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Trains cancellations - latest


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In addition to the delays (of which there are too many and the information in relation to these is insufficient) we are still in the ridiculous situation of having a huge 20 minute gap between 8:30 and 8:50 in the morning peak. I fear that the memory of how things were with no trains will actually lessen pressure to improve what is still a substandard service on the basis 'its better than it was last month', forgetting that we used to have a train pretty much every 10 minutes.
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BrandNewGuy Wrote:

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

> There were reports earlier of a passenger being

> 'taken ill' at South Bermondsey which caused lots

> of delays and some cancellations.


The cancellations yesterday late afternoon were we were told due to staff shortages. Not enough drivers.

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That's unfair. She was one of the first MPs to write to the (then) Rail Minister Claire Perry about the issue, she's in the All Party Parliamentary Group on Southern Rail and has continued to make well-argued representations on our behalf as well as highlighting the issue in the local media. Most business of government doesn't happen in debates in the house. In fact, it's a bugbear of mine to see those 'Look how many MPs turned up...' photos of the chamber. They show little or no understanding of what MPs and governments actually do. Which pretty much describes the woeful Canary 'news'.


Edited to add that I didn't vote for Helen Hayes.

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RMT announces plans for more strikes on Southern as follows (FFS):


The RMT says its members will not work between:


Tuesday 11 October and Thursday 13 October

Tuesday 18 October and Thursday 20 October

Thursday 3 November and Saturday 5 November

Tuesday 22 November and Wednesday 23 November

Tuesday 6 December and Thursday 8 December

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"It was if a great earthquake had, just at that period, rent the whole neighbourhood into its centre...houses were knocked down; streets broken through and stopped; deep pits and trenches dug in the ground, enormous heaps of earth and clay thrown up; buildings that were undermined and shaking, propped by great beams of wood...eveywhere were bridges that led nowhere, thoroughfares that were wholly impassable, babel towers of chimneys...and giant forms of cranes, and tripods straddling above nothing ...In short, the yet unfinished and unopened railroad was in progress"


Charles Dickens, Dombey and Son, 1848


Progress but slowly...by contrast digitalisation of mass transit travel has the potential to transform the next 150+ yearsj

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Bic Basher Wrote:

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

> Helen Hayes has also visited North Dulwich, Tulse

> Hill, West Norwood and Gipsy Hill for her rail

> passenger survey. (ED is in Harriet Harman's seat)


Not (entirely) true. The boundary goes along the railway line at that point so technically the up platform is in Harriet's constituency and the down platform is in Helen's. The same is true at North Dulwich.


Current draft boundary proposals, if adopted, would 'reunite' both platforms in the same constituency in each case. They would however remain split between wards. Proposals already adopted mean that East Dulwich station will be in both Goose Green ward and Champion Hill ward (currently East Dulwich and South Camberwell respectively). The situation at North Dulwich is more complicated. The entire station building at street level and the down platform will be in Dulwich Village ward whilst the up platform at track level will be in Champion Hill ward.


I'll just put my anorak away.

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dc Wrote:

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

> Bic Basher Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > Helen Hayes has also visited North Dulwich,

> Tulse

> > Hill, West Norwood and Gipsy Hill for her rail

> > passenger survey. (ED is in Harriet Harman's

> seat)

>

> Not (entirely) true. The boundary goes along the

> railway line at that point so technically the up

> platform is in Harriet's constituency and the down

> platform is in Helen's. The same is true at North

> Dulwich.

>

> Current draft boundary proposals, if adopted,

> would 'reunite' both platforms in the same

> constituency in each case. They would however

> remain split between wards. Proposals already

> adopted mean that East Dulwich station will be in

> both Goose Green ward and Champion Hill ward

> (currently East Dulwich and South Camberwell

> respectively). The situation at North Dulwich is

> more complicated. The entire station building at

> street level and the down platform will be in

> Dulwich Village ward whilst the up platform at

> track level will be in Champion Hill ward.

>

> I'll just put my anorak away.


Presumably the fact that the up platform stairs at North Dulwich were refurbished first is testament to Harriet's supremacy.

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  • 2 weeks later...

LondonMix Wrote:

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

> I agree that Helen Hayes has been great on this

> issue.


Eh? She's put a postcard* on the mat, and called for Southern's franchise to be taken away, but she's not explained how that would improve anything, or do anything but pleasure some lawyers. There is at present, nothing to suggest how or why shifting the contract would improve services at all, and without that, all her warm words are as so much populist flummery.


The root cause of the Southern problems are twofold. The main one is that the previous franchise holder was allowed to stop training drivers two years before their contract ended, so there weren't enough when Southern took over. The second problem is that there's no clarity in the franchise about the status of guards (and station staff) and the jobs they should be doing, allowing Southern to try to skimp on staff costs and training, thus rightly upsetting the RMT, disabled people and safety regulators. Both problems have been caused, directly and indirectly, by a complacent, venal and talentless Department for Transport that has repeatedly done everything in its power to do as little as possible as badly as possible.


What's needed, if this sorry saga isn't to be repeated indefinitely, is for someone to light a bonfire under DfT which, despite inquiry after inquiry fingering it for flaccid failure, cheerfully stumbles from disaster to disaster without anyone ever being held to account.


This, of course, is exactly what Helen Hayes isn't calling for, and I am not sure why. If opposition MPs don't oppose government, including the sluggards of Whitehall, it's not clear what they're for. Sure, she's no longer a partner at Allies & Morrison, whose close working relationship with Network Rail caused so many harsh words in Brixton, so there's clearly no financial reason; but no reason isn't the same as good reason.



*Slightly older readers may remember a Labour Group postcard calling for improvements at the Grove Junction. A junction for which pedestrian-friendly improvements had already been drawn up, authorised, costed and funded. Despite that head start, the Labour Group's initiative has had, to date, precisely no effect whatever.

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Burbage Wrote:

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

> LondonMix Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > I agree that Helen Hayes has been great on this

> > issue.

>

> Eh? She's put a postcard* on the mat, and called

> for Southern's franchise to be taken away, but

> she's not explained how that would improve

> anything, or do anything but pleasure some

> lawyers. There is at present, nothing to suggest

> how or why shifting the contract would improve

> services at all, and without that, all her warm

> words are as so much populist flummery.

>

> The root cause of the Southern problems are

> twofold. The main one is that the previous

> franchise holder was allowed to stop training

> drivers two years before their contract ended, so

> there weren't enough when Southern took over. The

> second problem is that there's no clarity in the

> franchise about the status of guards (and station

> staff) and the jobs they should be doing, allowing

> Southern to try to skimp on staff costs and

> training, thus rightly upsetting the RMT, disabled

> people and safety regulators. Both problems have

> been caused, directly and indirectly, by a

> complacent, venal and talentless Department for

> Transport that has repeatedly done everything in

> its power to do as little as possible as badly as

> possible.

>

> What's needed, if this sorry saga isn't to be

> repeated indefinitely, is for someone to light a

> bonfire under DfT which, despite inquiry after

> inquiry fingering it for flaccid failure,

> cheerfully stumbles from disaster to disaster

> without anyone ever being held to account.

>

> This, of course, is exactly what Helen Hayes isn't

> calling for, and I am not sure why. If opposition

> MPs don't oppose government, including the

> sluggards of Whitehall, it's not clear what

> they're for. Sure, she's no longer a partner at

> Allies & Morrison, whose close working

> relationship with Network Rail caused so many

> harsh words in Brixton, so there's clearly no

> financial reason; but no reason isn't the same as

> good reason.

>

>

> *Slightly older readers may remember a Labour

> Group postcard calling for improvements at the

> Grove Junction. A junction for which

> pedestrian-friendly improvements had already been

> drawn up, authorised, costed and funded. Despite

> that head start, the Labour Group's initiative has

> had, to date, precisely no effect whatever.



I'd say TFL gives preference to Londoners not people in other Cities/Towns.

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