonmidland

londonmidland

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22 Dec 2009
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Location
Leicester
New Street has, stupidly, muted all auto announcements so any trains which split/join there aren’t announced, adding to the confusion.
 
Kite159

Kite159

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