Trains!

[Avenged7Fold]

So we all love to complain about how crap our trains are. They're late, they never show, the cancel over all sorts of poor excuses, they're overpriced. We complained when the trains were managed domestically and cost us money, now we complain that they are owned privately by foreign companies and it lines the pockets of foreign companies.

Saw this today on Japanese trains:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-42009839

A rail company in Japan has apologised after one of its trains departed 20 seconds early.

Management on the Tsukuba Express line between Tokyo and the city of Tsukuba said they "sincerely apologise for the inconvenience" caused.

In a statement, the company said the train had been scheduled to leave at 9:44:40 local time but left at 9:44:20.

The mistake happened because staff did not check the timetable, the statement said.

"The crewman handled the passengers on board after opening the door. After that... I closed the door without checking the departure time sufficiently," it said.

No customers had complained about the early departure from Minami Nagareyama Station, which is just north of Tokyo, the statement added.

So the company left seconds early, apologized without prompt from complaining customers and instead of blaming it on the go to excuses, accepted it was staff that led to the 'disruption'.

So what would we have to do to get our rail system to Japanese standards?

Those of you that have used other rail networks across the globe, where would you rank ours from personal experience?

 

[andicole0]

I got an apology the other day for being put on the wrong train that didn't actually stop at the station I wanted. Not from the guy that did it but the ticket lady who spotted it wasn't stopping where I wanted. Just had to catch the train back from the next station. I find that the people on the trains are very nice, it is just the money grabbing managers. All caused by the governments greed to get rid of the national rail system.
Andi.

 

[doodah]

People say the days of British Rail were horrible but has privatisation delivered? Competition is what they like to peddle right?

For one - get rid of these stupid definitions of 'late'. I would rather fix the network first instead of vanity projects like HS2. Another gripe; communication. You can guarantee if something goes wrong, companies descend into communication chaos and no one knows what's going on.

SWT/SWR stock must be below par as they have a broken down train much too frequently.

 

[MikeTheNative]

You want to see the stock Arriva Trains Sough Wales have, I'm 24 and I think half of it is older than me.

 

[marc2003]

I wouldn't know about the state of trains or punctuality. The astronomical prices have always put me off even trying. I live in Cheltenham and can get to London and back on megabus for 12 quid. I just looked up train tickets for tomorrow and it was 130....

 

[doodah]

I remember a few years back, one franchise missed its targets (severely I think). What did the minister do? Give them more targets with less money. Result.

 

[ttaskmaster]

So what would we have to do to get our rail system to Japanese standards?

Spend a thousand years or so as a culture that embodies the pursuit of perfection and absolute discipline, while also hacking the heads off any peasant that so much as looks at you wrong?
That, or become Swiss....

I'm 24 and I think half of it is older than me.

WIth all due respect, the boots I have on my feet right now are older than you...

 

[MikeTheNative]

WIth all due respect, the boots I have on my feet right now are older than you...

Probably time for some new boots then.

The trains are really shabby and rather run down, 24 years old would have been fine if they refurbished it which they don't.

 

[Roar87]

We'd need a complete culture shift, the rail companies seem to think trains are run for the benefit of the staff and management rather than for the customers. Salaries are sky high, trains are out dated, often late, sometimes cancelled. Any adverse conditions immediately result in trains delayed or cancelled. There's no apologies, refunds only given if more than 30 minutes late. It's one of the worst customer experiences I've ever witnessed, and they only get away with it because people have no choice.

 

[timebomb26]

The rail system in Britain is tragic. Been back for just over a week now, and have taken three journeys by train. On every single one of them there has been at least one train late.

Train from Taunton was 10 minutes late, leaving under 2 minutes to catch the connecting train to Guildford. Ran like crazy but just missed it. There were about 20 people all in the same boat. Both trains run by First Great Western, but obviously it's too much to ask to have any sort of communication between the two services.

Prices are ridiculous, carriages are always dirty and overcrowded and the whole experience is consistently below average.

 

[Ocean Breeze]

Someone should just nuke this country. We’re done.

 

[Delvis]

I enjoyed the Chinese rail way system, around Shanghai and it's underground, then among other cities.

Love the fact one ticket can be used in the underground and the buses etc, cheap also.

 

[Scam]

The rail system in Britain is tragic. Been back for just over a week now, and have taken three journeys by train. On every single one of them there has been at least one train late.

Train from Taunton was 10 minutes late, leaving under 2 minutes to catch the connecting train to Guildford. Ran like crazy but just missed it. There were about 20 people all in the same boat. Both trains run by First Great Western, but obviously it's too much to ask to have any sort of communication between the two services.

Prices are ridiculous, carriages are always dirty and overcrowded and the whole experience is consistently below average.

Honestly, those in charge of FGW should be first against the wall when the time comes. I go through Reading fairly regularly, and bearing in mind it is their biggest interchange I am yet to do a route that connects properly. It's always 20mins+ for any connection whether it's the Didcot line, Bedwyn train or faster. I honestly wonder what does actually connect

 

[FishFluff]

they only get away with it because people have no choice.

Are you being forced on to the train at gun point or something?

 

[jonessa]

Are you being forced on to the train at gun point or something?

I think the point was that trains, in some cases, are the best of a bad bunch, but are sadly the only realistic option.

Spend 4 hours fighting the M25, or an hour and a half on a potentially late, cramped, unsafe, over-priced train.

As others have said, there are far too many factors. Living costs/lack of housing vs number of people employed in London resulting in more commuters, flexi-hours still not very well optimised, an ageing rail network. The list goes on.

 

[Woden]

Sad times when I can fly manchester to london cheaper than I can go by train.

 

[FishFluff]

I think the point was that trains, in some cases, are the best of a bad bunch, but are sadly the only realistic option.

Spend 4 hours fighting the M25, or an hour and a half on a potentially late, cramped, unsafe, over-priced train.

As others have said, there are far too many factors. Living costs/lack of housing vs number of people employed in London resulting in more commuters, flexi-hours still not very well optimised, an ageing rail network. The list goes on.

The train operators aren't going to change unless people start hitting their bottom line. I used to get the train to work, then I got sick of it and moved closer to where I worked. I realise that for those in 'the south' it's not as feasible, but there's always options.

 

[Liquidfox]

It's not often I travel on trains but when I do I can't say I have an issue with them. I book online a few months in advance so the prices are more than reasonable (£63 for a return from Newcastle to Kings Cross), we always have a booked table seat and the train has always been on time. Sure, if you're on a London commute then I feel sorry for your wallets, some of those season pass prices actually make me wince.

 

[Orionaut]

The rail system in Britain is tragic. Been back for just over a week now, and have taken three journeys by train. On every single one of them there has been at least one train late.

.

The rail network in the UK was essentially completed in around 1900 when the population was only 40 million. Today the population is heading north of 70 million and people commute on a scale that was unusual even 40 years ago and unheard of 100 years ago.

Considering that it is actually very difficult indeed to increase the maximum carrying capacity of any rail network I think the system has actually handled the massive increase in usage remarkably well.

Any significant increase in peak capacity is simply not going to happen, Even reopening the Beeching branch lines (which would be a far better use of money than nonsense like HS2) would only make a marginal difference since the main lines the branch lines would feed into are already running at capacity.

What we need is less long distance commuting, not more.

If it was me, I would put the prices up until the trains were no longer overcrowded...!

 

[Spook187]

Japanese rail infrastructure is new, ours is old simple as that, we are playing catch up because of lack of investment for decades, upgrades are happening now bit it takes time, crossrail has swallowed most of the money hence why many new electrification routes are being put on hold.