TOCs and cancelling trains

[DarloRich]

How do you know that it was a case of 'not bothering'?

More likely: line has limited capacity as it is damaged, XC services have been designated as having a higher priority over the ATW locals and therefore XC use all of the limited capacity.

He doesn't know that and is talking rubbish.

18 months ago during the winter. Several times ATW cancelled their train but CC still ran on this line.

As you suggest, NR must have decided the line was fit for use but ATW didnt bother.

A poor trolling attempt.

The route will have had limited capacity, perhaps only one line open due to flooding, so NR/TOC management/control decided the best use of that limited capacity was to run XC trains rather than ATW, perhaps on the basis that most ATW customers would be taking shorter journeys that could be covered by road transport.

Sorry that doesn't fit with your victim/conspiracy scenario.

 

[Flamingo]

If Sunday's were part of the working week, that would be fine if there were enough staff employed to give everybody two days a week off.

The current arrangement allows TOC's to employ less staff. They are prepared to trade the vulnerability this give them when it comes to pressure from an overtime ban by staff.

Wanting arrangements where the staff are obliged to work their days off are the TOC's wanting to have their cake and eat it!

 

[gtr driver]

I think it's unfair to compare sickness levels to other industries as there is a higher rate of enforced sickness within the railway safety critical grade which will contribute to those figures but are not part of a 'sick note culture'.

If I go to the dentist and have a local anaesthetic my TOC won't allow me near a train for 48hours. That could be 2 days off sick. If I worked in an office I could go straight back into work pretty much. That's a possible 2 days enforced sick.

If I go to the doctor and am prescribed certain medication I am not allowed to work and so booked sick for he length of the prescription. If I worked in an office I could continue to work normally.

If I had an injury I'd be booked off sick until the company doctor felt I could resume full duties. So a broken leg could involve moving furniture around in an office so an employee can continue working. It involves being booked sick until 100% fit for a train driver.

To an extent with stomach bugs and similar a train driver can't be expected to go into work in an environment where they are denied toilet facilities for 4or 5 hours at a time. I'm not in any way suggesting it's the only profession where that is the case however there are certainly jobs where one could escape to the toilet fairly regularly if need be.

So I think these kind of figures need to be taken with a pinch of salt as they certainly don't provide a realistic or true comparison!

Well said, A-Driver, to be honest I wouldn't be surprised if rail workers have higher sick rates brought on by shifts that destroy healthy sleeping, eating, and family lives, the stresses of constant pressure to perform without error, and the incessant uninformed criticism from outside and inside the industry!

 

[A-driver]

Well said, A-Driver, to be honest I wouldn't be surprised if rail workers have higher sick rates brought on by shifts that destroy healthy sleeping, eating, and family lives, the stresses of constant pressure to perform without error, and the incessant uninformed criticism from outside and inside the industry!

Is true. Add to that that many people catch colds and bugs from travelling on public transport twice a day. Now think how much higher that is if you spend your entire working life on public transport and touch the same controls goodness knows how many people have done before you etc.

We get news articles all the time about how dirty train carriages are in the public areas. The cabs are often worse.

 

[Flamingo]

In my previous jobs, I never ever came down with stomach bugs. In my ten years on the railway, I average one every 6-9 months, despite washing my hands as frequently as I can.

As has been said, due to the safety-critical nature of a lot of railway jobs, a lot of illnesses that would be ok to be work with in other industries result in sick time. Having said that, I've seen one or two that really were a masterclass in how to kick the arrse out of the system!

But on balance, I would say that the Railway (at least the part of it I work in) manage sickness and absence very well, and the "throw a sickie" mentality is much less common than anywhere else I ever worked.

 

[DarloRich]

In my previous jobs, I never ever came down with stomach bugs. In my ten years on the railway, I average one every 6-9 months, despite washing my hands as frequently as I can.

Dirty passengers to blame

 

[gtr driver]

Dirty passengers to blame

It wouldn't surprise me judging by the state of some of those trains after just one morning journey. Working on the rails does nothing for your view of humanity.

 

[Flamingo]

Dirty passengers to blame

You'd be amazed the number that put their ticket in their mouth, then hand it to you...