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Yet another coach crash.

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richa2002

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8 Jun 2005
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2,270
If 26 people were injured in a rail incident, it would most probably be the top headline but this story is no where to be seen on the frontpage!
 

devon_metro

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11 Oct 2005
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Exactly the point not to publicise it as much, means they are safer instead the railways are given the bad name.
 

Dennis

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8 Aug 2005
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2,676
Location
Trowbridge
No it's because, simply put, the media hates the railways.


But people like us can make a difference....why don't we feed them good news?

Local news papers, TV and radio are often desperate for stories; why not alert then to the good aspects of railway operations.

To take a local (to me) example, the through Waterloo - Bristol trains have been under threat for years, campaigns to save them being on local TV and radio news prgrams on many occasions, together with numerous column inches in local papers.

As I understand it, the new SWT franchise secures these service for many years yet I have hardly seen this good news ireported in local media. Why not?
 

devon_metro

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11 Oct 2005
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7,715
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Railways look like they get delayed as nobody really notices if a bus is late, for example on an every 10 mins route the next bus could be 10 late, and nobody would ever know! Planes, well i have encountered a 5 hour delay before, do the railways win easily over that!
 

Bill EWS

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Joined
10 Feb 2006
Messages
661
Location
Didcot
Hi Everyone,
I agree with you on the negative reporting that the media dish out to the railways, it has gone on for years and is the very reason the last Tory Government managed to fool the public into accepting the privatising of the network. My main grumble with the present lot is mainly with Virgin as no matter where you go, or in which direction the hold ups, delays and even cancellations are by the day and night and their overcrowded little DMU's are extremely uncomfortable for any journey over an hour long.

For great publicity, the GNER should be shouting from the treetops as their timings are very consistant and suffer mainly from overhead wire problems rather than from the trains themselves. I returned from Aberdeen via Kings Cross a few weeks back and considered the journey one of the fastest I have ever had. I caught the 07.55, which arrived in London at 14.50 and while it was a struggle getting across London by taxi, which was a real waste of time and money due to the road chaos, I managed to catch the 15.30 HST from Paddinton and arrived home (at the house) at 16.25. For a journey of well over 500 miles that was a fantastic run. When I first used this journey back in the 60's it took up to 15 hours on a very long and boring overnight train. If a 30 year old HST can give this kind of service, with electrification through to Aberdeen and some tweeking of speeds between there and Edinburgh this could be the GNER's greatest publicity that would leave Virgin behind and give any other private company that tries to run such services, a real run for their money. The historic train name 'The Flying Scotsman' would really mean something again.

Cheers.

BillEWS
 

CallySleeper

Established Member
Joined
27 Jun 2006
Messages
1,662
Location
trentbartonland
Hi Everyone,
I agree with you on the negative reporting that the media dish out to the railways, it has gone on for years and is the very reason the last Tory Government managed to fool the public into accepting the privatising of the network. My main grumble with the present lot is mainly with Virgin as no matter where you go, or in which direction the hold ups, delays and even cancellations are by the day and night and their overcrowded little DMU's are extremely uncomfortable for any journey over an hour long.

For great publicity, the GNER should be shouting from the treetops as their timings are very consistant and suffer mainly from overhead wire problems rather than from the trains themselves. I returned from Aberdeen via Kings Cross a few weeks back and considered the journey one of the fastest I have ever had. I caught the 07.55, which arrived in London at 14.50 and while it was a struggle getting across London by taxi, which was a real waste of time and money due to the road chaos, I managed to catch the 15.30 HST from Paddinton and arrived home (at the house) at 16.25. For a journey of well over 500 miles that was a fantastic run. When I first used this journey back in the 60's it took up to 15 hours on a very long and boring overnight train. If a 30 year old HST can give this kind of service, with electrification through to Aberdeen and some tweeking of speeds between there and Edinburgh this could be the GNER's greatest publicity that would leave Virgin behind and give any other private company that tries to run such services, a real run for their money. The historic train name 'The Flying Scotsman' would really mean something again.

Cheers.

BillEWS
Good post - to be honest 1A27 hardly stops south of the border. But I think this is what Virgin are trying to achieve, aren't they? Even though GNER are faster and have damn better stock, I can either go Virgin or GNER this Christmas and I know that for a slightly less comfortable ride I can travel Virgin for nearly half the price, if I book soon, which to be honest I don't mind as I'm on a tight budget. I don't think Virgin have opened for Christmas yet, I know GNER definately have.

On the subject of long voyager journeys - ask me about doing Edinburgh - Derby (4 n a half hours) on a Voyager.
 
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