Seen Around

Thursday 30th November 2023

The end of another month so time for a round up of observations garnered as I’ve travelled around over these past few weeks that may have merited an X but haven’t been worthy of a full blown blog.

Elizabeth in Control

One of the benefits membership of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport brings is attending the programme of fascinating behind-the-scenes visits as well as hearing interesting topics presented at meetings. One such visit I attended earlier this month was to the Elizabeth Line control room which oversees the Central Operating Section between Whitechapel and Paddington.

Sections of the line east and west of the core are controlled separately where GWR, Heathrow Express and Greater Anglia also operate.

The control room is located close to Romford station and brings home to you just how many people are monitoring operations which if everything is running smoothly, as one would hope it does, then there isn’t much (relatively speaking) for them to do.

But, even the most minor of a delay can cause significant knock on impacts to thousands of passengers such are the high frequencies of service so needs quick actions and decision making.

To see behind the scenes certainly gives you reassurance that when things do go wrong there’s a whole team of expert staff doing their very best to recover the service and the all important communications with passengers – that’s the message communicated to me, and I certainly came away with.

I was so fascinated by the visit I forgot to ask how it can be next train indicators can get out of sequence as I spotted yesterday morning at Farringdon.

Computer says Yes. Human Operator says No.

Now to this months rail ticketing anomaly. Travelling to Romford in the morning peak for that visit, I worked out it was cheaper for me to buy a full price single ticket from Hassocks to Farringdon on Thameslink (splitting the ticket at Gatwick Airport because that’s what you do if you’re in the know) and then use my Oystercard onward to Romford on the Elizabeth Line. For the return journey the cheapest ticket would be a one day off-peak Travelcard with my Senior Railcard from Hassocks (theoretically restricted to Thameslink) costing £17.95. As the Hassocks ticket office was closed and I didn’t want to faff around changing the time of departure on the ticket machine to ensure it would accept my Senior Railcard, arriving into Romford it was good to see three ticket office windows open so I could buy the ticket there. But to my dismay I was told by the ticket clerk she couldn’t sell me that as it had to be purchased from Hassocks.

When I queried this stating surely she could sell any ticket from any station on the rail network just as most TVMs can do, she became very defensive and repeated it was only possible to buy a single ticket to Hassocks for £22.20, not a return or a Travelcard originating from there.

That’s as ridiculous a situation as the whole rail fare system is ridiculous. I used my smartphone, went on-line, bought the ticket on the Thameslink website and picked it up from the Ticket Vending Machine next to the ticket office windows.

Rickmansworth’s unsafe history

It’s always nice to see the historic images of Rickmansworth station on the boarded up shopfronts outside the station entrance…

… but a shame they seem to be falling into disrepair.

Ideas for a Christmas present from Thameslink

I see Hornby have taken to advertising their £157.99 “High Speed train” model (bit of an odd description bearing in mind the much more famous HST) on Thameslink’s Class 700 trains in the run up to Christmas. Nice piece of product placement.

What are they looking at in Euston?

I was intrigued when passing through Euston the other day to notice a whole crowd of passengers patiently looking up at one of the new departure screens. It was continually showing the same display giving the unusually good news you could actually travel by train into and out of the station last weekend.

It’s so unusual it even merits a full blown display! I don’t know if the passengers thought it might change displays to show departures, but it didn’t for quite a few minutes while I was there.

Confusion in Rickmansworth

As well as an unsafe former shop unit, I also noticed the main departure bus stop for northbound bus routes was marked as closed, even though the real time sign was working inside the shelter and there was no obvious reason why it was closed.

And just to add to the confusion for passengers a Red Rose Travel bus pulled up and set down passengers there.

Meanwhile on the other side of the one-way road the County Council were taking no chances with someone stealing the temporary bus stop by securely padlocking it to a lamppost.

UberBoats and now UberTrains

If you travel around central London you can’t miss Uber’s current high profile advertising campaign promoting the ability to buy train tickets on its app. But it does cause confusion as I was fooled when UberBoats first started thinking you could summon up your own boat, as you can a cab, and a friend of mine had the same thought that you could order a train at the time you want it. Whatever next? A DRT type train service. Now that’s something for the likes of Via and Padeem to get into.

Patch and mend

I never cease to be amazed at the poor presentational state of some buses out on the road even from international companies who spend a fortune on their PR and corporate image; as the example shown above in Milton Keynes last week demonstrates.

Hemel’s closed

I was in Hemel Hempstead recently and arriving at the station to travel home by train found not only no trains running (signal problems in the Harrow & Wealdstone area) but also a closed ticket office…

… and a broken Ticket Vending Machine.

With no information about how long the disruption would last, staff at the station were advising passengers to make their way over to St Albans (on the newly extended route 302 bus) and use Thameslink to reach London.

But I realised I needed to buy a ticket before doing so as proof I’d been there and would be entitled to delay repay. Luckily the ticket office opened while I was pondering what to do and a very helpful ticket clerk endorsed my ticket that I’d been in the station for some time which I submitted with the claim and all credit to London Northwestern Railway they responded within 24 hours confirming a full refund of my single ticket (it was an hour’s delay) and my National Travel Vouchers arrived on Tuesday within just six working days. That’s impressive.

It turned out to be quicker to go via St Albans but I shared a Uber cab (not a Uber train) with other passengers to split the cost.

Delay Repay total confusion

Meanwhile a follow up on my Delay Repay highlighted last month when I got delayed by over two hours on my return from Liverpool to Hassocks on 19th October – 71 minutes with Avanti West Coast getting into Euston and a further 60 minutes plus when travelling with Thameslink/Southern. I applied to the former for an hour’s delay and the latter for a further hour’s delay only to be told by Thameslink (who replied on the day my blog appeared – funny that) that I should have applied to Avanti West Coast for the full refund as indeed many readers also observed that as my journey began with Avanti they should reimburse me for the full 2 hours delay.

This has led to extensive emails and conversations with Avanti West Coast’s customer relations team who are still strugling with the concept of awarding me a further hour’s delay. I’ve taken the opportunity to speak to GTR, GWR and Avanti West Coast about the lack of clarity on which company is responsible for compensation in the event of a multi-operator journey and either single leg or multi leg delays and there’s no consistent approach.

In fact I was told two completely different policies by two different train companies. Even though my journey was now over a month ago I won’t give up. I can feel a letter to managing director Andy Mellors coming on.

Another claim turned down by GWR recently was for a delay between Reading and Hassocks. Customer relations tell me this was declined as I’d sent an image of the return half of the ticket without it being cut in half. When I pointed out there’s no requirement stated to do this and I’d never heard of that before (other than for a standard refund of an unused return ticket) the peson I spoke to didn’t have an answer.

Walk from Euston to St Pancras/Kings Cross and end up in Camden

I’ve finally got round to sending photographs to Camden Council to illustrate the misleading direction signs showing pedestrians what route to take from Euston to St Pancras/Kings Cross. It’s about an eight to ten minute walk and a much better option than using the Underground or the bus and although there’s usually a slightly quicker way taking the footpath to the south of the Francis Crick Institute, which is currently closed, the officially prescribed route takes you to the north of this and is only about a minute longer.

The problem is, the route is well marked as you leave Euston…

… then turn left into Eversholt Street and continue along there …

… until you get to Phoenix Road where you should be directed to turn right towards St Pancras/Kings Cross…

… but for months that sign has been missing, so if you don’t know the area you’d continue walking north along Eversholt Street and end up in Camden Town and eventually Hampstead Heath and beyond.

I sent the attached photographs to Camden Council on Tuesday and will keep an eye out for the missing sign being reinstated and a reduction in lost souls wheeling suitcases along Camden High Street looking for Kings Cross.

Holdenesque design at Canada Water

Passing through Canada Water Underground station last weekend I couldn’t help think how much the design must have been inspired by some of the great stations by Charles Holden, in particular Chiswick Park.

Newer open tops for Seatoller

My good friend Roger Davies sent me some photos confirming the good news for fans of scenic open-top bus route 78 from Keswick to Seatoller that it’s now being operated by six yeaar old Lakesider branded Volvo B5TLs usually to be found on route 599 rather than the somewhat ancient vehicles to be found hitherto. Good news from Stagecoach Cumbria & North Lancashire.

Swindon’s Travel Centre

Still with Stagecoach, while passing through Swindon I was pleased to see the Travel Centre in the town’s rather run down bus station still open and although it looks as though the area behind the counter doubles up as a store for drivers’ uniforms…

… it has plenty of information including a map on the wall…

… for Stagecoach’s bus routes but timetable leaflets for Go-Ahead run Swindon’s buses were also available …

… and an intriguing leaflet (there was only one left) issued by First Bus …

… promoting “Amazing days out by bus” in the Weston-Super Mare-area.

It’s always amazing what you can come across in the most unlikely of places.

The only disappointment was the notice on the wall behind the counter showing what bus routes depart from each bay (or rather, for each bus route, the bay it departs from) only included Stagecoach routes rather than Go-Ahead routes such as the busy Salisbury Reds’ route to Salisbury.

One other disappointment in Swindon was noting the former British Rail offices above the station are still looking sorry for themselves with many boarded up windows even if the area immediately outside has been tarted up. Good to see the BR sign still in situ at the top of the building.

Shrewsbury’s shrewd move

Meanwhile Shrewsbury’s also rather run down, but very busy, bus station partly beneath a car park and alongside the Premier Inn …

… had maps on display from Arriva (well done them) which obviously don’t help passengers using the many routes operated into the town by other bus companies …

… but there were some interesting posters giving ideas for where tourists could visit in Shropshire by bus although I haven’t checked how up to date they are.

But which route is it?

Looking round the bus station I was puzzled to see a bus displaying it was on both routes 552 and 553. These take different routes leaving Shrewsbury for Plox Green. I guess you have to know the timetable and the time to know what route the bus is on.

Southern’s weird ticket promotion

Southern’s refurbished Class 377 trains now have illuminated panels with promotional messages scrolling around which have been going for many months but it was only last week I actually read what one of them said ….

… and ended up wondering for my entire journey what “Rover” ticket Paolo could possibly have bought which took him and his pals “all over London”. I’m assuming it was the Travelcard, and if so, it might have been better to say so. Perhaps this is another example of broad brush branding beloved of out-of-touch marketeers who seem to dominate so many parts of our bus and rail industries these days.

150 years for South Yorkshire’s buses

South Yorkshire’s Mayor, Oliver Coppard, elected last year, is definitely thinking long term when he looks ahead for the next 150 years (see above poster on display in Meadowhall). It’s a shame he has to use such provocative language as “save South Yorkshire’s broken bus network” not least because if he looks in the Mayoral archives, as recently as 2020, his predecessor Dan Jarvis asked Clive Betts MP and a number of eminent fellow “Commissioners” to carry out an in-depth South Yorkshire Bus Review.

This recommended a whole host of actions in the short, medium and long term including the Authority “should pursue creation of an Enhanced Partnership as a way of stabilising the bus system and rebuilding bus partnerships”. The Commissioners also said “we intend to return to South Yorkshire in one year to follow up on our report”. as far as I know they’ve not been back. Perhaps they need to and let Mayor Coppard know what’s actually happening but in the meantime, First’s buses in Sheffield have never looked smarter.

Luton’s big screen

Luton Bus Interchange sited alongside the town’s railway station has a Travel Centre inside a Starbucks and I particularly like the extra large screen bus departures which means it’s not just a half a dozen next departures showing but a very useful 30, as well as letting you know what the weather is in case you can’t see out the window.

I also like the display of timetable leaflets – well done Centrebus and Grant Palmer.

Between not from

Passengers using more than one Train Operating Company (TOC) need to keep their wits about them next week as ASLEF strikes impact different TOCS on different days as well as a week long overtime ban across all 14 TOCs affected. It might help to clarify things if SWR use the word “between” instead of “from” when advising passengers of the upcoming disruption. (Thanks to Andrew for the photo).

And finally for this month, two quick book reviews…

Covid19 and the Bus Industry

This book by Glynne Stewart-Pegg has just been updated and published in its 2nd Edition and tells the fascinating story of how both the bus and coach sectors were impacted, and dealt with, the once-in-a-century (let’s hope) pandemic.

It’s 114 pages are illustrated with countless photographs and the story of what happened is logically told across 15 very readable chapters including the first lockdown, Government support, Summer 2020 revival, the second wave, specifics for London and express coaches, honk for hope and many other twists and turns I guarantee most of us have forgotten by now.

By publishing this historic record Glynne has ensured those with an interest in the industry will have an authoritative reference point to refer to in the years and decades to come and should be congratulated for putting together a very readable yet comprehensive record. Published by North Riding Classic Bus it costs just £14.99 and can be obtained from The Vintage Emporium, 189 Lord Street, Fleetwood FY7 6SW. 07932 317423.

My Journey

This highly personal book written by the long experienced bus industry legend Austin Birks is a compilation of the many blogs he wrote and posted across a number of years. As the book’s sub title states it offers an amazing and fascinating collection of insights into Austin’s “journey” through his career with “reflections on my life in the … industry”. If you want to know what life is really like working in the bus industry in a whole variety of management positions then this really is the book for you.

Austin has managed to include so much variety across so many pages and his descriptions of the events and recollections are simply amazing. A truly great read. Austin’s book is available through the normal commercial retail online and high street outlets priced at around £25.

That’s it for this month.

Roger French

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