Train cancelled as "they forgot to rota a driver"

[TurbineEnginee]

If somebody remembered to take the driver off on the system.

Imagine this - someone phones in sick, Resource Manager makes a mental note of it, then disruption hits and they're re-planning a load of trains on the fly.

But when the time comes around that the train the driver who rang in sick is due to leave.... the driver is still there on the system, but very much not in person.

(I've no idea what happened in this situation, but whilst there are systems which would warn this type of thing, it relies on a human informing the system to begin with - humans are humans and those sorts of things happen!)

Phones in sick? That’s so very 20th century.

Seriously, people still use telephone calls? For routine stuff like am I coming in?

That’s so backward.

Are you sure it’s still a thing?

 

[Fleetmaster]

Are we still trusting drivers when they give out information that potentially damages a company then?

On a similar note, are we still assuming "rang in sick" means they were actually sick?

 

[BeijingDave]

Phones in sick? That’s so very 20th century.

Seriously, people still use telephone calls? For routine stuff like am I coming in?

That’s so backward.

Are you sure it’s still a thing?

I don't work on the railways but my employer's policy remains phone call or email before 08.30am if going off sick, WhatsApp or similar not accepted.

 

[Surreytraveller]

Phones in sick? That’s so very 20th century.

Seriously, people still use telephone calls? For routine stuff like am I coming in?

That’s so backward.

Are you sure it’s still a thing?

How else are you going to get your communication acknowledged if you don't speak with someone? People are busy - they don't sit there staring at their emails all day in case someone goes sick

 

[Bungle]

How else are you going to get your communication acknowledged if you don't speak with someone? People are busy - they don't sit there staring at their emails all day in case someone goes sick

My previous airline had a “report sick” function on the crew control system, to avoid having to bother them with a call. Log on, click a button and it’s done. I assume a crew controller gets some sort of instant notification their end, and they cover the flight straight away.

My current place requires a phone call, minimum 2 hours before report time. No online option.

Guess it depends where you work, what their policies are, what the software is capable of, etc. I imagine the railway has some broad similarities.

 

[Class800]

My previous airline had a “report sick” function on the crew control system, to avoid having to bother them with a call. Log on, click a button and it’s done. I assume a crew controller gets some sort of instant notification their end, and they cover the flight straight away.

My current place requires a phone call, minimum 2 hours before report time. No online option.

Guess it depends where you work, what their policies are, what the software is capable of, etc. I imagine the railway has some broad similarities.

And if someone has lost his or her voice? Or breaks a leg 10 minutes before report time? Got to be more flexible

 

[43066]

Are we still trusting drivers when they give out information that potentially damages a company then?

On a similar note, are we still assuming "rang in sick" means they were actually sick?

On the first point, would you rather he had lied?

On the second, there’s no evidence anyone “rang in sick” in this case, so why jump to an accusation?

Guess it depends where you work, what their policies are, what the software is capable of, etc. I imagine the railway has some broad similarities.

A mandatory phone call to resource centre is how most TOCs operate.

 

[dk1]

Phones in sick? That’s so very 20th century.

Seriously, people still use telephone calls? For routine stuff like am I coming in?

That’s so backward.

Are you sure it’s still a thing?

What a strange post. The duty traincrew managers phones rarely stop ringing.

 

[D365]

Phones in sick? That’s so very 20th century.

Seriously, people still use telephone calls? For routine stuff like am I coming in?

That’s so backward.

Are you sure it’s still a thing?

You're contradicting yourself. What are you actually asking here?

I don't work on the railways but my employer's policy remains phone call or email before 08.30am if going off sick, WhatsApp or similar not accepted.

Good. Text/Whatsapp/Teams messages are not formal communication.

 

[Falcon1200]

Seriously, people still use telephone calls? For routine stuff like am I coming in?

How else are you going to get your communication acknowledged if you don't speak with someone? People are busy - they don't sit there staring at their emails all day in case someone goes sick

Exactly, plus the person receiving the call may very well need further information, such as how long do they expect to be off.

And if someone has lost his or her voice? Or breaks a leg 10 minutes before report time? Got to be more flexible

Likely someone losing their voice would have called in sick long before they were totally unable to speak, and not sure how a broken leg prevents someone making a phone call, but not sending an email?

And apart from anything else, the ubiquity nowadays of mobile phones means that such a call can be made from pretty well anywhere.

 

[Class800]

Exactly, plus the person receiving the call may very well need further information, such as how long do they expect to be off.



Likely someone losing their voice would have called in sick long before they were totally unable to speak, and not sure how a broken leg prevents someone making a phone call, but not sending an email?

And apart from anything else, the ubiquity nowadays of mobile phones means that such a call can be made from pretty well anywhere.

Broken leg would prevent the 2 hours notice the other poster mentioned

 

[43066]

Broken leg would prevent the 2 hours notice the other poster mentioned

If it’s a serious emergency such as that, and you’ve been carted off in ambulance, then doing a no show will be forgiven!

 

[Falcon1200]

Broken leg would prevent the 2 hours notice the other poster mentioned

As would any other last minute emergency, but the discussion was about the means of advising a call-off, not the timing.

 

[ExRes]

Phones in sick? That’s so very 20th century.

Seriously, people still use telephone calls? For routine stuff like am I coming in?

That’s so backward.

Are you sure it’s still a thing?

It doesn't say 'coming in' does it? it says 'not coming in' which is a totally different thing

 

[InkyScrolls]

At Northern (my TOC), traincrew are expected to telephone Traincrew Control as soon as possible if it becomes clear on the day that they won't be able to come in. Only telephone is accepted - emails are not. I lost my voice totally last summer for a few days, without much warning, and found myself in the unfortunate position of having to ask my wife to ring Control for me, which is highly frowned upon!

 

[Krokodil]

You would have thought by the 21st century the IT would be advanced enough to warn you if there is a train without a driver !!

In my experience, the increasing automation of rostering and diagramming has created more problems than it has solved. Droids can't think creatively.

 

[Bow Fell]

You’ll find phone call is the correct protocol (unless extreme circumstances) on the railway for sickness. A phone call especially to Control is all on a recorded line and I imagine similar to Resouces/Rosters and to Duty Traincrew Manager/Depot Managers phones as well.

In my experience, the increasing automation of rostering and diagramming has created more problems than it has solved. Droids can't think creatively.

Spot on, it requires the information in there being correct in the first place, just look at the issue TPE had a few weeks ago. The information in Genius/Integrale has to be accurate in the first place, failing that it’s open the dockets and get a pen and paper!

 

[8A Rail]

Usual RTT baloney.

Where do you think RTT gets its information from? The info on there is only as good as the info that is exported by the 'railway' themselves / imported by RTT! So nothing to do with RTT!

 

[Bow Fell]

Where do you think RTT gets its information from? The info on there is only as good as the info that is exported by the 'railway' themselves / imported by RTT! So nothing to do with RTT!

It’s everything to do with RTT, with the way it interprets the information. Which unfortunately is then misinterpreted by the people who use it. It’s not the fault of RTT of course, it’s the just the reason given.

“MS” in this case is the correct code, however the reason given by RTT is far more varied, it could be anything from unit allocation/unit swaps/unit swaps for maintenance requirements or no unit available the list goes on.

 

[87015]

Where do you think RTT gets its information from? The info on there is only as good as the info that is exported by the 'railway' themselves / imported by RTT! So nothing to do with RTT!

Not in this case. RTT has some 'interesting' translations of delay codes which it then states as the reason. In this case there is absolutely nothing accurate about its description of "this service was cancelled due to the planned train being replaced with a slower train (MS)" as thats not the definition of a MS delay code, but what RTT have decided to rewrite it too.