Scotrail Franchise - Abellio

[cf111]

Considering there are only two more Departures I'm surprised they bother opening it at all. Is Wick any better with regard to facilities.

Dingwall certainly put's Thurso to shame with regard to facilities, perhaps because of it's proximity to Ross County's Stadium and the crowds that must bring and consequent trade.

No, Wick is just the same. Both station buildings are built to exactly the same design.

In many ways I have now been converted to the X99 bus for my journeys from the frozen north south.

 

[Blindtraveler]

Likewise. It only now needs Stagecoach to replace the vehicles with Gold Spec and the train has lost the battle. That having been said the current fleat is fine and will do for a few years yet.

 

[reb0118]

Smoking is now banned on all ScotRail stations. Full Stop!

This is to bring us into line with other TOCs and Network Rail run stations. I agree that this has not been advertised extensively. Note although in most cases you will just receive a friendly warning, if indeed it is mentioned at all, from railway staff, where there are council enforcement officers you may risk a fine (sorry administrative penalty) of £50. :roll:

 

[380101]

Smoking is now banned on all ScotRail stations. Full Stop!

This is to bring us into line with other TOCs and Network Rail run stations. I agree that this has not been advertised extensively. Note although in most cases you will just receive a friendly warning, if indeed it is mentioned at all, from railway staff, where there are council enforcement officers you may risk a fine (sorry administrative penalty) of £50. :roll:

There is more chance of you winning the lottery than this new policy being enforced! Been in place since the passenger charter changed on 1st April.

 

[matchmaker]

It's a bit of a joke on the line from Inverness to Thurso where there are only a couple of manned stations and most of them are only part-time.

It could be interesting at Dingle which has a café one side of the platform and a bar the other side which along with the station all share a common frontage of the platform.

Closed for passenger traffic on 17 April 1939, as far as I know.

 

[Butts]

Closed for passenger traffic on 17 April 1939, as far as I know.

Ho Ho !!!!

Dingwall meant I

 

[clc]

About 5m45s in to this interview the boss of Scotrail Alliance says they will lengthen platforms at North Berwick: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GTG1XAB68X0

Is this a new announcement?

 

[clc]

Some nightmare journeys for passengers on the East Kilbride line yesterday morning due to a broken down train at Crossmyloof whose brakes had seized. A friend told me she boarded at Clarkston at 0812 and it was standing room only due to an earlier cancellation. People were left on the platforms at Giffnock, Thornliebank and Pollokshaws West as the 4 carriage train was bursting. It then sat just outside Crossmyloof for 80 minutes while attempts were made to repair the train in front.

Questions are going to be asked about the adequacy of Abellio's maintenance regime I think.

 

[Carlisle]

Questions are going to be asked about the adequacy of Abellio's maintenance regime I think.

I doubt the stocks maintenance or exam periods has changed much if at all since Abellio took over, isn't it more likely just to be one of those occasional mechanical failures ?

 

[scotraildriver]

Whilst little has changed on the maintenance front the opening of the borders railway combined with the loss of 4 170's to Southern, class 158 refurbishment, class 156 CET mods and the ever increasing passenger numbers means the diesel fleet is getting absolutely hammered. Whilst I haven't seen much change in actual failures there are definitely more minor and cosmetic faults occurring and taking ages to be fixed.

 

[47271]

The 0650 Inverness-Edinburgh struggled all the way over Slochd and Drumochter on two engines today.

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/G90821/2015/10/28

48 late into Waverley

Other than a spate of substitution of non-First Class units onto Inverness trains, something that doesn't affect me other than to free up a bit of seating capacity, to be fair I haven't personally noticed a recent major deterioration in the 170s otherwise.

 

[mbreckers]

I think it's what we were all expecting but I couldn't see anything at all about it either way in the Franchise Agreement.

Sounds like Transport Scotland had told the operators what their preference was even if it wasn't specified in the ITT.



All trains oberated by Abellio Scotrail will have to have either a Guard or Ticket Inspector rostered to be on every service. This is the same as the historic Strathclyde Manning Agreement for EMUs.

I believe in some circumstances of sickness / other staff unavailability the train is permitted to run without a Ticket Inspector but the intention should be for one to be on every train.

On E-G services most trains will also have catering staff to deliver the first class service and operate the trolley through second class. So while it will be DOO there will be 3 staff members on most services.

Given the AT200s look likely to operate to North Berwick (according to the clearance info linked in previous post) presumably this well will this affect that route too?

Are North Berwick's still operated with a Guard at present but with the Driver operating the doors on the 380s?

AT200s will also take over Dunblane / Alloa and from the clearance document looks like they are the intended stock for Shotts post 2019 as well.

That would leave the only Edinburgh routes with Guards as Fife, Dundee, Aberdeen and Inverness.

Does anyone have a link to the "clearance document" that Altnabreac is referring to with regards to the AT200's and the Shotts Line?

 

[scotraildriver]

The 0650 Inverness-Edinburgh struggled all the way over Slochd and Drumochter on two engines today.

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/G90821/2015/10/28

48 late into Waverley

Other than a spate of substitution of non-First Class units onto Inverness trains, something that doesn't affect me other than to free up a bit of seating capacity, to be fair I haven't personally noticed a recent major deterioration in the 170s otherwise.

No, there hasnt been. The problem is that the diesel fleet is on a knife edge. The smallest thing going wrong when there are literally no spare units whatsoever means problems manifest quickly.

 

[Blindtraveler]

What mods are the 156s undergoing?

 

[Altnabreac]

Does anyone have a link to the "clearance document" that Altnabreac is referring to with regards to the AT200's and the Shotts Line?

Appendix 1 in the Franchise Agreement showed the routes to be cleared for operation by AT200 stock. P333 here:
http://www.transportscotland.gov.uk...Redacted Franchise Agreement - CU version.pdf

This broadly showed the Priority 1 routes for clearance to be North Berwick, Dunbar, Falkirk High, Dunblane, Alloa, Cumbernauld and Shotts which is what we broadly expected the routes to be covered by AT200s to be.

Also included routes to enable access to Millerhill, Bathgate and Corkerhill depots.

Since then this map (p6) has also surfaced in stakeholder consultations:
http://www.spokes.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/1506-EGIT-trains-cons-presentation.pdf

This shows AT200s additionally in use on Cathcart, Neilston and Newton lines which were listed only as Priority 2 for clearance in the Franchise Agreement so looks to be a partial change of plan as the map is more recent than the Franchise Agreement.

 

[Chrism20]

Just noticed this on the Scotsman website.

New figures show the franchise, taken over by operator Abellio in April, was hit with £265,282 in penalties between July and September.

ScotRail failed to meet set standards in eight of 17 quality categories for trains, including toilets, graffiti, passenger information displays and the seat reservation system.


Cash penalties or rewards are issued depending on performance against a benchmark under the service quality incentive regime (Squire).

Since April, all fines collected by Transport Scotland are reinvested in the rail network.

Reports were previously released on an annual basis but Transport Scotland said it will now make quarterly reports publicly available.

Transport minister Derek Mackay said: “Through the Squire programme the Scottish Government is already engaged in one of the most rigorous and effective assessments of any rail franchise in the UK.

“We are pleased to be working with Abellio ScotRail to uphold and improve upon the high standards that we set ourselves by not only running a clean, efficient and safe rail network, but one that also offers unprecedented levels of transparency for the consumer.”



Read more: http://www.scotsman.com/news/transp...for-standards-failure-1-3939855#ixzz3qjyZXPOg

 

[HH]

I don't know what Abellio are doing, but it should be pointed out that First made the toilet benchmarks by locking the toilets, so that you had to get a key from a member of the station staff. I remember "fondly" a particular merry-go-round at PGS.

 

[Carlisle]

Other than the Abellio door stickers I've not really noticed any changes to train interiors good or bad since the start of new franchise, standards seem about the same

 

[route:oxford]

Just noticed this on the Scotsman website.

One of the comments is interesting...

I wonder if Abellio are rewarded for flying the Saltire from the rash of flagpoles that have appeared in all the stations around me recently.

Which stations have benefited from new flagpoles?

 

[HH]

And is anyone saluting?

 

[Highland37]

One of the comments is interesting...



Which stations have benefited from new flagpoles?

I haven't noticed any at all am have been around quite a few stations recently.

 

[47271]

The reference appears in the Comments section of a Scotsman story, so that's two compelling reasons to give it absolutely no credence whatsoever.

The story itself leads to the usual barrage of incoherent nonsense found in Scotsman Comments, the flagpoles being one of the stranger remarks to be found therein.

As I recall First ran up similar fines at a similar rate, but without checking old news items I can't make a direct comparison.

Speaking for myself, I haven't seen any flagpoles or flags in daily Scotrail travel over the past fortnight. Furthermore I've experienced no difference in what I've received since April other than getting frustrated by their customer service on email a few months ago, and noticing that more non First Class 170s are appearing on the Highland Main Line. I know that they're short of diesel units so I understand why that's happening.

There's been other recent adverse coverage in the press about poor handling of issues (brutal rejection of unsucessful driver applicants and possible cuts to control jobs) but those are just things that I read.

On my direct evidence since April I don't think that they're any better or worse than First. Others may have other evidence.

 

[Chrism20]

First Groups fine for the last full year of the franchise was £576,000. If Abellio continue at that rate per quarter the annual total would be double.

I have to agree with others though, I haven't noticed any noticeable deterioration of standards whilst out and about.

Was the Squire scheme requirements tightened up with the change of franchise?

 

[Altnabreac]

First Groups fine for the last full year of the franchise was £576,000. If Abellio continue at that rate per quarter the annual total would be double.

I have to agree with others though, I haven't noticed any noticeable deterioration of standards whilst out and about.

Was the Squire scheme requirements tightened up with the change of franchise?

Squire certainly changed at Franchise Handover and covers more areas but I haven't read the detail. It's entirely possible the 'fines' could be higher without that meaning performance is worse.

 

[Chrism20]

Squire certainly changed at Franchise Handover and covers more areas but I haven't read the detail. It's entirely possible the 'fines' could be higher without that meaning performance is worse.

Yeah that was what I was thinking myself when I wrote that earlier.

Are the Squire requirements available online for the public to view or are they classed as commercially sensitive?

 

[Altnabreac]

Yeah that was what I was thinking myself when I wrote that earlier.

Are the Squire requirements available online for the public to view or are they classed as commercially sensitive?

The requirements are definitely in the Franchise Agreement (on TS website). The actual monetary values of each measure i think may be commercially sensitive and not included.

 

[Chrism20]

The requirements are definitely in the Franchise Agreement (on TS website). The actual monetary values of each measure i think may be commercially sensitive and not included.

Thanks, I think that might be my bedtime reading next week.

 

[Altnabreac]

Thanks, I think that might be my bedtime reading next week.

Think its about 700 pages. I have read it (for Professional reasons!) but skimmed over the Squire bit and my memory is a bit fuzzy on exactly what was included.

 

[HH]

Squire certainly changed at Franchise Handover and covers more areas but I haven't read the detail. It's entirely possible the 'fines' could be higher without that meaning performance is worse.

That is indeed the case. SQUIRE was both extended and the targets made tougher.

 

[Highland37]

The reference appears in the Comments section of a Scotsman story, so that's two compelling reasons to give it absolutely no credence whatsoever.

The story itself leads to the usual barrage of incoherent nonsense found in Scotsman Comments, the flagpoles being one of the stranger remarks to be found therein.

Thanks. I have found it now "I wonder if Abellio are rewarded for flying the Saltire from the rash of flagpoles that have appeared in all the stations around me recently.

Sounds like a typical Nat thing to do promoting their Brigadreach dream."

Just the usual drivel from the Scotsman and it's every dwindling band of readers.