GWR Performance - deteriorating?

[43096]

Better to use what crews you do have on the routes like pad to Exeter, as there is no alternative for passengers , whereas on Cheltenham, people can change at parkway or Swindon

There is just as much of an alternative for the likes of Exeter - change at Parkway for XC.

The real issue is they're over promising and under delivering with the timetable and there appears to be little GWR are doing about it and it just carries on week-in, week-out.

 

[GoneSouth]

Better to use what crews you do have on the routes like pad to Exeter, as there is no alternative for passengers , whereas on Cheltenham, people can change at parkway or Swindon

Not really the point though. If you were travelling back to London from Stroud today for example, there’s a 5 hour gap between the 1720 to Swindon and the 2217 to Swindon, with all the direct Paddington services in between being cancelled. Who knows if there are any buses filling in the gaps! The 2217 also has a 5 minute connection at Swindon so it’s a bit tight! Would they hold it given the circumstances? If not it’s a long ride in a taxi having just waited 4 hours for your train!

Anyway, the point I’m trying to make is that changing at Swindon isn’t really an acceptable option for some.

 

[PartyOperator]

So maybe they should be less ambitious with the long-distance Sunday services and try for a regular, reliable Cheltenham-Swindon shuttle instead.

 

[ChrisHogan]

This must be a first (from Journey Check)
"23:50 London Paddington to Penzance due 08:59 will be started from Reading.
It will no longer call at London Paddington.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.
Further Information
Due to a shortage of train crew, the Night Riviera will start from Reading this evening. Passengers must travel from London on the 23:47 departure to Reading, where the sleeper service will await all passengers travelling towards Penzance. We apologise for the inconvenience this will cause to customers."

 

[FGW_DID]

This must be a first (from Journey Check)
"23:50 London Paddington to Penzance due 08:59 will be started from Reading.
It will no longer call at London Paddington.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.
Further Information
Due to a shortage of train crew, the Night Riviera will start from Reading this evening. Passengers must travel from London on the 23:47 departure to Reading, where the sleeper service will await all passengers travelling towards Penzance. We apologise for the inconvenience this will cause to customers."

No Paddington Driver, so an Exeter Crew are picking up at Reading.

 

[GoneSouth]

This must be a first (from Journey Check)
"23:50 London Paddington to Penzance due 08:59 will be started from Reading.
It will no longer call at London Paddington.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.
Further Information
Due to a shortage of train crew, the Night Riviera will start from Reading this evening. Passengers must travel from London on the 23:47 departure to Reading, where the sleeper service will await all passengers travelling towards Penzance. We apologise for the inconvenience this will cause to customers."

Oops! Hardly worth going to bed for some of their passengers!

 

[GoneSouth]

Because we're still collectively bargained, so all of the crews at a particular depot are on the same Ts and Cs. Now of course, there are differences between GWR and HSS, but what I mean is that all Paddington HSS drivers have the same conditions, all Exeter GWR drivers have the same, all Par conductors etc etc...
So, new staff are brought in on the same as what everyone else is on. Same conditions, same pay, for the same job.

Why should we surrender our position, fought for by our union (whom, incidentally, are in principle in support of Sunday in the week) just because "any other industry" have rolled over and taken what's been dished to them? Perhaps you and your former colleagues should have stood up for your jobs and conditions rather than being bitter that the railway did.

I for one am not saying you should roll over and surrender anything but we keep being told in this forum that unions support Sunday as part of the working week, yet nothing ever changes apart from each new franchise includes a load more undeliverable services! It’s just wrong. The TOCs put in their bid knowing what is required but actually couldn’t give a boot if the don’t deliver because it won’t cost them!

I think you deserve a decent enhancement for including Sunday in your working week but given the increase in Sunday working in other sectors, something has to give soon.

 

[GoneSouth]

No Paddington Driver, so an Exeter Crew are picking up at Reading.

How does this usually work, would crew switch at Reading on other nights?

 

[Weekender]

Very embarrassing for First Group, just when you think their standards can’t get any lower.

 

[Mintona]

The Cheltenham trains are covered by Paddington and Bristol crews mostly, with some being done by Swansea and Worcester too.

GWR have more drivers at the moment than I can ever remember, with a huge amount of recruitment still ongoing too.

 

[Weekender]

The Cheltenham trains are covered by Paddington and Bristol crews mostly, with some being done by Swansea and Worcester too.

GWR have more drivers at the moment than I can ever remember, with a huge amount of recruitment still ongoing too.

Genuine question here, if there are more drivers than you can remember and more Sunday cancellations than i can ever remember, what do you think think the problem is and is there a solution?

 

[ChrisHogan]

Genuine question here, if there are more drivers than you can remember and more Sunday cancellations than i can ever remember, what do you think think the problem is and is there a solution?

Enhanced Sunday rates of pay perhaps?

 

[PHILIPE]

Enhanced Sunday rates of pay perhaps?

The last thing GWR would want to do to solve the problem in this way is to spend money.

 

[43096]

Genuine question here, if there are more drivers than you can remember and more Sunday cancellations than i can ever remember, what do you think think the problem is and is there a solution?

Drivers paid too much so they don’t actually need to work Sundays. That was not the case back in BR days.

 

[GoneSouth]

The last thing GWR would want to do to solve the problem in this way is to spend money.

When does the franchise extension end? Start work on solving it now then the problem gets passed on to whoever wins next time when everybody is TUPEd across on the enhanced terms that include Sundays.

First can the give running the WCML into the ground it’s full and undivided attention!

 

[CharlesR]

The Cheltenham trains are covered by Paddington and Bristol crews mostly, with some being done by Swansea and Worcester too.

GWR have more drivers at the moment than I can ever remember, with a huge amount of recruitment still ongoing too.

Eh? Bristol? I know drivers are often Bristol but are Guards and Customer Hosts??

 

[Mintona]

Genuine question here, if there are more drivers than you can remember and more Sunday cancellations than i can ever remember, what do you think think the problem is and is there a solution?

Bring Sundays inside the working week. I’m fairly sure that’s the plan at the moment. There are too many drivers now for things to be staying the same. I’m aware the company and union have started discussions on this issue. I think there’ll be a deal made soon. Although “soon” on the railway probably means “for December 2020” or something.

Eh? Bristol? I know drivers are often Bristol but are Guards and Customer Hosts??

Yes, plenty of them are. And some TMs are Gloucester too, I forgot to mention them earlier.

 

[Mintona]

Drivers paid too much so they don’t actually need to work Sundays. That was not the case back in BR days.

Gosh, I wish I could afford to not work Sundays! I do about half through the course of the year.

 

[vikingdriver]

Bring Sundays inside the working week. I’m fairly sure that’s the plan at the moment. There are too many drivers now for things to be staying the same. I’m aware the company and union have started discussions on this issue. I think there’ll be a deal made soon. Although “soon” on the railway probably means “for December 2020” or something.



Yes, plenty of them are. And some TMs are Gloucester too, I forgot to mention them earlier.

I was told by a GWR ldc rep that this recruitment is purely for the 9.5 hour max day.

 

[mrcheek]

Why should we surrender our position just because "any other industry" have rolled over and taken what's been dished to them?

Because you are supposed to be a goddamn public service

 

[Rob F]

Because you are supposed to be a goddamn public service

Which I'm afraid is the standard 'race to the bottom' argument.

 

[vikingdriver]

Because you are supposed to be a goddamn public service

He didn't say that he wouldn't surrender it.

 

[StaffsWCML]

Very embarrassing for First Group, just when you think their standards can’t get any lower.

When does the franchise extension end? Start work on solving it now then the problem gets passed on to whoever wins next time when everybody is TUPEd across on the enhanced terms that include Sundays.

First can the give running the WCML into the ground it’s full and undivided attention!

Cant wait Kudos to the government for letting another 'top class' provider have even more franchises to screw up just so they could fob off the pensions.

And people claim the management at First are 'good' and need to be given a chance.

 

[irish_rail]

Genuine question here, if there are more drivers than you can remember and more Sunday cancellations than i can ever remember, what do you think think the problem is and is there a solution?

One problem at Plymouth is the deterioration of the work content of the jobs. Rather than go London (we have only one london job on a sunday now) they expect you to do a gunnislake and double trip to Exeter or similar. Understandly driver sees that and thinks it's hardly worth the bother of coming in and bins his Sunday.

 

[43096]

Which I'm afraid is the standard 'race to the bottom' argument.

And I’m afraid the staff need to remember who they are employed by and what they are paid to do. It’s not the union.

Might be an idea to consider that they are ultimately paid by the passengers who (want to) use the service.

 

[Mitchell Hurd]

Sorry people. I may be ever so slightly off topic here.

However, in recent times, from using XC and GWR, I've found that XC have given me a more simple and reliable service - for these reasons...

1. Services have been On Time / On Time to 10 minutes late.

2. My preferred choice of not being offered the choice of direction which saves complaints.

3. On quietly loaded 4 and 5-car Voyagers, the trolley service is more reliable.

4. The seat reservation system hasn't let me down yet!

With GWR, however, its nearing the same level of service this year as I've had with XC: increased forward facing seats (even when I selected 'Don't Mind' for the 14/08/19), less troublesome journeys and the trolley service reaching me on quietly loaded services.

The biggest delay I've had this year was from Didcot Parkway to Liskeard around 9am which was 20-25 minutes late. With XC, it was nearly 40 minutes on the 13/09/18.

Bearing in mind I've travelled on trains at least once a month - mainly twice, occasionally once or 3 times since January 2016 (I've used trains many times since). If I'm very lucky, 4 times which was incredibly rare!

So its an sign that GWR are trying!

 

[tiptoptaff]

Because you are supposed to be a goddamn public service

I serve the public by working on the days I'm employed to do so.
Just another bit of bitterness that we've got better working conditions than other service industries.

Incidentally, unlike HSS, I'm expected to work 1out of3 Sundays as OVERTIME. Debatable as to whether it's enforceable, being forced overtime. So, despite getting paid for it, once or twice a month I have to work overtime and never see that time back again. If I want to have the Sunday with my family, who are M-Fers, like most people who hate us having Sundays off, I have to really plan in advance. So take the expectation that we should roll over and work all the overtime going just because you want us to, and shove it.

If the company want me to work Sundays without question, they'll negotiate a deal with my union for me to do so. As yet, they have not. So it shall remain the day that is mine.

 

[PHILIPE]

I serve the public by working on the days I'm employed to do so.
Just another bit of bitterness that we've got better working conditions than other service industries.

Incidentally, unlike HSS, I'm expected to work 1out of3 Sundays as OVERTIME. Debatable as to whether it's enforceable, being forced overtime. So, despite getting paid for it, once or twice a month I have to work overtime and never see that time back again. If I want to have the Sunday with my family, who are M-Fers, like most people who hate us having Sundays off, I have to really plan in advance. So take the expectation that we should roll over and work all the overtime going just because you want us to, and shove it.

If the company want me to work Sundays without question, they'll negotiate a deal with my union for me to do so. As yet, they have not. So it shall remain the day that is mine.

Didn't you know that trains ran 7 days a week when you joined the industry ?

 

[headshot119]

And I’m afraid the staff need to remember who they are employed by and what they are paid to do. It’s not the union.

Might be an idea to consider that they are ultimately paid by the passengers who (want to) use the service.

The union want Sunday's inside, as ultimately that needs more drivers to cover the roster, and therefore more union members. The company don't want it as it costs too much.

Didn't you know that trains ran 7 days a week when you joined the industry ?

Yes, but it's not the staffs fault if the company won't get acceptable contracts in place to cover a 7 day service.

[Edit - I'd originally missed out "not" above]

 

[Mag_seven]

The company don't want it as it costs too much.

That is not acceptable - the company need to do whatever it takes to run the service they are obliged to provide. If they won't do it then they should find someone else who will.