Transpennine woes and a moan...

[jkkne]

That experience is typical of stories I hear in Sheffield. When the service was reilable it was worth paying for. Even before Covid it was flawed. At least on South Pennine there are rail alternatives.

TPE will need to prove they can provide a reliable service for months before they'll get significant passenger numbers back. Most are now settled in a new work/life pattern that does not require a daily train. For leisure it doesn't include an expensive fast train.

That doesn't auger well for TPE.

Similar to the experience around the North East as well.

We have offices across Manchester and Tameside (Ashton/Stalybridge) and I used to visit quite regularly. I cannot abide the drive down from Newcastle as I get bored so I used to take the train - do some work, relax with a coffee (a wine on the way back) but the total stress of logging onto journey check to see if my train was running or if it was, was there catering or reservations? It just became added stress and I never enjoyed my time with the Teams down in Manchester because I was thinking about the journey on the way back - people sitting on tables until Leeds etc etc.

I'd happily go back if I could trust the service but the stress isn't worth it for me.

 

[DanNCL]

They really do not know how to read the room do they?

We're excited to announce a new on-board catering menu, with hot food available in first class for the first time! A revamped menu is also available on many Class 185 trains and in standard class on the Nova fleet.

Find out more here: bit.ly/TPECatering

https://twitter.com/TPExpressTrains/status/1605144419686039552?t=Thkvnwx4k_nn7dz8j9qwxA&s=19

Tweet now deleted.

 

[Twingo37175]

Tweet now deleted.

Still up on facebook, but with comments turned off (wonder why......)

 

[yorksrob]

I feel sorry for the marketing department because they're obviously making an effort with the advertising and catering etc. It's just unfortunate that the operational side isn't up to it at the moment.

 

[endecotp]

We're excited to announce a new on-board catering menu, with hot food available in first class for the first time! A revamped menu is also available on many Class 185 trains and in standard class on the Nova fleet.

We got a survey email after our recent 2-hour-delayed trip to Penrith. It bothers me that they ask a lot of questions like “how satisfied were you with the cleanliness of the outside of the train?”. It feels to me like they’ll be able to look at the results and say something like “passengers rate us as satisfactory or better for 8 out of 10 key performance indicators”.

(Hmm, now I think about it I’m unsure if the survey was from TPE or Avanti - we used TPE out and Avanti back, both massively delayed.)

 

[sjpowermac]

I feel sorry for the marketing department because they're obviously making an effort with the advertising and catering etc. It's just unfortunate that the operational side isn't up to it at the moment.

Agreed. I would imagine that’s not limited to the marketing department either, likely lots of people working really hard, but circumstances very much against them.

 

[xotGD]

We got a survey email after our recent 2-hour-delayed trip to Penrith. It bothers me that they ask a lot of questions like “how satisfied were you with the cleanliness of the outside of the train?”. It feels to me like they’ll be able to look at the results and say something like “passengers rate us as satisfactory or better for 8 out of 10 key performance indicators”.

(Hmm, now I think about it I’m unsure if the survey was from TPE or Avanti - we used TPE out and Avanti back, both massively delayed.)

"The train was immaculately clean. Just a pity it didn't leave the depot all day."

 

[Bantamzen]

They really do not know how to read the room do they?

We're excited to announce a new on-board catering menu, with hot food available in first class for the first time! A revamped menu is also available on many Class 185 trains and in standard class on the Nova fleet.

Find out more here: bit.ly/TPECatering

https://twitter.com/TPExpressTrains/status/1605144419686039552?t=Thkvnwx4k_nn7dz8j9qwxA&s=19

Maybe they could have used the two units blocking Victoria to offer some half decent catering options for stranded passengers given how dire the options are at the station...

 

[RHolmes]

Maybe they could have used the two units blocking Victoria to offer some half decent catering options for stranded passengers given how dire the options are at the station...

The hosts had other services to meet and work. I rescued one of them on my delayed Hull from Vic.

The majority of the “stranded” passengers boarded the Northern Leeds service at around 8.22, the remainder on my 8.30, changing at Huddersfield (for Dewsbury) or Leeds (for York and beyond) so weren’t actually at the station for too long

 

[DanNCL]

102 cancellations today according to Journey Check!!

 

[Seehof]

TPE is becoming so unreliable it is becoming unusable. A friend, who lives in Scarborough, says they have basically an unreliable 2 hourly interval service. He works in Malton and used to take the train but now always drives.

 

[kels430]

Now updated to say “Do not travel”, absolutely disgraceful to announce that during the morning peak.

 

[Peterthegreat]

102 cancellations today according to Journey Check!!

And half an hour later it's 104!

 

[Frankfurt]

And half an hour later it's 104!

105 plus 19 part cancellations. Going for their PB today.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Now updated to say “Do not travel”, absolutely disgraceful to announce that during the morning peak.

Not so good for anyone travelling from Greater Manchester to/from West Yorkshire and beyond today, with the M62 over the big hill resembling a car park just now.

 

[peter166]

TransPennine Express JourneyCheck - Train times and live real time delay/cancellation/disruption information.

TransPennine Express JourneyCheck provides real time, up-to-date train times and train disruption information keeping you informed about any delays or cancellations on the network and helping you know what to do when your journey is affected. Train Cancellations, Delays, Alterations and...

www.journeycheck.com

105 cancellations

 

[Tetchytyke]

I was about to ask if I'm being silly even considering the train back to Manchester Airport next week, to get my flight back to the rock.

This answers that question. I'll arrange a lift.

 

[EZJ]

The fact that they've chosen to blame staff sickness which is not true, tells you everything you need to know about the people running this company.

 

[py_megapixel]

The fact that they've chosen to blame staff sickness which is not true, tells you everything you need to know about the people running this company.

There are many, many valid criticisms of TPE's behaviour during this disruption, but I'm not sure this is really one of them.

Their website says "Due to the ongoing impact of higher-than-normal sickness levels and a number of other issues including a training backlog", which seems about right. You could argue they should mention the RMT overtime ban, but if there were enough available staff, the overtime wouldn't be required anyway.

The bigger problem is the use of the pathetic non-excuse "Service cancelled due to a short-notice change to the timetable" (i.e. "Service cancelled because we have cancelled it"), which is frankly just an utter insult to passengers' intelligence. It's the railway equivalent of a child asking a parent/teacher why they need to do something and getting the response "because I told you to."

I would go so far as to say that reason code should never have been provided in Darwin.

 

[CAF397]

They're now blaming a 'significant roster system issue', which transfers the blame from sickness back to the company.

https://twitter.com/TPEassist/status/1605497203337752577?t=-bO7CLFu73V9GQfk8k_Frw&s=19

 

[kels430]

You have to think customers would’ve reacted better to this news had they not waited until the morning rush hour on a Wednesday to announce it. Surely this should’ve been discovered earlier?

 

[reach123y]

8 x class 185 present in Hull station this morning at 0930. Nearly 20% of the fleet!

 

[Twingo37175]

You have to think customers would’ve reacted better to this news had they not waited until the morning rush hour on a Wednesday to announce it. Surely this should’ve been discovered earlier?

Call me cynical, but with the ambulance and paramedic strike today they know attention in the news will be elsewhere - a good day to "****" bad news

 

[VauxhallNova]

"IT'S ALL THE FAULT OF DFT THOUGH!!!!"

Not seen some of the die-hard TPE defenders in a while...

 

[ARIC]

Call me cynical, but with the ambulance and paramedic strike today they know attention in the news will be elsewhere - a good day to "****" bad news

That would suggest TPE have been waiting for a day to purposefully bring their entire network to its knees, and that this is the day that's most beneficial to do it...

...why would they want to do that?

 

[Bantamzen]

The hosts had other services to meet and work. I rescued one of them on my delayed Hull from Vic.

The majority of the “stranded” passengers boarded the Northern Leeds service at around 8.22, the remainder on my 8.30, changing at Huddersfield (for Dewsbury) or Leeds (for York and beyond) so weren’t actually at the station for too long

I probably should have added an emote, but it was meant as a joke...

In other news I'm on another not TransPennine Express, Trans-Pennine journey with Northern, and so far on time. Perhaps they ought to be borrowing TPE's catering staff that are sitting around waiting for an actual service to run?

 

[APT618S]

Even when trains are running it seems they like to keep them secret.

1P66 0845 Saltburn to Manchester Airport not showing on any of the Public Information Screens at York (due off 1020).
Passengers from earlier cancelled trains being advised to take the 1120 to Huddersfield and Manchester !

 

[DanNCL]

Interesting TPE are now publicly mentioning rostering issues. Is this perhaps a sign they’ve finally recognised what the cause of the reliability issues really is?

 

[CAF397]

They've known for months, if not years.

 

[Clarence Yard]

That will be Matthew Golton intervening and making sure the real reason gets out there - he did that on GWR too.

Self inflicted problems at this stage of the management contract is not what they wanted but it is always best to own up straight away.

Shambles in the pre Xmas week, not good at all.