Overcrowed Trains on ECML last Friday

[crewmeal]

What went on on Friday night? is this normal for the ECML?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...railways-cost-125-ticket-10-hour-journey.html

Passengers packed into sweltering carriages

• Mark Palmer had reserved seats several weeks in advance paying £125 for the ticket
• Nearly eight hours later on a trip that should have taken three hours 40 minutes, they had still not reached their final destination

Friday evening and Kings Cross station was bedlam at the start of the Bank Holiday weekend — but it was a happy kind of bedlam.

The working week was over and expectations were riding high as families, students, elderly couples, children of all ages and hundreds of tourists waited to learn from which platform the 7pm London to Edinburgh train would leave.

Even the weather forecast was half-decent.

We were a group of four and had reserved seats in carriage C several weeks in advance. We paid £125 each for a return ticket.

Nearly eight hours later, on a trip that should have taken three hours and 40 minutes, we had still not reached our final destination — though we had long reached the end of our tether.

It was a journey that tested many of our fellow passengers to the limit; a frightening experience for some and confirmation that in so many areas of life Britain is nothing more than a Third World country run by overpaid incompetents accountable to no one...

 

[Eagle]

What went on is a whinging journalist couldn't think of a better story to write so wrote a boring, unoriginal and non-factchecked screed about a train they went on once.

 

[broadgage]

What went on on Friday night? is this normal for the ECML?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2331399/Passengers-packed-sweltering-carriages-overflowing-toilets-clueless-staff-police-called-quell-mutiny-My-Bank-Holiday-nightmare-Britains-Third-World-railways-cost-125-ticket-10-hour-journey.html

I cant believe that the conditions described are normal, but such episodes do seem to be increasingly common.
Breakdowns or delays of many hours have occured in the past of course, but conditions are far worse these days due to shorter and grossly overcrowded trains and the absence of opening windows.

I remember being delayed by many hours, back in the good old days. Everyone had a seat, the windows all opened, the doors on the side away from other trafic were opened, smokers could take their pleasure, the lights still worked, the toilets still worked, and overall the experience was merely iritating.

On todays railway it is very different. To stand in darkness and sweltering heat for hours, without functioning toilets is simply unacceptable.
There seems to a general view that when things go wrong, that the BTP and railway staff are not there to assist but to keep order.

 

[dzug2]

Weren't domestic flights grounded for most of Friday?

 

[jopsuk]

not all day, but there were certainly quite a few cancellations on flights from Heathrow, Luton and Stansted.

Most of the problems they encountered however seem to have been rail-related- track problems, broken down trains. An unfortunate series of unrelated problems.

I do find the photos hilarious- only one of them (the Berwick one) being from the journey they took. There's a stock photo of a Virgin Voyager (so from Virgin XC days, as that's a 220 with the white shield); a stock photo of Kings Cross during normal, non-chaotic conditions; a shot from outside of the interior of what I think is a SWT class 450 (3+2 seating) during rush hour.

 

[NSEFAN]

I do find the photos hilarious- only one of them (the Berwick one) being from the journey they took. There's a stock photo of a Virgin Voyager (so from Virgin XC days, as that's a 220 with the white shield); a stock photo of Kings Cross during normal, non-chaotic conditions; a shot from outside of the interior of what I think is a SWT class 450 (3+2 seating) during rush hour.

And looking at the comments, the gullible readership of the paper have swallowed the whole thing like it's all fact.

 

[Welshman]

I do find the photos hilarious- only one of them (the Berwick one) being from the journey they took. There's a stock photo of a Virgin Voyager (so from Virgin XC days, as that's a 220 with the white shield); a stock photo of Kings Cross during normal, non-chaotic conditions; a shot from outside of the interior of what I think is a SWT class 450 (3+2 seating) during rush hour.

Just be grateful they didn't have one on file of a 2xcar Pacer!

 

[IanD]

Probably full of families using their free Daily Mail railcards.

 

[The Barlow Boy]

I cant believe that the conditions described are normal, but such episodes do seem to be increasingly common.
Breakdowns or delays of many hours have occured in the past of course, but conditions are far worse these days due to shorter and grossly overcrowded trains and the absence of opening windows.

I remember being delayed by many hours, back in the good old days. Everyone had a seat, the windows all opened, the doors on the side away from other trafic were opened, smokers could take their pleasure, the lights still worked, the toilets still worked, and overall the experience was merely iritating.

On todays railway it is very different. To stand in darkness and sweltering heat for hours, without functioning toilets is simply unacceptable.
There seems to a general view that when things go wrong, that the BTP and railway staff are not there to assist but to keep order.

I'm glad that it's just not me with these thoughts. I do wish people would realise just how awful it can be to be stuck on a sealed train - especially an overcrowded one.

 

[jb]

Overcrowed

Read that word again. Typo or delicious irony? Hats off either way.

 

[amcluesent]

is this normal for the ECML?

When multiple things go wrong in a cascade, yes it turns into an omnishambles. Pax usually know more than the crew from looking on their iPhone.

Your best best is opening a door and detraining, then walking along the line to the station and getting a taxi

 

[thelongestroad]

Have they Daily Mail run out of immigrants to moan about again? I was at least hoping for an article about Princess Diana.

Another bout of tripe from the "hapless" Daily Mail, run by overpaid incompetents accountable to no one.

But at least my neighbour will be able to read something vaguely entertaining over his box of red wine later!

 

[westv]

There's already been a thread about what happened on ECML on Friday.
The overcrowding I saw is certainly not normal.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Somebody commenting on the Daily Mail website must think it's Virgin's fault...

No wonder Richard has a permanent grin from ear to ear - we are treated worse than animals and we love it

 

[Manchester77]

Reading the comments saw this

SACK THE TRANSPORT MINISTER, GIVE THIS LINE AND FRANCOISE FREE TO RICHARD BRANSON. CAMERON, ARE YOU WATCHING??? - councillor, Southend on sea., United Kingdom, 27/5/2013 10:59 I think you may mean FRANCHISE!!

Oh dear

 

[Welshman]

please see later posting

 

[Manchester77]

Oh and also could someone explain to me what this means as it makes no sense..?:')

Instead of spending billion on the HST to shorten travel time by insignificant minutes and disrupt thousands of lives, the government needs to spend the money on making the present disgusting service work properly.
- danleno , Hull UK, 27/5/2013 10:33

Do they think that HSTs are band new or
And how does it disrupt thousands of lives what even?!

 

[Welshman]

Somebody commenting on the Daily Mail website must think it's Virgin's fault...

Well, as jopsuk has pointed-out, they did show a photo of a Virgin Voyager.

 

[dlj83]

Have they Daily Mail run out of immigrants to moan about again? I was at least hoping for an article about Princess Diana.

Another bout of tripe from the "hapless" Daily Mail, run by overpaid incompetents accountable to no one.

But at least my neighbour will be able to read something vaguely entertaining over his box of red wine later!

Funniest comment of the day

 

[AnonymousUser1]

Weren't domestic flights grounded for most of Friday?

and the M6 closed due to a fuel thief being mistaken for a suicide bomber at tea time ( traffic solid on the M69 from the A5 to the end and on the A45/46 all the way round Coventry ( fortunately i was only going to CV3 4PF and only an hour and 20 late ...)

 

[stut]

in so many areas of life Britain is nothing more than a Third World country

Dear Jim,

Please can you fix it for users of this particular form of hyperbole to actually go and live in a Third World country, and find out the realities of starvation, lack of infrastructure, endemic corruption and disposability of human life for themselves? Thanks.

stut
38 1/4
Moggerhanger

 

[Max]

Oh and also could someone explain to me what this means as it makes no sense..?:')



Do they think that HSTs are band new or
And how does it disrupt thousands of lives what even?!

I think he/she is referring to HSR...

 

[starrymarkb]

Weren't domestic flights grounded for most of Friday?

BA's Airbus Fleet was for a while while their engine cowlings were inspected. The IAE V2500* engine inspection covers are difficult to latch properly and there have been cases of them opening in flight before. I expect everyone with IAE powered Airbii** was double checking them over the weekend and will be reminding their engineers to ensure they latch them properly!

*IAE - International Aero Engines - A joint venture between Pratt & Witney, Rolls Royce and MTU

**IAE operators include Wizz, BA and Lufthansa - Easyjet, Air Frog, Aer Lingus (and therefore Virgin Little Red) and Iberia all use CFM*** engines with a different housing.

*** CFM is GE/SNECMA

 

[43167]

and the M6 closed due to a fuel thief being mistaken for a suicide bomber at tea time ( traffic solid on the M69 from the A5 to the end and on the A45/46 all the way round Coventry ( fortunately i was only going to CV3 4PF and only an hour and 20 late ...)

And the A1 in North Yorkshire was part blocked southbound for most the day too.

 

[DarloRich]

When multiple things go wrong in a cascade, yes it turns into an omnishambles. Pax usually know more than the crew from looking on their iPhone.

Your best best is opening a door and detraining, then walking along the line to the station and getting a taxi

Cretinously stupid advice i am afraid. Stay on the train until rescue. I am sure it is perfectly safe to wander about electrified open lines at 125mph. :roll:

It was a bank holiday weekend and half term in a lot of the country. That means busy trains. It was not helped by problems on the airlines or on the roads.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Walk to the next station? So, basically a 10 mile hike along an 125mph operational railway line if you get stuck between Peterborough and Grantham or York and Thirsk for example... :roll: My advice, and I would think a lot of others too, is under no circumstances leave the train of your own accord. Always, always await instruction from staff.

 

[stevread1]

"The next morning, I was reading about the Government’s plans for the High Speed Rail link from London to Manchester. If ever there was a case of running before you can walk, this is it."

Surly thats part of the idea of the High Speed rail link , to reduce overcrowding on the ECML and WCML.

Never had this problem with a Deltic and mk2 stock in the day, just jump on the "relief" train.

 

[westv]

Got an email from Mr EC offering an account credit as well as delay repay.

 

[455driver]

You would think they would be grateful that the railway had not got them to their "final destination" because that would mean they were dead!

Quiet news day and a few things went wrong on the railways!

 

[A-driver]

What a poor article. For a start it is written just to enhance the ego of the journalist. Stating how he apparently single handedly saved people-walking a claustrophobic man to the guards van, told his daughters boyfriend to help a pregnant lady etc. - I'm suprised he didn't describe how he gave CPR to someone with gunshot wounds and ripped his arm open to donate blood to a man who had lost his leg...could we make the article any more over dramatic?!

If you travel on one of the first off peak trains on a bank holiday Friday expect it to be busy. And sadly things do go wrong, all over the world on railways.

It sounds like the guards did a good job at keeping people informed as much as possible so what else could have been done?

And as for the comments about people possibly being forced to pay for expensive hotels overnight due to missed connections, the railway would either pay for hotels or more likely provide taxis if people were stranded.

Load of rubbish. He obviously had a bad day at work on Friday and this journey topped it off and he decided that he is self important enough to tell everyone what a hero he was I'm such a life threatening scenario as being stuck on a delayed train.

Lets hope he never gets a job as a war zone journalist as he would probably go into meltdown!