CrossCountry's Driver Shortage

[GingerSte]

Thanks to those who answered.

From the answers, it sounds like ASLEF could have blocked XC from taking on and training more drivers, but haven't chosen to. I was assuming they would, to give themselves more leverage in negotiations.

 

[Krokodil]

How many cancellations have Cross Country had this working week through traincrew shortages?

It's February. The real test will be in the summer.

 

[Bald Rick]

It's February. The real test will be in the summer.

But you said they couldn’t reliably cover weekdays. Yet they have this week!

 

[PLY2AYS]

AIUI re Crosscountry:

1) Their driver training ‘schools’ have been recently expanded, are full, and are fully booked for the forseeable

Thank you for the clarification on this. It’s reassuring to hear that they’ve improved their recruitment and training model, as opposed to the ‘poaching’ style tactic I was told they used to use.

3) On the basis that it is Sundays that is the problem, hiring more drivers on top of those already in the process of being trained / hired / forecast to be hired in the coming years won’t solve it - that would just cause there to be more drivers with nothing to do on Monday-Saturday, and little change on Sundays.

I think this is vitally important, especially as we approach renationalisation and negotiations with ASLEF.
Sundays inside the working week is a looming issue… and if it is successfully negotiated, then there won’t be a plethora of drivers sat around in the week with ‘nothing to do’ it will require a complete remodelling of rostering and redistribution of rest days.

 

[Krokodil]

But you said they couldn’t reliably cover weekdays. Yet they have this week!

"Reliably" requires a bit more consistency than just having one good week.

 

[Russel]

If Sundays are the problem, why have the new drivers not been employed on a contract that included Sunday as part of the working week?

In my non rail job, we had an issue covering Sundays, so when hiring new staff, we did this... problem solved!

 

[NEDdrv]

If Sundays are the problem, why have the new drivers not been employed on a contract that included Sunday as part of the working week?

In my non rail job, we had an issue covering Sundays, so when hiring new staff, we did this... problem solved!

XC drivers have committed Sundays, depot establishments should be able to cover Sundays but there are always times when you may have a number of drivers who are on a booked Sunday but are sick, on rostered annual leave (middle Sunday of 2 weeks leave always booked off and Sunday before or after a weeks leave can be requested off).

 

[87015]

Loads of cancellations on the Cardiffs today (and the evening Voyager P-coded) with three on the bounce so a four hour gap, so if this is a good week as said above...

 

[1D54]

Since i posted last night the Sunday working, and other days, seems to have exploded on here but why is it on the Cardiff services when surely the same drivers do Leicester / Cambridge runs and these are not affected to the same degree?

 

[class 9]

Since i posted last night the Sunday working, and other days, seems to have exploded on here but why is it on the Cardiff services when surely the same drivers do Leicester / Cambridge runs and these are not affected to the same degree?

Brum Cardiff services are usually the first to be binned as there's alternatives, TfW and GWR changing at Bristol PW.

 

[1D54]

Brum Cardiff services are usually the first to be binned as there's alternatives, TfW and GWR changing at Bristol PW.

I've had to do XC to Parkway in the past for a GWR service to Cardiff but I'm surprised the latter have put up with carrying customers where they make no revenue but if it's a valid route then there's not much they can do.

 

[TravelDream]

Brum Cardiff services are usually the first to be binned as there's alternatives, TfW and GWR changing at Bristol PW.

Cardiff to Birmingham is the real ugly sister of CrossCountry's network with Birmingham to Nottingham her slightly better looking ugly twin.
Cancellations on weekdays frequently occur (like today).
On weekends, cancellations are both incredibly frequent and normal.

Yes, there are alternatives.
Whether that's TFW to Cheltenham and then XC onwards or GWR to Bristol Parkway and then XC onwards.
But many routes have alternates and it's no excuse for the incredibly shoddy service XC provides.

XC also love to put out their ''Passengers with advance or 'XC only' tickets may travel using the two CrossCountry services operating before and after this service at no additional cost'' message when frequently both the service before and after are also cancelled. Not exactly the most customer friendly and yet another reminder that Britain's railways aren't designed to serve the customer.

I've had to do XC to Parkway in the past for a GWR service to Cardiff but I'm surprised the latter have put up with carrying customers where they make no revenue but if it's a valid route then there's not much they can do.

It's a valid route and there isn't really that much of a time difference - literally a minute or two on many services.
The downside is the hassle of changing.
GWR will get a cut of the revenue on a Cardiff to Birmingham ticket under ORCATS, but I imagine it'd be tiny and XC would get the vast majority.

 

[Bald Rick]

If Sundays are the problem, why have the new drivers not been employed on a contract that included Sunday as part of the working week?

Because that would have to be agreed with ASLEF. Some TOCs have managed that, some TOCs have not.

 

[Dr Day]

Brum Cardiff services are usually the first to be binned as there's alternatives, TfW and GWR changing at Bristol PW.

For most journeys, but I needed to go Chepstow -University the other day and instead of a direct 1 hour 20ish trip I ended up taking over 3.5 hours with three changes, standing for two of the legs.

 

[vicbury]

For most journeys, but I needed to go Chepstow -University the other day and instead of a direct 1 hour 20ish trip I ended up taking over 3.5 hours with three changes, standing for two of the legs.

Indeed, and for commuters along the Gloucester - Cardiff section, CrossCountry operate the majority of morning peak services. Thankfully these seem to be much more reliable since the reinstatement of the normal timetable, I don't think I've had a single cancellation since, travelling weekly from Lydney towards Cardiff / Severn Tunnel Junction.

 

[WAB]

I've had to do XC to Parkway in the past for a GWR service to Cardiff but I'm surprised the latter have put up with carrying customers where they make no revenue but if it's a valid route then there's not much they can do.

It'd be a brave guard refusing a trainload of passengers. Anyway, I was caught up in the XC cancellations recently and got chatting with a GWR guard. He said that in the event of cancellations/severe delays, passengers are pretty much automatically put on other operators' services, often without control formally issuing ticket acceptance. Newport to West Wales, Cardiff to Gloucester are done pretty slickly according to him; e.g., if a CrossCountry leaving at xx45 is spun at Newport, passengers will be put on the xx30 GWR to meet the XC at Newport - I've done this myself and it works pretty well (as long as you're on the platform 15 mins early of course).

 

[class 9]

I've had to do XC to Parkway in the past for a GWR service to Cardiff but I'm surprised the latter have put up with carrying customers where they make no revenue but if it's a valid route then there's not much they can do.

A bit irrelevant as all revenue goes to the Treasury.

 

[Zerothebrake!]

Since i posted last night the Sunday working, and other days, seems to have exploded on here but why is it on the Cardiff services when surely the same drivers do Leicester / Cambridge runs and these are not affected to the same degree?

The Cardiff services are worked by mainly New St & Bristol Drivers - and both of these depots are under their establishments. Leicester depot however, don't go past Nottingham or New St and are carrying staff.

 

[dk1]

Because that would have to be agreed with ASLEF. Some TOCs have managed that, some TOCs have not.

Beat me to it. Although some depots have allowed the hybrid approach around the UK, many including mine wouldn’t tolerate it.

 

[Economist]

What some people are forgetting is that if Sundays went inside for Drivers at XC, it'd be a true four-day week, meaning the company would need to recruit many more people than they already are.

Committed Sundays outside effectively result in a 4.5 day week requiring fewer staff than would be required if Sundays went inside.

 

[43066]

I hope you realise how incredibly lucky you are to be in that situation. To be such a high earner that you can bandy around numbers like that is a pipe dream for millions of working people, myself included!

A strange comment. For one, you’ll note I haven’t stated they’re my own earnings.

For another, earnings don’t come down to luck. They’re the result of working hard and smart to gain a marketable skillset, and successfully applying for roles that pay a salary commensurate with that. That’s the exactly the same on the railway as it is elsewhere.

They might not have chosen that business model, but they have chosen to take on and operate a business that is contracted (with DfT) to operate a minimum level of service 7 days a week

There is a massive inconsistency here, taking the money for operating 7 days a week, then not staffing it to do so (or incentivising staff to volunteer) is blatant rip-off unethical greed

Fully agreed. But the DfT don’t require them to staff for a 7 day week, and the National Rail Contracts entrench the current position. The DfT aren’t willing to allow the TOCs either to increase headcount, or to better incentivise volunteers. They are happy to let the service collapse instead, as we have seen time after time on XC and other TOCs.

If Sundays are the problem, why have the new drivers not been employed on a contract that included Sunday as part of the working week?

In my non rail job, we had an issue covering Sundays, so when hiring new staff, we did this... problem solved!

This has been asked and answered many times. It can be negotiated with the unions - and has been at many operators - but it ultimately means an increase in headcount which needs to be paid for.

 

[Tw99]

Beat me to it. Although some depots have allowed the hybrid approach around the UK, many including mine wouldn’t tolerate it.

What would be the reason for that ? On the face of it, it seems reasonable enough - ASLEF want Sundays inside, and new starters may be happy to accept such T&Cs.

 

[43066]

What would be the reason for that ? On the face of it, it seems reasonable enough - ASLEF want Sundays inside, and new starters may be happy to accept such T&Cs.

It can be done if all existing drivers are offered the chance to bring Sundays inside, with all new joiners coming in on that basis, but with those who wish to keep their Sundays outside being put into a separate link. That way a significant % will choose to bring them in immediately, but those such as @dk1 who don’t ever wish to work them won’t have to. This was done several years ago at my operator and works well.

The reason for not doing this is primarily cost.

 

[dk1]

What would be the reason for that ? On the face of it, it seems reasonable enough - ASLEF want Sundays inside, and new starters may be happy to accept such T&Cs.

It would be all our drivers or none at all for it to be agreed by ASLEF.

It can be done if all existing drivers are offered the chance to bring Sundays inside, with all new joiners coming in on that basis, but with those who wish to keep their Sundays outside being put into a separate link. That way a significant % will choose to bring them in immediately, but those such as @dk1 who don’t ever wish to work them won’t have to. This was done several years ago at my operator and works well.

The reason for not doing this is primarily cost.

Mate Sunday is the only day I like working Eleven consecutive is my record.

 

[ValleyLines142]

Indeed, and for commuters along the Gloucester - Cardiff section, CrossCountry operate the majority of morning peak services. Thankfully these seem to be much more reliable since the reinstatement of the normal timetable, I don't think I've had a single cancellation since, travelling weekly from Lydney towards Cardiff / Severn Tunnel Junction.

It's actually a 50/50 service, especially now that TfW run hourly between Cardiff and Gloucester for the majority of the day.

Although the first two southbound XC services call at all stations between Gloucester and Newport.

 

[HLE]

I'll also like to keep mine outside, but then I work as many as I can get my hands on. Committed sounds like the worst of both worlds.

 

[43066]

It would be all our drivers or none at all for it to be agreed by ASLEF.

I wonder if it was put as part of a formal offer what the vote would be. In any case it appears that XC have committed Sundays, which is surely worse for all concerned. Also suggests they could be brought inside if there was the will to do so. However we all know there isn’t, so things will continue as is.

Mate Sunday is the only day I like working Eleven consecutive is my record.

Sorry I thought you never did them for some reason. I completely agree with you - mine are inside and we don’t do many.

 

[Snow1964]

It can be done if all existing drivers are offered the chance to bring Sundays inside, with all new joiners coming in on that basis, but with those who wish to keep their Sundays outside being put into a separate link. That way a significant % will choose to bring them in immediately, but those such as @dk1 who don’t ever wish to work them won’t have to. This was done several years ago at my operator and works well.

The reason for not doing this is primarily cost.

Actually it is more a case of putting the cost into different buckets, and DfT only counting one.

I have yet to see any evidence that employing an extra driver costs more than say a driver not working 2 services on a Sunday and there being 200 delay repay refunds.

It is as if someone seems to know cost of the extra driver, but completely forgets the cost of the cancellation (and amount of fare likely to be refunded) due to lack of driver.

 

[dk1]

I wonder if it was put as part of a formal offer what the vote would be. In any case it appears that XC have committed Sundays, which is surely worse for all concerned. Also suggests they could be brought inside if there was the will to do so. However we all know there isn’t, so things will continue as is.



Sorry I thought you never did them for some reason. I completely agree with you - mine are inside and we don’t do many.

We are committed Sundays and at my depot (the largest) we rarely have any problem covering turns. This week for example there are both next to call, volunteers & nobody declined. Yes, I have always worked mine and volunteered. Only thing I don’t do are nights.

 

[Krokodil]

A bit irrelevant as all revenue goes to the Treasury.

It does, but we still have silly TOC-specific fares on many routes.