F*cking nightmare of a bastard commute

[Dogsauce]

It's got more buggered up since the network was fragmented at privatisation, since you can't take the 'common good' approach if it then adversely affects another companies targets.

For the same reason you don't get that thing where they used to hold back the last train of the day for a few minutes if a connecting express service was running a bit late, so that people would make the connection. It's bullshit and works against the interest of passengers.

 

[Onket]

I've missed my connection at Barnham so many times that I just don't go through there any more.

Why timetable a 5/6/7 minute change and advise people to use that route when 75% of times it's impossible?

 

[davesgcr]

It's got more buggered up since the network was fragmented at privatisation, since you can't take the 'common good' approach if it then adversely affects another companies targets.

For the same reason you don't get that thing where they used to hold back the last train of the day for a few minutes if a connecting express service was running a bit late, so that people would make the connection. It's bullshit and works against the interest of passengers.

No, common sense still applies on "the last train" - there are principles of course - i.e up to 10 /15 or so minutes. If missed, and if you have a valid ticket - then a taxi is in order.

 

[farmerbarleymow]

Train home late as usual, so they seem to have adopted the winter timetable. The timetable when they just turn up when they bloody like.

 

[Onket]

Train home late as usual, so they seem to have adopted the winter timetable. The timetable when they just turn up when they bloody like.

Yes, that's what's happening- they're turning up when they like!

 

[Onket]

Signal problems - Preston Park area.

 

[farmerbarleymow]

Half and hour late into the New Street again tonight. The PA was inaudible as it was just mumbling so no one had a clue what was going on. Replatformed twice in the space of a few minutes. The fuckers.

 

[davesgcr]

Signal staff are supposed to "regulate" to reduce overall delay - the bad news is that in the b***ks of a privatised railway (amended to basically say it is all Government owned or funded) - money changes hands from Network Rail to operators for delay minutes , so a person who shunts a train for another - may get these delays blamed to him / her - and gets a rocket for that. They have "delay targets".

Back in the day - delays were "understood" by local managers - and the worse that would happen was a "conversation" - today it can sometimes lead to worse. I myself got it wrong once or twice - today , signal regulators do not take the risk.

 

[farmerbarleymow]

Has anyone been to Birmingham New Street recently? They've installed these hugely annoying talking boxes with a projection of a woman patronising passengers non stop. For example "the lift is like a pantomime - it's behind you". Fuck off!

I want to push them down the escalators - see how fucking chirpy it is then.

 

[davesgcr]

They had one a St Albans - thank God it has gone....,

 

[Sapphireblue]

Has anyone been to Birmingham New Street recently? They've installed these hugely annoying talking boxes with a projection of a woman patronising passengers non stop. For example "the lift is like a pantomime - it's behind you". Fuck off!

I want to push them down the escalators - see how fucking chirpy it is then.

oh God yes. they are awful and if you get too close to them they start talking at you.

 

[Onket]

Yesterday was a fucking nightmare of a bastard commute. It started to go wrong when I answered a call 10 mins before I was supposed to finish work and was still on the phone half an hour later. Missed the train, obviously.

Got a train to East Croydon and waited 15 mins for a direct service and had to stand until Burgess Hill. There were a few unknown stops including an unscheduled stop at Gatwick where the announcement was basically "I don't know why we're stopped".

When we got going again they announced the service was being changed and several station stops being cancelled, including mine.

Got off at Worthing and waited 20 mins for a local train with no toilets to limp me back to my station. Got there at 19:52 instead of 19:12. I have been delayed longer than this in the past so could be worse.

Went to unlock my bike to ride home and the back wheel had been pinched. Taxi home, ate cold dinner and got in the car to drive back to the station to get the bike carcass. Taxi to the station again this morning because the rain was lashing down. Hopefully I can get a new wheel, tyre & inner tube before Monday.

 

[farmerbarleymow]

Another chaotic journey on Thursday night - cancellations due to bad weather in Devon, and a broken down train in Runcorn causing all Liverpool-bound passengers to get on the trains to Manchester. They're usually busy in the evening peak, but this was madness - standing room right throughout, including vestibules and toilets. Managed to squeeze into the first class carriage and you could tell the people who had paid for a first class ticket weren't impressed by us plebs invading. Took me two and half hours to get home.

Curiously, they had a full ticket check at Manchester Piccadilly last night with immigration officers there too - not sure why as unless they were looking for specific people a ticket check wouldn't confirm whether anyone wasn't supposed to be in the UK.

 

[coley]

Like this thread, makes me realise how lucky I am, longest commute I do these days is about 400 yds
Onket farmerbarleymow

 

[Onket]

Like this thread, makes me realise how lucky I am, longest commute I do these days is about 400 yds
Onket farmerbarleymow

I always presumed you were retired, old man.

 

[coley]

I always presumed you were retired, old man.

Semi retired me young sprog, diversifying as one does

 

[magneze]

Started to drive in. Unable to get out of Tooting. Get train. Also fucked. Anyone got a jetpack?

 

[Dogsauce]

Slightly late out of KX due to late arrival of stock on an incoming service, then the signaller sent a stopper ahead of us on the Hertford Loop. Meant I had an extra 25 mins in a crowded coach with a group of Geordie ladies with annoying loud laughs and some fuckwit with that Samsung ringtone going off every five minutes.

 

[Onket]

Starting 8-4s at work which means the 05:33 train.

If there are no delays after all that rain at the weekend I'll be very surprised.

 

[farmerbarleymow]

My train is running to time...so far.

 

[machine cat]

Another chaotic journey on Thursday night - cancellations due to bad weather in Devon, and a broken down train in Runcorn causing all Liverpool-bound passengers to get on the trains to Manchester. They're usually busy in the evening peak, but this was madness - standing room right throughout, including vestibules and toilets. Managed to squeeze into the first class carriage and you could tell the people who had paid for a first class ticket weren't impressed by us plebs invading. Took me two and half hours to get home.

Curiously, they had a full ticket check at Manchester Piccadilly last night with immigration officers there too - not sure why as unless they were looking for specific people a ticket check wouldn't confirm whether anyone wasn't supposed to be in the UK.

Immigration officers could be doing the same what BTP do with their sniffer dogs in Leeds... waiting for someone to clock them and act nervous.

 

[farmerbarleymow]

Immigration officers could be doing the same what BTP do with their sniffer dogs in Leeds... waiting for someone to clock them and act nervous.

True enough.

 

[hot air baboon]

...bit of work required with the ice scraper this morning and the car engine took a bit of coaxing ( sorry neighbours ) but on the plus side a stunningly clear starry night last night...incredible bright star field by London standards - could just make out the orion nebula with the naked eye - & amazing with bins....even more so when Saturday night had been this weird blade-runner-like orange foggy gloom...

 

[ska invita]

Starting 8-4s at work which means the 05:33 train.

If there are no delays after all that rain at the weekend I'll be very surprised.

your commute is 2hrs30 each way?

 

[Onket]

No, it's a 20 min or so cycle to the station first. More like 3hrs each way (hence the title of the thread and me always looking for music to download to my phone!).

 

[marty21]

8.43 was 2 mins late this morning

#WorstCommuteEver

 

[Mapped]

I'm missing my 5 min drive to work in Aus

15 min delays on the viccy line this morning. I need to get working from home sorted ASAP

 

[ska invita]

No, it's a 20 min or so cycle to the station first. More like 3hrs each way (hence the title of the thread and me always looking for music to download to my phone!).

fuck

 

[Onket]

Yep.

 

[farmerbarleymow]

No, it's a 20 min or so cycle to the station first. More like 3hrs each way (hence the title of the thread and me always looking for music to download to my phone!).

I think you should quit the rat race and turn to self-sufficiency, like in The Good Life. I can imagine you keeping pigs and goats for some reason.