Railway phone book

EM2 · 2 May 2011

I have a project at work, which involves updating all our passenger assistance information for all the stations we serve, i.e what hours assistance is available, whether they have boarding ramps etc.
A lot of this I can get off Nataional Rail Enquiries website, but what I can't get from there is contact phone numbers. I have a lot of them, but not sure I have *all* of them and I also want to make sure I have the right ones.

Is there a national phone directory for the railway phone system these days?

RailUK Forums

Mojo · 2 May 2011

I've sent you a PM.

jd · 2 May 2011

OT, but I'd be cautious about relying on the information on NRE - it was probably put there several years ago by your predecessors and is very possibly wildly outdated by now.

EM2 · 2 May 2011

jd said:
OT, but I'd be cautious about relying on the information on NRE - it was probably put there several years ago by your predecessors and is very possibly wildly outdated by now.

Partly the reason I want the telephone numbers, so I can check with each station that what I have is accurate!

wintonian · 2 May 2011

Then could you tell NRE that it isn't. :lol:

brompton rail · 2 May 2011

EM2 said:
Partly the reason I want the telephone numbers, so I can check with each station that what I have is accurate!

Would this be easiest if you contact each TOC that you need to ask for the station managers' numbers. My experience with only one TOC is that Station Managers (who cover groups of stations) have mobile, rather than fixed line numbers. I cannot pass on these numbers because I received them for another purpose and it is not my data, hence the suggestion of going via the TOC.

barrykas · 2 May 2011

EM2 said:
Is there a national phone directory for the railway phone system these days?

Could always ring the switchboard and ask to be put through, though it'd take a while.

Phone numbers (both internal and external) and opening hours can also be found in The Manual if you have access. (Stations & Locations -> Stations & Locations information).

Cheers,

Barry

island · 2 May 2011

NRE generally gives call centre numbers for the operators of the larger stations. This was particularly annoying when I left a jacket on a train a month or so ago, realised as the train was pulling out, and looked up the phone number of the terminus (which was Brighton) on NRE and on calling was put through to the Southern call centre, who steadfastly refused to connect me to Brighton station. I have no doubt if I had been able to contact them they would have pulled the jacket and arranged for me to get it back.

Mojo · 2 May 2011

barrykas said:
Could always ring the switchboard and ask to be put through, though it'd take a while.

Phone numbers (both internal and external) and opening hours can also be found in The Manual if you have access. (Stations & Locations -> Stations & Locations information).

Aside from the fact that lots of the information is missing, this may not be totally useful for mobility assistance purposes.

As I said in the PM I sent to the OP (and someone else who asked), at the station where I used to work, we had a telephone directory for all staffed stations which highlighted which number needed to be called for mobility assistance.

At some locations for mobility you needed to call the ticket office, others the platform staff, some the station supervisor/manager, announcer, station control room, station reception or special mobility assistance desk. Some stations even have different numbers and staff depending on the Toc!

jd · 2 May 2011

island said:
NRE generally gives call centre numbers for the operators of the larger stations. This was particularly annoying when I left a jacket on a train a month or so ago, realised as the train was pulling out, and looked up the phone number of the terminus (which was Brighton) on NRE and on calling was put through to the Southern call centre, who steadfastly refused to connect me to Brighton station. I have no doubt if I had been able to contact them they would have pulled the jacket and arranged for me to get it back.

Individual station numbers aren't usually made public. From experience, I can tell you that when people do get hold of the number of a station, they start phoning and asking the ticket office staff for train times, journey planning, etc - when the staff have customers to be serving. Hence it's easier to not give these numbers out...

First class · 2 May 2011

Merseyrail staff just usually dial 100 from a railway phone and go through the Operator, (usually either Glasgow or Crewe based people), other than having to spell out the station name, I've never had any problems using that system. They can connect you through to control rooms, signal boxes, head offices, depots and stations around GB.

We also have a copy of the ATOC Directory 2011, (updated around Summer annually) for contacting other TOCs HQs etc, but that is more for admin/manager orientated positions.

Still find e-mailing stations is a lot easier for you and them, (and keeps a record!), should something go wrong when fingers start pointing!

Mojo · 2 May 2011

First class said:
Still find e-mailing stations is a lot easier for you and them, (and keeps a record!), should something go wrong when fingers start pointing!

This isn't necessarily very useful for mobility assists where you may need an instant response. Where I used to work we didn't even have a connection to an email account!

First class · 2 May 2011

Mojo said:
This isn't necessarily very useful for mobility assists where you may need an instant response. Where I used to work we didn't even have a connection to an email account!

Ah on Merseyrail specific staff are designated to only deal with wheelchairs and travel across the network solely to do assists. They all have Blackberrys and all station staff/guards/managers have easy email access, usually in the form of BBs.

We also find using the Long Line PA system (through Control) gets their attention should a response not be received quick enough!

island · 2 May 2011

jd said:
Individual station numbers aren't usually made public. From experience, I can tell you that when people do get hold of the number of a station, they start phoning and asking the ticket office staff for train times, journey planning, etc - when the staff have customers to be serving. Hence it's easier to not give these numbers out...

I can sympathize with that; the bank I work for used to have the same policy but reversed it a couple of years ago; the branch phone lines divert to a call centre if unanswered and can answer most of the queries, but they can send the call back to branch if it's something that really needs to be handled in branch, like, say, lost property

Railway phone book

EM2

Established Member

RailUK Forums

Mojo

Forum Staff

jd

Member

EM2

Established Member

wintonian

Established Member

brompton rail

Member

barrykas

Established Member

island

Veteran Member

Mojo

Forum Staff

jd

Member

First class

Established Member

Mojo

Forum Staff

First class

Established Member

island

Veteran Member