What can TOCs learn from each other?

[Gathursty]

I'm sure that the train industry, much like the education sector, does something similar where colleagues from different schools/subjects come together in an informal setting and share hints/tips/good practice. I'd like to run a similar thing using my fellow members.

Have you seen something a TOC does that you'd like others to copy?
Have you seen something a TOC does that other TOCs shouldn't do?

For me, I'd like to see more TOCs follow Merseyrail in that I can't recall ever seeing a dirty Merseyrail station.

 

[anti-pacer]

I'm sure that the train industry, much like the education sector, does something similar where colleagues from different schools/subjects come together in an informal setting and share hints/tips/good practice. I'd like to run a similar thing using my fellow members.

Have you seen something a TOC does that you'd like others to copy?
Have you seen something a TOC does that other TOCs shouldn't do?

For me, I'd like to see more TOCs follow Merseyrail in that I can't recall ever seeing a dirty Merseyrail station.

I was offered a job as a Station Assistant with Arriva Trains Merseyside back in 2003. As well as selling tickets, litter picking on the station was part of the duties. It's a pity this doesn't happen on Northern ran stations.

 

[gimmea50anyday]

Eliminate this "not my compan/y/job/problem" mentality or any thinking that restricts doing anything for anyone other than their own TOC and start working together for the greater good of the punters!


Oh, wait. NO TOC has learnt that lesson yet.....

 

[Johncleesefan]

Or in southerns case. All tocs are watching jaw draped and drooling like its feeding time at the zoo

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Eliminate this "not my compan/y/job/problem" mentality or any thinking that restricts doing anything for anyone other than their own TOC and start working together for the greater good of the punters!

It was just like that on BR:
"This train was delayed owing to problems on the Western Region" at Crewe.
"They are a different company" (ticket office at Folkestone, talking about the non-arrival of the BR Cross Country service from Birmingham).

 

[DarloRich]

There should be ( if there isn't already) and official forum for the sharing of lessons learnt and best practice between the TOC's and wider rail industry

 

[Bletchleyite]

There should be ( if there isn't already) and official forum for the sharing of lessons learnt and best practice between the TOC's and wider rail industry

Is that not one thing ATOC is for?

 

[YorkshireBear]

Is that not one thing ATOC is for?

My opinion of ATOC is they seem to put a lot of effort into things that are not really that important.

Although that is skewed by the fact that they are trying to stop railcards being used on business use.

I am 24 so have a railcard, yet i am not allowed to use it with work... Why?

 

[The Ham]

My opinion of ATOC is they seem to put a lot of effort into things that are not really that important.

Although that is skewed by the fact that they are trying to stop railcards being used on business use.

I am 24 so have a railcard, yet i am not allowed to use it with work... Why?

I would guess it is down to those TOC's which are within the Gold Card area being able to take more money if those with annual season tickets who need to travel for work don't get a discount for work related travel.

Although how it would be enforceable is quite another matter, as lots of people buy tickets and reimbursed for them making the tracking of what the travel is for a lot harder. For large companies who use ticket agents then that is easy, but they would probably be happy to ditch them if significant numbers of their staff were to have some form of rail card.

 

[LLivery]

I would guess it is down to those TOC's which are within the Gold Card area being able to take more money if those with annual season tickets who need to travel for work don't get a discount for work related travel.

Although how it would be enforceable is quite another matter, as lots of people buy tickets and reimbursed for them making the tracking of what the travel is for a lot harder. For large companies who use ticket agents then that is easy, but they would probably be happy to ditch them if significant numbers of their staff were to have some form of rail card.

Precisely what I do. If the idiots at GTR don't like it, tough.

 

[47513 Severn]

My opinion of ATOC is they seem to put a lot of effort into things that are not really that important.

Although that is skewed by the fact that they are trying to stop railcards being used on business use.

I am 24 so have a railcard, yet i am not allowed to use it with work... Why?

How do you mean? Railcard discounts aren't determined by your reason for travelling and I don't see how they ever could be. If you are referring to time restrictions then railcards have always really been intended as off-peak/leisure travel products to fill otherwise quiet trains.

That said, I commuted for years on my Young Person's Railcard (as it was called at the time), I worked late shifts and daily off peak tickets with YP discount worked out cheaper than getting a season.

 

[YorkshireBear]

How do you mean? Railcard discounts aren't determined by your reason for travelling and I don't see how they ever could be. If you are referring to time restrictions then railcards have always really been intended as off-peak/leisure travel products to fill otherwise quiet trains.

That said, I commuted for years on my Young Person's Railcard (as it was called at the time), I worked late shifts and daily off peak tickets with YP discount worked out cheaper than getting a season.

I know it doesn't but unfortunately ATOC have banned Network Rail from using railcards on business travel and it has had to be removed from our ticket systems.

 

[AlterEgo]

I know it doesn't but unfortunately ATOC have banned Network Rail from using railcards on business travel and it has had to be removed from our ticket systems.

Yuck. That's not good.

I insist on buying my own tickets, as a civil servant. This way I always get the DSB discount, which often gets overlooked by our corporate booker. I've not heard of railcards being restricted like that, but if true - very poor.

 

[Master29]

Virgin, Crosscountry,Grand Central can share with the others their reservation system i.e. choosing your own seat.

 

[Blindtraveler]

VTWC's generally good customer service and look after pax atitude, agree it can sometimes be lacking. Also their abilitty to keep sets litter free and turn round for on time departures even when late.

east coast, as they introduced the current design coffee cups for standard pax, great lids

 

[Master29]

It was just like that on BR:
"This train was delayed owing to problems on the Western Region" at Crewe.
"They are a different company" (ticket office at Folkestone, talking about the non-arrival of the BR Cross Country service from Birmingham).

I think you may have meant when BR had been divided up into four sections prior to privatisation but there weren`t "different companies" before that.

 

[fandroid]

All TOCs to have ATMs that sell tickets from other starting points. All London commuter TOCs to include Boundary Zone tickets in their ATMs. All platform departure screens to show the next three trains (yes Virgin at Crewe, I mean you!). All TOCs to have the same title for their on-train guard/TM/RPI. On train announcements to simply say 'the next station is' (no more calling point/station stop etc). Virgin automatic announcements to finish the list of stations with the final destination! (Some of us only hear part of the announcement, so would actually like to know the train is going to London Euston!). All WiFi to be free. All WiFi front pages to show the times (schedule and actual) for the train you are on plus connections(as done by East Coast).Online-only offpeak single tickets at roughly half the return price as done by Virgin. Publish timetables which show validity of offpeak and super offpeak tickets on all trains (as East Midland Trains do). Same day Advance tickets (as Cross-country). Seat back heights that are at the absolute minimum permitted by the safety regs (not 100mm higher as on GWR HSTs and some East Midland 158s. Announce the latest London Underground service information as the train approaches the London terminus (as SWT, and (others I suspect)). Have a cleaner regularly go through every train, even if it's only at termini. Shut off that annoying phone ringing system that Virgin invented for Pendolinos and Voyagers to contact staff on board. No one else seems to need it! Run trains on Boxing Day!

 

[Hadders]

My opinion of ATOC is they seem to put a lot of effort into things that are not really that important.

Although that is skewed by the fact that they are trying to stop railcards being used on business use.

I am 24 so have a railcard, yet i am not allowed to use it with work... Why?

Hang on a minute. If you work for Network Rail I think you get a railcard as a staff benefit (no Priv for Network Rail staff, unfortunately). It's probably part of the agreement with the TOCs relating to the issuing of the railcards that they can't be used when travelling on business for Network Rail.

 

[ooo]

Ten minute reservations as found on CrossCountry on trains with digital displays + these being sold through any website/app

Sent from my XT1032 using Tapatalk

 

[pne]

Publish timetables which show validity of offpeak and super offpeak tickets on all trains (as East Midland Trains do).

I thought that's not possible as the validity of an "off-peak" ticket depends on the restrictions - if a certain train is part of a longer journey, then the restrictions might be quite different than if someone bought a ticket only for one particular train.

 

[fandroid]

Offer a decent rewards scheme for online ticket purchase as East Coast used to.

Have access to a decent webtis type ticket website, as well as the increasingly (varied) mobile style sites. (GWR).

Adopt contactless for small payments at ticket offices and ticket machines. (Does any TOC do this?)

 

[transmanche]

Adopt contactless for small payments at ticket offices and ticket machines. (Does any TOC do this?)

Not a TOC per se, but Nexus Metro ticket machines accept contactless card payments.

 

[causton]

Arriva Trains Wales do I'm sure!

As far as London Midland is concerned, the S+B machines should be getting contactless card readers installed soon we have been told, and the Avantix replacement is theoretically capable of contactless but has not been tested so not 100% sure on that. Meanwhile Tribute is ancient and barely does chip and pin (the entire application hange while the Chip and PIN is active) so no hope of Contactless anytime soon!

 

[northernchris]

Adopt contactless for small payments at ticket offices and ticket machines. (Does any TOC do this?)

Northern have contactless at their ticket offices

 

[cjmillsnun]

I think you may have meant when BR had been divided up into four sections prior to privatisation but there weren`t "different companies" before that.

TBH Even then in sectorisation they tended to work together. It was when the sectors were broken down in preparation for privatisation and Railtrack was created that the railway became a contractual nightmare.