Ian Cunningham
Member
With a properly claggy 37 to haul themI now have images in my mind of WCRC being drafted in to run an Edinburgh - Glasgow shuttle using their battered mk1s during COP26...
With a properly claggy 37 to haul themI now have images in my mind of WCRC being drafted in to run an Edinburgh - Glasgow shuttle using their battered mk1s during COP26...
A fine year for train drivers though. Lovely wage rise and a rdw enhancement extended.Scotrail clearly have a mismatch between their income and expenditure. So they either need more income or less expenditure.
More income would require either:
Higher fares: unlikely as trains are already expensive compared to buses or the marginal cost of driving.
More passengers: but unless and until normal working and socialising patterns are re-established that will be difficult.
Increased taxpayer subsidy: this is already quite high and has increased during covid, government spending is limited and it is likely to return to the long term average.
Cutting costs can come from
Fewer services: will reduce energy costs, staffing costs (either via less overtime or redundancies) and less distance based maintenance on trains. Though reducing services may further reduce passenger numbers and hence reduce income, not a good idea.
Infrastructure maintenance: Could possibly be made more efficient, but I'd hope this already happens. Closing less used lines would save money but is politically unpopular, see Beeching.
Rolling Stock Costs: Much of this will be on long term contracts, but potential to renew leases on older trains if cheaper. Hopefully GB rail might introduce a more planned approach to rolling stock acquisition, but that will be long term. Again passengers who have a choice between rail and bus or car will expect a reasonable standard of comfort.
Staffing Costs: Either reduce the total number of staff by automation; replace ticket offices with ticket machines, conductors with DOO, computerised signalling centres and more efficient working practices. Or, control the cost of the current number of staff by limiting increases in pay and pensions.
Now I understand that conductors would like more money, I would like more money. But at the moment the rail industry is the tolerance of the government away from being bankrupt. Teachers, Police Officers, the Armed Forces and Council Workers are looking at a pay freeze. If the conductors feel that their current package of pay and pension is worse than they could get in another industry, there are plenty of lorry and van driver jobs, retail and warehouse jobs, hospitality and care worker jobs available right now. The reality is if they resigned Scotrail would have plenty of applicants for the jobs and be trained in under a year. In most industries there are good and bad years for pay, this is a good year for lorry drivers, it's not a good year for railway staff. Some years will be the other way round, there is no rational basis for railway staff to be upset about a limited pay rise this year.
This strike is to do with the rdw enhancement. It's not fair to give it to one grade and no others.
There are very few places where ScotRail could benefit from the installation of automatic ticket gates though. The only real ones that would help are the remaining platforms they often use at Edinburgh which are ungated, but these are technically so difficult that it's simply not worth it.To get more income, it would be nice if ScotRail actually collect fares for the trains that are running. They need to start thinking about rolling out more ticket gates at stations
In what way did you put your life at risk?I have been an RMT member for the last 20 odd years and this will be my first actual strike. Let me try to explain why this is such a big issue for members.
We all put our lives at risk to provide transport for the people who were classed as key workers.
There are very few places where ScotRail could benefit from the installation of automatic ticket gates though. The only real ones that would help are the remaining platforms they often use at Edinburgh which are ungated, but these are technically so difficult that it's simply not worth it.
A large number of secondary stations already have ticket gates in Scotland, like Bathgate and Edinburgh Gateway. There wouldn't be much point in gating Falkirk High if you didn't also gate Falkirk Grahmston and Camelon, and not much point im gating Dumbarton Central without also gating Dumbarton East and Dalreoch.
I think that Motherwell and Ayr will have ticket gates included eventually as a part of long-term redevelopments at those locations, which perhaps leaves Kilmarnock, Inverkeithing and Helensburgh Central as possible priorities, but again overwhelmingly the users of those stations will be going to somewhere else that already has gates.
There's really next to no point in trying to install gates in places like Dingwall or Inverurie.
I have absolutely no idea if ScotRail are contributing to the cost, but Northern's big increase in blocks at Carlisle has probably been helping them more than gates at Dumfries would.
Glasgow, nor the UK is not a global laughing stock and the idea that the entire world will be watching or even taking an interest is wide of the mark. Take China for example.It’s less about overall demand. Glasgow (and in turn the UK as a whole, not to mention the rail network) will become even more of a global laughing stock than it already is if ScotRail is allowed to effectively shut down during the conference when the entire world is watching.
The RMT has never given a hoot about inconveniencing the public or whether they have any public support.If you're going to inconvenience the public - to whom you are paid to provide a service, basic decency suggests you explain why. An additional benefit might be to have more public sympathy for your cause, which could only help you politically.
Glasgow, nor the UK is not a global laughing stock and the idea that the entire world will be watching or even taking an interest is wide of the mark. Take China for example.
It did but I thought they weren't used from 2018 onwards were they because of the hotel issues closing that part of the station? Are they in use today? I confess my last visit to Ayr station was before the pandemic. On that occasion a manual ticket inspection was done and we exited via the car park.Ayr has had barriers for over 15 years now.
Ayr has had barriers for over 15 years now.
The barriers at Ayr are still out of use. Until the hotel has been sorted out they'll remain out of use as everyone has to use the temporary exit into the car park. On my most recent visit to Ayr in July, a manual ticket check was done on the way back into the station, but not when I exited earlier in the day.It did but I thought they weren't used from 2018 onwards were they because of the hotel issues closing that part of the station? Are they in use today? I confess my last visit to Ayr station was before the pandemic. On that occasion a manual ticket inspection was done and we exited via the car park.
The station road entrance has gates but they are often open. The temporary entrance on the other side doesn’t have gates and more often than not there are no staff checking tickets.It did but I thought they weren't used from 2018 onwards were they because of the hotel issues closing that part of the station? Are they in use today? I confess my last visit to Ayr station was before the pandemic. On that occasion a manual ticket inspection was done and we exited via the car park.
The barriers at Ayr are still out of use. Until the hotel has been sorted out they'll remain out of use as everyone has to use the temporary exit into the car park. On my most recent visit to Ayr in July, a manual ticket check was done on the way back into the station, but not when I exited earlier in the day.
I see. Perhaps I was wrong that this is being rectified, it's unclear from Google searching. Ayr clearly is the sort of location where gate coverage is a priority.The station road entrance has gates but they are often open. The temporary entrance on the other side doesn’t have gates and more often than not there are no staff checking tickets.
By coming to my place of work during a serious respiratory virus pandemic, mixing with lots of other people before any vaccines were even in production. The same way anyone who worked through the Pandemic were putting their lives at risk. It may have escaped your notice that a large number of front line staff in various industries have died in the last couple of years.In what way did you put your life at risk?
You could probably gate Paisley Gilmour Street, since that has frequent revenue checks.There are very few places where ScotRail could benefit from the installation of automatic ticket gates though. The only real ones that would help are the remaining platforms they often use at Edinburgh which are ungated, but these are technically so difficult that it's simply not worth it.
A large number of secondary stations already have ticket gates in Scotland, like Bathgate and Edinburgh Gateway. There wouldn't be much point in gating Falkirk High if you didn't also gate Falkirk Grahmston and Camelon, and not much point im gating Dumbarton Central without also gating Dumbarton East and Dalreoch.
I think that Motherwell and Ayr will have ticket gates included eventually as a part of long-term redevelopments at those locations, which perhaps leaves Kilmarnock, Inverkeithing and Helensburgh Central as possible priorities, but again overwhelmingly the users of those stations will be going to somewhere else that already has gates.
There's really next to no point in trying to install gates in places like Dingwall or Inverurie.
I have absolutely no idea if ScotRail are contributing to the cost, but Northern's big increase in blocks at Carlisle has probably been helping them more than gates at Dumfries would.
Over 99.9 % of people who caught Covid did not die so i do not think my question was stupid or ignorant.By coming to my place of work during a serious respiratory virus pandemic, mixing with lots of other people before any vaccines were even in production. The same way anyone who worked through the Pandemic were putting their lives at risk. It may have escaped your notice that a large number of front line staff in various industries have died in the last couple of years.
What a stupid, ignorant reply.
It depends on how you quantify risk I think.Over 99.9 % of people who caught Covid did not die so i do not think my question was stupid or ignorant.
An ignorant reply to a previous ignorant reply.Over 99.9 % of people who caught Covid did not die so i do not think my question was stupid or ignorant.
An ignorant reply to a previous ignorant reply.
Safe zones were set up in response to the Pandemic. The only way onboard staff could be protected from the threat of Covid was to isolate them from the threat. Most, if not all workplaces set up safe zones. To travel on the trains during the height of the Pandemic as a passenger was completely at their own risk. I understand that the passengers that had to use public transport during the Pandemic were putting themselves at risk but they were not forced to travel by train. Staff had to travel on trains and as key workers, they had no choice but to continue their work.Any comment to make on post #1,525 ?
To travel on the trains during the height of the Pandemic as a passenger was completely at their own risk. I understand that the passengers that had to use public transport during the Pandemic were putting themselves at risk but they were not forced to travel by train.
The bit I really don’t get, is why if conditions at ScotRail are so bad at the moment, staff aren’t leaving in droves to join other industries. As I understand it, ScotRail are managing to fill vacancies and are getting plenty of applications.
I see. Perhaps I was wrong that this is being rectified, it's unclear from Google searching. Ayr clearly is the sort of location where gate coverage is a priority.