Southern Fail

[SouthdownRebel]

These morons deserve a thread.

Those of us who live in Sussex or Surrey and travel by rail are unfortunate enough to be subjected to the "service" currently being offered by Southern Rail and Thameslink.

Since a recent strike by conductors, there has been a massive drop in the level of service. According to the operator, Govia, it's because the conductors are all doing a bunk and phoning in sick. Those of us who pay attention know it's because Southern have been relying on overtime and rest day working for years, but have now banned it.

On one particular day a couple of weeks ago, Southern/Thameslink were responsible for two thirds of all cancelled or severely delayed trains in the entire country.

While some politicians have called for urgent action including stripping Govia of the Southern franchise, the DfT has remained oddly silent most of the time.

Not surprising then to find that it's all part of a grand Conservative cost-cutting plan. As this blog neatly explains.

[Guy Profumo]

Southern Fail

There's another fucking thing.

"Conductors".

Once upon a time you had "guards" on trains, who not only checked tickets, but were legally responsible for the train.

Modern life?

Fucking shit.

[Toby Gymshorts]

Southern Fail

Guy Profumeau wrote: Modern life?

Fucking shit.

#1 in a series entitled "Rejected Blur album titles"

[Guy Profumo]

Southern Fail

Toby Gymshorts wrote:

Modern life?

Fucking shit.

#1 in a series entitled "Rejected Blur album titles"

As opposed to Oasis?

"Blur? Now they really are fucking shite"

(And it pains me to say this, but I side with the Gallaghers here)

[Guy Profumo]

Southern Fail

And another thing.

It was a "Rocko" reference.

[Toby Gymshorts]

Southern Fail

I can never tell when you're kidding.

[Guy Profumo]

Southern Fail

I do like to obfuscate these references you know...

[Toby Gymshorts]

Southern Fail

I'll obfuscate you in a minute.

[Guy Profumo]

Southern Fail

Toby Gymshorts wrote: I'll obfuscate you in a minute.

... and, relax.

[Big Boobs and FIRE!]

Southern Fail

Guy Profumeau wrote: There's another fucking thing.

"Conductors".

Once upon a time you had "guards" on trains, who not only checked tickets, but were legally responsible for the train.

In railway parlance:-
- Guard = only has responsibility for safety of the train.
- Conductors = as guards but also does passenger duties such as tickets
- Senior Conductor/Train Manager = as conductor but also responsible for the catering crew on board.

[Crusoe]

Southern Fail

I remember the Thameslink Twitter account getting particularly huffy at one point about customers calling them ticket inspectors instead of 'revenue inspectors'. Mind you, the same Twitter account once caused a meltdown when one of their customer services team decided to air his views on climate change. Govia are a bunch of shysters.

[johnr]

Southern Fail

SouthdownRebel wrote: These morons deserve a thread.

Those of us who live in Sussex or Surrey and travel by rail are unfortunate enough to be subjected to the "service" currently being offered by Southern Rail and Thameslink.

Since a recent strike by conductors, there has been a massive drop in the level of service. According to the operator, Govia, it's because the conductors are all doing a bunk and phoning in sick. Those of us who pay attention know it's because Southern have been relying on overtime and rest day working for years, but have now banned it.

Thanks for the explanation Southdownrebel, I wondered why the recent service had been shitter than usual.

[Paul S]

Southern Fail

Toby Gymshorts wrote: I'll obfuscate you in a minute.

Obsfuscate is a brilliant word because if you don't know what it means then that it a very good definition of it! It means to deliberately mislead or be unclear or unintelligible.

[WOM]

Southern Fail

[johnr]

Southern Fail

Yesterday was a belter. At around 1pm, at least 3 (the ones on the noticeboard) consecutive Lewes-Brighton trains cancelled: 'temporary train crew shortages' according to the messaging on the noticeboard; 'abysmal service offered by Southern Rail' according to the station announcer, which cheered me up.

[Guy Profumo]

Southern Fail

johnr wrote: Yesterday was a belter. At around 1pm, at least 3 (the ones on the noticeboard) consecutive Lewes-Brighton trains cancelled: 'temporary train crew shortages' according to the messaging on the noticeboard; 'abysmal service offered by Southern Rail' according to the station announcer, which cheered me up.

Is it safe to assume that Lewes is a South-Eastern station, rather than a Southern one then?

[Furtho]

Southern Fail

Evening Standard tweeting "Commuters to stage protest at 'shambolic' Southern Rail", with a link to this story.

[johnr]

Southern Fail

Guy Profumeau wrote:

Yesterday was a belter. At around 1pm, at least 3 (the ones on the noticeboard) consecutive Lewes-Brighton trains cancelled: 'temporary train crew shortages' according to the messaging on the noticeboard; 'abysmal service offered by Southern Rail' according to the station announcer, which cheered me up.

Is it safe to assume that Lewes is a South-Eastern station, rather than a Southern one then?

Apparently not; I think it was just the best way for the announcer to defuse any anger that might be directed at the station staff. I hope his superiors didn't get wind of it.

[johnr]

Southern Fail

As I'm due to be getting Southern Fail to Southampton tomorrow morning, I thought I would have a look at their Twitter feed. It really is a study in frustration versus anodyne 'customer service'.

[johnr]

Southern Fail

Well, it's an early morning for me, the train I was due to get has now been 'pre-cancelled'...

[SouthdownRebel]

Southern Fail

johnr wrote:

Yesterday was a belter. At around 1pm, at least 3 (the ones on the noticeboard) consecutive Lewes-Brighton trains cancelled: 'temporary train crew shortages' according to the messaging on the noticeboard; 'abysmal service offered by Southern Rail' according to the station announcer, which cheered me up.

Is it safe to assume that Lewes is a South-Eastern station, rather than a Southern one then?

Apparently not; I think it was just the best way for the announcer to defuse any anger that might be directed at the station staff. I hope his superiors didn't get wind of it.

Southern is the only operator which runs through Lewes.

[Guy Profumo]

Southern Fail

SouthdownRebel wrote:

Yesterday was a belter. At around 1pm, at least 3 (the ones on the noticeboard) consecutive Lewes-Brighton trains cancelled: 'temporary train crew shortages' according to the messaging on the noticeboard; 'abysmal service offered by Southern Rail' according to the station announcer, which cheered me up.

Is it safe to assume that Lewes is a South-Eastern station, rather than a Southern one then?

Apparently not; I think it was just the best way for the announcer to defuse any anger that might be directed at the station staff. I hope his superiors didn't get wind of it.

Southern is the only operator which runs through Lewes.

Based on that performance, I doubt he's got any "superiors"...

[SouthdownRebel]

Southern Fail

So, an update.

No change in the quality of service whatsoever, and why would there be? According to the Southern Fail website, there are currently no vacancies for train crew roles, despite the company not having enough to fill the normal roster without the overtime working they have banned their guards from working.

A protest did happen at Brighton this evening, but it started late because all the trains were delayed. Naturally.

The right dishonourable Prime Minister was himself very late for a [strike]date with a porcine friend[/strike] Remain campaign event in Haywards Heath and, according the Brighton Argus, was not best pleased.

This was on a day where Southern alone cancelled almost 500 services, according to figures shared by the excellent @BrightonStation Twitter account.


On my way home yesterday, I saw a driver on the receiving end of some verbals from a passenger on the opposite platform. I'm amazed there haven't been reports of front-line staff being seriously assaulted.

Many of the trains that do run are short-formed (e.g 4 coaches when there are normally 8 or 12) with the result that crowds of people are fighting over not enough space. The network isn't just unreliable to travel on at the moment, it is positively dangerous at times, especially on the mainline during evening rush hour. By this time of day, the knock-on effects of each minor disruption have combined and exacerbated into complete chaos across the whole network.

If this carries on much longer, I'm convinced someone will be killed.

[SouthdownRebel]

Southern Fail

Meanwhile, the RMT has called another strike for the 21st June (next Tuesday).

Just a couple of hours before, the RMT had announced it was holding another 24 hour strike on Tuesday – although many commented that given weeks of cancellations because of staff shortages, they wouldn’t see much difference.

Well, quite.

[Crusoe]

Southern Fail

My (Thameslink) train was delayed yesterday morning. When it eventually arrived the driver apologised as it was because his (Thameslink) train from Brighton had been cancelled.