First Great Western...
Discussion
okay, possibly not the place for a train based rant...
BUT...
For the 3rd time in a row - it seems FGW decided, with no notice, to cancel a train...
The problem being, this is the train the missues takes from here to london to catch her Eurostar - now of course, given plenty of notice, not a problem, she can catch an earlier train, but no, even when we check the website, until the previous train has gone there is nothing...
Then - train cancelled - no explination, no apology, no reason...
The first time this happened, she caught a later train and they held the Eurostar for her - the time after that I took her to Swindon (shudder) to catch a different train.
And on sunday - after 5 mintues of useless people on the phone, we jumped in the 911 and attempted the impossible (due to how late they left it before marking the train cancelled) and surprisingly made it to Swindon station in 30 minutes where she just caught the other train from Cheltenham...
It just so bloody annoying - they force you onto 'specific' timed trains, and then randomly cancel them... its beyond a joke.
BUT...
For the 3rd time in a row - it seems FGW decided, with no notice, to cancel a train...
The problem being, this is the train the missues takes from here to london to catch her Eurostar - now of course, given plenty of notice, not a problem, she can catch an earlier train, but no, even when we check the website, until the previous train has gone there is nothing...
Then - train cancelled - no explination, no apology, no reason...
The first time this happened, she caught a later train and they held the Eurostar for her - the time after that I took her to Swindon (shudder) to catch a different train.
And on sunday - after 5 mintues of useless people on the phone, we jumped in the 911 and attempted the impossible (due to how late they left it before marking the train cancelled) and surprisingly made it to Swindon station in 30 minutes where she just caught the other train from Cheltenham...
It just so bloody annoying - they force you onto 'specific' timed trains, and then randomly cancel them... its beyond a joke.
Yep, the online "live" departure boards are all well and good, but they do regularly show a train as being on time right up until 10 minutes before the train is due only for it to be cancelled. Very frustrating. The monkeys on the phone are no better - during the recent engineering works I phoned up to find out when the trains would be running and the guy on the phone had no idea that there were any changes to the service at all.
Helpful public service announcements on local radio are anything but helpful
"No reported problems with public transport" needs translation:
"As public transport must be portrayed to the masses as an infallible transport choice preferred by the wise and the beautiful, there are as always a shedload of problems due as ever to bus service cancellations and delays, the wrong kind of leaves on tracks, solidified hydrated water, and over-running engineering works though even we shudder at such use of the word engineering - however this information must be held back as it would otherwise indicate to everybody what a bl00dy useless shambles of a third rate transport system unfit for cattle transit we foist upon the gullible public, and once you find out we're just not reporting the problems so the headline stays correct it's too late anyway, suckers."
In Japan there would be mass suicides among staff at this pathetic service.
"No reported problems with public transport" needs translation:
"As public transport must be portrayed to the masses as an infallible transport choice preferred by the wise and the beautiful, there are as always a shedload of problems due as ever to bus service cancellations and delays, the wrong kind of leaves on tracks, solidified hydrated water, and over-running engineering works though even we shudder at such use of the word engineering - however this information must be held back as it would otherwise indicate to everybody what a bl00dy useless shambles of a third rate transport system unfit for cattle transit we foist upon the gullible public, and once you find out we're just not reporting the problems so the headline stays correct it's too late anyway, suckers."
In Japan there would be mass suicides among staff at this pathetic service.
Edited by turbobloke on Monday 2nd October 09:32
For the Public Transport points - I can't argue...
However, the Eurostar is much more convient (and much cheaper) for the missues to come over for the weekend (buying from the continent is 66% of the price going the other way!), but this means arriving in Central London on a friday evening - so unfortunatly the train is the only realistic way for her to get out to the sticks...
What grates me is though, she always takes the 16:30 on the sunday back - and this train ALWAYS has issues, either 30 mins late - or is just cancelled - and as has been said, the monkeys on the phone know less than the website, and I just resent having to race down the M4, and drive into the hellhole that is Swindon centre - which would be bad enough in a Tank - but in a 911 its just scary!
However, the Eurostar is much more convient (and much cheaper) for the missues to come over for the weekend (buying from the continent is 66% of the price going the other way!), but this means arriving in Central London on a friday evening - so unfortunatly the train is the only realistic way for her to get out to the sticks...
What grates me is though, she always takes the 16:30 on the sunday back - and this train ALWAYS has issues, either 30 mins late - or is just cancelled - and as has been said, the monkeys on the phone know less than the website, and I just resent having to race down the M4, and drive into the hellhole that is Swindon centre - which would be bad enough in a Tank - but in a 911 its just scary!
fidgits said:
For the Public Transport points - I can't argue...
However, the Eurostar is much more convient (and much cheaper) for the missues to come over for the weekend (buying from the continent is 66% of the price going the other way!), but this means arriving in Central London on a friday evening - so unfortunatly the train is the only realistic way for her to get out to the sticks...
What grates me is though, she always takes the 16:30 on the sunday back - and this train ALWAYS has issues, either 30 mins late - or is just cancelled - and as has been said, the monkeys on the phone know less than the website, and I just resent having to race down the M4, and drive into the hellhole that is Swindon centre - which would be bad enough in a Tank - but in a 911 its just scary!
Agree entirely. Sometimes there's no alternative for me to get from tractor territory to Reading or London, car in for service etc. It's hellish. Eurostar another cup of fish, but rosbifs being policed on entry by grenouilles is a bit much However, the Eurostar is much more convient (and much cheaper) for the missues to come over for the weekend (buying from the continent is 66% of the price going the other way!), but this means arriving in Central London on a friday evening - so unfortunatly the train is the only realistic way for her to get out to the sticks...
What grates me is though, she always takes the 16:30 on the sunday back - and this train ALWAYS has issues, either 30 mins late - or is just cancelled - and as has been said, the monkeys on the phone know less than the website, and I just resent having to race down the M4, and drive into the hellhole that is Swindon centre - which would be bad enough in a Tank - but in a 911 its just scary!
Is it not the case that the train companies do not actually contract any of the red robbo-a-likes to work on a sunday?
certainly this is the case with central trains, the f@cking muppets of which dumped me at grantham, grantham bloody station at 9pm on a rainy sunday last year with no hope of getting home except booking a taxi ride in a grotty Kia Sedona which cost £55...
public transport is shit 
...and their excuse?
:telephone: oh, well sir, none of the drivers with their names down for overtime actually turned up, so the trains were all cancelled!
minimax: you
ing red bastards someone employ some sense here! this is a PUBLIC service! 
certainly this is the case with central trains, the f@cking muppets of which dumped me at grantham, grantham bloody station at 9pm on a rainy sunday last year with no hope of getting home except booking a taxi ride in a grotty Kia Sedona which cost £55...
public transport is shit ...and their excuse?
:telephone: oh, well sir, none of the drivers with their names down for overtime actually turned up, so the trains were all cancelled!
minimax: you
ing red bastards someone employ some sense here! this is a PUBLIC service! Edited by minimax on Monday 2nd October 10:36
turbobloke said:
Helpful public service announcements on local radio are anything but helpful
"No reported problems with public transport" needs translation:
"As public transport must be portrayed to the masses as an infallible transport choice preferred by the wise and the beautiful, there are as always a shedload of problems due as ever to bus service cancellations and delays, the wrong kind of leaves on tracks, solidified hydrated water, and over-running engineering works though even we shudder at such use of the word engineering - however this information must be held back as it would otherwise indicate to everybody what a bl00dy useless shambles of a third rate transport system unfit for cattle transit we foist upon the gullible public, and once you find out we're just not reporting the problems so the headline stays correct it's too late anyway, suckers."
In Japan there would be mass suicides among staff at this pathetic service.
"No reported problems with public transport" needs translation:
"As public transport must be portrayed to the masses as an infallible transport choice preferred by the wise and the beautiful, there are as always a shedload of problems due as ever to bus service cancellations and delays, the wrong kind of leaves on tracks, solidified hydrated water, and over-running engineering works though even we shudder at such use of the word engineering - however this information must be held back as it would otherwise indicate to everybody what a bl00dy useless shambles of a third rate transport system unfit for cattle transit we foist upon the gullible public, and once you find out we're just not reporting the problems so the headline stays correct it's too late anyway, suckers."
In Japan there would be mass suicides among staff at this pathetic service.
Edited by turbobloke on Monday 2nd October 09:32
If in doubt blame the engineers!
minimax said:
anonymous said:
[redacted]
I feel your pain. Tolworth is a dump. and why do people keep insisting it's part of surbiton?
I am fully riled up about stupid public transport today
ah yes, the bus stops around Lower Surbiton (aka Tolworth) are filled with the sputum that crawls out of the surrounding housing estates. i take it she took the 406 bus out of Tolworth, which takes one along a lovely excursion through the rest of Chav-well on its way to Epsom.
Edited by fido on Monday 2nd October 11:12
The thing that really, REALLY gets on my tits is the complete lack of giving-a- from the people involved in delivering the service. They just don't give a flying monkey that they are completely screwing with your life. I'm flying a lot at the mo, and they really don't care about being late at all
"Yes sir, you're all checked in now. Oh yes! The plane is an hour and a half late. Thank you"
" urr, why?"
"I don't know sir. Thank you!"
"Um, I'm going to miss my connecting flight"
"Well you'll have to take that up with customer services if you do sir. Thank you"
I undertand that there are a lot of things that can go wrong - but at least pretend that you want to provide a good service and give a damn about your customers!!
from the people involved in delivering the service. They just don't give a flying monkey that they are completely screwing with your life. I'm flying a lot at the mo, and they really don't care about being late at all "Yes sir, you're all checked in now. Oh yes! The plane is an hour and a half late. Thank you"
" urr, why?"
"I don't know sir. Thank you!"
"Um, I'm going to miss my connecting flight"
"Well you'll have to take that up with customer services if you do sir. Thank you"
I undertand that there are a lot of things that can go wrong - but at least pretend that you want to provide a good service and give a damn about your customers!!
anonymous said:
[redacted]
Even worse, rail replacement bus - you know the ones that the kids p1ss in during the week on the school runs and they save for the train passengers at the weekend..... - Tolworth - they only built the tower so the self-aware had somewhere to jump from. An absolute dive of a sh1thole - nasty takeaways, rubbish traffic management, a 20 zone for no reason and more schoolgirls pushing prams than Chessington - which is saying something. Tolworth, gateway to London, it's got everything, including a 10pin bowling alley, charity shops selling the latest fashions and the ultimate in pikey notquite KFCs - the late night chemist is there - if you look behind the counter, you see the rows of methadone on the shelf clearly labelled.
it's actually got worse since Ken made all buses free to under 18s (correct?). don't get me wrong - i think it's a good idea for students & elderly folk, but all too often i see kids hop onto the bus for ONE stop, when they could easily walk a few hundred metres, and then some like to wind up the driver 'cos they know they can getaway with it - though on a few occasions i've seen the driver force them to get off & walk along a deserted stretch of the A3
back to rant. SWT ditched me off at Motspur Park a few weeks ago when the train derailed at Epsom. after waiting for the replacement bus which failed to materialise, i walked a mile to the 231 bus stop, and then shared a cab with other stranded commuters from Cheam to Epsom. so a nice 3 hour door-to-door, which i am attempting to claim against - well they waste my time so i shall waste theirs.
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