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Southern Rail and The Governmemt


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Old 10-12-2016, 17:13
Jayceef1
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Drivers want overtime, so they'll fight to stop losing it. TOCs save money having fewer drivers. So, usually, everyone is happy. Who wants to change things?

The passengers of course, but we don't have the power to change anything bar refusing to travel.
In a lot of TOCs Sunday isn't even part of the working week and is totally reliant on overtime. Not sure if Southern are in that group. But you would be hard pressed to get the Unions to agree to more drivers if it meant loss of overtime. That's what you get when Unions refuse to move with the times.
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Old 10-12-2016, 17:24
annemarie1066
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In a lot of TOCs Sunday isn't even part of the working week and is totally reliant on overtime. Not sure if Southern are in that group. But you would be hard pressed to get the Unions to agree to more drivers if it meant loss of overtime. That's what you get when Unions refuse to move with the times.
How can Unions stop TOCs employing more drivers, is that prejudice or have you fact based evidence . Interesting that there was total chaos as a result of the work to rule yesterday but that service today is near normal. A driver tweeted yesterday that there were available and normally rostered staff but Southern were still cancelling trains. They are being paid either way and can make savings on lease costs
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Old 10-12-2016, 17:32
LakieLady
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However, the main problem with the line is lack of capacity due to decades of under-investment rather than day to day management. When Thameslink is finally finished (remember when it was called Thameslink 2000?) and the rebuilding of London Bridge station is complete then things should improve but more is needed.
The London-Brighton line is at capacity in peak hours and the only way that they could run more trains is by laying more track. To do that, they'd have have to rebuild a listed Victorian viaduct, among other things.

On the radio the other day, they said that 20% of all rail journeys are undertaken in Southern Region. I found that quite surprising.
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Old 10-12-2016, 17:39
Mr Oleo Strut
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Southern Rail is heavily funded by the Government and southern continue with the industrial action. Transport Minister Chris Graying insists there will be no job cut which is potentially wrong. Southern have 100 British share holders and owned by Govia which is a French company. This dispute will erupt next week with both the drivers and conductors on strike and no trains running. Buses should replace trains, but if the government won't subsides them during the strikes- it has to come out of southerns coffers there won't be any ordered. This dispute is over no conductors on trains. On health and safety grounds l would expect they can't have only driver operated trains.
A driver has cameras on these new trains but can't always see right back of the carriages. So what's next for southern? The high court don't want to know.

http://www.southernrailway.com/mobil...e-alterations/
Commuter services are a disgrace - thanks to Thatcher and privatisation.
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Old 10-12-2016, 17:46
annemarie1066
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The London-Brighton line is at capacity in peak hours and the only way that they could run more trains is by laying more track. To do that, they'd have have to rebuild a listed Victorian viaduct, among other things.

On the radio the other day, they said that 20% of all rail journeys are undertaken in Southern Region. I found that quite surprising.
It is at capacity in peak which is why short forms and cancellations cause such chaos. Employing enough drivers and leasing enough carriages would at least mitigate the infrastructure limitations
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Old 10-12-2016, 17:49
jonmorris
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How can Unions stop TOCs employing more drivers, is that prejudice or have you fact based evidence . Interesting that there was total chaos as a result of the work to rule yesterday but that service today is near normal. A driver tweeted yesterday that there were available and normally rostered staff but Southern were still cancelling trains. They are being paid either way and can make savings on lease costs
Fewer services to run today, but the way the rosters are done (by the union, with management approval) means more availability today.

Sunday will be interesting, but on Great Northern there's currently engineering work and buses, so arguably a more reliable service. Today on GN has been horrible.

I avoid travel on weekends now, at least on a GTR service. Greater Anglia is better, and I can use Oyster, so pay a lot less too.
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Old 10-12-2016, 17:50
koantemplation
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I think all Southern staff should stop working till the Company is removed from running the trains.

It is their insistence on having driver only trains that is the problem.

And we all know that is just so they can increase profits. It has nothing to do with safety or so called 'progress'.
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Old 10-12-2016, 17:52
Pindarus
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Thameslink and Southern used to be separate companies offering competition. Since the Government gave the contract to a single company the service has gone to the dogs. Isn't that strange?

Of course the government should take over the operation as they did with the East coast line very successfully. People are losing their jobs and the cost to the economy must be substantial.

Grayling is a spineless worm. Claire Perry resigned because she couldn't cope and the current rail minister resembles the invisible man.
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Old 10-12-2016, 18:17
Jayceef1
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I think all Southern staff should stop working till the Company is removed from running the trains.

It is their insistence on having driver only trains that is the problem.

And we all know that is just so they can increase profits. It has nothing to do with safety or so called 'progress'.
Driver operated trains are not the issue as they operate them on other parts of Southern and other networks with no problems. That also rules out the safety issue for the same reason. It is the Unions being unreasonable in this instance.
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Old 10-12-2016, 18:40
annemarie1066
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Driver operated trains are not the issue as they operate them on other parts of Southern and other networks with no problems. That also rules out the safety issue for the same reason. It is the Unions being unreasonable in this instance.
You trot out the same line every time You fail to address the fact that GTR run an appalling service on Southern and did so long before the strike. Charles Horton, CEO of Souther sat on the safety body that declared DOO safe. There have been a number of instances in the last few weeks of trains leaving with doors open or passengers not clear of doors
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Old 10-12-2016, 18:48
annemarie1066
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Thameslink and Southern used to be separate companies offering competition. Since the Government gave the contract to a single company the service has gone to the dogs. Isn't that strange?

Of course the government should take over the operation as they did with the East coast line very successfully. People are losing their jobs and the cost to the economy must be substantial.

Grayling is a spineless worm. Claire Perry resigned because she couldn't cope and the current rail minister resembles the invisible man.
Trying to manage your working life around the train service is infuriating. I am continually having to inconvenience colleagues by delaying the start of meetings or attempting to conference in from the train. I am lucky to have a lot of years service and be relatively senior otherwise they would show me the door.
Shame Clare Perry only spoke up after she resigned. Both Grayling and Maynard appear to want to escalate rather than resolve the dispute
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Old 10-12-2016, 18:54
Jayceef1
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You trot out the same line every time You fail to address the fact that GTR run an appalling service on Southern and did so long before the strike. Charles Horton, CEO of Souther sat on the safety body that declared DOO safe. There have been a number of instances in the last few weeks of trains leaving with doors open or passengers not clear of doors
The service may have been poor before the industrial action but that is not what I ws responding to. The RMT are happy to operate DOO trains elsewhere so they are being hypocritical to refuse on this occasion.
Southern would say they are trying to give you a better service but are being thwarted by the unions. You say you run a large team. How would you respond if they all started taking sick days like the guards did? Most companies would have the occupational health team in or start performance management.

If a train leaves with the doors open then the driver is at fault not the train.
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Old 10-12-2016, 19:03
annemarie1066
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GTR figures for yesterday
Trains that ran. 2871
On time. 1444
Late. 1427
Cancelled/vlate 655
No other TOC performs as badly
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Old 10-12-2016, 19:17
annemarie1066
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The service may have been poor before the industrial action but that is not what I ws responding to. The RMT are happy to operate DOO trains elsewhere so they are being hypocritical to refuse on this occasion.
Southern would say they are trying to give you a better service but are being thwarted by the unions. You say you run a large team. How would you respond if they all started taking sick days like the guards did? Most companies would have the occupational health team in or start performance management.

If a train leaves with the doors open then the driver is at fault not the train.
If my team were so lacking in morale that they took repeated time off the firm would get rid of me. They employ me to manage staff.
Trains have operated with guards for ever why change it now? You cannot remove staff from stations and trains with impunity.
Of course it is the drivers fault if trains leave with doors open, that is the point.
The service is and has been awful way in advance of any industrial action
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Old 10-12-2016, 22:36
mRebel
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The service may have been poor before the industrial action but that is not what I ws responding to. The RMT are happy to operate DOO trains elsewhere so they are being hypocritical to refuse on this occasion.
Southern would say they are trying to give you a better service but are being thwarted by the unions. You say you run a large team. How would you respond if they all started taking sick days like the guards did? Most companies would have the occupational health team in or start performance management.

If a train leaves with the doors open then the driver is at fault not the train.
Can you say where?
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Old 10-12-2016, 22:43
i4u
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Can you say where?
London Underground?
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