4 hours stuck on the train..!
- Thread starter Andy the Don
- Start date
teuchter
je suis teuchter
I would have thought a strongly worded email to NXEC might be worthwhile. Depends how long the taxi queue really was, though - if it was an hour long then that's one thing but if it was 15mins or so it's different. When I've been in this situation they've organised things so that people going to similar destinations shared taxis, which makes more efficient use of the taxis available, and also meant the queue moved quite fast.
i don't believe his explanation up there ^ though. you were drunk and fell asleep again weren't you doggy? be honest!
butterfly child
Well-Known Member
he only time I've ever managed to get a complete turnaround by any company was when The Guardian got involved...
butterfly child
Well-Known Member
I had to sleep on the platform at Taunton once... it was my own fault though, for falling asleep on the last train and missing my station.
I did have £50 to my name, but when I asked a taxi driver how much it would cost to get home, and he said "£50", I realised I would no money for the rest of the week...
I did have £50 to my name, but when I asked a taxi driver how much it would cost to get home, and he said "£50", I realised I would no money for the rest of the week...
Andy the Don
Wise men say only fools..
Good News - A win for the little guy against the forces of big business..
Received a call from no other than the Director of Customer Services, who apologised and said that after further investigation all taxi fares will be refunded.. Hurrah.
Received a call from no other than the Director of Customer Services, who apologised and said that after further investigation all taxi fares will be refunded.. Hurrah.
19sixtysix
Bring me sunshine
Sorry those delays are but mere pimples of lateness.
In 2007, I left London for Glasgow on the 0845 after a nightshift. I got to Glasgow at 04:00 the next day
This I believe will take the Urban train delay record.
In 2007, I left London for Glasgow on the 0845 after a nightshift. I got to Glasgow at 04:00 the next day
This I believe will take the Urban train delay record.
yesterday evening there was no trains departing charing cross. apparently some guy was on some rail track by waterloo station. i don't get it. why paralyse the whole transport system for one incident? there's more than one track you know. and could they not remove the guy from it and let things getting back to normal? or was he squashed to pieces? 
seeformiles
Lost in the wood
Lincolnshire - and, as a friend who lives nearby never tires of telling me, it's an anagram of "wanker".
AverageJoe
...
yesterday evening there was no trains departing charing cross. apparently some guy was on some rail track by waterloo station. i don't get it. why paralyse the whole transport system for one incident? there's more than one track you know. and could they not remove the guy from it and let things getting back to normal? or was he squashed to pieces?
Yeah i was stuck in that too, yet i cant find a mention of it anywhere. i think my wife thinks i was making it up ...
Yeah i was stuck in that too, yet i cant find a mention of it anywhere. i think my wife thinks i was making it up ...
(((wife)))
i didn't wait a second and went straight down to london bridge.
AverageJoe
...
Was told not to go down there cos of overcrowding 
I ended up sleeping in the office
I ended up sleeping in the office
davesgcr
Reading books
The guy running around on all 4 tracks had a knife and was suicidal - in those cases the police take charge and insisted (sensibly) on taking the power off between Charing Cross and Metropolitan Junction. Some trains were diverted to Cannon Street.
There were a few other similar incidents elsewhere yesterday on the system -not helpfull !
There were a few other similar incidents elsewhere yesterday on the system -not helpfull !
Good News - A win for the little guy against the forces of big business..
Received a call from no other than the Director of Customer Services, who apologised and said that after further investigation all taxi fares will be refunded.. Hurrah.
Oh, brilliant! What did you do? Assuming I haven't missed some bit of significant news...how did you prompt this response.
Well done for sticking at it, though.
Bahnhof Strasse
Let's av ya fuckin' dancin'!
Good News - A win for the little guy against the forces of big business..
Received a call from no other than the Director of Customer Services, who apologised and said that after further investigation all taxi fares will be refunded.. Hurrah.
Fucking ACES!
At least they do. I've just been re-reading Stephen Poole's book about his time on BR - Behind the Crumbling Edge - and some of the tales he tells about the police are a little hair-raising: going onto live tracks without informing BR, and so on...
davesgcr
Reading books
That little escapade on the tracks cost about 60 cancellations and a shedload of delays.
Off the record - I worked with Stephen Poole and I can confirm the accuracy of his tales in the book (got my copy autographed by the way)
Real old school operations - his description of clipping and winding a set of points outside North Kent East Junction with trains moving around on the 8 parallel tracks is sobering. (wouldent do that today !) Done some innovative operating myself in the past ......
Off the record - I worked with Stephen Poole and I can confirm the accuracy of his tales in the book (got my copy autographed by the way)
Real old school operations - his description of clipping and winding a set of points outside North Kent East Junction with trains moving around on the 8 parallel tracks is sobering. (wouldent do that today !) Done some innovative operating myself in the past ......
did you manage to find yourself a copy then?
Yes, one showed up on bookfinder for a tenner so it would have been rude not to! It's a fascinating read.
Doesn't surprise me to hear you've worked with him, davesgcr. He seems to have managed to get pretty much everywhere on the railway during his time with BR! One thing I like about the book is that he doesn't blow his own trumpet too much (unlike Peter Rayner, although On and Off the Rails is also a great read!), but reading between the lines, he comes across as a very effective operator and rather a nice bloke; a manager who knew how much to turn a blind eye to but also when to put his foot down. Is that fair comment?
davesgcr
Reading books
Peter Rayner is a great chap - I see him maybe once a year - and its always very pleasant and sociable.
When he was ROM of the LM , I thought I would get the sack for stopping everything on the West Coast main line ! Basically , whilst travelleng passenger we were cautioned into the section at Polesworth as there was a report of a horse on the line. there was a collarless , wild animal running around all 4 lines - so I and the driver banged down track circuit clips (which puts everything to red) - and it took nearly an hour to get this f**ing thing off the line (in itslef a story) - trains backed up to Rugby and Stafford.
I feared the worst next day - expecting a summons to Crewe and instant dismissal (turns out old Rayner had worked out that safety was my first concern - that we had done everything we humanly could , and that it was all in accordance with the signalling regs and rule book !) Never heard a thing about it.Years later I came clean to him - he remembered the incident - laughed and gave me "absolution" !!!
A good manager indeed ......
When he was ROM of the LM , I thought I would get the sack for stopping everything on the West Coast main line ! Basically , whilst travelleng passenger we were cautioned into the section at Polesworth as there was a report of a horse on the line. there was a collarless , wild animal running around all 4 lines - so I and the driver banged down track circuit clips (which puts everything to red) - and it took nearly an hour to get this f**ing thing off the line (in itslef a story) - trains backed up to Rugby and Stafford.
I feared the worst next day - expecting a summons to Crewe and instant dismissal (turns out old Rayner had worked out that safety was my first concern - that we had done everything we humanly could , and that it was all in accordance with the signalling regs and rule book !) Never heard a thing about it.Years later I came clean to him - he remembered the incident - laughed and gave me "absolution" !!!
A good manager indeed ......
davesgcr
Reading books
As for Mr Poole - a good man - but he certainly knew where to turn a blind eye (dont we all) - where to encourage , and where to come down hard ! Its a shame he didnt survive the changes of the late 80's and early 90's - he would be an excellent Ops Director or similar.
The term guvnor" in the London area (or "Boss" elsewhere) was the mark of respect from the staff. Steve certainly had it , and I think I earned it too on my various "real" jobs.
The term guvnor" in the London area (or "Boss" elsewhere) was the mark of respect from the staff. Steve certainly had it , and I think I earned it too on my various "real" jobs.
I can well imagine that of Peter Rayner (responding to your last but one post). He does come across as a nice bloke and someone who knows and cares about his business. He must have an incredible wealth of experience as well, having spent so long on the railways.
IIRC he wrote his book in the '90s, not long after being pushed out of BR altogether, which is maybe why it does come across as a little self-justificatory!
IIRC he wrote his book in the '90s, not long after being pushed out of BR altogether, which is maybe why it does come across as a little self-justificatory!
what? Free wifi and this guy is complaining? What's the bandwidth like?
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