When trains are delayed, whose job is it to ask the station staff to hold the train?
Tonight I got to Gatwick Airport to catch the 18.03. At 18.00 they cancelled the train as it was running late and were starting it from Redhill.
I asked what we should do and a man in Gatwick Express uniform spoke to someone on his radio. They said go to Redhill on the 18.10 as the train will be held for us.
This was then announced over the loud speaker. Cue loads of people going from platform 3 to platform 2 to catch the Victoria train, which is fast to Redhill.
As I got towards Redhill I could see the 18.13 was shown as running a minute late. Once I got here it was no where to be seen. We had pulled into platform 2.
I spoke with a member of Southern despatch staff who said Gatwick Airport never asked us to hold the train so we despatched it. I said wouldn't that be the job of First Great Western. He said they only told them at the last minute it was terminating short.
Once I saw online the unbound train was late I tweeted First Great Western to ask if it would be started short as I expect actually. I didn't expect it to leave without us though. In the past I've always caught trains when they have cancelled them from Gatwick.
The train eventually left 1.5 minutes late but still 2 minutes before we arrived. At least one passenger is going to be 2 hours late home as a result of a missed connection. Very good of the station staff at Redhill to let them make a phone call to their husband.
So whose call is it on holding trains?
There was no other train I could catch although I could have carried onto Clapham Junction, which would have got me in at a similar time. So instead of getting in at 18.41, I will be in at 19.21 because this particular service seems to run slower than most stopping services from Redhill to Reading. Passengers for Reading will arrive 50 minutes late, assuming it isn't delayed on route and all because they couldn't hold the other train for another 2 minutes. After all it left 1.5 minutes late. I'm not talking about a few connecting passengers here but a whole load from Gatwick Airport. I imagine the other train left fairly empty.
Anyway like I said previously I've got the train when this has happened so I doubt it's a regular occurrence. I did once miss a connection due to the rail replacement bus from Gatwick getting held up towards Reigate.
Tonight I got to Gatwick Airport to catch the 18.03. At 18.00 they cancelled the train as it was running late and were starting it from Redhill.
I asked what we should do and a man in Gatwick Express uniform spoke to someone on his radio. They said go to Redhill on the 18.10 as the train will be held for us.
This was then announced over the loud speaker. Cue loads of people going from platform 3 to platform 2 to catch the Victoria train, which is fast to Redhill.
As I got towards Redhill I could see the 18.13 was shown as running a minute late. Once I got here it was no where to be seen. We had pulled into platform 2.
I spoke with a member of Southern despatch staff who said Gatwick Airport never asked us to hold the train so we despatched it. I said wouldn't that be the job of First Great Western. He said they only told them at the last minute it was terminating short.
Once I saw online the unbound train was late I tweeted First Great Western to ask if it would be started short as I expect actually. I didn't expect it to leave without us though. In the past I've always caught trains when they have cancelled them from Gatwick.
The train eventually left 1.5 minutes late but still 2 minutes before we arrived. At least one passenger is going to be 2 hours late home as a result of a missed connection. Very good of the station staff at Redhill to let them make a phone call to their husband.
So whose call is it on holding trains?
There was no other train I could catch although I could have carried onto Clapham Junction, which would have got me in at a similar time. So instead of getting in at 18.41, I will be in at 19.21 because this particular service seems to run slower than most stopping services from Redhill to Reading. Passengers for Reading will arrive 50 minutes late, assuming it isn't delayed on route and all because they couldn't hold the other train for another 2 minutes. After all it left 1.5 minutes late. I'm not talking about a few connecting passengers here but a whole load from Gatwick Airport. I imagine the other train left fairly empty.
Anyway like I said previously I've got the train when this has happened so I doubt it's a regular occurrence. I did once miss a connection due to the rail replacement bus from Gatwick getting held up towards Reigate.