FGW crew pick up the wrong train @ Banbury

[Class 170101]

GC issue Traincrew with a 'unit wire' early hours and then updated if any swaps occur. Not hard in the world of smartphones ... Genius Mobile also allows crews to check various information about their shift/trains, including formation.

Drivers not allowed to use mobile phones in cabs. So most likely of no use as it would be switched off.

 

[Tracky]

I do like genius but it isn't always accurate. Also, unit numbers aren't always well positioned. If HST power cars had the numbers in big EWS style it may have been more use.

 

[sarahj]

GC issue Traincrew with a 'unit wire' early hours and then updated if any swaps occur. Not hard in the world of smartphones ... Genius Mobile also allows crews to check various information about their shift/trains, including formation.

This is probably a bit easier for GC as they only have a few units in use anyway.
Stock changes are quite common. Sometimes my diagram will say 313, and you get down to the platform and a 377 is sitting there or VV.

And as for being told in advance. The last direct train from Portsmouth to Brighton runs into Littlehampton then reverses. Southern often use this to swap units to get a unit to Brighton and thus Lover Walk. There have been a few times as conductor where I have worked this train and first I knew about it was a few mins after stopping at Littlehampton. Sometimes you get a call, sometimes not.


As for taking the ****, I'm still recovering from getting stuck in an intermediate cab on a 8 car 377 between Lewes and Falmer
Now that was a fun call to control.
Nothing like the dread as after you get all the footie fans on the train, do the bells, get the train away to turn round with your t-bar and the dread as it just spins in the lock. Doh!!!!
not only was the platform staff at Falmer told, but the driver by the signaller, so about 3 members of staff came to get me out.

 

[3141]

Obviously they should have checked the vehicle numbers or something to make sure they had the right train before they took it but I can completely see how it happened.

I can see how it might happen too, as humans aren't infallible. On the other hand, if you read a book like LTC Rolt's Red for Danger, you see how many accidents have been caused because someone didn't check, or made an assumption which had worked in the past so they supposed it always would.

Now this incident obviously didn't lead to an accident, though it will have caused a delay and inconvenience for some passengers, but it does point up the importance of checking that things are right. You might think someone in management should have spotted that with trains to London and to Swansea using the same platform and departing in the same direction, there was a clear potential for a mistake, and train crew should have been reminded to make doubly sure they were on the right one.

 

[swj99]

So, on a scale of 1 to infinity, how much ribbing will this crew now be receiving from their colleagues?

Anyone can make a mistake, but erm, probably a fair bit.

 

[30907]

As a matter of interest, what happened to the other crew who were booked for the train?

 

[Michael.Y]

As a matter of interest, what happened to the other crew who were booked for the train?

Half an hour's overtime and having to take the abuse from the bemused SLF?