rant Our Rail Network

[imi]

its never going to change. just look at the jubilee line in London. was state of the art etc

 

state of the art - when was this?

 

Even Lisbon (that's bankrupt) have silky smooth, punctual, air-conditioned, mobile enabled and double decked trains.

 

London's transport network regardless of whether its Tubes, Trains or Buses is a joke. The unions seem to get their way time and time again and in my opinion stops the network from investing in modernisation and radical operational changes that it so desperately needs.

 

Would be nice if the Govt had some teeth and stand up to the unions, far too many lazy spongers that feel they have a right to the same job for life.

[stevie_b]

Did you see that Richard Wilson programme recently about the trains? He was interviewing people that do the seasonal ticket thing and say they never ever get a seat. Some people were choosing to sit in the toilet!

I usually sit on the floor, in the vestibule. It's one of the best seats in the house on a commuter train, with plenty of elbow room. The width of some train seats is a joke (some MPs or councillors have investigated the width of seats). I'm built like a racing snake but even I find them a real squeeze. Sit next to a generously-proportioned person and you can forget engaging in any activity that involves having your elbows any wider than your shoulders.

 

I have seen someone sitting on the toilet (actually using the toilet), but that's another story and the image will haunt me until I go to the grave.

 

A good mantra there too, I think many in the world presently are grumpy for very trivial or invalid reasons. As long as you have your health, your family's health and food on the table you have no reason to not be at a certain base level of happiness.

A very good point, and one that I should remind myself of occasionally.

[caseys]

 

I might try that too, but with the additions of a wild expression in my eyes and squirty cream in/around my mouth! Should get a seat to myself then.

 

I find with my crazy spikey hair, being built like a brick outhouse and occasionally smiling widely when someone looks to take the seat next to me leaves that seat the last sat on in the train.

 

A very good point, and one that I should remind myself of occasionally.

 

It is. You're wasting your life if you're miserable and life is far too short and unpredictable to be like that. Take a good deep breath of some fresh air and savour the smell, be thankful for the things many take for granted (like the ability to walk unaided for instance) and I think you'll be much happier all the time. Unless you're dead... things can always be a lot worse.

[Sakey]

At least you get a train when you buy a train ticket!

 

The last few times I've attempted public transport, I was under this stupid impression that a train ticket got me a ride on train.... turns out "train" in Leeds really means "slow broken bus" because "we can't be bothered running a train this time".

[Abz]

I'd love to move out of London but would hate to commute long distance! Saying that the underground in London isn't brilliant either but a train does come every couple of minutes but the problem is with so many people working in London it is crammed! On the hot days it is unbearable if you are stuck in a tunnel!

 

My colleague pays £400 a month on train tickets! How can the rail companies justify that with the millions of pounds of profit they make.

 

So now I cycle into work, 35 minutes of adrenline rush and then a nice shower to start the day.

 

Although more expensive to live in central London, I'd rather that then spend most of my time communiting.

[jagman]

state of the art - when was this?

 

Even Lisbon (that's bankrupt) have silky smooth, punctual, air-conditioned, mobile enabled and double decked trains.

 

London's transport network regardless of whether its Tubes, Trains or Buses is a joke. The unions seem to get their way time and time again and in my opinion stops the network from investing in modernisation and radical operational changes that it so desperately needs.

 

Would be nice if the Govt had some teeth and stand up to the unions, far too many lazy spongers that feel they have a right to the same job for life.

 

You should read some recent history before forming an opinion , much of the system is non union and labour on contract terms using agency workers , many British owned areas are now foreign owned , the unions fought and lost against privatisation , the rail system , with separate providers for , track, rollingstock,and rail companies now cost 5 billion pounds a year from tax payers !!

Fare structures are a mess,peak time travel a mess , rural travel a mess ...

This was not created by unions and the money over the years not vanished into union coffers !

Cheap efficient transport for the masses , has gone and a future system of cheap mass transport unlikely .

Despite modern computing systems , there is fact leaves on the track...

[imi]

You should read some recent history before forming an opinion , much of the system is non union and labour on contract terms using agency workers , many British owned areas are now foreign owned , the unions fought and lost against privatisation , the rail system , with separate providers for , track, rollingstock,and rail companies now cost 5 billion pounds a year from tax payers !!

Fare structures are a mess,peak time travel a mess , rural travel a mess ...

This was not created by unions and the money over the years not vanished into union coffers !

Cheap efficient transport for the masses , has gone and a future system of cheap mass transport unlikely .

Despite modern computing systems , there is fact leaves on the track...

 

As a customer of London Transport my opinion is based on my personal experiences which are FACTUAL and that is that the service sucks and is an embarassment as compared to the rest of most European countries, far eastern countries and the North Americas (places that I have been to).

 

Now, whether it is wholly the fault of the unions or whether they are partly to blame are details that I really don't care about. The fact that the unions hold London to ransom time and time again is enough for me to blame them - as far as I am concerned they are part of the problem and the sooner we get rid of them the better. Will it solve all the transport issues, probably not, will it be a step in the right direction - absolutely.

[mwilkinson]

I might be insane but I'd much rather sit/stand on a train for an hour than be in a traffic jam on the roads through Leeds having to deal with other people's attitudes (which all stink first thing in the morning).

 

Commuting is a pain in the neck, and not at all about passenger comfort or consideration. Is there any posibility of driving part way to say Surbiton then using the trains for the rest of the way? My dad drives from Farnham to Surbiton every day but leaves the house at about 7am and doesn't attempt to drive back till 7pm and it seems to work really well for him.

 

Did you see that Richard Wilson programme recently about the trains? He was interviewing people that do the seasonal ticket thing and say they never ever get a seat. Some people were choosing to sit in the toilet! It's all wrong really. Not sure there is any solution for it though.

 

If I drove to Surbiton it would take me 45 minutes to get there and cost me petrol and parking on top of rail. Whilst frustrating going from my local station is both cost effective and convenient.

 

I love where I live and would never want to live in London. I understand some people love it but I would consider it a living nightmare. Trees and open places for me

 

Branners has the best mentality and usually I do just take it in my stride but on occasions I'm like Michael Douglas in "Falling Down", but without the guns and death.......for now.

[Abz]

I love where I live and would never want to live in London. I understand some people love it but I would consider it a living nightmare. Trees and open places

 

Dude, what you on about, I live behind a farm and wake up to horses & sheep...

 

15 minute stroll and I am in Canary Wharf!

 

I know what you mean though, I'd like to retire in the countryside.

[RedM]

 

I know what you mean though, I'd like to retire in the countryside.

 

One bus an hour. Sketchy driving in the winter. Frequent power cuts. Mice.

[Abz]

One bus an hour. Sketchy driving in the winter. Frequent power cuts. Mice.

Okay, maybe not then!!!

[RedM]

On the plus side it is fairly peaceful, the views are glorious, I can be running on trails in under a minute from my door and I get to see mice at least once a week.

[Abz]

On the plus side it is fairly peaceful, the views are glorious, I can be running on trails in under a minute from my door and I get to see mice at least once a week.

Shouldn't have a problem with mice if I bring my 2 cats, they do a darn good job in keeping mice & grey squirrels (aka rats with tails) away! Maybe I shouldn't move too far out into the sticks. Though being able to go out on a decent run sounds good.

 

[mwilkinson]

One bus an hour. Sketchy driving in the winter. Frequent power cuts. Mice.

 

Got to love the mice. I think our resident garden crazy mouse might have been eaten by an owl. Found an owl poop pellet in the garden a week ago and it had the remains of a rodent in it

[Nick]

Probably not much consolation but it's not going to be fun for us commuting to work in Japan this summer.

 

Due to the damage caused by the earthquake and Tsunami there's not enough power for all those aircon units so the trains are going to be a sweatbox. The subway is already running around 28deg and even with a half full train it's very uncomfortable. When summer hits proper and the trains are full at rush hour (by full I mean you physically couldn't fit another person in the train) it's going to be a very hot and smelly trip to work. Oh well at least they're on time !

[Attero]

Don't worry, you will be glad to hear they have made a £438M profit this year.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-13708317

[CraigGilchrist]

As a customer of London Transport my opinion is based on my personal experiences which are FACTUAL and that is that the service sucks and is an embarassment as compared to the rest of most European countries, far eastern countries and the North Americas (places that I have been to).

 

Now, whether it is wholly the fault of the unions or whether they are partly to blame are details that I really don't care about. The fact that the unions hold London to ransom time and time again is enough for me to blame them - as far as I am concerned they are part of the problem and the sooner we get rid of them the better. Will it solve all the transport issues, probably not, will it be a step in the right direction - absolutely.

 

I know the service pisses you off, but Jagman speaks the truth - the problem is that we sold off all the profitable sections of the rail network - after all, who would want to buy the services that run at a loss? To sell the less attractive routes we agreed to subsidise the privatisation. So now we see very little of the profits, and pay through the nose to cover the losses of these private companies.

 

Meanwhile, they make a profit and who does this go to? The management. Then when workers are unhappy at their conditions, they strike, and management makes people like you somehow believe that the unionised workers are the bad guys!! These guys aren't demanding bentleys and country estates like the management live in, they are demanding wages reflecting the work they do, in the conditions they do them, and the regional average salaries for the areas they have to live in so that they can work in these locations.

 

The problem is that media is controlled by men with money, so the papers report that stiking workers are the bad guys, and that they're causing problems for you, the Citizen. But that's not the case. The Management want to maximize their bank balances, at the expense of their workers living conditions.

 

AS for the service being crap? Expect it to get worse as networks get further privatised. Unprofitable services, like sunday services, out of hours services, services to more remote locations, non-rush-hour services will all be minimized, if not cancelled entirely.

[Shane]

And just to make it worse Bob Crow and his mates are not going to make our commute any easier during the last week of June:

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-13706133

 

I can feel the need for some PPM coming on in Paris that week.

[imi]

And just to make it worse Bob Crow and his mates are not going to make our commute any easier during the last week of June:

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-13706133

 

I can feel the need for some PPM coming on in Paris that week.

 

Exactly, compound this with the strikes they did over Christmas, in this tough economical climate they choose the worst times to cause maximum inconvenience to the public and damage to the country. Just read some of the language Crowe uses - the guy is a bully, a thug.

 

The audacity to expect public support by these selfish buffoons is baffling. Hope the Govt bans such strike action, they really need to grow some .....

[jagman]

The audacity to expect public support by these selfish buffoons is baffling. Hope the Govt bans such strike action, they really need to grow some .....

 

 

In fact there have been moves , using the high court , to make strikes illegal .

Expect many more strikes across the board .

People will always blame strikers , an easy target , it's always the Firemen,Binmen,Railmen,etc , These are just working people using the only tool they have ( which is blunted year on year).

Look to the money ! Always look where and to whom the money has gone ! Look at the pension funds , where did the money go?

If ranting and blame is needed , pick on the correct people , it is not the 10s of thousands of working people .

The next couple of years will be revealing as more people actually care about what happened to the money , a picture of greed ,mismanagement will appear -

Food and Energy will continue to rocket , inflation will bite hard , just what are people expected to do ? Many do not see where we are going - and the younger generation have known nothing but boom times !

Soon there will be no unions , then who do you blame?

[CraigGilchrist]

Y'see, I read that news story and see a story about a corporation flexing it's muscle to sack someone without proper grounds. Fortunately he works somewhere with a union willing to back him up so he doesn't lose his house and his life over the unjust actions of his employer. Without a union this man would just be sacked, possibly unfairly, and have absolutely no recourse. Instead he has the union on his side.

 

Then, the corporation drags its heels through litegation, because it has the money too. So what are the options for the employee? Bend over and take it? Good British values there. Or the union can take action, which they thankfully have.

 

Before you go blaming the union, remember that the employer could take action in a matter of days to end this: Provide the evidence backing up their decision to fire the guy, or re-instate him. Either would avert strikes. That's all the situation takes.

 

But they are unwilling to do either, forcing the hand of the union with the only power they have. The problem is that the management knows that this action will directly affect the public, so the public will blame the strikers, and they can carry on being [c-words] as always, and the 'great' British public will demonise the little guy fighting for his job.

[Abz]

Y'see, I read that news story and see a story about a corporation flexing it's muscle to sack someone without proper grounds. Fortunately he works somewhere with a union willing to back him up so he doesn't lose his house and his life over the unjust actions of his employer. Without a union this man would just be sacked, possibly unfairly, and have absolutely no recourse. Instead he has the union on his side.

 

Then, the corporation drags its heels through litegation, because it has the money too. So what are the options for the employee? Bend over and take it? Good British values there. Or the union can take action, which they thankfully have.

 

Before you go blaming the union, remember that the employer could take action in a matter of days to end this: Provide the evidence backing up their decision to fire the guy, or re-instate him. Either would avert strikes. That's all the situation takes.

 

But they are unwilling to do either, forcing the hand of the union with the only power they have. The problem is that the management knows that this action will directly affect the public, so the public will blame the strikers, and they can carry on being [c-words] as always, and the 'great' British public will demonise the little guy fighting for his job.

I totally understand where you are coming from, but surely effecting the public isn't the best way to go about it.

Like you say, the only people who are effected will be the public who use the services, not your bosses.

 

How come other countries get it so right? I was working in Zurich when we had the snow in England and it took me a life time getting there as the airports couldn't make up their minds on if they were safe enough to fly. I arrived at City Airport in the morning (5am) via car with no issues, the snow was very light. After spending hours waiting for them to decide I took a flight from Heathrow (where there was hardly any snow), but flight was delayed 1 hour. When I landed in Zurich, I got picked up by cab (it was snowing like it had been in England) and taken to the office with no issues. I travelled around via car with no issues, the roads were gritted and snow pushed to the side! When I got to the airport (even though it was snowing) the plane left on time with no issues! How do they do it? We maybe need to take a lesson from them.

 

And before anyone says Zurich is snowy, during the summers it is very warm, so they have a season like us (even rain!).

[imi]

if the bosses are such a bunch of ....... then why not work somewhere else (like the rest of us). I would be surprised if there would be issues in filling those kushty positions.

[jagman]

if the bosses are such a bunch of ....... then why not work somewhere else (like the rest of us). I would be surprised if there would be issues in filling those kushty positions.

 

Some people do not have choice !

There have been stealth changes happen and proposed ,( they will come into being unchallenged due ignorance)

for example , new labour laws allow any employee to be fired without any need for a reason , within 2 year of starting, proposed to increase to 4 years - now why employ anyone beyond that point - simply fire all staff before 4 years !!

Pension rules coming so all companys must have a pension scheme even with 1 staff !!

Which small employer is going to administrate all that? - simple answer make all staff part time - reduced hours , no pension !! then fire their a@@e Before 4 years

Don't people see where we are going here - for those that think hey I,m not in that group or bothered, your kids may well be !!

Watch and see , the divide and rule play out , while people gorge on reality TV ...

[imi]

Some people do not have choice !.

 

neither do the public who the unions hold to ransom time and time again, not to mention destroying London's economy along the way (its bad as it is). The strike action should be made illegal.

 

as to the rest of your points - its no different for me or most others who work for a living (we can be made redundant at any time) - so welcome to the real world.