Grand Central Problems

[yorksrob]

They’ve been blaming train faults, driver shortages and crew shortages.

Some have still run either ECS or part way, some Bradford’s have only run to Wakefield for example.

Fair doos. Sounds like a proper horlicks anyway.

 

[westv]

I heard an on platform explanation for this.

"Due to a higher number of trains requiring maintenance than expected."

Not heard that one before!

Hull Trains and VTEC/LNER have both used that one.

 

[43096]

Yesterday I saw a train in Grand Central livery heading northbound into Winchester

Probably returning home after overhaul at Eastleigh.

 

[swt_passenger]

I heard an on platform explanation for this.
"Due to a higher number of trains requiring maintenance than expected."
Not heard that one before!

If you used GWR you’d have heard (or read) it most days for about the last year...

 

[Andyh82]

This one today takes the biscuit, and it’s not exactly very clear even to someone who has a decent knowledge of the rail network, due to paragraph 2 which I think should have been removed.

https://twitter.com/gc_rail/status/1022147482086780928

The link above links to an image, and the arrangements suggested are so complicated, it’d take too long to type out in full.

Basically some passengers are told to travel to Selby and get a bus from there

Others told to use VT to Manchester then TPE to Huddersfield and then wait for the hourly Northern stopper towards Bradford

 

[Calderfornian]

The whole situation at KX was laughable, contradictory information on Twitter, on trains and on the concourse. How people who aren’t fluent in working out alternatives manage I don’t know.

There’s a GC 180 dumped on an up siding near to London - that can’t be helping things?

 

[Bletchleyite]

I heard an on platform explanation for this.

"Due to a higher number of trains requiring maintenance than expected."

Not heard that one before!

"because Class 180s are mechanically a load of garbage and need to go to the scrapper" I think is the phrase they are looking for.

I wonder to what extent Arriva are bankrolling them now. They must be losing a packet.

If this carries on I give them a year at most.

 

[bussnapperwm]

This one today takes the biscuit, and it’s not exactly very clear even to someone who has a decent knowledge of the rail network, due to paragraph 2 which I think should have been removed.

https://twitter.com/gc_rail/status/1022147482086780928

The link above links to an image, and the arrangements suggested are so complicated, it’d take too long to type out in full.

Basically some passengers are told to travel to Selby and get a bus from there

Others told to use VT to Manchester then TPE to Huddersfield and then wait for the hourly Northern stopper towards Bradford

Tweet has since been deleted

 

[racklam]

https://twitter.com/GC_Rail/status/1022464525885480961

This must be a new low - Sunderland to King's Cross cancelled at York, onward road transport the only option!

 

[Kite159]

https://twitter.com/GC_Rail/status/1022464525885480961

This must be a new low - Sunderland to King's Cross cancelled at York, onward road transport the only option!

Not as bad as a couple weeks ago where the advice was to buy tickets for LNER and claim the money back.

I wonder how long it will be until the advice one day will be "Chiltern to Birmingham Moor Street, walk across to Birmingham New Street with a CrossCountry service to York"

 

[tony_mac]

Not as bad as a couple weeks ago where the advice was to buy tickets for LNER and claim the money back.

I would say this is worse - the only sensible option for a lot of people will be to buy tickets for LNER but then they cannot claim that money back.

 

[gnolife]

Not as bad as a couple weeks ago where the advice was to buy tickets for LNER and claim the money back.

I wonder how long it will be until the advice one day will be "Chiltern to Birmingham Moor Street, walk across to Birmingham New Street with a CrossCountry service to York"

Wouldnt it be Chiltern to Leamington, then XC to York, saving the walk across Birmingham

 

[robertclark125]

The replacement coach was due to reach Rugby at 16:30. Apparently, it was still in Retford then.

 

[waterboo]

Today’s 1402 arrangements have been nothing short of diabolical. I accept that the cancellation south of York occurred at the last minute, but a coach to rugby (the last coach leaving York not arriving into Rugby till 1925) is ludicrous.. absolute empathy for people who probably would have arrived into London after the next scheduled Grand Central service at 5pm. There will no doubt there will be leisure travellers on that service whom will probably be traumatised for a long time about this unintended adventure today! Rant over ...

 

[moleman212]

You should see Twitter...where they mentioned LNER had refused to carry GC passengers, when it actually transpired that GC never asked LNER to accept passengers in the first place...

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Passenger satisfaction results are always excellent for Open Access Operators says the ORR ...

Mentioned this before ...

 

[causton]

Wouldnt it be Chiltern to Leamington, then XC to York, saving the walk across Birmingham

Nah, Northern from Sunderland to Carlisle, then Virgin south from there.

Passenger satisfaction results are always excellent for Open Access Operators says the ORR ...

Mentioned this before ...

Spoiler: Image description

Grand Central Rail‏@GC_Rail

That's all from us for today. For those delayed to their final destination this evening, please see here for Grand Central charter compensation:

https://www.grandcentralrail.com/customer-service/getting-a-refund/compensation-form/

We're back tomorrow at 06:00 if you need us. Goodnight!
10:03 PM - 26 Jul 2018

Andy Snell‏ @Andy_Snell 46m46 minutes ago
Replying to @GC_Rail
I like it that the team finishes before everyone has managed to get home. That’s customer service right there

(copy of Grand Central advert)
"Britain's favourite train company - Grand Central No. 1 Customer Satisfaction National Rail Passenger Survey Spring 2018"

 

[Roy Badami]

When I last experienced a short-terminating GC service we were put on the next VTEC service, and a quick perusal at the time of GC Twitter suggested that VTEC and connecting services seemed to be the way they'd dealt with most recent disruptions.

Have things changed then? I just had a quick look at the GC Twitter just now and the alternatives I could see are all LNER and connections - I couldn't immediately see any mention of coaches but I only had a quick skim (anyone have a link to the tweet?).

I need to plan a journey from London to Bradford next month and I normally opt for GC over VTEC when the times work - just for the convenience of the direct train - even though it's usually a little slower than the alternatives. Reading this thread, I'm now having doubts about that course of action - but then, will I fare any better with LNER+Northern?

 

[Coolzac]

This is just unbelievable. This whole fiasco shows again how ridiculous the privatised system is. Rather than getting alternative trains from York to London, which take 2 hours, passengers are being bussed to Rugby? Insanity. I am not taking about LNER particularly, just the system in general. Yet again it fails the passenger.

 

[waterboo]

It's almost become a game of sorts, in which one must try and guess where Grand Central are going to dump their passengers?

I feel sorry for the staff on the ground, because without any Grand Central representatives, they are the people getting abuse from passengers.

 

[moleman212]

As an Open Access Operator are they able to do as they please without fear of their paths being stripped or rail access revoked?

 

[_toommm_]

The tweets linked in this thread are often swiftly deleted - probably out of fear of even more ridicule than GC already get. Would it be possible for posters to screenshot the tweets and post them here too?

 

[Bletchleyite]

As an Open Access Operator are they able to do as they please without fear of their paths being stripped or rail access revoked?

Unlike a TOC, though, they can simply fold. In my view they will soon if they don't sort this mess out, which has to involve hiring in additional rolling stock - perhaps loco-hauled charter rakes - and get a Class 802 order in sharpish. The 180s need to go for scrap, they are unreliable rubbish.

 

[_toommm_]

Unlike a TOC, though, they can simply fold. In my view they will soon if they don't sort this mess out, which has to involve hiring in additional rolling stock - perhaps loco-hauled charter rakes - and get a Class 802 order in sharpish. The 180s need to go for scrap, they are unreliable rubbish.

Reliably rubbish

 

[Andyh82]

Today’s 1402 arrangements have been nothing short of diabolical. I accept that the cancellation south of York occurred at the last minute, but a coach to rugby (the last coach leaving York not arriving into Rugby till 1925) is ludicrous.. absolute empathy for people who probably would have arrived into London after the next scheduled Grand Central service at 5pm. There will no doubt there will be leisure travellers on that service whom will probably be traumatised for a long time about this unintended adventure today! Rant over ...

And you don’t get the full Delay Repay with Grand Central either?

Yesterday we had buses from Selby to Brighouse, today buses from York to Rugby. Why on earth Rugby?

Advice for the poster above who is thinking of booking with GC. Think are you travelling at a time when LNER are going to be full and standing? If not and your train was cancelled you’d get ticket acceptance on a fairly straight forward alternative, if they are, you will be involved in a wild and wacky alternative either involving many connections, weird routes, buses or having to buy a walk up fare and claim it back.

 

[Roy Badami]

But what about the alternative of LNER+Northern. Is Northern running a reliable service to Bradford atm?

EDIT: I think the leg of the journey where the GC times would work for me shouldn't be too busy, but I'm leaning towards braving a connection with Northern over braving GC.

 

[Andyh82]

There are 6 trains an hour from Leeds to Bradford, if one was cancelled the next one would be along after not very long.


Regarding the coach to Rugby, surely that is unacceptable on every level and it’s quite shameful that that was the option taken. If only coach travel is available surely a single journey all the way to London is the only option, not having to disembark at Rugby with no doubt no staff there expecting the coach, and then having to join the masses boarding the next available London Northwestern Railway service. And then in the end not actually ending up at Kings Cross but at Euston which would be confusing for people who don’t realise it’s just down the road.

 

[greyman42]

The replacement coach was due to reach Rugby at 16:30. Apparently, it was still in Retford then.

I am not getting this. What was it doing at Rugby?