A lack of shunter at long rock was the issue this morning.

The 2 car unit used on the Paddington as far as Truro was stabled in the station overnight- no shunter required this morning. It was utilised in service instead of running empty in the running space of the IET

 

On Sundays, yes.

Also the rest of the week if correctly diagrammed.

Or for example...

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:G45596/2025-01-12/detailed

The TM to work it was on 1L32. That was stuck outside waiting a platform. Not for the first time a Mexican stand off at Swindon!

 
Will be restarted at Plymouth.

 
1A80 0815 Penzance to London Paddington
08:15 Penzance to London Paddington due 13:29
08:15 Penzance to London Paddington due 13:29 will be terminated at Truro.
And it's a two car unit.
Guessing it will go on to the Falmouth branch

 

 
The hiatus of cancellations and short running of services due to train crew shortages after three weekends of nigh on 100% of services running has sadly come to an end today.

What have we learned from these past weeks? That GWR really DO have enough train crew to run the timetabled service…IF the price is right.

 
.......well, after two days without a single full or part cancellation due to staff shortages, they're starting to roll in thick and fast for Friday 27........

 

The taxpayer I assume you mean?

 
The Dft I assume you mean? GWR won't be paying

 

I wonder though…..financially, what is better for GWR?

A mass of cancellations, replacement coaches, taxis, accommodation and delay repay OR raising the rate of pay and covering the jobs.

 

Flash enough cash...

 
As predicted a much better service on GWR today with, as far as I know, only cancellations to Barnstaple and Okehampton due to the forecast of high winds.

However there a number of long distance services with either no or reduced catering.  At least these are advertised on Journeycheck so affected passengers can make alternative arrangements.

 

….. or is it just a poor excuse covering for a issue of their own making.

Raise the rest day payment during the week and the result should have been obvious, more so, as that mistake has been made before.

 

But a reliance on overtime and/or rest day working demonstrably prevents GWR from running a half-way decent service leading to the public using other forms of transport, or not travelling at all, and a consequential significant loss of revenue.

 

but the higher basic pay may encourage more people to try and join the railways, if the companies are allowed to employ them.

 
Secretary of State confirms that the pay rise has made matters worse.....

https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/christmas-travel-pay-rise-transport-secretary-heidi-alexander/

 
A way of paying off the overspend of that pay over Christmas (holidays & presents)

 

….. but previously there were people saying drivers don’t want the overtime because they’ve had a huge pay rise!!!! 

 
Then normal no service resumed on January 5th.

 
................what a difference double time makes to the desire to spend time with one's family! 

 

 #2565 #2566 and #2568….. but I’m no good with quotes! 

 
Some good news on the Sunday front this morning…..

The DfT have now given GWR approval to restart formal conversations with the trade unions to find a solution.


Yet a further indication on who has been blocking a resolution.

 

All the employment on-costs that apply to staff - final salary pension, employment taxes, additional depot space, that sort of thing - it all adds up. Overtime just attracts a small amount of additional NI.

 
According to the Oxford Clarion: https://bsky.app/profile/oxfordclarion.bsky.social/post/3ldq7suc7hc2n
"A last-minute pay deal has averted collapse of GWR’s service this Sunday (22nd) and next (29th), but widespread cancellations are still expected.
GWR has agreed to pay drivers and guards double rate.
The company does not have enough staff to run a full Sunday service without overtime."

 

Not entirely sure just where you got that quote from, a-driver
The post that you quote is actually this one - and those words you quote don't appear! 

 
I completely fail to understand how the ongoing reliance on overtime and/or rest day working can be a better financial option than a fully contracted workforce given that this morning, on Talk, Simon Calder, who I think is generally regarded as knowing his subject, stated that the (daily) additional payments were £250-£300 for some on-train staff such as TMs and £600 for drivers.

 
May I step in here, quietly, as an Administrator, simply to thank all of you contributing to this rather 'lively debate', for keeping it polite?

Thank you. CfN. 

 
No. Those costings GWR provided to the DfT included the exact number and cost of additional drivers required.... and that is, and still remains the stumbling block.  The DfT opting to cover Sunday's on overtime with a commitment to work Sunday's.   
Every driver is rostered Sunday's, but can obviously make themselves unavailable if they choose.  You take those rostered Sunday's, you work out what that equates to over the course of the year and you add that to the basic salary.  That becomes pensionable etc.  It's relatively easy to sort. The issue is the extra number of drivers required which is what the DfT refuses to agree to.

A commitment to work Sunday's does not work.  There are issues with it.  If you are contracted to work Monday to Saturday, you can only apply for leave on those days.  You can not apply for leave on a Sunday.  Therefore, for example, f you book yourself a Saturday to Saturday holiday but you are rostered to work that Sunday, you can't get out of it. 


It is indeed extremely tiresome.


You haven't got a shortage of drivers, in fact, they're over established at many depots.  The issue is not all the drivers sign all the routes and/or traction.  That issues stems from the huge number of new drivers they have recruited over the last 10-15years.  If you were based at Paddington depot 10-12 years ago and walked in the mess room tomorrow, you wouldn't recognise any faces such is the turnover of staff.
You train new drivers right up until they can become productive and then you let them loose on the mainline.  This gives them time to settle in, find their feet, grow in confidence etc.  You don't overload them with all the routes in one hit. That's not the way to retain key information.
Not only have they recruited a significant number of new drivers over the last 10-15 years, but you've had the IET's come into service and 387's.  You've had the Turbo's move West, 158's move West and Castle sets.  That's all new traction training and handling hours. 
Covid then came along and everything came to a halt. Which things resumed, some instructors weren't comfortable having others in the cab and gave up the role so new instructors had to be recruited and trained.  There's still a backlog of training outstanding and there's still a large number of wanna-be train drivers in the talent pool awaiting start dates so it's an ever improving situation, rest day working is, from what I hear, certainly reducing.  However, July 2025 see's the pay rise reflected in final salary pensions so you could see an exodus then, and if that involves old BR staff, they only have to provide minimal notice. 


Sunday's will always remain an issue until the DfT agrees to a solution.  Either a rise in Sunday's rates or bringing Sunday's into the working week.  The ball is in the DfT's court.  The DfT have agreed increased payments for 22nd (albeit to late) and the 29th so we shall see the outcome of that shortly.



I will wait with bated breath!

 

These agreements and contracts generally get looked at by highly paid lawyers, only a muppet would agree to a business requirement that requires 50,000 hours annually of train crew (or whatever the figure is) and then agree to a staffing level that only covers about three quarters of the requirement.

You shouldn't work on assumption that because staff would work 60 hour weeks 100 years ago, then they will still so in mid 2020s when pay is higher and work-life balance expectation is completely different. Although GWR management don't seem to get this as I have seen the history argument (it used to be ok) used recently.

 


Where's the mention in that 2022 business plan about recruitment? The point I've been making. You've highlighted the 'Seven Day Railway' part of the business plan. That's about GWR providing costing to the DfT for existing staff having their contracts changed to include Sundays.

It's getting somewhat tiresome to keep repeating that the driver shortage issue goes back over a decade with FGW/GWR failing to address it. Cancellations due to driver shortages occur on every day of the week.

FGW's/GWR's driver shortage problems did not suddenly pop into existence when the DfT awarded them the direct contract in 2022. This thread alone is evidence of that. And other threads on a similar theme predate the start of this one in 2017.

Instead of recruiting since 2012 FGW/GWR were happy to take the cheaper option of paying overtime to their existing drivers, relying on goodwill. That just stored up problems for the future - an aging driver pool, losing the goodwill, industrial action...


Okay. I'm dealing with politicians here so... If

 

Indeed very much worth a read ... there is some specific mention of GWR therein:


We have a complex situation which manifests itself in different ways that have somewhat diverged in different franchises / contracts, and even they within the contract.  Northern drivers to the east of the Pennines and different to Northern drivers west of the Pennines, and on GWR it depends on which part you came from in 2006 or in the decade thereafter, or are a recent recruit.   Then on top of the complex situation you have the (to me) grey interface between First (as GWR) and HMG (as DfT) where I feel that whoever is asked there's a degree of "not my choice, mate".

 

When!   

Business plan dated 14 June 2022.  Page 28.
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65eadac062ff48ff7487b253/first-greater-western-limited-2022-business-plan-commitments-2022-to-2023.pdf
The extract is as follows:.

Train Crew - Seven Day Railway
4.1 4.2 The Operator will use all reasonable endeavours to increase the number of drivers with a Sunday working
commitment.

The Operator will by no later than 9 December 2022 submit an indicative costed proposal to the Secretary of State
to include Sundays in the working week for drivers during the Contract Term, and the Operator shall ensure that
such costed proposal:

(a) specifies clear and deliverable outputs and the steps required to implement such outputs;b) identifies relevant risks and potential mitigations;
(c) identifies options for delivery of outputs (including options for introduction of Sundays in the working
week for drivers from such different points during the Contract Term as the Secretary of State may
direct); and
(d) identifies all estimated potential costs including of any proposed options,

and shall do so in a manner consistent with the potential incorporation of such proposals in the draft Business Plan
to be submitted to the Secretary of State by no later than 15 December 2022 so that they are capable of being taken
forward through the annual Business Plan process set out at paragraph 3 of Chapter 7.7 (Business Plan) of the
Contract if so directed by the Secretary of State.

It is acknowledged that the Secretary of State may, in accordance with paragraph 3 (Annual Business Plan Process)
of Chapter 7.7 (Business Plan) of the Contract, propose the applicability of a business plan commitment equivalent
to paragraph 4.1 in future Contract Years.

So, a company that you believe has total control of operations, a free reign to do as it pleases..... for some reason..... has to submit a detailed and costed proposal to the Secretary of State to have Sunday's in the working week.  And that proposal can only be implemented if so directed by the Secretary of State.  To me, that sounds very much like the DfT have total control. 

I'd very much like to know from your MP why the proposal wasn't agreed by the Secretary of State. 

 

Equally, you can't claim it DOES exist.

Meanwhile, my MP is putting the question to the rail minister. When I have that response I will of course share it here.

 
Just a note to say that, even if there's no proof in the public domain, you can't claim that it doesn't exist. Confidentiality clauses exist in most commercial contracts.

 

I have. Don't presume to tell me what I have and haven't done.

But do please help me out if I've missed something in the business plan about DfT control of hiring of staff. I've attached the document to aid you.

I can also attache previous franchise agreements and service level commitments if you'd like. I've read those from start to finish too. I continue to await PROOF that the DfT are, and have in the past, been dictating to GWR whether they can or can't hire sufficient staff to meet their obligations to provide the timetabled service.

 
......guess it goes to show how much train drivers basic pay has increased since privatisation, certainly in comparison with similar jobs such as coach/bus drivers.

Overtime now no longer needed or wanted, and the policy of TOCs relying on it to sustain weekend services rather than employing sufficient staff to do so has firmly bitten them in the arse.

 
The same with train crew.

Driver link 10 at Canton 1993 and 94 had 3 Sundays in 16 weeks along with 2 days marked xxx. The xxx meant first priority at any volunteer Sundays irrespective of the Sunday count and subject to Hidden along with route and traction knowledge. And there were plenty of experts who would check who had the short notice Sundays and if a mistake was made a claim for loss of earnings would be made.

Also it wasn't unknown to swap the fortnight summer leave if a booked Sunday feel in the middle. This was because a driver was always not available for the middle Sunday of a fortnights' block leave.

 

I remember from working on the railways upwards of 40 years ago how most staff wanted to work on Sundays.  There would actually be major fallings-out sometimes, between colleagues or between staff and their roster clerk, if an expected Sunday turn didn't find its way onto the roster.  Many with families depended on the extra money.  The standard 40-hours' pay was no great shakes, back then

It was overtime (with a hefty premium) back then.  So it's a bit disingenuous of Mr Wheelan to claim that the present working arrangements for Sundays are the result of privatisation

 
Good article, worth a read;

https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/uk-railways-sunday-overtime-trains-b2666301.html

 

You clearly haven't read it. 

 

Yes. Nothing in that about DfT control over the hiring and training of staff.

 
Buses of Somerset staff shortages have been ongoing for several months.

It's all the DfT's fault of course.

 
It is not just GWR, Buses of Somerset, also part of First Group,  have been having problems over the past few days
(From X)

 

from https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2yv19721xo

 

If you think that a few hundred pages of A4 that forms a Franchise Agreement or National Rail Contract, a document that is very much word for word, the same for every TOC then you carry on thinking that!  The main details in any franchise is deemed commercially sensitive.

I assume you've also read the business plan? 

 
In the absence of publicly available information I'll go with what is available. The Franchise Agreements, Service Level Commitments and the current 2022 Greater Western National Rail Contract and Train Service Plans. Rather than hearsay and conspiracy.

Why would the DfT prescribe a train service plan and then hamstring the operators ability to provide that service level? There would be contract breaches. If this is really happening and the DfT are preventing GWR from fulfilling their contractual obligations why aren't GWR saying so?

 

And you seriously think that information is public?   

Who determines what is "sufficient".   You're clearly in the belief that a company can be as reckless as it likes with a franchise/contract and then just hand the keys back without penalty! 

 

Can you point out to me in the 2012 Greater Western Franchise Agreement or the Service Level Commitment where the staffing levels are prescribed by the DfT? Or elsewhere. I've found nothing yet that states the DfT were responsible for the hiring and training of TOC staff or the numbers that can be employed. Indeed I've found nothing in ANY 'classic' franchise agreement where numbers of staff are prescribed. Beyond obligating franchisees to ensure sufficient staff to meet Service Level Commitments.

Section 15 of the (now superceded) 2020 Greater Western Franchise Agreement went into great detail about the operators' obligations to provide and train adequate staff. At no point in that agreement did it state that the DfT or Secretary of State had put limits on staff numbers, nor prescribed how many were to be recruited. It did however put obligations on the operator to enusre there were sufficient staff to run the timetabled service.

 

True. Ryanair is much better value, their Boss is highly visible.....and their crews work on Sundays!  (.......runs away & hides behind the sofa) 

 
Easy there TG  Won’t have a bad word said about Ryanair. Never had a problem with them. Does what it says on the tin, no nonsense.

Anyway, back to the topic of luggage on trains. I don’t see what the problem is. Plenty of space in the guards van…oh wait.

 
Getting more like Ryanair every day.....

https://telegraph.co.uk/gift/c4bd5daab5f316e9

 

First Group HO (Model railway, 3.5mm to 1 foot scale)

 

How many times do we need to say it. The operation has been micromanaged by the DfT from the first day it went into private hands.


The DfT sets the staffing levels. A move to get Sundays into the working week would have required approval from the DfT. Again, you can’t hire more staff without the DfT approval.

The DfT set the terms of the franchise/contract, not First. First are highly unlikely to turn something down that’s beneficial to them.

It’s always been DfT controlled. Every single franchise was and is still DfT controlled. Nothing has really changed with the operations that have moved back into public ownership.

Because that’ll sort everything.

 
How many times does it need saying that the staffing issues predate the direct award in 2022? As I previously said this thread goes back SEVEN years. There are a good few other topics of a similar nature that predate even this thread.

When there was goodwill FGW/GWR were happy to take the cheaper option of paying overtime rather than hire and train staff. An additional cost that would've dented First Group profits during the good times after they saved themselves from the £800 million backend on the previous franchise agreement. One they happily signed and went into with their eyes open.

The last two years of DfT control are a smokescreen being used to hide all the disfunction and mismanagement of the Greater Western franchise over the last decade and more.

The sooner First Group have the trainset taken from them the better.

 
Because it's the DfT that has their hand on the tiller & Mark's hands are tied behind his back.

How many times does this need to be said?

 

Mark Hopwood certainly doesn't seem to have a firm grip of the tiller.

 

Yes...except for the fact that GWR won't be 'paying up' anything as the DfT will be the ones that do that.  Basically, double time for the two Sundays in question instead of the (for drivers) time-and-a-quarter that you get for normal Sundays and the time-and-a-half you get for working an additional shift on any other day.

Of course with so little notice, some folk who may have been interested for this Sunday will doubtless have made other plans by now.  We'll see if it's enough to make a big difference.

The word 'rudderless' springs to mind!

 
The main takeaway from this was the government have told GWR to pay up to ensure services run this Sunday 22nd and the following Sunday 29th. So some good news for passengers travelling over Christmas if enough train crew can be persuaded to earn some extra cash.

 
For those in the BBC Points West region, and possibly others served by GWR, there will be a news item covering the current Sunday service issues in this evening’s program 17/12. Will be available on iPlayer for 24 hours following broadcast.

 

In a roundabout way, yes. Staffing levels are set by the DfT. GWR are currently overstaffed at a number of depots. In the last 5 or more years, GWR have recruited and trained more drivers than they’ve ever done.  The DfT can, and have previously, put on a block on recruitment.  Recruitment needs approval.
There’s only so many trainees you can have in the system at any one time.

 
So you're saying the DfT were responsible for hiring and training prior to thr direct contract in 2022?

News to me.

 

If you knew anything about the rail industry you’d know it’s been micromanaged from Day 1 of being privatised.
You can give it all they handed the keys back in 2012 but the DfT signed a contract that allowed them to do so. First Group is first and foremost a business.  They’ve signed a contract containing terms and conditions stipulated by the DfT. The DfT have taken no action so it can only be assumed that First are meeting its contract obligations.

All the blame lies squarely with the DfT, and that’s the case not just for GWR but every other franchised (or management contract) operation. 

 

This thread is SEVEN years old! The problems pre-date the management contract signed in June 2022. You can't place all blame with the DfT. FirstGroup went into franchise and management contract negotiations with their eyes open. Let's no forget they also handed the keys back in 2012 and saved themselves over £800 million pounds. And were then happy to take on the franchise again and receive nearly £200 million in subsidy.

The Greater Western franchise has been a basket case for well over a decade. The buck stops with the MD.

 

The majority of other businesses aren’t micromanaged by Government!

First Group HO clearly know who’s responsible for the current situation.

 
In any other business, the MD would've walked or been sacked by the board by now.

 

Had a long planned day out in Cardiff planned with a group of friends
Travelling over from Weston everything direct was cancelled well in advance, managed to get a connection at Temple Meads, on arrival in Cardiff everything was showing as being cancelled coming home

We were initially told the first service to get was the 1920, but ended up being the 2000 service

Reminder to self is to check in advance and avoid travelling on a Sunday

That was after travelling up on "full and standing" services to and from Paddington (Up Friday, back Saturday) glad I used seat frog to upgrade to first class, but carriage was full on return journey home

 

Depends on who Dan is including as staff.... just traincrew or the whole company!

More and more drivers have a commitment to working Sunday, train managers and guards I don't think do.  Even with a "commitment to working Sunday's" it's still not techincally part of your working week (it's still paid as overtime) so if you choose not to work where would they stand?  You can not apply for a day's leave on a Sunday

 
From the BBC article:
GWR spokesman Dan Panes said: "60 per cent of our staff are not contracted to work on a Sunday. They can choose to work or not."

That, I think, is somewhat at variance with what we were told on the recent online forum session.

 
And in other news .

The Pope is Catholic.

Bears shit in the woods.

And some honesty from GWR!!!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cly2l0r1lrdo

17% more drivers,, take into account retirements and other reductions, plus the incorrect comment, the Sundays are still overtime even for post 2018 drivers.

Edit to correct my poor grammar.

 

Customer service is for customer service trained staff.  Social media is rife with those who are easily offended and just want to get people sacked and is in no way an insight into what customers are going through.   

 
......more staff shortages, pretty dreadful timing. Hard to believe that staff can't be found from somewhere to help.

GWR seems in free fall at the moment, an utter shambles. Even basic customer service failing.

Can't help thinking it would be a good idea for GWR senior managers to take a turn & fill the gaps, it would do them the power of good to get some insight into what their customers are going through at the moment,  and even perhaps offer them some assistance.

 

Returning from London yesterday, on arrival at Paddington a little after 2pm, several of the trains that were listed on Realtimetrains as running were not, and the National Rail web site was being very coy as it quite likes a rock solid internet connection.

There wasn't as big a crowd on the concourse as I'd expected but by now the Sunday capacity constraints must be suppressing demand.

Travel back to Bath involved catching the 14:37 to Swansea, which left on time, very full, very standing and people with a large amount of luggage. The train then came to a halt at Southall for 15 minutes as a passenger had a medical issue and needed assistance.

That sorted, the train did not get any less busy at Reading. I left it at Swindon for the service to Frome which had been held for the Swansea train to pass - staff were doing a good job of getting people from platform 4 to 2. Off set the train, and I left it at Chippenham to catch the Taunton train that was forty minutes behind. So, time to enjoy the now very much fading ambience of that weatherboarded building that sits to one side of the through road that was long ago interrupted by the building of the railway.

Finally, off the train at Bath along with a lot of other people, so it was good to head for the exit at the up end of the down platform to pick a way through the festival of motoring that had set itself up in the remaining pick-up area at the rear of the station - there was a bit of a horn-fest going on, which wasn't helping. For the down platform at Bath, large passenger flows mean a queue for the stairs, but the car park exit remains useful.

Mark

 

According to the Mail, WMR, so WMT & LNWR only

 

Not necessarily. If specifically a freight depot then the drivers probably wouldn't have the required traction knowledge. If a mixed traffic depot then subject to having the right knowledge then yes there would be additional drivers for passenger work.

 

In the next few weeks many Rail Freight Staff will be paid to stay at home, through lack of work/trains to run.
The Construction and many other businesses  shutdown for two weeks or so over Christmas/New Year.

Under BR/ a joined up railway these staff would have had great flexibility and been used to fill uncovered turns resulting in far fewer cancelled passenger trains.

 
Been an absolute shocker again today across the board with few lines unaffected by cancellations so little point in trying to highlight any particular line. My concerns for those relying on the train to travel over the Christmas period.

 

Indeed. Hendy in expressing his (albeit belated) concern about crew shortages over Christmas referred to several operators and it's hard to imagine that GWR wasn't one of them.

Selectively applying a solution in these circumstances seems strange.....isn't Alexander a Swindon MP? Surely she must have some idea of the desperate situation GWR is in?

 

But it begs the question, why offer it to one and not the other?

That news story in no way helps GWR, probably makes the situation worse.

 
Seems to refer to LNWR.

 
I don't think this applies to GWR?

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/government-offers-train-drivers-600-payments-to-work-overtime/ar-AA1vTzqM?ocid=socialshare&pc=U531&cvid=a3c9d0b3bdc148e895cdec0bbf0d86b6&ei=13

 

Not sure how it works with the Co-op but as I recall, then number of shares you hold does not correlate to the number of votes you get at shareholder meetings.   Not sure what their situation would be in taking loans with conditions to look after the business plans of their shareholders too.

 
I can't disagree with that line of questioning. They may even be watching Go-Op now, and the upcoming share offer./ I wonder whether the prospectus might have something restricting the largest share holding?

 

There is an argument that asked whether, in certain quarters, people who could do something are in effect working their notice. So might they be looking beyond their current roles to roles they will have in 2 to 5 years time?


I'm seeing First Group, who run our services, taking a keen interest in open access operations - London to Carmarten, London to Paignton, etc  - and those would have a much better opportunity against an unreliable competitor that's lost business and respect in the years leading up to them starting than against a stong opponent should the current system be put right which (in railway terms) might be done relatively easily.

I'm just raising the question.  GWR managers have denied it to my face on a Zoom call, but it's actions rather that words that will inform us.  We know that First have been buying up Open Access opportunities and logic suggests that they will have taken a list of all such identified opportunities and considered them - they may well be speaking with everyone who has an ORR license.  First is a big organisation, so I would not necessarily expect managers wishing the GWR contractor to be aware of such conversations.

 

Of course in a normal business where demand varies during the week (or seasonally), you don't advise customers to go away, you do everything in your power, and innovate, to bring in as much revenue as possible (which you don't sign a contract to give away), and then use the extra revenue to invest.

Resigning to an expectation of decline, is just the modern let's give up (rather than let's make sure still have a job in buzzing business in 2-3 decades) approach, rather sad.

COVID ended about 3 years ago, really 1000+ days should have been long enough to move to a new normal, rather than being stuck in a covid era state muddling on.  Especially as it appears might be 2026 or later before anything really improves.

 

I'm doing more than just "like" - I'm quoting that - hear hear.

I'll go s step further - increase capacity and increased reliability will lead to increased ridership.  And as each train needs just one set of infrastructure to run on, and just one driver and train manager, the cost per passenger carried comes down and the financial model of the railway greatly improves.

 

If a deal with Sundays inside the working week was on the table 15 years ago I'd probably would have voted for it subject to the terms and conditions. It has been ASLEF policy for many years to get Sundays inside the working week and no RDW at all. I can't see either aim being completed due to the sheer costs.

And a lot of TOCs have gone down the complusory overtime route, XC, AWC and LMR at least.

 

The mindset comes from decades of very little government support. We all know what needs to change. We also know that future governments won’t support investing in the railway network. So we just resign ourselves to the fact things will continue to decline.

 

That’s already accepted.


The costings are known, and have been known for sometime.  The fact remains, the DfT doesn’t to pay.


There’s no point in implementing a temporary fix, because the temporary fix will effectively be the long term solution.  By creating a meltdown every week you’re drawing attention to the problem far higher up the chain.


It doesn’t need major change.  It needs minor tweaks.  Enough staff to run the published timetable for a start and enough rolling stock to meet demand.  You then need a proactive maintenance regime to increase reliability of the infrastructure with a plan to modernise.  You need a long term plan, which is deliverable, to significantly increase capacity.  Increasing capacity in turn will significantly increase punctuality.

Simple.

 

Compulsory overtime was not one of my suggestions.

One of the things you often tend to notice about those inside the rail industry, or it's devotees, is that they (sometimes in a bizarrely self satisfied way) are very fond of telling you how things can't/won't work, rather than suggesting how they could be made to work or looking for a solution - perhaps there is hope and this mindset will die away as the old guard retire along with terms and conditions that don't reflect the modern era.

This is part of the cultural challenge to which I referred and that fresh minds/ideas are needed - you need to a build a service around what your customer needs, not just about what suits the workforce.

Other businesses and industries have learned this and evolved, or shrivelled to insignificance, or died.............I wonder which fate ultimately awaits the railway?

One thing that is for sure - it doesn't have 20 years to decide it.

 

It feels like it within the stipulated ground rules. Back (sorry) to my previous suggestion of a 20 year strategy (and to be clear to readers - looking to achieve a lot in the intermediate and MUCH shorter time scale) it should not be impossible.

I would write a visionary paper / post if I thought it would do any good ...

 
Unfortunately mission impossible.

So if everyone is put on the compulsory overtime on a Sunday contract you'll have staff going sick for several days to get a Sunday off. There are some staff on this contract who are Sunday exempt.

To put Sundays inside the working week requires an extra 17% staff. Then take into account retirement, promotion to management, disciplinary demotion, medical restrictions and sackings you are always playing catch up. It'll never happen.

Don't forget the morale levels as well.

Never mind.

Up to Covid I worked 40+ Sundays a year. But then my mortgage finished and personal circumstances changed. I probably worked less than 50 Sundays from Covid to retirement, 3 1/2 years.

 


Well, on the basis that I couldn't do much worse than Haigh I'd start from a premise setting out that the railway is a 7 day operation and that resources must match that principle - if it involves recruiting more staff alongside amending existing contracts to get Sunday in the working week, get it costed and a framework with this and timings set out, agreed and published - look for opportunities to offset what will no doubt be an expensive enterprise through savings elsewhere away from traincrew.

In the interim, look for a temporary fix and/or put a timetable in place that is workable, reliable and realistic - not this weekly weekend meltdown with the ludicrous, scarcely credible situation that GWR are effectively telling the public not to use their services every Sunday.

Overall, (and this is key and runs through everything) reposition the railway as an organisation whose purpose is to serve its customers and reflect their changing needs - acknowledge that it needs major change to achieve this - all staff and leaders need to buy into this - it is decades behind in this respect and that culture is partly the reason where we find ourselves where we are - it is the hardest thing to change in any organisation and probably needs new leadership from outside the industry with new ideas, not just relying on the usual re-treads - this will go to issues such changing and simplifying the fare structures, challenging inefficiency, closing ticket offices/making tickets available elsewhere, and providing more visible, responsive and accessible customer service etc.

...........away you go! 

 

It's Friday night, end of the working week...... someone has been on the sauce! 

 

I would hope that in 20 years time many / most of the train crew for who Sunday is not part of the working week and choose not to work overtime on this day will have either been offered an incentive to change their contract or will have retired and been replaced with new drivers whose shifts include Sundays.

I would also hope that not being able to drive certain routes because you haven't signed that route will be a thing of the past thanks to a rail equivalent of GPS which would notify you in advance of where the signals are, when to start braking for the next station etc.

 
Re-Nationalisation?

Is Heidi Alexander a member of this forum, by any chance?

CfN.

 

Well - I know that wasn't addressed to me, but I think I would start off by working out where we want to be in 20 years, and would then look to motivate all sectors involved - at all levels to get us there with their ownership of the project from grass roots level up.  The problem is getting the right people with the right authority in the room ... there are some ideas which should form part of a solution which results in shocked responses when you suggest them.

 

Purely as a matter of interest - as a very vocal critic, if you had the power, how would YOU resolve it?

 

That is the official wording, from that Train Operating Company. 

 

No end to this shambles in sight, an embarrassment to all concerned.

Lock those who are responsible, necessary and capable of resolving it in a room, and don't let them out until they come up with a solution.

 
The customary warning not to travel by train on Sunday, particularly to the final day of shed fest: