Train rants

They have unused paths available all the time. I know they could move the train at the station in such a time that it does not make the other train behind it wait for that one to move. They are on the same line. Plus there is 3 other tracks (4 in total).

They have 1 track for slow service and 1 for fast service going each way. There is no excuse to not run fast service during peak, it would reduce load on the slow service, so they would be happy at reduced over crowding.
 
I know the time table, I know the routes that runs on those tracks and I can see the trains that come past and i know when there is no reason to hold a train at a station when there is another train on its way.

They do it because they are lazy, take their time sort of attitude, ive seen them dossing about the station platforms. :mad:

Their best excuse is the "knock on effect". I caught some top guys inspecting the station at romford and i cornered them about the lack of fast train services. They said it would have a knock on effect. Yes so you ad just the time table accordingly. How difficult can it be.
 
groen said:
I know the time table,
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The timetable is a timetable, it doesn't show path availability. A fast train requires a different type of path to a stopping service - one fast train can easily take the path of multiple stopping trains. It's really nothing like as simple as you think.

I know the routes that runs on those tracks and I can see the trains that come past and i know when there is no reason to hold a train at a station when there is another train on its way.
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They don't hold a train for no reason - for a start delaying a train costs the TOC in delay minutes - they'll pay quite dearly for any delay they cause because they are financially responsible for the delays to any other trains, too.

They do it because they are lazy, take their time sort of attitude, ive seen them dossing about the station platforms. :mad:
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They don't deliberately hold trains for no reason other than lazyness, that is simply bizarre.

But then it's yet another groen-rant isn't it.
 
I forgot to vent about first bus Glasgow not offering returns before 9am....money grabbing gits ( its not THAT much more for 2 singles, but it does mean I have to keep change for the end of the day too)

Ps I know its a train thread, but I've decided its appropriate as when I need to get to work with out the car I use the train and bus
 
I get 3 trains to new street every day before 8 and every day home at 5...its pure and simple hell on earth.

Why i took the job who knows but i am now mind numb, pushy in and out of the train and generally hate everyone who is not me...i never used to be like this.

Normally standing due to my stop or them only putting a 2 carridge train one which goes from Shrewsbury, Telford and Wolverhampton forcing us all to be super friendly with each other and generally smelling what everyone had for tea as the smell of garlic is really something you want at 6.20am.

My life is in the week is hell...word to anyone thinking about public transport...dont do it to yourself.
 
On the rare occasions I get a train I've still suffered a few delays.
The worst is when I've rushed in the morning, missed time with my son, or dropping him at nursery, stressed to get to the station on time, only for the train to be delayed 30 mins :mad:
 
To Groen.

Trains sit on red signals for a number of reasons. Occasionally, yes, the signaller has forgotten. This is inconsequential though as the driver is rule bound to remind the signaller of his presence immediately, unless he (the driver) knows why. Therefore if a train is sat on a red signal, the signaller knows and is holding the train for a reason. We also have 'double blocking' whereby a train may be held 1 signal section back. This is done for safety as the overlap between the next red signal and the point of conflict is so short that the TPWS system (train protection and warning system) will not prevent a collision and the risk is deemed great enough to hold trains back. This is done regularly within London as some signals can be tight against junctions. A good example is Purley in South London where trains get stopped South of the station until there are 2 signal sections clear in front, due entirely to the Purley crash in the early nineties.

Trains can be kept back to allow faster services through, even if they are delayed. This is because the knock-on delay to the fast service and all the trains following that one would be more of a problem to recover from than if one slower service is delayed.

Certain services and companies do pay more for their pathways giving them priority, but then this is reflected in the ticket cost.

Some of the more complex routes, especially within London are controlled 'automatically'. The signaller sets the inbound routes and the computers work out the most efficient way to get the trains into the stations, setting points and signals automatically. That's an over-simplification, but you get the idea

And I'm curious who you see 'dossing about' on station platforms, and what effect you think these people have on the signals.

It is never 'laziness' that causes signals to be red and trains to be waiting. Part of the problem for regular commuters is they only ever get half the story. In the South East, Network Rail were responsible for roughly 60% of the delays and cancellations in 2012. They don't suffer the vitriol of the passengers in the same way the TOCs do though and do not have to publicly defend themselves in the same way the TOCs do either.

The other issue is the network itself which cannot hope to cater for the demand, in the South East at least. Platforms are being extended and longer trains are running but it really is a drop in the ocean. Capacity has to increase in a meaningful way to have a noticeable effect.

I get that it's frustrating, but the railways are a complex undertaking with more going on than meets the eye sometimes.
 
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Admiral Huddy said:
I commute every day to London Liverpool St and whilst we get the odd delay here and there's it's better than being stuck on he M25 or going by road. It takes me 55 minutes door to door with a 15 minute bike ride to the station. I have an annual ticket so no idea how much a monthly ticket costs.. i wouldn't have thought you'd get much change from £300. I can read a book or magazine, browse the net, chat with friends or ignore them by pretending to be asleep. :)
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Rather annoyingly I work right next to Liverpool St (in the Broadgate Tower) but no trains from my local line go that way :(
 
The very worst thing about using the trains are the morons who seem to be incapable of finding their reserved seat, despite the fact it's above their head and on the seat itself (Virgin). Oh, and the people who full on sprint along the platform despite the train not leaving for 15 minutes.

Delays are annoying as well mind, but not as annoying as some of the passengers.
 
Admiral Huddy said:
edit ^^^ another Liv st commuter :)

Expense aside, i love traveling by train.

I commute every day to London Liverpool St and whilst we get the odd delay here and there's it's better than being stuck on he M25 or going by road. It takes me 55 minutes door to door with a 15 minute bike ride to the station. I have an annual ticket so no idea how much a monthly ticket costs.. i wouldn't have thought you'd get much change from £300. I can read a book or magazine, browse the net, chat with friends or ignore them by pretending to be asleep. :)

Conversely, A friend of mine drives daily from Chelmsford to Bishops Stortford which it about 25 odd miles I think. This can take anything up to an hour plus costs him around £350 a month in fuel. Shorter journey, takes the same time, costs more.. that's before wear and tear plus other running costs. When people ask me "how on earth could i commute everyday?" this is what i tell them.


As for general travelling, i'd love to travel more but the networking companies make it so expensive and complicated. If there's more than one of you, it's always going to be cheaper to drive which is a shame. There's just some romantic and special arriving by train that isn't the same by car.

Advance booking helps but where the logic and sense in that?
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I've just started commuting from Chelmsford to London (off at Stratford though) and the trains aren't too bad. Think they've been regularly late by 2-5 minutes quite a lot though in the past couple of weeks. Oh, and the nightmare at the beginning of the month where most trains got cancelled, that was useful being in the first week of my new job :D
 
lemzip said:
I get 3 trains to new street every day before 8 and every day home at 5...its pure and simple hell on earth.

Why i took the job who knows but i am now mind numb, pushy in and out of the train and generally hate everyone who is not me...i never used to be like this.
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Yeah it got me the same, one train into new street, and one out the other side, every morning and night. At least 5-6 times a week there would be a delay of 30 mins plus. What would wind me up most were the idiots who would take 1 step onto the train and then stop, blocking everyone else trying to get on, it was actually surprising the number of times I "accidentally" "stumbled" into them...

Uhtred said:
You can, or at least I've been able to a couple of times without any problems.
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Not the monthly direct debit ones...
 
groen said:
I know the time table, I know the routes that runs on those tracks and I can see the trains that come past and i know when there is no reason to hold a train at a station when there is another train on its way.
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Oh dear groen, it's not that simple, the time table means nothing if other trains are stuck in different sections, the red light will not change untill other trains are clear of that particular section, for example you might have slower freight before you and this needs to be put either on a slow line if there is one in that area or pull into a running sidings, you would just get a bottleneck and trains ploughing into each other if you thought like you do.
 
Privatisation - Gotta make profit and screw the public. Those fat cigars and bonuses aren't going to pay for themselves.
 
Rossi~ said:
Privatisation - Gotta make profit and screw the public. Those fat cigars and bonuses aren't going to pay for themselves.
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Thank you. I was beginning to think I was the only one with this theory. As soon as you have a small number of private companies with a monopoly over the sector, there's always going to be major problems.

Their priority will always be profits. Screw the standard of service, to hell with the passengers...just give us your ******* money! Aren't we close to being the most expensive in Europe for rail travel and yet the service is in the dark ages compared with some of our European neighbours.
 
What I find annoying is those who literally push others out the way to run for the one empty seat - I mean pushing and shoving to get to the seat before anyone else...only to get up in 2 stops. lol goodness.
 
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