F*cking nightmare of a bastard commute

[Roadkill]

Yesterday was a long old day - left home at 545am and got home about 1115pm. It could have been a lot worse, though: at least the trains ran well. We were even a few minutes early getting into Hull on the way back, so I could get the 1105 bus rather than waiting for the next one. Still chuckling about the bloke and his wig on the journey south.

 

[marty21]

It's quite random - there's many a time they don't.

My train home hit a fucking tree before it got to the station and was cancelled, so I've had to get another one with a change at the awful Crewe station.

did a tree grow on the line unnoticed?

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

did a tree grow on the line unnoticed?

The driver swerved to avoid a dog

 

[Miss-Shelf]

Trees on the line at Forest Hill

 

[farmerbarleymow]

did a tree grow on the line unnoticed?

Possibly - nothing would surprise me about the strange West Midlands.

No trees today though - so far.

 

[farmerbarleymow]

Trees on the line at Forest Hill

All these trees on the line...I think they're really Triffids. Didn't we have a meteor shower not too long back?

 

[ska invita]

this was it

how can that little tree cancel all trains and overground services all morning long - i could have pulled that off the line in 10 minutes

2 hours and 3 busses it took me to get to work today!

 

[Miss-Shelf]

It said on twitter that the rail was damaged...took me ages to west London and back

 

[davesgcr]

this was it

how can that little tree cancel all trains and overground services all morning long - i could have pulled that off the line in 10 minutes

2 hours and 3 busses it took me to get to work today!

Sorry chaps - the picture only shows some of the tree debris. It was more than 40 ft high and leaning over at an angle of 45 degrees over all lines - the train in the background was an empty from New Cross to West Croydon which
ran into it - there were 40 yards plus of conductor rail grounded and over 40 insulating pots smashed. 3 lines were back in action by 0910 and the other track fixed by 1100 hrs. Not exactly an easy job to fix ....

Other trees down at Oxted (a 20 ft birch) , Ewell and in the Wimbledon area.

Lineside trees are assessed - and those in danger - even if off the direct area and on private land can be cut down. NR have a gang called "Offtrack" which deal with these items - clearly they cant second guess which tree is coming down next. They had just a bit of a busy morning - and resources were pulled in from all over to deal with this one.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

this kind of thing will only get worse once the Tories privatise the woodlands.

 

[pogofish]

Driving along a stretch of fairly busy dual carriageway this morning, something odd about the Yamaha DT rider in the outside lane beside me.

Yegods, he was hunched-over, texting on his phone!

I think, for the first time ever I actually wanted a dashcam to record this feat of stupidity!

 

[davesgcr]

Sorry chaps - the picture only shows some of the tree debris. It was more than 40 ft high and leaning over at an angle of 45 degrees over all lines - the train in the background was an empty from New Cross to West Croydon which
ran into it - there were 40 yards plus of conductor rail grounded and over 40 insulating pots smashed. 3 lines were back in action by 0910 and the other track fixed by 1100 hrs. Not exactly an easy job to fix ....

Other trees down at Oxted (a 20 ft birch) , Ewell and in the Wimbledon area.

Lineside trees are assessed - and those in danger - even if off the direct area and on private land can be cut down. NR have a gang called "Offtrack" which deal with these items - clearly they cant second guess which tree is coming down next. They had just a bit of a busy morning - and resources were pulled in from all over to deal with this one.

Tonights railway madness has another bunch of trees down - (Cambridge line screwed till end of service) + plus some nutter trespassers on the lines at Swanley and Folkestone. The former is / was a family group looking for their daughter - as if you take a stroll on a line with trains doing 90 mph and third rails with 750v in profusion.

 

[nogojones]

this kind of thing will only get worse once the Tories privatise the woodlands.

suicidal trees

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Day three: a five coach train instead of a ten coach one. As the doors opened the optimism on the platform was dashed as folk fell out of the already Japanese level overcrowded train.

Will see what the 0754 brings...

 

[farmerbarleymow]

I've done some adding up on my spreadsheet that I use to track my train journey times, and out of 168 journeys to/from work this year so far, a whopping 82% of them were late arriving at the destination station. Useless bloody train company.

 

[davesgcr]

I've done some adding up on my spreadsheet that I use to track my train journey times, and out of 168 journeys to/from work this year so far, a whopping 82% of them were late arriving at the destination station. Useless bloody train company.

Can you give a hint as to what journey you are doing - I can get one of my bright graduates to do some research on this ....

 

[farmerbarleymow]

Can you give a hint as to what journey you are doing - I can get one of my bright graduates to do some research on this ....

Manchester to Brum. There are a few obvious reasons as far as I can tell - congestion around Stone where they hold the train to allow another intercity to pass the junction ahead, and congestion at New Street itself.

 

[davesgcr]

Manchester to Brum. There are a few obvious reasons as far as I can tell - congestion around Stone where they hold the train to allow another intercity to pass the junction ahead, and congestion at New Street itself.

Will (time permitting) - have a little look - roughly what time of day do you set off on your travels ?

 

[farmerbarleymow]

Will (time permitting) - have a little look - roughly what time of day do you set off on your travels ?

Normal rush hour time - anytime between 6 and 8 in the morning, and between 4 and 6 on the way back.

 

[Puddy_Tat]

currently at a stand at bracknell.

trespasser on the line near arsecot.

blargh.

 

[farmerbarleymow]

That's a first. A bloke sat next to me in the window seat suddenly retched, said 'excuse me'. I've never moved so fast to get out of the way. The poor bloke ran down the aisle and didn't quite make it to the toilet and puked on the floor outside it. He must feel terrible.

 

[Throbbing Angel]

Ewwwww, close call eh.

 

[Puddy_Tat]

royal bloody arsecot this week.

train home will be full of silly twats in silly hats.

blargh.

 

[farmerbarleymow]

Ewwwww, close call eh.

Yeah, it wouldn't have been a great start to the day. Poor bloke is still in the loo - probably trying to clean himself up with the piss-poor sink in there. Typically, not a member of staff to be seen to let them know he might need some help.

 

[farmerbarleymow]

He reappeared and seems to be ok. He said it was travel sickness. Glad I'm about to get off the train to be honest!

 

[Dan U]

That's a first. A bloke sat next to me in the window seat suddenly retched, said 'excuse me'. I've never moved so fast to get out of the way. The poor bloke ran down the aisle and didn't quite make it to the toilet and puked on the floor outside it. He must feel terrible.

I was on a packed southern train leaving Victoria on a Friday afternoon once, this guy pushed through the crowd to the door area, dropped to his knees amongst the throng of people and hurled uncontrollably in to the bin.

It was all pretty grim, felt so sorry for the guy. In between pukes he was hugely apologetic and at pains to point out he wasn't drunk and must be food related.

Carriage hummed a treat.

 

[Throbbing Angel]

Aces!

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

royal bloody arsecot this week.

train home will be full of silly twats in silly hats.

blargh.

heh, years ago was drinking in the Swinley near Ascot station when some tosser came in wearing a morning suit and a tophat and tried getting all pally with us. We ended up nicking his hat and he was almost in tears bleating on about how it was hired and would cost him a fortune. Can't say anyone was moved enough by his plight to give it back, BB1's godfather still has that hat

 

[marty21]

I was on a packed southern train leaving Victoria on a Friday afternoon once, this guy pushed through the crowd to the door area, dropped to his knees amongst the throng of people and hurled uncontrollably in to the bin.

It was all pretty grim, felt so sorry for the guy. In between pukes he was hugely apologetic and at pains to point out he wasn't drunk and must be food related.

Carriage hummed a treat.

I think the shit smeared on the window of a train trumps that for humminess It was also smeared on some newspaer on the floor it was a commuter train (this thread didn't exist then) and was pretty packed as the Liverpool St to Chingford line generally is, and no one wanted to bring the shit smeared window and floor to the attention of staff as they would have taken the train out of service and it might be impossible to get on the next train which would also be packed

 

[Dan U]

I think the shit smeared on the window of a train trumps that for humminess It was also smeared on some newspaer on the floor it was a commuter train (this thread didn't exist then) and was pretty packed as the Liverpool St to Chingford line generally is, and no one wanted to bring the shit smeared window and floor to the attention of staff as they would have taken the train out of service and it might be impossible to get on the next train which would also be packed

That is proper catch 22