Trains cancellations - latest

[Jeremy]

If the industrial action really is over - for any significant length of time - then that is of course excellent news. But I am cynical... and even in the best case scenario, it is still some way off the 6-train-per-hour peak service we had a couple of years ago.

[cerv]

Jeremy Wrote:

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> If the industrial action really is over - for any

> significant length of time - then that is of

> course excellent news. But I am cynical... and

> even in the best case scenario, it is still some

> way off the 6-train-per-hour peak service we had a

> couple of years ago.

I think what this dispute has highlighted is how much of the service we get is reliant on their workforce taking up overtime shifts. Presumably that's still going to be the case even if they're now happy to work them again. So if the people working overtime are away on holiday or they're off sick then there's quite a knock on effect to services. It'll be better for sure but I'd expect there's still the possibility of random cancellations again.

[d.b]

cerv Wrote:

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> I think what this dispute has highlighted is how

> much of the service we get is reliant on their

> workforce taking up overtime shifts. Presumably

> that's still going to be the case even if they're

> now happy to work them again. So if the people

> working overtime are away on holiday or they're

> off sick then there's quite a knock on effect to

> services. It'll be better for sure but I'd expect

> there's still the possibility of random

> cancellations again.

Almost all services are reliant on a workforce being there. If you go into a shop or a bank or a restaurant you don't expect to be told the shop is closed or the restaurant can only seat half the tables because of a staff shortage. If it happens, it is very rare because it very directly hits the bottom line.

Southern have repeatedly failed to train and hire enough drivers to run the service and provide appropriate backup for normal levels of sickness/absence. This is a long-standing issue going back well before all the strikes.

[TheCat]

So are we meant to back to a full timetable tomorrow?

[cactus]

Apparently so, just checked Trainline and it looks like a normal timetable ...

[Angelina]

too cold this morning and Overground missing two trains, delays into Victoria - tracks too cold.....

[lagamine98]

Train service back to normal from East Dulwich today!! I can't remember the last time I caught the 08:10......Let's hope it lasts longer than a day.

[lavelle72]

The 6:55 was cancelled this morning from ED

I did catch the 7:09 today, also the first time that has ran for a while

[Angelina]

Painful getting into town today - delays on Victoria train and then overcrowding on the underground. Possibly faster to get a bus :-(

[BrandNewGuy]

Hopped on the 08.10 with no trouble - no delays.

[JohnL]

Angelina Wrote:

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> Painful getting into town today - delays on

> Victoria train and then overcrowding on the

> underground. Possibly faster to get a bus :-(

Train derailed at Lewisham apparently.

I almost regret the standard nasty tweet to Govia - but no I don't :)

Bet they laugh at the tweets they get.

[Alan Medic]

I got an email today from Southern offering me a month's worth of compensation. Anyone know if I can still claim for individual cancellations/delays I haven't claimed for yet?

[geobz]

Alan you are eligible to an one off 1 months worth compensation. It doesn't matter if you have already claimed back money before etc.

Btw for the rest:

6:17 this morning was delayed by 7 minutes... pretty useless service I'd say.

[Lowlander]

Alan Medic Wrote:

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> I got an email today from Southern offering me a

> month's worth of compensation. Anyone know if I

> can still claim for individual

> cancellations/delays I haven't claimed for yet?

Yes you have up to 28 days (I too have a backlog from the last few weeks to get through).

I have an annual rail only season ticket but no email from Southern yet :-(

[Alan Medic]

Lowlander Wrote:

> I have an annual rail only season ticket but no

> email from Southern yet :-(

Don't forget to check your junk mail, which is where one I received arrived.

[Kes]

Took me two hours to get from Nunhead to St Pancras this morning. Everything was delayed and by the time the 8.39 and 9.01 did turn up they were too full to get on. Managed to wedge myself on the delayed 9.14 only to have it terminate at Blackfriars.

[ianr]

Email just received from South Eastern:

Dear passenger,

As you may already be aware, a freight train derailed at Lewisham this morning, causing significant damage to the track. As a result, there is significant disruption across the network which may impact the journeys you make today.

There are currently no services from Lee, Mottingham or New Eltham. And some trains between Cannon Street, Charing Cross and Tunbridge Wells will be diverted to run from London Victoria.

Evening peak trains between London Cannon Street and the Medway Towns will now depart from London Blackfriars, the departure time will be the same as the normal time. There is also a shuttle service running between Sidcup and Dartford via Crayford.

Ticket acceptance is valid on other routes including London buses and London Underground, and will be in place again tomorrow. We are also offering Delay Repay compensation at double the normal amount for those who have seen journeys delayed by 30 minutes or more due to this incident.

Travelling tomorrow?

While repairs to the track at Lewisham continue, there will be some changes to train services so please make sure you check before you travel.

[geobz]

8:10 this morning delayed by 7 minutes to London bridge.

Its worth noting down that guys, because its alright when the train is 8:10 just on the train station and then we enter it and think everything is alright. But arriving 7 minutes late to London bridge due to congestion outside and bad management needs to come up.

[BrandNewGuy]

"The government is considering taking direct control of the rail franchise that includes Southern rail, it has been claimed.

Rail Business Intelligence magazine said the Department for Transport (DfT) was preparing a number of options, ranging from splitting off Southern from Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), to a complete ?managed exit? to take direct control of the entire franchise until a new contract could be let."

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/jan/25/government-reported-to-be-planning-to-nationalise-southern-rail-franchise?CMP=twt_gu

[KidKruger]

Whatever it takes to get trains with passengers actually travelling on them floats my boat.

How many millions have been spent on infrastructure and rolling stock, consultants and advisors, ministers and politicians, railway staff and management ?

And passengers cannot get to work on an increasingly regular basis.

The one single thing the system exists for, the only reason these people are even involved, and we cannot get to feckin work because the people who chose to be involved are intentionally blocking the service.

[KidKruger]

If we let the same people control our air supplies we'll suffocate before they sort their shit out.

[JohnL]

geobz Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> 8:10 this morning delayed by 7 minutes to London

> bridge.

>

> Its worth noting down that guys, because its

> alright when the train is 8:10 just on the train

> station and then we enter it and think everything

> is alright. But arriving 7 minutes late to London

> bridge due to congestion outside and bad

> management needs to come up.

for Thameslink service 7 minutes is slightly better than average.

[geobz]

Yesterday afternoon about 20mins delay and today about another 15 mins delay... the service is awful as always.

Whats the worst thing about it, is that during the strikes we had reduced service on the already reduced and awful service that awful company/gov provides to us, that now noone is complaining about the delays.

We need to complain, and compensate... although obviously getting ?0.50 back because I was delayed isn't going to help me not getting sacked because am always late.

Nothing is happening, Gov is sleeping on Brexit, transport minister is not getting jailed for the letters etc.

[Jules-and-Boo]

Association of British Commuters ? BREAKING NEWS: ABC apply to Court for judicial review of the Department for Transport over Southern Rail

https://abcommuters.wordpress.com/2017/02/01/breaking-news-abc-apply-to-court-for-judicial-review-of-the-department-for-transport-over-southern-rail/

We are delighted to announce that we have applied to Court this morning for a judicial review of the Department for Transport?s handling of the Southern Rail management contract. The application to Court is the outcome of our Crowd Justice fundraiser, which raised over ?26,000 in September 2016.

We have been working intensively on the case for five months already; a process slowed considerably by the lack of transparency shown by the Department for Transport in response to our FOI requests.

Today?s news will be extremely welcome to all our donors, supporters and volunteers; without whose support none of this would have been possible. It is right that our fellow passengers will now play a part in bringing the government to account for the damage Southern Rail has caused to so many

thousands of lives.

Legal update

Detailed Grounds have been lodged at Court this morning that address the Department for Transport?s ongoing failure to hold Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) to account for the long-term breakdown of service on Southern Rail, in regard to two distinct areas:

(1) Delay ? we believe the Secretary of State has acted unlawfully by failing to determine and announce within a reasonable time whether GTR is in breach of its franchise obligations; and

(2) Discrimination ? we believe that the Secretary of State has failed to comply with his duties under the Equality Act 2010 and has as a result caused indirect discrimination to passengers with disabilities.

These unlawful acts are ongoing. ABC is seeking declaratory relief ? i.e. a Court finding that the Secretary of State has acted or is acting unlawfully.

Today?s application to Court is the outcome of five months of hard work; a process slowed considerably by the DfT?s resistance to providing transparency on its contractual relationship with GTR; repeatedly delaying FOI requests, which have only just been completed. Both the Southern Rail

management contract and remedial plan remain publicly available only in redacted form and, without transparency, there is no way to clarify the true causes of this unprecedented rail crisis. There has long ceased to be any justification for the Secretary of State?s ?hands off? approach to a company

that is his Department?s direct contractor.

The application has been lodged and is due to be issued imminently. It will then be served on the Secretary of State who will have the opportunity to respond by filing Summary Grounds of Resistance within a further 21 days. The Court will then consider, usually without a hearing in the first instance,

whether to grant leave (permission to proceed to court). If leave is granted, ABC will launch a second crowdfunding campaign to raise sufficient funds to take the case through to its conclusion.

Comment from the Association of British Commuters:

?We are delighted to announce that we have now applied to Court for a judicial review of the Department for Transport?s handling of the Southern Rail management contract.

We are extremely grateful for the work undertaken by our legal team; namely barrister Jamas Hodivala of 2 Bedford Row and solicitor Matthew Garbutt and his team at Devonshires Solicitors LLP. All involved have gone above and beyond the call of duty in helping us seek justice on the Southern Rail

crisis.

Our Detailed Grounds, lodged at Court today, are the result of five months? hard work and the extensive research of dozens of volunteers who have supported the campaign by contributing their time and professional skills. Our donors, supporters and volunteers are the people who have been hit the

hardest by the Southern Rail crisis, and they deserve to play a part in finally bringing the government to account.

We began this process back in September, at a time when we felt we?d already reached our last resort. That it has got so much worse, and the DfT have still not acted, now beggars belief. Commuters have long since passed the point of exhaustion, and it is a matter of shame for the DfT that we have

had to go to such great lengths to demand action be taken.

We continue to urge the DfT to act decisively and transparently on the future of Southern Rail. The longer they stand back from this unprecedented rail crisis, the harder it will be to put the pieces back together again.?

Lianna Etkind, Public Transport Campaigner at Campaign for Better Transport:

?Today is a step forward for passenger power. It is absolutely right that the Government is held to account for the failings of the Southern franchise, which has made peoples? lives a misery. Long before any industrial dispute, Southern passengers had to rely on a train service plagued by delays and

disruptions, under a management contract with no financial penalties for poor performance.

Fundamentally, the running of a train service is down to the contract between Government and train operator, so the Government?s role in setting and enforcing the standards in the contract with Govia must be properly scrutinised. For far too long, passengers? voices have been ignored in the tussle

between Southern Rail and the unions. We need to ensure that in the future, passenger representation is written into this franchise, and indeed into all rail franchises, so that those who have to use the trains day in, day out, have their voices heard.?

Faryal Velmi ? Director, Transport for All:

?It is totally unacceptable that Southern Rail have been allowed to treat disabled passengers as second class citizens. Transport for All has heard time and again from disabled transport users who feel Southern Rail?s network is now a no-go zone; impacting on people?s ability to work and often leaving them increasingly isolated. The Department for Transport and rail industry must act urgently to prevent the basic rights of disabled passengers being flouted in this way.?

For a detailed explanation of our grounds, please view this document:

https://abcommuters.files.wordpress.com/2017/02/abc-grounds-for-judicial-review-explained.pdf

[KidKruger]

"There has long ceased to be any justification for the Secretary of State?s ?hands off? approach..."

I don't think there EVER was a justification, the whole argument for privatisation was better choice and service for the fare-paying passenger

Paradox being so many get rich while so many more stand on platforms wondering how to get to work, month after month.

ETA: "We need to ensure that in the future, passenger representation is written into this franchise.."

That it wasn't in the first place shows where the focus was, getting provision of the service OUT of Govt hands so they could be rid once and for all (and make any promises necessary along the way).