Passenger boards XC at Manchester, dies, corpse travels undisturbed to Bournemouth.

[Minilad]

The driver, self checks the unit from the outside of the train.

Not at Bournemouth they don't

 

[the sniper]

Apparently found by a train dispatcher at Bournemouth. Person looked like they were sleeping, wearing headphones, but couldn't be woken.

 

[Fokx]

In the Sun account of the incident the man was discovered by a cleaner at the depot. Even with a coronavirus regime, shouldn't there have been a walk-through of the train to check it was clear before going out of passenger service?

The Sun is FAR from reliable as a newspaper

 

[Edgeley]

The Sun is FAR from reliable as a newspaper

The Sun is the original source of the Guardian article which the OP linked to.

 

[HamworthyGoods]

Not on XC services they dont.

It was one of the SWR Bournemouth train dispatchers checking the train from the outside who saw the person still on board and it started from there

 

[Jozhua]

Surprised, from my experience on XC, no-one tried to kick them out their seat due to a reservation.

Jabs at XC aside, it's sad that no-one noticed, perhaps if they had, there would have been an opportunity to save them.

 

[Bayum]

My father died of cancer in November, luckily he messaged me an hour and a half before to say basically the end was coming, by time I got to the Marie Curie hospice I got all of 20 minutes before the death rattle started to occur, I never realised that was what it actually was until you said it, I think the rattle lasted all of 10 minutes before he was gone. Deaths I can imagine would be very easy to miss in these current climate, the amount of people self isolating who have no family and nobody nearby who have sadly passed away could still be missed until all this is over and people eventually chase them up.

Yeah, they’re very interesting. They can last from minutes to hours, and as I say, I’ve heard them during CPR as well.

 

[Inthewest]

It’s always good if you have witnesses especially if you’re trying to check a female passengers ticket.

Which is a little presumptuous these days isn't it?
Equality act means females should no longer be given special treatment.

 

[Jurg]

Which is a little presumptuous these days isn't it?
Equality act means females should no longer be given special treatment.

If this is your take on equality and diversity legislation, you probably shouldn't be in a job that involves working with people.

 

[Taunton]

Hope it ended up better than a close relative who died similarly, around 1960, in a Newbury Racecourse to Paddington returning race special. Found by staff at Paddington after arrival. We knew he always went to the races with plenty of cash. His wallet was ... missing.

 

[urbophile]

In my role as a vicar in South London I once took the funeral of a man who had died on the train from Waterloo to Chessington (I think). The train went back and forward between the two stations all day until a member of staff noticed. The deceased's friend had been travelling with him but got off at an intermediate station, leaving his friend, as he thought, sleeping peacefully.

 

[theironroad]

Bournemouth is operated by SWR, I’m near certain that SWR staff walk the train before the unit goes into the middle siding.

Correct, swr station staff walk through all xc and swr trains at Bournemouth before they go ECS.

 

[LowLevel]

Correct, swr station staff walk through all xc and swr trains at Bournemouth before they go ECS.

As is eminently sensible. I can't believe we've got to a point where at least one TOC appears to have dispensed with proper out of service checks. If you miss someone while peering through the window taking a passenger to the depot/sidings on an out of service train is a fairly serious operational incident nowadays.

We are still doing security and out of service checks on our trains and I am rather glad of it - dealing with a passenger at the depot is proper pain in the backside.

 

[LCC106]

Had it before where someone has been missed late at night by the guard who was supposed to check the train before locking up. Chap who had fallen asleep due to too much to drink, I only spotted it on changing ends, thankfully able to eject him on to a platform and not sent through a through line or would have had to report it. Mentioned it to the shunter in case it had been spotted, he said no need to report. Must have happened a few times before!

 

[YorksLad12]

A couple of times commuting Leeds-Sheffield, and never being in a hurry to jump of the train usually, if I spotted someone sleeping at Leeds (or Sheffield, before they got extended to Lincoln) I'd give them a prod. I'd want someone to do that for me in the same situation, especially if I had had a heart attack.

 

[robbeech]

Correct, swr station staff walk through all xc and swr trains at Bournemouth before they go ECS.

Yet, a member of XC staff on here says otherwise, so which is it?

 

[221129]

Yet, a member of XC staff on here says otherwise, so which is it?

There are clearly different procedures at Bournemouth. That's on me, it's not my line of route.

 

[pompeyfan]

There are clearly different procedures at Bournemouth. That's on me, it's not my line of route.

I will try and find out when I get a chance. Speaking recently to Guildford staff, they said they didn’t touch XC. sadly it doesn’t make a difference to the deceased though.

 

[221129]

I will try and find out when I get a chance. Speaking recently to Guildford staff, they said they didn’t touch XC. sadly it doesn’t make a difference to the deceased though.

As far as I can tell Bournemouth is an exception.

 

[swt_passenger]

As far as I can tell Bournemouth is an exception.

I‘be seen SWR staff walk through XC terminators at Southampton as well. Can’t say if it happens every time though.

 

[Bayum]

Which is a little presumptuous these days isn't it?
Equality act means females should no longer be given special treatment.

Imagine frisking a sleeping female for a ticket in their coat.

 

[the sniper]

Imagine frisking a sleeping female for a ticket in their coat.

I can't imagine frisking a sleeping man for a ticket.

 

[robbeech]

I can't imagine frisking a sleeping man for a ticket.

I would assume a guard ‘frisking’ a sleeping passenger of any gender would expect to receive severe disciplinary action, likely dismissal. Somewhat of a increasingly pointless exercise regardless of the consequences given that more and more tickets are electronic and stored on a mobile phone or other device.

 

[Inthewest]

Exactly.
And has already been discussed in this thread, a knock with a T key will wake nearly anyone.

 

[trentside]

Exactly.
And has already been discussed in this thread, a knock with a T key will wake nearly anyone.

And if that doesn’t work, getting a witness so you can make a check on their welfare would be the logical next step. There’s also loudly announcing that you’ll be stopping the train at the next station to wait for an ambulance, that often wakes the more determined “sleepers” too.

Returning back to topic, I am genuinely surprised that not all TOCs are requiring occasional security walks and passenger counts. We’re still doing that where I work, and it remains a useful way of keeping an eye on what is going on. I’m not blaming the XC crews at all, as they’re adhering to company instructions but I’m just surprised that walkthroughs aren’t being done at all during some very long journeys.

 

[the sniper]

There’s also loudly announcing that you’ll be stopping the train at the next station to wait for an ambulance, that often wakes the more determined “sleepers” too.

Under played but very effective!

Beyond this, once you've got someone on the floor to perform CPR, you can be pretty sure they aren't blagging it, or you're dealing with a truly committed fare dodger!

 

[LowLevel]

Under played but very effective!

Beyond this, once you've got someone on the floor to perform CPR, you can be pretty sure they aren't blagging it, or you're dealing with a truly committed fare dodger!

I once bluffed that I was going to stop the train at the next station to two "No Speak English". Happy days, a track circuit failure meant we pulled up at a hardly used halt with a signal at the end of the platform and waited for a good 5 minutes while the driver did the necessaries.

About half way through this time one of my friends shouted "you didn't have to stop the train man, I've got a flight to catch!" in perfect English and issued me a pair of 20s.

Sometimes the railway gods do indeed giveth.

 

[TheEdge]

Sometimes the railway gods do indeed giveth.

In my experience they take with both hands then send the bailiffs to collect what they couldn't carry!