Hi all,
I was wondering if anyone knew if there's any issues with Avanti currently? Cancellations seem to of spiked in the last week with a lot more cancelled today.
Sickness? Work to rule? Just not enough traincrew?
Possibly. Would it make a difference? It's the same people, doing the same jobs, wearing a different uniformDoes there come a time where the franchise is taken away?
Cancelling trains is cheaper£600 a shift rest day work agreement should resolve some of this.
I think basically it's just going into a spiral of decline. The staff don't like the management, so simply do the job and go home. They aren't doing any extra or working rest days, apart from those who really need the money.
The question really is, how far are both sides prepared to let it go? The government have said they aren't prepared to throw endless money at the railways, are they seeing how much services can be cut back? At the end of the day Avanti are cancelling more & more trains but the country is still going. And they've taken more staff on, so there's an argument to say more staff (and expense) isn't the answer.
Does there come a time where the franchise is taken away?
Cancelling trains is cheaper
Probably not long term when people slowly stop using the trains, or use them less frequently because of it.Cancelling trains is cheaper
Probably not long term when people slowly stop using the trains, or use them less frequently because of it.
Things would have to be really bad for that, seeing as the contract was only recently renewed.Does there come a time where the franchise is taken away?
Probably not long term when people slowly stop using the trains, or use them less frequently because of it.
And not in the short term. If a train is cancelled due to no driver (who would generally work more than one train in their hypothetical £600 shift), delay repay alone could equal many thousands per train!
The DfT view will almost certainly be, it is better to spend less money now and lose some passengers, then reduce the service to meet lower demand, and reduce long term costs, rather than spend money trying to keep passengers you have and thus having to keep the service you currently have.Wrong.
Bear in mind the WCML is the biggest cash cow DfT has in terms of rail. It won't want to lose that income.The DfT view will almost certainly be, it is better to spend less money now and lose some passengers, then reduce the service to meet lower demand, and reduce long term costs, rather than spend money trying to keep passengers you have and thus having to keep the service you currently have.
it's not a totally flawed business argument, supermarkets use a similar argument & they are big businesses. How much money do you spend keeping customers? Particularly if it's cheaper to lose some and lose the costs that go with them. We're just in early stages where it suits neither business nor customers at the moment. But something will give. It has to.
I didn't say their view was the right one! But I suspect there's an accountant who won't sign the cheque to pay for extra staff!Bear in mind the WCML is the biggest cash cow DfT has in terms of rail. It won't want to lose that income.
The DfT view will almost certainly be, it is better to spend less money now and lose some passengers, then reduce the service to meet lower demand, and reduce long term costs, rather than spend money trying to keep passengers you have and thus having to keep the service you currently have.
It really isn’t!Cancelling trains is cheaper
That's what I'm suggesting DfT are working towards, and thus saving moneyI don't suppose reducing the timetable to a level where we don't have to rely on staff doing Rest Day Working is an option?
Only until you've dampened demand and can then reduce the timetable.It really isn’t!
Think about delay repay, any refunds of people decide to travel!
Cancelling far out days paying £600 to get some crew to work a train
Speaking to someone 'in the know' the other day & there's a strong rumour that an announcement is expected next week on West Coast becoming OLRThings would have to be really bad for that, seeing as the contract was only recently renewed.
And OLR-operated "franchises" (contracts) are not immune from cancellations or the same industrial relations dispute either.
I have also heard this from someone who works for the company. Seems internal rumours are that a big meeting is taking place with a possible announcement of some kind on the 21stSpeaking to someone 'in the know' the other day & there's a strong rumour that an announcement is expected next week on West Coast becoming OLR
That's what I'm suggesting DfT are working towards, and thus saving money
Only until you've dampened demand and can then reduce the timetable.
I have also heard this from someone who works for the company. Seems internal rumours are that a big meeting is taking place with a possible announcement of some kind on the 21st
21st March. Watch this space. Big news coming. Fingers crossed no more first group on the wcml.
Is the Government leaving itself to being sued by FristGroup if they are stripped of their contract for poor performance when the performance was out of their hands?I expect the new RDW agreement will improve things drastically and, as I suspected, is strategically timed…
Is the Government leaving itself to being sued by FristGroup if they are stripped of their contract for poor performance when the performance was out of their hands?