SWR Weybridge area block Monday 10 August

[dingdinger]

Today felt like the quietest day of the three yet received the most complaints. There has been station announcements during the buildup and I've seen a lot on Twitter not sure how so many regulars had missed it.

As for overrunning the 04.20 from Guildford is showing as cancelled at the moment

 

[James H]

There really wasn't much information at Waterloo to say that there was a special timetable in force.

On the mainline, matters weren't helped by a fatality near Wool.

I was on the 18:25 to Weymouth which was formed of 5 coaches instead of the booked 10 - and the previous train had been cancelled, so it was packed.

I had to stand in the vestibule till Winchester (a considerably longer journey than usual due to the diversion).

 

[30907]

I suspect the problem is that people looked at/heard the information but didn't clock that it affected Monday - because of course weekend engineering works never affect Mondays (apart from Bank Holidays) do they?

 

[swt_passenger]

I suspect the problem is that people looked at/heard the information but didn't clock that it affected Monday - because of course weekend engineering works never affect Mondays (apart from Bank Holidays) do they?

You might be onto something there. The thread title confused the date as well…

 

[berneyarms]

It is also true that that there is a not insignificant percentage of the population who won’t bother reading any notices about engineering works or disruption, or won’t hear announcements due to listening to something on their headphones, and then will plead total ignorance via social media and make it the railway’s fault.

As another poster said above, I would always caution about taking social media posts as being entirely representative of the travelling public, as it can be ridden with faux outrage.

 

[wastedlife]

Today felt like the quietest day of the three yet received the most complaints. There has been station announcements during the buildup and I've seen a lot on Twitter not sure how so many regulars had missed it.

As for overrunning the 04.20 from Guildford is showing as cancelled at the moment

I think they used the rolling stock for testing the point work. When I turned up at Surbiton just after 5am today, a 5x444 - the booked formation for the 4.20 Guildford - turned up at platform 1, the driver changed ends and it departed back down to Woking. Same unit then passed Surbiton again up to Waterloo on platform 2 just after 5.30am.

 

[jt7]

I was one of the unlucky passengers who didn't realise this was happening until I got to the station, although in my defence I have been on holiday for two weeks. Very surprised to see engineering works happening on a Monday.. Do you folks know if I can claim delay repay? The train I got usually arrives into Waterloo at 0820 but didn't arrived until 0900. The automated delay repay has rejected my claim because seemingly the timetable was amended and the train arrived on time according to the revised timetable, but in reality I was 40 minutes late for work.

 

[HamworthyGoods]

I was one of the unlucky passengers who didn't realise this was happening until I got to the station, although in my defence I have been on holiday for two weeks. Very surprised to see engineering works happening on a Monday.. Do you folks know if I can claim delay repay? The train I got usually arrives into Waterloo at 0820 but didn't arrived until 0900. The automated delay repay has rejected my claim because seemingly the timetable was amended and the train arrived on time according to the revised timetable, but in reality I was 40 minutes late for work.

Assuming you are travelling on a season ticket you are responsible for checking any changes to train times prior to travelling, this includes timetable changes and engineering works. No delay repay.

 

[pompeyfan]

Personally I think it was well advertised, not really sure how the company can learn from this. What do you think was missing that would have got your attention? There was social media, local news, station announcements, on board announcements. Most bases were covered.

 

[James H]

My girlfriend commutes from Waterloo to Woking on Mondays (and only Mondays) - if I hadn't been buying tickets for our evening journey to Bournemouth that evening (me from Waterloo, her from Woking) she wouldn't have been aware of the timetable change and would have turned up at Waterloo for her usual morning train, and thus been late for work.

 

[Class 170101]

Apparently two months notice isn't enough though.... That's (at least) how long it has been displayed in the engineering works listings under the 'Plan My Journey' section of the South Western Railway (SWR) website. I'd imagine it has also featured on National Rail Enquiries' website and journey planners, and it appears they have been regularly tweeting about it recently as well. Additionally, for regular passengers/commuters, they're usually pretty good at updating posters and playing announcements at stations in the run-up to works each week.

Officially it should be 12 weeks but that hasn't been adhered to since March 2020 when Lockdown 1 began.

 

[Horizon22]

The reaction to this I think will be interesting going forward if we are intending to have fewer weekend blocks as some have considered. The issue of course is that some will still be communting (and in core roles) so there's no obvious day to pick necessarily. For instance Friday mornings are generally very quiet, but the afternoons much busier.

 

[Bald Rick]

The reaction to this I think will be interesting going forward if we are intending to have fewer weekend blocks as some have considered.

It will be interesting. But I don’t see weekend work moving into the week. I do see - on certain routes - some BH weekend work moving into normal weekends + normal Mondays. Just like this.

 

[Flange Squeal]

Officially it should be 12 weeks but that hasn't been adhered to since March 2020 when Lockdown 1 began.

Would that have really made much difference in this scenario though? I should clarify I know they were on there 8 weeks before as that's when I noticed them - they may well have been on there even longer though, as I hadn't had cause to check the website prior so wouldn't have noticed. Not sure so many people seemingly not knowing about the works is because people typically only check in the period between 8 and 12 weeks before travelling? I'd imagine most people would also - or first - check closer to travelling?

The automated delay repay has rejected my claim because seemingly the timetable was amended and the train arrived on time according to the revised timetable, but in reality I was 40 minutes late for work.

I think it's more a case of "in reality" your train was on time, as per the timetable published (at least) two months ago?

 

[Brooklands]

Personally I think it was well advertised, not really sure how the company can learn from this. What do you think was missing that would have got your attention? There was social media, local news, station announcements, on board announcements. Most bases were covered.

Perhaps good old fashioned poster boards in prominent positions at the stations would have done the trick!
In normal times of course leafleting is usually done.
At least that way your regular commuters are more likely to be aware.
Perhaps this was done in certain areas but certainly not at my local SWR rail station.

 

[DorkingMain]

Perhaps good old fashioned poster boards in prominent positions at the stations would have done the trick!
In normal times of course leafleting is usually done.
At least that way your regular commuters are more likely to be aware.
Perhaps this was done in certain areas but certainly not at my local SWR rail station.

Which station would that be?

 

[greaterwest]

Perhaps good old fashioned poster boards in prominent positions at the stations would have done the trick!

... which is exactly what was done, and certainly at the two stations pertaining to your location as-shown on your profile.

 

[Brooklands]

Well I didn’t see any notices pertaining to this work even though you obviously did. Seems I wasn’t the only one either judging by previous replies.

 

[pompeyfan]

I also saw several station posters in obvious positions, however there is always a poster of some sort in the position so I can see how it’s easy to not notice. Is it the previous weeks please wear a mask poster or next weeks no vaping poster? Oh no it’s this weeks Weybridge closure.

 

[Robertj21a]

It's probably reasonable to assume that many of those who claim to have seen no advance warning at all are the regular passengers who have simply assumed that their train will run as usual, because it always does on Mondays. I doubt there's much more that can be done when many such passengers are likely to be on auto-pilot much of the time.

 

[The exile]

If the advance publicity was similar to the usual weekend engineering works posters, it is not surprising that people who don’t travel at weekends didn’t take it in. Likewise, if the eye catching bit didn’t make clear that Monday daytime services were affected, people may well have assumed ( yes, I know what that makes!) that it was basically Sat / Sun, spilling over into post - midnight services.

 

[HamworthyGoods]

If the advance publicity was similar to the usual weekend engineering works posters, it is not surprising that people who don’t travel at weekends didn’t take it in. Likewise, if the eye catching bit didn’t make clear that Monday daytime services were affected, people may well have assumed ( yes, I know what that makes!) that it was basically Sat / Sun, spilling over into post - midnight services.

I suspect people may not ‘assume’ again!!

 

[James H]

If the advance publicity was similar to the usual weekend engineering works posters, it is not surprising that people who don’t travel at weekends didn’t take it in. Likewise, if the eye catching bit didn’t make clear that Monday daytime services were affected, people may well have assumed ( yes, I know what that makes!) that it was basically Sat / Sun, spilling over into post - midnight services.

Yes, on Waterloo on Monday the screen below the departure boards was displaying a message about changes to train times Saturday to Monday but the heading of the message didn't really convey that there was a radical alteration to the weekday schedule.

On the 18.25 Waterloo to Weymouth, the guard didn't mention the diversion until he made an announcement just after we had left Clapham Junction to explain that we were diverted and this would add 26 minutes to our journeys.

This caused some confusion in the vestibule where I was standing, as some passengers were concerned that this extra delay was in addition to what was already in the timetable for the day.

 

[nlogax]

Posters are all well and good but people rarely read them until it's too late. I do buy the 'Monday services running as normal assumption' theory too. Working week changes need to be spelled out in flashing neon.

 

[berneyarms]

Posters are all well and good but people rarely read them until it's too late. I do buy the 'Monday services running as normal assumption' theory too. Working week changes need to be spelled out in flashing neon.

Some people still won’t notice them, until they’re actually impacted.

You can make them as obvious as possible but some people will just still block them out.

As previously posted, there are a significant percentage of passengers who are on autopilot with headphones who will blot everything out!

 

[infobleep]

It will be interesting. But I don’t see weekend work moving into the week. I do see - on certain routes - some BH weekend work moving into normal weekends + normal Mondays. Just like this.

Network Rail might need to produce more radio adverts.

Here is one on LBC about bank holiday works but if they start using other weekend + Monday, they might want adverts to warn people about other weekends.+ Monday.

If it's not necessary then perhaps neither is the bank holiday advert.

 

[jt7]

Assuming you are travelling on a season ticket you are responsible for checking any changes to train times prior to travelling, this includes timetable changes and engineering works. No delay repay.

Fortunately for me SWR didn't take the same view and have approved my delay replay appeal & have paid the claim.

Anyone else effected its worth putting in a claim (despite what the railway experts on here say!)