One train on time and then we pay for it

For the first time in almost seven weeks NXEA finally manage to run a train to time; and then as we've come to expect from this shower of sh*t you can rely on them ballsing it up in the near future. And they did... 

Monday

Morning

Dep: Braintree 0812 (0812)

Arr: Stratford 0907 (0907) Glory be!

Evening

Dep: Stratford 1824 (1820) Here we go, just look at the sh*t we were subjected to tonight.... This train was packed as usual, I had to stand all the way to Witham. Crap crap crap, and then just when you thought it couldn't get any worse... inevitably it did...
Arr: Witham 1923 (1858) Delayed because, (depending on whose lies you choose to believe), faulty lineside equipment (the driver) or temporary speed restrictions (NXEA email). The real pisser is we were then moved onto the slow line to allow their precious bloody Inter-City trains through without being held up. Arseholes. And then it got even worse: 
Dep: Witham 1929 (1901) This was a bloody bus for Christ's sake. They'd let the Braintree train go again and were then left with a train full of very disgruntled passengers. Even then,  because these tossers as always had completely underestimated the demand, some people couldn't get onto the only bus they'd laid on and were left behind. 
Arr: Braintree 1943 (1919) Effing useless.
  
Time and time again these blundering f*ckwits show why they're totally unfit to run a model railway let alone one of the busiest commuter lines in Europe.


The complaints are becoming louder and more insistent. If they don't sort it soon there's likely to be a serious rebellion sooner rather than later. And NXEA will deserve it; it's now more obvious than ever that this new timetable is a massive and unmitigated failure.  

An Average week - Week beginning 24 Jan

Another averagely crap week for the the long-suffering users of NXEAs "service":

Monday

Didn't travel.

Tuesday

Morning

Dep: Braintree 0815 (0812) And we're off and running... late...
Arr: Stratford 0911 (0907) ... and no change here either.

Evening

Dep: Stratford 1826 (1820) Nope, no improvement here either.
Arr: Witham 1905 (1858)
Dep: Witham 1907 (1901)
Arr: Braintree (1919)

Wednesday

Morning

Dep: Braintree 0817 (0812) Oh dear.
Arr: Stratford 0911 (0907)

Evening

Dep: Stratford 1831 (1820) Bad tonight. Cold as well, too cold to be kept hanging around by these clowns.
Arr: Witham 1906 (1858) Made up some time, whoopee!
Dep: Witham  1907 (1901)
Arr: Braintree 1924 (1919) Jesus wept.

Thursday

Morning

Dep: Braintree 0815 (0812) Why can't they get this train to run on time? I mean it starts from Braintree. How hard can it be for crying out loud?
Arr: Stratford  0909 (0907) The best they've managed since they brought their new timetable in. I arrived at work before 0930 for the first time since 12 December last year. A sign of things to come? Probably not.

Evening

Dep: Stratford 2001 (1955) Later journey tonight after staying on for drinkies at work. Rewarded with yet another cold wait at Stratford for an inexcusably late train. The upside is this one went direct to Braintree, I didn't have to change.
Arr: Braintree 2101 (2050) Hopeless.

Friday

Morning

Dep: Braintree 0729 (0727) Full house of late starts
Arr: Witham 0745 (0743)
Dep: Witham 0755 (0755) This was the weeks only on-time departure.
Arr: Stratford 0835 (0829) Unfortunately...

Evening

Dep: Stratford 1724 (1720)
Arr: Chelmsford 1752 (1744)
Dep: Chelmsford 1806 (1757) According to the tannoy at Chelmsford the delay was caused by a "temporary speed restriction". It didn't say why the restriction was put in place though.
Arr: Braintree 1832 (1928)

One train leaving on time over 4 days ain't brilliant by anyone's standards; although by NXEAs already low standards it's probably above average.

Still, another 5 chances for 'em to fix it next week. Fat chance.

Week beginning 17 Jan 2011 - The usual rubbish....

Monday

Morning

Dep: Braintree 0819 (0812) A bad start. It never really recovered,
Arr: Stratford 0927 (0907)  Pathetic isn't it?

Evening

Dep: Stratford 1823 (1820) 'Nuff said.
Arr: Witham 1902 (1858)
Dep: Witham 1903 (1901)
Arr: Braintree 1930 (1919) Dismal as ever.

Tuesday

Morning

Dep: Braintree 0813 (0812)Well it started out well-ish.
Arr: Stratford  0915 (0907) Not so good at Stratford though. Not once, not bloody once, has a Braintree train arrived at Stratford on time. Absolutely dire.

Evening

Dep: Stratford 1822 (1820) A bit late tonight, it's been worse.
Arr: Witham 1909 (1858) And typically it did get worse!
Dep: Witham 1909 (1901) So, as ever everything else gets delayed.
Arr: Braintree1927 (1919) The usual rubbish service again.

Wednesday

Morning

Dep: Braintree 0921 (0900) This was the worst day, as usual when there's a problem on the line the first services to be cancelled are the Braintree ones. Always. And they did it again this morning.

Why the hell can't they share the pain around?

And to add insult to injury they started the 0812 from Witham; the bastards just couldn't be arsed to run it through to Braintree. And as a final insult, the 0900 was the best part of half-an-hour late to boot.

I'm running out of words to describe all the crap we get from these wankers. All for the bargain price of more than £3,500 for an annual ticket which basically guarantees bugger all.
Arr: Stratford  1014 (0952) Words fail me.

Evening

Dep: Stratford 1821 (1820) Almost....
Arr: Witham 1902 (1858)
Dep: Witham 1903 (1901) Still managing to lose time...
Arr: Braintree1918 (1919) This has to be a mistake, it arrived early!

Thursday

Morning

Dep: Braintree 0813 (0812) Good start.
Arr: Stratford 0916 (0907) Back to the crap.

Evening

Dep: Stratford 1826 (1820) How do these pillocks manage to lose 6 minutes over an eight minute leg?
Arr: Witham 1904 (1858) Late again. Big surprise.
Dep: Witham 1905 (1901)
Arr: Braintree 1921 (1919)

Friday

Morning

Dep: Braintree 0731 (0727) They can't make any train run on time.
Arr: Witham 0747 (0743) Just as well the train I used to catch here has been changed, because I'd have missed it!

And another thing, last Friday as we pulled into Witham late an even later-running (is there any other  on NXEA?) Clacton to London service pulled in at the same time. Now any one with any common sense at all would have held that train to allow people from the Braintree train to get across the bridge and catch it. But no, this bunch couldn't even manage that so I was treated to a 15 minute wait for the 0755 (typically late). The only good thing about this service is that it's run using a Class 360 and not a crappy 321
Dep: Witham 0802 (0755) Late.
Arr: Stratford 0834 (0829) And later.

Evening

Dep: Stratford 1717 (1720) Caught the Clacton train which departs a couple of minutes before the Witham train.
Arr: Chelmsford 1740 (1744)
Dep: Chelmsford 1758 (1757)
Arr: Braintree 1825 (1828)

Another typically piss-poor week from NXEA.

Please God, let this lot get their just desserts and are slung out on their ear when the new franchise is awarded in November.

Thanks for nothing Google

I have just spent more than an hour typing up this weeks horror stories and when I came to post it I couldn't! every word has been lost. Thanks Google.

I'll try and re-enter it later, I haven't the spirit to try again just now.

Friday, and I've known worse...

Just the usual, averagely poor time keeping again today:

Morning:
Dep: Braintree 0727 (0727)
Arr: Witham 0744 (0743)
Dep: Witham 0803 (0755)
Arr: Stratford 0837 (0829)

So the train from Witham left late and arrived even later, par for the course really. No explanation as usual.

Evening:
Dep: Stratford 1719 (1716) This was the Clacton train.
Arr: Chelmsford 1742 (1740) I can't believe it, we actually made up time! Still, there's a first time for everything I suppose.
Dep: Chelmsford 1759 (1757)
Arr: Braintree 1832 (1830)

One of the better days so far this year all told.

Thursday - Didn't travel

Worked from home on Thursday so I didn't travel. I haven't heard any horror stories either. So it was probably just an average day on NXEA.

No discernable improvement.

Still no obvious improvement in NXEA's woeful service; so far this week's lamentable record is:

Monday:

Morning:
Dep: Braintree 0812 (0812)
Arr: Stratford 0914 (0907)

Evening:
Dep: Stratford 1815 (1806) - This was the Ipswich train, characteristically it was late
Arr: Witham 1857 (1841)
Dep: Witham 1911 (1901)
Arr: Braintree 1926 (1919)

Tuesday:

Morning:
Dep: Braintree 0812 (0812)
Arr: Stratford 0915 (0907) - Dismal!

Evening:
Dep: Stratford 1822 (1820) - This was the Clacton train, overcrowded and, inevitably, late.
Arr: Witham 1901 (1858)
Dep: Witham 1902 (1901) - I think this is the closest they've managed so far.
Arr: Braintree 1921 (1919)

Wednesday

Morning:
Dep: Braintree 0813 (0812)
Arr: Stratford 0919 (0907) - Pathetic!

Evening:
Dep: Stratford 1826 (1820) - The (again overcrowded) Clacton train. Just how do NXEA manage to lose six minutes over an 8 minute journey?

Arr: Witham 1905 (1858)
Dep: Witham 1906 (1901)
Arr: Braintree 1923 (1919)

So, absolutely no improvement, you still can't rely on any NXEA train arriving or even departing on time.

Not once, not once, has an 0812 train arrived at Stratford on time. It's been delayed every single time I've traveled on it.

Before NXEA screwed around with the timetable I could expect to arrive at work before 0930 at least a couple of times a week. In the last four weeks I have yet to arrive at work before 0940.

Still a typically garbage service from a garbage company.

Friday. Unbelievable!

Friday's journey started as always with me catching the earlier 0727 train and changing at Witham onto a train that actually stops at Stratford; since the one from Braintree doesn't.

Times today were:

Morning:
Dep: Braintree 0727 (0727)
Arr: Witham 0743 (0743)
Dep: Witham 0755 (0755)
Arr: Stratford 0845 (0829) - Unbelievable! It takes real talent to reduce a train running on time to a delay of almost half as much as the journey time again. But time and again the clowns at NXEA achieve this kind of incompetence so I don't know why I'm surprised any more.

Evening:
There were delays on the Jubilee Line this evening and I missed the 1720 Witham train I would normally have caught. I was expecting to have an uncomfortable hour's wait for the 1820 and hope that the connection at Witham worked .

But, miraculously, there is now a Plan B; and this the only instance I have found up to now of an actual improvement in the service. There is now a new Ipswich train timetabled to depart Stratford at 1726 and scheduled to arrive at Chelmsford at 1750, a full 8 minutes before the Braintree train is timed to arrive.

Dep: Stratford 1729 (1726) - This was the Ipswich train.
Arr: Chelmsford 1752 (1750)
Dep Chelmsford 1803 (1758)
Arr: Braintree 1831 (1828)

Going from bad to worse

Having spent a  month sampling the delights or otherwise of this new timetable and noting whenever a train is late, I've reconsidered this approach since it's not particularly precise enough to document how poorly NXEA are performing.

As a result, from now on, I'll try and record the actual time of departure and arrival of each journey versus the timetabled time which I'll put in brackets.

So today:

Morning:
Dep: Braintree 0814 (0812)
Arr: Stratford 0919 (0907)

Evening:
Dep: Stratford 1829 (1820) - This was the Clacton train, it was grossly overcrowded again,  but then it has been every night.
Arr: Witham 1909 (1858)
Dep: Witham 1911 (1901)
Arr: Braintree 1930 (1919)

Another, closer, perusal of the new timetable has revealed something else; there has been a much greater reduction in trains from Liverpool St and Stratford calling at Chelmsford than ran under the previous timetable than I first thought; there are now NO trains which call at both Stratford and Chelmsford between 1800 and 1820 and there are now no direct trains from Stratford to Braintree at all during the evening rush hour.

There used to be 3 or 4, that's a huge reduction particularly as NXEA are continuing to claim the new timetable is an "improvement". This is spin,(I prefer the more accurate term, lies) pure and simple, Alistair Campbell would be proud of them. The reality is they have reduced the number of trains and by quite a margin.

It's not getting any better

Back to work on Tuesday, I shouldn't have bothered, the service was diabolical.

Morning: On the 0812 from Braintree (late), it arrived even later at Stratford, half-an-hour to be precise. Claim submitted,

Evening: 1820 from Stratford and what's this? I actually made the connection at Witham. Will wonders never cease?

Wednesday

Morning: On the 0812, it actually departed on time. First time for everything I suppose. We were back to normal at Stratford though, arriving 10 minutes late.

Evening: Back to normality, caught the 1806 to Ipswich (10 minutes late).

Now this train doesn't stop at Chelmsford so there were plenty of seats available.

The 1820 (late), on the other hand, has become a total catastrophe. What NXEA have managed to do with it is reduce (or as they would have us believe, "improve") what used to be 2 trains consisting of a total of 20 carriages both of which stopped at Chelmsford into a single twelve carriage train.

As a result this train is now grossly overcrowded daily, the only upside is that it empties out at Chelmsford. Not much consolation if you're travelling from Stratford. This change in particular is an abject failure and needs to be fixed and quickly.

The 1820 Clacton train ran 18 minutes late and the connection at Witham was held for it.

To top it all off, as a sample of the incompetence we're subjected to daily, I received the following email from NXEA on the way home, You just couldn't make this up:

Dear Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxxx,

Disruption has been reported to services between your selected stations Stratford to Braintree.

- General disruption along the line caused by a problem currently under investigation [my emphasis] may lead to cancellations or delays to the 19:09.

(It should be noted that this service is provided to indicate general disruption along the route as well as delays and alterations specific to services that are planned to operate during the times that you have selected. Problems occurring immediately before despatch of this email may not yet have been reported to the system and whilst the best possible prediction is made relating to future delays and alterations, these may change due to unforeseen circumstances. There may also have been short notice changes to the planned train services which have not been notified to the system and therefore this alerting service must NOT be used as a journey planner to indicate the train service between any two points.)

This e-mail has been sent from an un-monitored email address that cannot accept incoming e-mail.  Please do not reply to this message.

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Don't forget, your new December 2010 timetable is available from http://www.nationalexpresseastanglia.com/december_timetable_changes