That's my thinking too.
If it was planned, I'm sure BTP would be speaking to the ringleaders about obstruction now.
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Northern Passengers Taking “Direct Action.”
- Thread starter Raul_Duke
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If it was planned, I'm sure BTP would be speaking to the ringleaders about obstruction now.
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Raul_Duke
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How though?
Unless the ringleaders made themselves known? I doubt there’s a room at GCHQ where they monitor the internet for malicious chatter regarding delayed pacers at Bolton
tomwills98
Member
I'm inclined to think that they did hold the train. We had commuters hold a pacer (vice three carriage train) hostage on an Ebbw Vale service at Cardiff Central once, they eventually got a Swansea service cancelled and a 153 added to the back. Hasn't happened since though.
In fact, it arose in response to the large amounts of repetitive nonsense that people.of a certain age have plastered across the internet (since their grandchildren told them how to operate it), in particular the determination to ignore that levels of social mobility, wealth inequality etc are rather different now to what they were 50 years back
Northern have been haemorraging passengers on the Crewe to Manchester services since May 2018 timetable change. The removal of the reliable shuttle services via Manchester Airport and Stockport to Alderley Edge/Crewe in favour of extensions (and resulting increased delays) to Liverpool and Southport has eroded the service.
One of them was probably a Sprinter - to non-rail enthusiasts, a Pacer is any of Northern's knackered trains...
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I think most posters here are missing the point. Northern customers are not interested in if the service is being run by a class 142 or a 150. Most customers don't care about paths or diagrams or allocations. They just want the train to be on time so they can reliably get to and from work.
Most people I speak to are aware that Northern has been given the rough end of the stick in terms of rolling stock but there is a concern (again of the people I speak to) that Northern don't care and so allocate poorly and give cut and paste responses on twitter or too complaints.
For that reason peaceful protest is all we have left in order to force through a change. You only have to look at Northern's twitter feed to realise that livelihoods are at risk because of the poor service which Northerns provides.
Most people I speak to are aware that Northern has been given the rough end of the stick in terms of rolling stock but there is a concern (again of the people I speak to) that Northern don't care and so allocate poorly and give cut and paste responses on twitter or too complaints.
For that reason peaceful protest is all we have left in order to force through a change. You only have to look at Northern's twitter feed to realise that livelihoods are at risk because of the poor service which Northerns provides.
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Apart from the person mentioned in the OP, which the whole thread is based on.
The overall point is that the wider travelling public have had enough of Northern and no amount of inward railway gazing will fix it. Northern won't respond to complaints so peaceful process is all that remains.
There was a situation a few years back with a peak overcrowded Southport 142 at Deansgate.
The guard decided he wasn’t going to take the train any further unless some passengers got off, no one was moving so a stand off ensued. Windows were banged on, announcements were made on the PA, it all became a bit Basil Fawlty which doesn’t ever work when dealing with public. After more threats over the PA the BTP were called, 20 minutes later the coppers arrived and spoke to the guard and he took the train out...
There was an article in the MEN as I recall. MEN called it a passenger “revolt” or similar
The guard decided he wasn’t going to take the train any further unless some passengers got off, no one was moving so a stand off ensued. Windows were banged on, announcements were made on the PA, it all became a bit Basil Fawlty which doesn’t ever work when dealing with public. After more threats over the PA the BTP were called, 20 minutes later the coppers arrived and spoke to the guard and he took the train out...
There was an article in the MEN as I recall. MEN called it a passenger “revolt” or similar
Au contraire!
When Pacers operated on their own, there were several tweets a day complaining about the flange noise/leaking/bus seats, specifically calling out the Pacers. Passengers do care about what turns up, and the most prolific case of that is the North vs. the Pacer; probably the most well-known train by non-enthusiasts.
Purple Orange
On Moderation
I need to ask, do you use that service regularly to commute? Or do you have data available to you? Because day in, day out, I just see a service that is in dire need of more reliability and more carriages. It was busy before 2018 and still is. It is tiring to use now, but before may 2018 commuting on that line was comfortable, certainly compared to how I remember commuting in London.
18:32 Leeds to Sheffield was a 2 carriage 144 this evening not coupled to anything else!
johnnychips
Established Member
The 144s are OK. It’s the 142s that have to be attached to a compliant unit. Seen loads of 144s working solo round Sheffield and Doncaster today.
There was a situation a few years back with a peak overcrowded Southport 142 at Deansgate.
The guard decided he wasn’t going to take the train any further unless some passengers got off, no one was moving so a stand off ensued. Windows were banged on, announcements were made on the PA, it all became a bit Basil Fawlty which doesn’t ever work when dealing with public. After more threats over the PA the BTP were called, 20 minutes later the coppers arrived and spoke to the guard and he took the train out...
There was an article in the MEN as I recall. MEN called it a passenger “revolt” or similar
Used to be a regular occurrence on the last Hallam stopper out of Leeds on a bank holiday Sunday. They've got better at doubling up recently.
ElectroSoldier
Member
Over crowded.
I wonder how many of them thought to simply get off the train and catch another one.
If they were that concerned then they wouldn't risk it. Why is their own safety somebody elses problem
I wonder how many of them thought to simply get off the train and catch another one.
If they were that concerned then they wouldn't risk it. Why is their own safety somebody elses problem
Spartacus
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All a load of claptrap anyway, it was a door fault on the 158, and there were (as expected) no pairs of pacers.
Because the next one to Victoria nearly 30 minutes later at 0817 could be even worse, and was VERY likely to have been as the 0755 and 0809 into Piccadilly were cancelled.
Because the next one to Victoria nearly 30 minutes later at 0817 could be even worse, and was VERY likely to have been as the 0755 and 0809 into Piccadilly were cancelled.
NorthernSpirit
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By the sounds of it they'd love that, I like the fact that they state that the useage of the Pacer is "illegal" when the Pacer itself is coupled to a compliant unit. What does this "OK, Boomer" person want? A class 153 bolted on to the rear, a ten car unit? (because the south east do).
Northern should look at employing more Revenue Protection Inspectors and have them working from the various unstaffed stations, it'd save the guard hassle from having to platoon their way through.
As you say about patience seemingly wearing thin on the Airedale Line, I can see something kicking off eventually.
May never know, should this escalate we could see a Northern Fare Strike yet but I do think that the Government will before long take action before the passengers do.
I will double au contraire you. Further up this thread there is a run of comments about how people who don't know confuse trainers. It's the run which starts with a comment on two pacers running together when at least one would be a sprinter.
Pacer has become a collective noun for all the old knackered Northern stock for many people.
D365
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Wasn't there recently a tweet seen from a disgruntled passenger, complaining about Northern still operating Pacers, but attaching a photo of the interior of a Class 195?
Dr Hoo
Established Member
Nothing new about this sort of thing. When I was a Service Group Manager with ScotRail in BR days there was a lot of criticism of the new Regional Railways DMUs because of limited cycle accommodation. We re-introduced some summer-only conventional loco-hauled sets on the Highland Main Line to boost capacity and I went out to 'mystery shop'.
At Inverness a couple of cyclists turned up and loaded their steeds into the shabby Mark I brake. "This must be one of them Sprinter trains that there's been all the complaints about. Disgusting, isn't it", one of them observed to his colleague.
squizzler
Established Member
I seem to recall the rallying cry of rail user groups that listed the priorities:
More trains!
Better trains!
Electric trains!
I felt that slogan was memorable, non-political, and should be revived.
More trains!
Better trains!
Electric trains!
I felt that slogan was memorable, non-political, and should be revived.
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