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TFW Shortage of Train Crews 23/08 and Bank Holiday

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PHILIPE

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TFW Journey Check tomorrow, Friday, showing 17 full and 39 part cancellations due to shortage of drivers. The areas mainly affected are in West Wales, Cambrian (been short all week) and Chester and North Wales.
There are many bustitutions been arranged where alternative services are not reasonably available.
 
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RailUK Forums

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TFW Journey Check tomorrow, Friday, showing 17 full and 39 part cancellations due to shortage of drivers. The areas mainly affected are in West Wales, Cambrian (been short all week) and Chester and North Wales.
There are many bustitutions been arranged where alternative services are not reasonably available.
same problems on Transpennine and Northern
 

Cambrian359

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TFW Journey Check tomorrow, Friday, showing 17 full and 39 part cancellations due to shortage of drivers. The areas mainly affected are in West Wales, Cambrian (been short all week) and Chester and North Wales.
There are many bustitutions been arranged where alternative services are not reasonably available.
Has this been the norm recently or is it just a sudden spike? Odd that bus replacements are still being arranged, surely they can’t have just realised tonight that they won’t have enough drivers! Especially on the Cambrian as it’s usually Lloyd’s coaches, I’ve seen them provide multiple buses at 5 minutes notice before now!
 

Sleepy

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Overtime in August probably reaches it's limits now - families deciding last "proper" weekend before kids go back to school to do things ?? I know my depot really struggling this weekend with many declined leave folks.
 

Furryanimal

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It's been a particularly bad week for Holyhead to Cardiff (and vice versa)services with several complete cancellations or short runnings.If you are in Cardiff starting the train in Chester is not exactly
helpful!
I have a trip to North Wales planned next April-hope all this is not a sign of things to come.As it is traveling with Tfw is starting to be like turn up and hope!
And my local station is unable to issue tickets until further notice!And the ticket machines are card only.Good luck to the conductors!
 

krus_aragon

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Has this been the norm recently or is it just a sudden spike? Odd that bus replacements are still being arranged, surely they can’t have just realised tonight that they won’t have enough drivers! Especially on the Cambrian as it’s usually Lloyd’s coaches, I’ve seen them provide multiple buses at 5 minutes notice before now!
Maybe Lloyds, etc. have the buses, but their drivers are also taking the kids on holiday?
 

Llandudno

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Cancellations and short form trains all over the TfW network today, some Virgin trains missing as well.
I guess loads more to come over the entire Bank Holiday weekend.

No doubt there will 000’s of disgruntled passengers over the weekend planning to attend football matches, Creamfields, Liverpool Beatles festival, Pride Events, the seaside and many more!

How much longer can TfW and others rely on the goodwill of train crew to continually agree to overtime to cover unallocated duties and Sunday shifts.

The sun is shining and train staff want to, understandably, spend their deserved time off with their families not working overtime every weekend.

How are these operators allowed to get away with it, are they fined for non delivery, if they are, is the fine actually paid by the UK taxpayer anyway as the services are subsidised in the first place?

If County Council subsidised bus services were frequently cancelled the bus operator would have the tender taken off them and relet to another more reputable operator.

Pure lottery if your train turns up, if it does will there be any seats!
 

PHILIPE

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I have discovered that one shown terminating short due to no driver did in fact have a driver. It was actually a knock on effect in so much as the return working didn't have a driver.
 

PHILIPE

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The position regarding driver shortage seems to have eased somewhat, still problems but changed to train faults or train crews delayed due late running.
 

Edders23

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in my business I have been running at 30 to 40 per cent down on drivers this summer as many have decided to take 3 to 8 week breaks during the school holidays :frown:
 

rich.davies

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Looking at tomorrow, Bidston to Wrexham trains are affected also. Some services are running Wrexham Central to Wrexham General, then cancelled from General to Bidston and also Cancelled from Bidston to General, but runs from General to Central. Is there a particular reason as to why its done like this. Hardly worth running a train for such a short distance.
 

PHILIPE

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Looking at tomorrow, Bidston to Wrexham trains are affected also. Some services are running Wrexham Central to Wrexham General, then cancelled from General to Bidston and also Cancelled from Bidston to General, but runs from General to Central. Is there a particular reason as to why its done like this. Hardly worth running a train for such a short distance.

They probably run up to General to effect train crew relief
 

Tomos y Tanc

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How much longer can TfW and others rely on the goodwill of train crew to continually agree to overtime to cover unallocated duties and Sunday shifts.

The sun is shining and train staff want to, understandably, spend their deserved time off with their families not working overtime every weekend.

To be fair, as I understand things, TfW have recruited several hundred new train crew members including drivers. The problem is that many are still being trained and training itself is difficult given the shortage of rolling stock.
 

Sheridan

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Even once all are trained it will come down to whether the contract specifies a certain number of saturday and Sunday days, presumably? And also how much power managers have to refuse leave on said days.
 

craigybagel

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To be fair, as I understand things, TfW have recruited several hundred new train crew members including drivers. The problem is that many are still being trained and training itself is difficult given the shortage of rolling stock.

Both training schools (Chester and Cardiff) are working flat out to train drivers and conductors, and pretty much as soon as one course finishes on the Friday another one starts on the Monday.

Even once all are trained it will come down to whether the contract specifies a certain number of saturday and Sunday days, presumably? And also how much power managers have to refuse leave on said days.

Saturday's are just like any other day - TfW traincrew are rostered to work 2 in every 3. There are maximum levels of staff who can take annual leave on any set day, and annual leave will not be granted to anyone in excess of those numbers.
 

Y Ddraig Coch

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Another absolutely shocking day for train cancellations, running non stop between places with RRB filling in and terminating short other services for TfW.

Doesn't look like this driver shortage is getting better any time soon.

It's getting very frustrating.
 

PHILIPE

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Another absolutely shocking day for train cancellations, running non stop between places with RRB filling in and terminating short other services for TfW.

Doesn't look like this driver shortage is getting better any time soon.

It's getting very frustrating.

It's very little compared with yesterday due to shortage of train crew. TFW are even running the Summer Saturday unadvertised Loco Hauled along the North Wales Coast which relies on train crews being available.
 

Llandudno

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It's very little compared with yesterday due to shortage of train crew. TFW are even running the Summer Saturday unadvertised Loco Hauled along the North Wales Coast which relies on train crews being available.
I read somewhere that the ‘extra’ is being operated by a class 150.
 

craigybagel

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It's very little compared with yesterday due to shortage of train crew. TFW are even running the Summer Saturday unadvertised Loco Hauled along the North Wales Coast which relies on train crews being available.

I read somewhere that the ‘extra’ is being operated by a class 150.

2 x 150. It also started at Chester rather then Crewe.
 

Y Ddraig Coch

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Ha ha, so the even the "extra isn't running " as scheduled....

The amount of trains in the last few weeks from TfW that I have had either not run, had to change some where even though it was a direct journey or end up on a rail replacement bus is just unacceptable really.

Yes its summer , yes people want holidays, yes less drivers will volunteer for rest day working....is any of this a new thing or a surprise though?
 

Edders23

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bearing in mind how much rail staff cost as opposed to bus and lorry drivers it isn't cost effective having extra to cover summer as they become an expensive extra overhead at other times of year
 

Dai Corner

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bearing in mind how much rail staff cost as opposed to bus and lorry drivers it isn't cost effective having extra to cover summer as they become an expensive extra overhead at other times of year

I don't think there are casual traincrew or agencies either?
 

Dai Corner

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It would be impossible in the Railway Industry. For one thing, it takes a year to train a driver from scratch and then they would have to maintain their proficiency

How about people who've recently retired or otherwise left the industry, guaranteed work frequently enough to maintain their proficiency?
 

Dai Corner

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I believe this describes a number of staff that drive for railtour companies.

They seem to keep up their competencies on all sorts of preserved traction and obscure routes too.

Finding drivers who can trundle up and down the Valleys or between Wrexham and Bidston in a 150 should be a doddle compared to that.
 

Parallel

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I was out and about on the Valleys today, and another problem was that nearly EVERY service was formed of just 2 carriages (apart from a 2x Pacer combo on the Rhymney - Penarth circuit) from what I saw. Plenty of 14x working solo on the Valleys, and 153s on Maesteg to Cheltenham. Virtually all trains I went on (and I went on a lot) were severely overcrowded, and delays started to stack up, initially via Taffs Well, then on the Rhymney line resulting in some stations getting skipped and on time trains having to wait at passing loops for delayed trains, and then becoming delayed themselves. TFW have had lots of angry tweets today too (trains also busier than normal due to Pride event in Cardiff)
 

PHILIPE

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I was out and about on the Valleys today, and another problem was that nearly EVERY service was formed of just 2 carriages (apart from a 2x Pacer combo on the Rhymney - Penarth circuit) from what I saw. Plenty of 14x working solo on the Valleys, and 153s on Maesteg to Cheltenham. Virtually all trains I went on (and I went on a lot) were severely overcrowded, and delays started to stack up, initially via Taffs Well, then on the Rhymney line resulting in some stations getting skipped and on time trains having to wait at passing loops for delayed trains, and then becoming delayed themselves. TFW have had lots of angry tweets today too (trains also busier than normal due to Pride event in Cardiff)

There didn't appear to be any shortage of train crews in the Valleys today.
 
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