West Midlands Railway cancellations

[rjames87]

Very poor service on the Hereford to Birmingham line today from West Midlands Railway. Multiple cancellations including the two last trains of the day which should be unforgivable. Advice from their social media team is ‘try and find alternative transport’. Unacceptable here to not have replacement road transport planned. Lots of cancellations on this line last weekend too.

 

[dk1]

Very poor service on the Hereford to Birmingham line today from West Midlands Railway. Multiple cancellations including the two last trains of the day which should be unforgivable. Advice from their social media team is ‘try and find alternative transport’. Unacceptable here to not have replacement road transport planned. Lots of cancellations on this line last weekend too.

You ain’t going to get many traincrew agree to swap to cover any last trains on a Saturday evening no matter how much extra payment they’re offered.

 

[rjames87]

You ain’t going to get many traincrew agree to swap to cover any last trains on a Saturday evening no matter how much extra payment they’re offered.

Maybe not. But when that happens, there should be provision for road transport made…. Even if that’s a profit destroying taxi.

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

I suspect we will see Labour impose train service reductions in the short term where there are driver resourcing issues due to the need to use RDW or OT to cover the timetable. The template is TPE where they took that action and have largely been applauded for at least now providing a reliable service. Oh and it looks good on the stats so they can claim they have improved performance.

 

[dk1]

Maybe not. But when that happens, there should be provision for road transport made…. Even if that’s a profit destroying taxi.

Yes I agree. Seems strange as covering costs are not normally something that bothers train operators. I’m presuming rail replacement buses cannot be sourced.

 

[rjames87]

Yes I agree. Seems strange as covering costs are not normally something that bothers train operators. I’m presuming rail replacement buses cannot be sourced.

At that point it should be taxis then.

 

[LowLevel]

I suspect we will see Labour impose train service reductions in the short term where there are driver resourcing issues due to the need to use RDW or OT to cover the timetable. The template is TPE where they took that action and have largely been applauded for at least now providing a reliable service. Oh and it looks good on the stats so they can claim they have improved performance.

The thing with TPE is they largely have a core route which branches at the ends so you can use shuttles etc and still have coverage.

Doesn't work so well elsewhere.

 

[greenline712]

At that point it should be taxis then.

And where, on a Saturday night, would you source maybe 20 coaches (assuming two coaches per cancelled train), or maybe 50 taxis (possibly covering more than one cancelled train, although one taxi Hereford-Birmingham would take several driver hours to cover) ??

I agree that this level of cancellations is appalling, but if the shifts are outwith any roster, then it is inevitable.

It's not a case of crying foul, or of reducing the timetable, but of revising the "agreement" so that all railway staff have to work 20/7/363 ... bus drivers and coach drivers do, after all ...

 

[rjames87]

Over 2 hours since I first raise the matter with them and they still haven’t bothered to post on their website to state no services are running. Their social media team tell me they have sourced buses but how would a customer know this? They say they post them 10 minutes after the train should depart… but they are a man down tonight too so aren’t sure when it will happen. Their website shows the train as on time … but all stops cancelled. How hard can these basics be to get right after all this time? Beyond a joke!

 

[dk1]

At that point it should be taxis then.

Yes of course if they are available. My sister TOC GA has no issues with that whatsoever. It’s the availability of buses and drivers that seems to cause most problems in certain areas. Contrary to popular belief cost and profits don’t come into it.

 

[rjames87]

Yes of course if they are available. My sister TOC GA has no issues with that whatsoever. It’s the availability of buses and drivers that seems to cause most problems in certain areas. Contrary to popular belief cost and profits don’t come into it.

I think my issue is two fold though, there’s the road transport issue, but the fact there is a lack of competence to even post accurate information on their website. It’s simply unacceptable, and would cost people jobs elsewhere.

 

[dk1]

I think my issue is two fold though, there’s the road transport issue, but the fact there is a lack of competence to even post accurate information on their website. It’s simply unacceptable, and would cost people jobs elsewhere.

That’s not how things happen on the railway but then not many other industries are anywhere near similar. Hope it works out for those involved but better forewarned than forearmed.

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

And where, on a Saturday night, would you source maybe 20 coaches (assuming two coaches per cancelled train), or maybe 50 taxis (possibly covering more than one cancelled train, although one taxi Hereford-Birmingham would take several driver hours to cover) ??

I agree that this level of cancellations is appalling, but if the shifts are outwith any roster, then it is inevitable.

It's not a case of crying foul, or of reducing the timetable, but of revising the "agreement" so that all railway staff have to work 20/7/363 ... bus drivers and coach drivers do, after all ...

Totally agree but until those revised T&Cs are put in place your not going to fix the underlying issue and the uncertainty will remain in what the timetable actually is and the negative publicity will rise. Labours key mission is to improve punctuality so removing trains that are at risk of being cancelled in the short term is the only option however unpalatable that is. Long term if Labour is serious about securing the future of rail as part of enabling modal shift will have to find the pennies to sort T&C's if not they wont get the outcome they, and we, all seek.

 

[rjames87]

That’s not how things happen on the railway but then not many other industries are anywhere near similar. Hope it works out for those involved but better forewarned than forearmed.

Yeah and that’s the problem, there’s a complete disconnect between the business and the customer. I’d love to know when the last time the CEO of WMR travelled by train and was severely inconvenienced by their incompetent service. The reality of course being they will be blissfully unaware about any issues today and see a set of figures that overall across their network they have been okay. Not once will there have been any thought for the customer tonight by management and I can only feel for the inexperienced traveller who is left with no information.

 

[LowLevel]

Yeah and that’s the problem, there’s a complete disconnect between the business and the customer. I’d love to know when the last time the CEO of WMR travelled by train and was severely inconvenienced by their incompetent service. The reality of course being they will be blissfully unaware about any issues today and see a set of figures that overall across their network they have been okay. Not once will there have been any thought for the customer tonight by management and I can only feel for the inexperienced traveller who is left with no information.

Don't assume that senior management don't use the railway - they often do. My own TOC MD commutes by train and is seen around most days, he wears his name badge and sits or stands in the saloon like everyone else.

 

[dk1]

Yeah and that’s the problem, there’s a complete disconnect between the business and the customer. I’d love to know when the last time the CEO of WMR travelled by train and was severely inconvenienced by their incompetent service. The reality of course being they will be blissfully unaware about any issues today and see a set of figures that overall across their network they have been okay. Not once will there have been any thought for the customer tonight by management and I can only feel for the inexperienced traveller who is left with no information.

Jamie Burles who’s now leaving us at GA uses trains all the time.

 

[Amos]

There are also issues with lnwr services from Euston to Birmingham,with a fair few trains cancelled north of Northampton.Allegedly there are rail replacement buses from Northampton though.

 

[rjames87]

I can appreciate that some do, but I’d be interested to know specifically whether the WMR executive management use their service, and how often they’re inconvenienced by these weekend disasters. 3rd weekend in a row I’ve had a bad experience between either Hereford and Birmingham or Shrewsbury and Birmingham… and that can’t just be unfortunate luck, that’s the consistently poor service.

 

[1D54]

Punters on the Nuneaton - Leamington route have had to put up with this rubbish for the last five years. Fobbed off with lies and excuses on what is sometimes a daily basis.

 

[Arewethereyet?]

And where, on a Saturday night, would you source maybe 20 coaches (assuming two coaches per cancelled train), or maybe 50 taxis (possibly covering more than one cancelled train, although one taxi Hereford-Birmingham would take several driver hours to cover) ??

I agree that this level of cancellations is appalling, but if the shifts are outwith any roster, then it is inevitable.

It's not a case of crying foul, or of reducing the timetable, but of revising the "agreement" so that all railway staff have to work 20/7/363 ... bus drivers and coach drivers do, after all ...

I'm frankly astonished by the complacency of this and other 'can't do' responses. The implication is that passengers abandoned in Birmingham should undertake an assessment of the logistics of accessing sufficient taxis for all stranded passengers (what else will they now do?) then accept their predicament when WMT make no effort to do so. It's outrageous.

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

Jamie Burles who’s now leaving us at GA uses trains all the time.

Oh hope hes going to another under performing operator so he can work the GA magic on them

 

[dk1]

Oh hope hes going to another under performing operator so he can work the GA magic on them

Network Rail.

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

Network Rail.

Disappointing he would have been a good at somewhere like SWR although at least hes inside the public sector now so maybe someone who will appear within GBR when it gets going.

 

[trainophile]

Anyone know if this is an ongoing Saturday thing, or was there some exceptional reason yesterday? I'm booked BHM-HFD next Saturday on the 14:50 and will make contingency plans if it's likely to happen again.

I did see on the WMR journey planner that they were advising travel BHM-SHR-HFD, no idea whether ticket acceptance was in place, and not much good for people wanting the interim stops on the BHM-HFD line.

 

[Sly Old Fox]

Basically, the railway doesn’t have enough staff and it continues to aggravate the ones they do have.

 

[185]

Even if that’s a profit destroying taxi.

The taxis and buses cost, just like any other business expense are directly put against the any company's tax bill - so effectively cost nothing.

What has to change at all operators, is that when there is a day approaching with major shortages caused by lack of overtime volunteers (ie company not hiring enough staff) is implementation of protective, emergency timetables to ensure all routes have at least an hourly service.

- Dump the day's set of traincrew and unit diagrams, get a driver, get a guard, get a train, and send the train somewhere. This has worked many times before, however the current performance regime dissuades train planners from agreeing to accept defeat and hand the job over to local traincrew management to come up with their own emergency plan. The current situation, in my opinion sees poor use of traincrew and units, and unfair 4-hour service gaps on Route A to sustain a 10 minute service on Route B.

 

[trainophile]

I see the last train of the day BHM-HFD is cancelled again today, the 21:00. As they are only two-hourly on Sundays that means if you're not there by 19:00 you're stuck.

Strangely there are no cancellations in the inbound direction, so why couldn't one of the last two of those (arriving BHM 21:37 & 22:21) form a return journey, rather than leave people potentially stranded?

 

[dk1]

I see the last train of the day BHM-HFD is cancelled again today, the 21:00. As they are only two-hourly on Sundays that means if you're not there by 19:00 you're stuck.

Strangely there are no cancellations in the inbound direction, so why couldn't one of the last two of those (arriving BHM 21:37 & 22:21) form a return journey, rather than leave people potentially stranded?

The crew working those two last inbound workings are probably either finished or booked to do something else. Why would they go back to Hereford?

 

[LowLevel]

The crew working those two last inbound workings are probably either finished or booked to do something else. Why would they go back to Hereford?

Not sure how things work with the jobs but they're all based at Worcester.

 

[185143]

I suspect we will see Labour impose train service reductions in the short term where there are driver resourcing issues due to the need to use RDW or OT to cover the timetable. The template is TPE where they took that action and have largely been applauded for at least now providing a reliable service. Oh and it looks good on the stats so they can claim they have improved performance.

Off topic admittedly, but are you saying that advertising a timetable that is realistic and can actually be ran reliably as opposed to one which is reliant entirely on non existent goodwill isn't to be applauded in the current climate?