CrossCountry's Driver Shortage

[Lewisham2221]

Apologies if I'm putting 2+2 together and getting 5, but as a fairly casual observer to this subject, it would appear that this problem is particularly acutely affecting XC's Birmingham depot - is this correct? If so, why is the problem so much worse at this depot than their other depots?

 

[Class 170101]

From X (Twitter) https://x.com/ChimeWhistle/status/1929105743812198562

With a record 57 cancelled @CrossCountryUK trains today,

I wonder what the heck is actually going wrong here?

 

[43055]

Brum <> Stansted now also added to the disruption list.



Looking forward to my journey from Coventry to Reading late tomorrow arvo! Bets on single sets running round to compound the cancellation fun and games? Or even better, the ultimate kick in the teeth with a set being towed along behind but locked out of use?

Even more fun and games going north as the last 2 from Bournemouth are cancelled!

That'd be a standard Sunday.

Already all but the 1145 and 1345 from Cardiff have been cancelled. What are the chances they run?

Nottingham end whilst better is not much with a 4 hour gap between the second to last and last trains.

To give a little bit of credit though it appears 170638 did a 0931 Derby to Birmingham in place of the canceled Leeds - Plymouth voyager which started at Birmingham. The 170 came from Tyseley Depot and picked up a Leicester service at Birmingham which would of come from the depot anyway.

Realtime Trains | 1T48 0931 Derby to Birmingham New Street | 01/06/2025

Real-time train running information for 1T48 0931 departure from Derby to Birmingham New Street on 01/06/2025. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

 

[Bald Rick]

Apologies if I'm putting 2+2 together and getting 5, but as a fairly casual observer to this subject, it would appear that this problem is particularly acutely affecting XC's Birmingham depot - is this correct? If so, why is the problem so much worse at this depot than their other depots?

Correct.

It’s by far the largest depot, and AIUI has several progressive links which significantly increases training requirements.

 

[MrJeeves]

AIUI has several progressive links

What are "progressive links"?

 

[Bald Rick]

What are "progressive links"?

Broadly speaking, links are grouos of work on the roster that a specifc group of drivers will work. Cross country covers so much geography it’s not practical for all Birmingham drivers to sign all of it.

I don’t know the detail here, so what follows is fictional but used as an example.

EG:

Link 1 will be work the Class 170s from Birmingham to Leicester, plus cover Gloucester to Nottingham

Link 2 will work the 170s, but cover Birmingham - Cambridge, and Cardiff to Nottingham

Link 3 will work 22x, covering Sheffield to Bristol and Cardiff via Gloucester,

Link 4 will work 22x, covers same as 3 plus Manchester to Bham incl all diversionary routes, and Bham to Reading

etc


Drivers will automatically move up the links as people leave (usually through retirement). So if someone from the ‘top’ link (often the link with the most route / traction knowledge) retires, one driver eill step up from the next link, creating a gap, whcih twkes someone from the next link, creating a gap, and so on. And they will all need training on routes and/or traction at the same time before being sufficiently productive to work the roster. So one retirement can trigger a whole cascade of people who become unproductive, or at least less productive, for a while.

This is a gross simplification, but I hope it helps.

 

[MrJeeves]

This is a gross simplification, but I hope it helps.

Very helpful indeed! Thanks

 

[Harpo]

What are "progressive links"?

Link progression is a very old concept. Historically it was the means for progressing senior drivers to the best paid work, especially ‘mileage’ work where extra payment was made for long distance work. It often reduced the unsocial starts and finishes too and left the poorer quality work to lower links.

 

[Envoy]

I have just checked on RTT for trains passing through Chepstow today - Sunday 1 June 2015. Looks like Cross Country have given up running between the Midlands & Cardiff - presumably because their drivers don't want to work Sundays - or bunk off? This is no way to run a railway. I guess the TFW trains on the Cheltenham to Cardiff run are rammed?

 

[dk1]

I have just checked on RTT for trains passing through Chepstow today - Sunday 1 June 2015. Looks like Cross Country have given up running between the Midlands & Cardiff - presumably because their drivers don't want to work Sundays - or bunk off? This is no way to run a railway. I guess the TFW trains on the Cheltenham to Cardiff run are rammed?

It wouldn’t simply be that they are not contracted to work Sundays so therefore expressing their right to take the day off. Nobody would bunk off as in the school days sense.

 

[godfreycomplex]

Broadly speaking, links are grouos of work on the roster that a specifc group of drivers will work. Cross country covers so much geography it’s not practical for all Birmingham drivers to sign all of it.

I don’t know the detail here, so what follows is fictional but used as an example.

EG:

Link 1 will be work the Class 170s from Birmingham to Leicester, plus cover Gloucester to Nottingham

Link 2 will work the 170s, but cover Birmingham - Cambridge, and Cardiff to Nottingham

Link 3 will work 22x, covering Sheffield to Bristol and Cardiff via Gloucester,

Link 4 will work 22x, covers same as 3 plus Manchester to Bham incl all diversionary routes, and Bham to Reading

etc


Drivers will automatically move up the links as people leave (usually through retirement). So if someone from the ‘top’ link (often the link with the most route / traction knowledge) retires, one driver eill step up from the next link, creating a gap, whcih twkes someone from the next link, creating a gap, and so on. And they will all need training on routes and/or traction at the same time before being sufficiently productive to work the roster. So one retirement can trigger a whole cascade of people who become unproductive, or at least less productive, for a while.

This is a gross simplification, but I hope it helps.

New Street did like that at one point, but now there are two main links, one signs one route (Leicester - Cambridge) and one signs another (Reading - Bournemouth) but other than that both links nominally sign the same. One of the issues is that the route card at New Street is vast ( https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/different-driver-depot-route-and-traction-cards.205085/) and it takes a very long time for people to learn all of it.

 

[43066]

I have just checked on RTT for trains passing through Chepstow today - Sunday 1 June 2015. Looks like Cross Country have given up running between the Midlands & Cardiff - presumably because their drivers don't want to work Sundays - or bunk off? This is no way to run a railway. I guess the TFW trains on the Cheltenham to Cardiff run are rammed?

Someone not attending work on a day they aren’t contracted to be there is hardly “bunking off”.

 

[Envoy]

It wouldn’t simply be that they are not contracted to work Sundays so therefore expressing their right to take the day off. Nobody would bunk off as in the school days sense.

Seems to me that when Labour won the election, they gave the train drivers a massive pay rise without any change to terms & conditions with an obligation to make Sundays part of the rostered working schedule.

 

[dk1]

Seems to me that when Labour won the election, they gave the train drivers a massive pay rise without any change to terms & conditions with an obligation to make Sundays part of the rostered working schedule.

It was purely a pay deal. Had nothing to do with altering T&Cs. That wouldn’t come anywhere near as easily or cheaply.

 

[43066]

Seems to me that when Labour won the election, they gave the train drivers a massive pay rise without any change to terms & conditions with an obligation to make Sundays part of the rostered working schedule.

The “massive pay rise” was still a cut in real terms given inflation since 2019, and was intended to bring the long running national dispute to a close, after many drivers went five years with no increase. This was all discussed at length at the time of the settlement.

Up to now there has been no sign that the current government (via the DfT) want to bring Sundays into the working week across the board. As and when that happens, we may see an improvement.

 

[Mag_seven]

If anyone has any issues with XC cancellations for any reason and they require advice then please start a new thread in Trip Planning and Reports or Fares Advice.

We will bring discussion on this one to a close now as it has just become a service disruption thread (the forum policy on such threads can be viewed here) and the issue of bringing Sundays into the working week at XC is seemingly not going away soon

thanks all