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Do TOCs inform their staff when another franchise changes owners?

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As i was approaching Clapham Junction yesterday the Driver or Guard (whatever staff member was making the announcement) made an announcement and advised that passengers should "change at Clapham Junction for Silverlink services towards Willesden Junction and Stratford" which really surprised me.

How can this staff member not know that Silverlink shut down over 10 years ago and was taken over by London Overground! Obviously i expect mistakes like FGW/GWR and SWR/SWT as they only changed a few years ago and kept similar names but not something like this!

This makes me wonder if TOCs actually tell their staff when a franchise changes owners? When a franchise ends and a new one starts do other TOCs normally inform their Drivers and Guards about it so that they are aware when making announcements?
 
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whhistle

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The member of staff was certainly aware and for whatever reason chose or subconsciously said Silverlink. There's nothing more to it.
Can you say that, with absolute factual information?
Or just a large assumption?
 

DarloRich

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As i was approaching Clapham Junction yesterday the Driver or Guard (whatever staff member was making the announcement) made an announcement and advised that passengers should "change at Clapham Junction for Silverlink services towards Willesden Junction and Stratford" which really surprised me.

How can this staff member not know that Silverlink shut down over 10 years ago and was taken over by London Overground! Obviously i expect mistakes like FGW/GWR and SWR/SWT as they only changed a few years ago and kept similar names but not something like this!

This makes me wonder if TOCs actually tell their staff when a franchise changes owners? When a franchise ends and a new one starts do other TOCs normally inform their Drivers and Guards about it so that they are aware when making announcements?

it was, i am sure, just a mistake. It really isnt worth getting het up about.

Can you say that, with absolute factual information?
Or just a large assumption?

On the balance of probabilities - yes!
 

Intermodal

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Can you say that, with absolute factual information?
Or just a large assumption?
Clearly it's an assumption but any post in this thread is going to be an assumption unless the man himself replies.

The notion that a member of railway staff does not know, after 10 years, that a TOC has changed is ridiculous. They probably said it as a bit of 'nostalgia'. Of course TOCs inform their staff when other TOCs change, if it affects them. All staff talk to each other anyway.

The OP's post is the one making wild assumptions here.
 

DarloRich

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Clearly it's an assumption but any post in this thread is going to be an assumption unless the man himself replies.

The notion that a member of railway staff does not know, after 10 years, that a TOC has changed is ridiculous. They probably said it as a bit of 'nostalgia'. Of course TOCs inform their staff when other TOCs change, if it affects them. All staff talk to each other anyway.

Agreed! Yet many posters here prefer to see conspiracy instead of cock up!
 

train_lover

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As i was approaching Clapham Junction yesterday the Driver or Guard (whatever staff member was making the announcement) made an announcement and advised that passengers should "change at Clapham Junction for Silverlink services towards Willesden Junction and Stratford" which really surprised me.

How can this staff member not know that Silverlink shut down over 10 years ago and was taken over by London Overground! Obviously i expect mistakes like FGW/GWR and SWR/SWT as they only changed a few years ago and kept similar names but not something like this!

This makes me wonder if TOCs actually tell their staff when a franchise changes owners? When a franchise ends and a new one starts do other TOCs normally inform their Drivers and Guards about it so that they are aware when making announcements?


I announced West Midlands Trains as London Midland the other day. For me it was nothing more than a slip of the tongue.
 

Mag_seven

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I announced West Midlands Trains as London Midland the other day. For me it was nothing more than a slip of the tongue.

Indeed - I don't blame anyone for making such mistakes. For example look at the number of people who still say "Virgin Cross Country"!
 

Carlisle

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Agreed! Yet many posters here prefer to see conspiracy instead of cock up!
Yes, you occasionally hear “train doors will not be released until train has come to a complete stop”, on routes that haven’t operated slam doors with secondary locks for 15 years
 

theironroad

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As i was approaching Clapham Junction yesterday the Driver or Guard (whatever staff member was making the announcement) made an announcement and advised that passengers should "change at Clapham Junction for Silverlink services towards Willesden Junction and Stratford" which really surprised me.

How can this staff member not know that Silverlink shut down over 10 years ago and was taken over by London Overground! Obviously i expect mistakes like FGW/GWR and SWR/SWT as they only changed a few years ago and kept similar names but not something like this!

This makes me wonder if TOCs actually tell their staff when a franchise changes owners? When a franchise ends and a new one starts do other TOCs normally inform their Drivers and Guards about it so that they are aware when making announcements?

As a driver who isn't required to make those type of announcements (we have a guard) we don't get routinely told, not sure if guards do or not.

Maybe it's a long time driver and it was a sub conscious slip or otherwise maybe it was deliberately done as they preferred the days of silver link. Who knows?
I'd find it hard to believe that 10 years on, someone doesn't know when a neighbouring toc has changed name as all the automated announcements will have been updated and that must sink in subliminally as well.
 

sw1ller

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It's difficult enough remembering who I work for, let alone the name of other companies

Haha

I’m still hearing our guards (and even my manager still answers the phone with...) our old company name. It happens. Can’t see it causing major issues.
 
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To clarify i am not complaining about this staff member. I know it doesn't really matter and most passengers will know what he meant. It was just unusual to hear a staff member refer to a TOC that hasn't existed for over ten years. I guess he could have known it had changed but was just busy and said it without thinking.
 

Intermodal

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To clarify i am not complaining about this staff member. I know it doesn't really matter and most passengers will know what he meant. It was just unusual to hear a staff member refer to a TOC that hasn't existed for over ten years. I guess he could have known it had changed but was just busy and said it without thinking.
If you were buying your morning coffee and the person serving you accidentally said "cappuccino" instead of "latte" when handing you the drink, would you find that of note also? :)
 

Suraggu

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I don't see any issue at all. I still hear Guards mention Wales & West and Northern Spirit in the last 12 months, makes no difference to myself.
 

Typhoon

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Maybe it was his last hurrah before he retired that day
Maybe he was going through all the TOCs he had announced in his career.
Maybe he was just pi$$ed off.
Maybe he is reading this thread thinking at least some people do actually listen to my announcements.
Maybe …
Maybe …

An organisation I worked for merged (was taken over), three years later repeat process with the new organisation. Many of the original staff were weeded out. As a sign of unity some of us used to use the original name (by mistake, of course) wherever possible when former colleagues were in ear shot as we knew it irritated the new management. Little things ...
 

dk1

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I know guards who still refer to 'Central Trains' connections. Its just habits that are hard to break.
 

muz379

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I dont ever recall being told by my employer when other franchises we interface with change hands .

Only time I ever recall being briefed on changes to other franchises is when it affects staff travel privileges . So when the parent group either acquires or loses another franchise
 

daveshah

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I heard an automated announcement at Hammersmith tube today, that I don't remember hearing before, advising that smoking was not permitted on the London Underground or at "London Regional Transport bus stations" - so TfL are just as guilty as the train companies.
 

185143

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I've heard a couple of West Yorkshire traincrews announce their train as the "Arriva Trains Northern" service. Also heard a guard apologise on behalf on Arriva Rail North for a short formation on the 31st March 2016-the last day of the old lot!

Also heard Arriva Trains Wales a few times during the TfW era. Not heard London Midland for a while now though
 

diffident

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As i was approaching Clapham Junction yesterday the Driver or Guard (whatever staff member was making the announcement) made an announcement and advised that passengers should "change at Clapham Junction for Silverlink services towards Willesden Junction and Stratford" which really surprised me.

How can this staff member not know that Silverlink shut down over 10 years ago and was taken over by London Overground! Obviously i expect mistakes like FGW/GWR and SWR/SWT as they only changed a few years ago and kept similar names but not something like this!

This makes me wonder if TOCs actually tell their staff when a franchise changes owners? When a franchise ends and a new one starts do other TOCs normally inform their Drivers and Guards about it so that they are aware when making announcements?

As long as when you changed trains, you had a "SILVERLINK ONLY" ticket, you would have been fine :p:p
 

Taunton

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Given that there are still old cast iron No Trespassing signs around that refer to the LB&SCR, or whatever, I think concern about whatever name the TOC marketing types have decided to use this week is pretty irrelevant.

Not only is the name likely to have changed again by the time the staff member gets to the end of their sentence, but does anyone think passengers give a single stuff about all this? Look at all the expense when South Western Railway got changed to South Western Trains, with gallons of different coloured paint ladled over everything. Pedantically and longwindedly saying the operators' name in each and every announcement, when that operator is the only one at the station in question, should surely have been stamped out by the DfT, as the operators themselves seem incapable of seeing it.
 
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