This is the final post on this blog. I've started a new blog to log the goings on with the new Greater Anglia franchise.
You can find that blog here.
Thanks to all the readers who have visited this blog over the 15-or-so months it was running and hope to see you on the new blog.
S
Friday 17 February 2012
Friday 3 February 2012
I see...
The words "National Express" no longer appear in the automated train announcements at Stratford.
Now they just say "...the [time] service to...", not "... [time] National Express service to...".
At Stratford now, awaiting my last ever but one NXEA train; I'm assuming the last one will be the 1810 connection at Witham, of course this presumes this bunch of f*ckwits don't cancel it in the meantime.
I wouldn't put it past them.
Now they just say "...the [time] service to...", not "... [time] National Express service to...".
At Stratford now, awaiting my last ever but one NXEA train; I'm assuming the last one will be the 1810 connection at Witham, of course this presumes this bunch of f*ckwits don't cancel it in the meantime.
I wouldn't put it past them.
Sunday 29 January 2012
We're finally into the home straight
There are now less than 7 days of the shambolic f*cked NXEA franchise left to run.
Next Sunday cannot come nearly fast enough as far as I'm concerned.
I can truly say I will not miss one single aspect of the bone-headed incompetence and stupidity that were the hallmarks of this bunch of clowns.
Truly, NXEAs time running the Greater Anglia franchise is a testament to the lunacy of selling off what used to be British Rail to rubbish operators like National Express.
Never has the lie that fare increases are only to pay for "infrastructure improvements and new trains" been more exposed than by this crowd of f*ckwits.
We've seen no obvious "improvements". The infrastructure is more shit than ever; we still have to endure endless signal, points and overhead cable problems. The "new" trains are still the same filthy, clapped out, unreliable and uncomfortable class 321s that NXEA started with. The only new trains NXEA brought into service were on the Stansted Express route. Any additional trains which were introduced were just recycled from other franchises and just as dirty and clapped-out as every other train NXEA were running.
At the end of 2010, we were told NXEA would be adding umpteen thousands of "additional peak time seats".
How did that turn out then? Well I started this blog for one thing and as for NXEA, well they decided to remove all of the peak-time direct Stratford to Braintree trains from the timetable. Now, if you wanted to get from Stratford to Braintree during the rush, you were going to have to change at either Chelmsford or Witham. Having you need to travel in 2 trains doubled the chances of a cancellation screwing your journey and that's precisely what happened on several occasions before Platform 10A at Stratford was repaired and brought back into use. Direct services were finally re-instated in the new May 2011 timetable.
Even then, the platform infrastructure wasn't complete, it still isn't today! It took them until August for them to connect the tannoy speakers on Platform 10A. Even then they'd put in a load of advertising screens first.
I could go on, I've been recording this lunacy for the last 14 months or so and by rights the things we've had to put up with should have caused riots. But as ever we just sat there and took all the shit these useless toerags threw at us.
At the moment, I'm optimistic that the new operator will be just what we need, at least they have experience, they are the Dutch National Railway after all. And they are one of the best operators in the world plus they already hae a well-run franchise in Northern Rail. Though quite what they'll make of the antiquated infrastructure they're inheriting from NXEA Heaven only knows.
At least they're committing to clean the stations and trains properly and to providing a proper flow of information to the people who pay for the tickets. They couldn't do any worse.
Next Sunday cannot come nearly fast enough as far as I'm concerned.
I can truly say I will not miss one single aspect of the bone-headed incompetence and stupidity that were the hallmarks of this bunch of clowns.
Truly, NXEAs time running the Greater Anglia franchise is a testament to the lunacy of selling off what used to be British Rail to rubbish operators like National Express.
Never has the lie that fare increases are only to pay for "infrastructure improvements and new trains" been more exposed than by this crowd of f*ckwits.
We've seen no obvious "improvements". The infrastructure is more shit than ever; we still have to endure endless signal, points and overhead cable problems. The "new" trains are still the same filthy, clapped out, unreliable and uncomfortable class 321s that NXEA started with. The only new trains NXEA brought into service were on the Stansted Express route. Any additional trains which were introduced were just recycled from other franchises and just as dirty and clapped-out as every other train NXEA were running.
At the end of 2010, we were told NXEA would be adding umpteen thousands of "additional peak time seats".
How did that turn out then? Well I started this blog for one thing and as for NXEA, well they decided to remove all of the peak-time direct Stratford to Braintree trains from the timetable. Now, if you wanted to get from Stratford to Braintree during the rush, you were going to have to change at either Chelmsford or Witham. Having you need to travel in 2 trains doubled the chances of a cancellation screwing your journey and that's precisely what happened on several occasions before Platform 10A at Stratford was repaired and brought back into use. Direct services were finally re-instated in the new May 2011 timetable.
Even then, the platform infrastructure wasn't complete, it still isn't today! It took them until August for them to connect the tannoy speakers on Platform 10A. Even then they'd put in a load of advertising screens first.
I could go on, I've been recording this lunacy for the last 14 months or so and by rights the things we've had to put up with should have caused riots. But as ever we just sat there and took all the shit these useless toerags threw at us.
At the moment, I'm optimistic that the new operator will be just what we need, at least they have experience, they are the Dutch National Railway after all. And they are one of the best operators in the world plus they already hae a well-run franchise in Northern Rail. Though quite what they'll make of the antiquated infrastructure they're inheriting from NXEA Heaven only knows.
At least they're committing to clean the stations and trains properly and to providing a proper flow of information to the people who pay for the tickets. They couldn't do any worse.
Thursday 26 January 2012
Going out on a low.
The latest Passenger Focus Survey results were published today, The company with the worst rating should come as a surprise to absolutely no one. National Express East Anglia. Again.
Nine days and counting.
On the bright side they totally failed to f*ck up my journey home to night, aside from running the 1716 to Clacton late. Again.
Nine days and counting.
On the bright side they totally failed to f*ck up my journey home to night, aside from running the 1716 to Clacton late. Again.
Wednesday 25 January 2012
I notice...
The so-called "Customer Service" Reps who can normally be found hanging around on all the platforms have magically melted away now the shit's hit the fan.
They've also now edited the words "National Express" out of the automated apologies for late trains.
These announcements are now gibberish.
Update: 26 Jan.
The words "National Express" reappeared in the automated apology and other announcements at Stratford tonight.
They've also now edited the words "National Express" out of the automated apologies for late trains.
These announcements are now gibberish.
Update: 26 Jan.
The words "National Express" reappeared in the automated apology and other announcements at Stratford tonight.
Another shambles...
Tonight. Overhead line problems is the excuse de jour.
Got to Stratford to see the 1809 Braintree train being shown on the dot-matrix displays as leaving from platform 8. Unusual, but not unheard of.
Typically, there were no tannoy announcements being made to inform anyone where the f*cking thing was actually going to be stopping.
As a result, I just about managed to struggle onto platform 8 to find it jammed with metro passengers. Not a good sign.
Then, before I knew it the bloody 1809 had departed, on time, from platform 10A. Un-f*cking-believable. If only because normally it's never, ever, on time!!
To compound this shit, the later Clacton train which has gone from platform 10 every night since Pontius was a Pilate also left from platform 10A. I know, because when it went I was on platform 10 where the dot-matrices were telling all and sundry it would be going from, waiting for it like a f*cking lemon.
At the time, there was a bloody through train for Colchester stopped on platform 10.
All the time this madness was going on not one worthwhile tannoy message was made by the clowns running the station. And the ones that were being made were the "f*ck off and use a different method of travel" ones that are now standard whenever the system implodes, together with announcements about the f*cking Metro services using platform 8.
Not one announcement informing Mainline passengers what the f*ck was going on was made, not one. We could go get f*cked as far as the tossers at Stratford were concerned. Which is quite incredible really, given the usual verbal diarrhoea of the wankers on the tannoy.
F*cking ridiculous.
Only 10 more days of these useless bastards to get through.
Got to Stratford to see the 1809 Braintree train being shown on the dot-matrix displays as leaving from platform 8. Unusual, but not unheard of.
Typically, there were no tannoy announcements being made to inform anyone where the f*cking thing was actually going to be stopping.
As a result, I just about managed to struggle onto platform 8 to find it jammed with metro passengers. Not a good sign.
Then, before I knew it the bloody 1809 had departed, on time, from platform 10A. Un-f*cking-believable. If only because normally it's never, ever, on time!!
To compound this shit, the later Clacton train which has gone from platform 10 every night since Pontius was a Pilate also left from platform 10A. I know, because when it went I was on platform 10 where the dot-matrices were telling all and sundry it would be going from, waiting for it like a f*cking lemon.
At the time, there was a bloody through train for Colchester stopped on platform 10.
All the time this madness was going on not one worthwhile tannoy message was made by the clowns running the station. And the ones that were being made were the "f*ck off and use a different method of travel" ones that are now standard whenever the system implodes, together with announcements about the f*cking Metro services using platform 8.
Not one announcement informing Mainline passengers what the f*ck was going on was made, not one. We could go get f*cked as far as the tossers at Stratford were concerned. Which is quite incredible really, given the usual verbal diarrhoea of the wankers on the tannoy.
F*cking ridiculous.
Only 10 more days of these useless bastards to get through.
Tuesday 24 January 2012
Oh Dear...
Abellio have just announced the Board of Directors who will be responsible for the Greater Anglia franchise when they take over from NXEA in just over 10 days time.
It seems they will be keeping on the current NXEA Customer Services Director.
Given the notoriously piss-poor Customer Service NXEA provided it'll be interesting to see whether there is any improvement in them beginning on Sunday week.
It seems they will be keeping on the current NXEA Customer Services Director.
Given the notoriously piss-poor Customer Service NXEA provided it'll be interesting to see whether there is any improvement in them beginning on Sunday week.
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