Xann Posted June 7, 2023 Share Posted June 7, 2023 32 minutes ago, sidcow said: By the way. For all the HS2 haters out there who think its a waste of money despite the enormous economic, transport and Levelling up benefits it will bring, have you seen the latest cost estimates for Hinckley Point C power station? It's never been about the projects being undesirable, or even essential. Wanting anything from this government is like wishing on a monkey's paw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bickster Posted June 22, 2023 Moderator Share Posted June 22, 2023 Quote HS2 'pause' designed to save money is costing the taxpayer more than £360m, leaked govt briefing reveals In March, the government said work on the leg between Birmingham and Crewe would have to be put on hold because of the impact of inflation and in April the Transport Secretary confirmed that work has also been stopped for two years at London's Euston station. SKy News Such a shock, oh and the rest! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genie Posted June 22, 2023 Share Posted June 22, 2023 On 16/05/2023 at 21:43, OutByEaster? said: Today I learned the word Oggin. oi oi oi 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisp65 Posted July 31, 2023 Author Share Posted July 31, 2023 HS2 Infrastructure and Projects Authority report and review. To paraphrase, they’re not convinced its achievable, don’t know how much it will cost, don’t know when it might be finished, or what it is for. Other than that, all good. Quote The IPA describes itself as the government's centre of expertise for infrastructure and major projects, and reports to the Cabinet Office and HM Treasury. Under the IPA's grading system, a red rating implies: "Successful delivery of the project appears to be unachievable." The rating also means there are "major issues with project definition, schedule, budget, quality and/or benefits delivery, which at this stage do not appear to be manageable or resolvable". 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidcow Posted August 1, 2023 VT Supporter Share Posted August 1, 2023 13 hours ago, chrisp65 said: HS2 Infrastructure and Projects Authority report and review. To paraphrase, they’re not convinced its achievable, don’t know how much it will cost, don’t know when it might be finished, or what it is for. Other than that, all good. Pretty much every major UK infrastructure project is red on their list at some time, in fact most of the time. Crossrail 2 was red till a couple of weeks before it opened. It basically means The UK is very very bad at managing infrastructure projects. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genie Posted August 1, 2023 Share Posted August 1, 2023 1 minute ago, sidcow said: It basically means The UK is very very bad at managing infrastructure projects. It basically means the UK is obsessed with spending a fortune on projects that only really benefit London, and even then the benefit is not what it should be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidcow Posted August 1, 2023 VT Supporter Share Posted August 1, 2023 Just now, Genie said: It basically means the UK is obsessed with spending a fortune on projects that only really benefit London, and even then the benefit is not what it should be. I'm not going round the wrekin on HS2 again, but it is very good for The UK. It's been done to death. 2 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bickster Posted August 1, 2023 Moderator Share Posted August 1, 2023 1 minute ago, sidcow said: I'm not going round the wrekin on HS2 again, but it is very good for The UK. It's been done to death. Well apart from the fact it seems to stop in the middle of nowhere in the East Midlands on the Eastern branch. It was going on up North after that but hey ho. I agree but stopping the next phase was idiotic (as was not including Liverpool as a destination. Population of Merseyside is 1.5 million ie half of either Manc or Brum that will be absolutely dicked for travel to London when HS2 starts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genie Posted August 1, 2023 Share Posted August 1, 2023 7 minutes ago, sidcow said: I'm not going round the wrekin on HS2 again, but it is very good for The UK. It's been done to death. Please let the official watchdog know they’ve got it wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidcow Posted August 1, 2023 VT Supporter Share Posted August 1, 2023 6 minutes ago, bickster said: Well apart from the fact it seems to stop in the middle of nowhere in the East Midlands on the Eastern branch. It was going on up North after that but hey ho. I agree but stopping the next phase was idiotic (as was not including Liverpool as a destination. Population of Merseyside is 1.5 million ie half of either Manc or Brum that will be absolutely dicked for travel to London when HS2 starts Merseyside wants to leave the UK so it's only right and proper they are bypassed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xann Posted August 1, 2023 Share Posted August 1, 2023 It's like hanging around a cows arse hoping for something different to come out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post VILLAMARV Posted September 11, 2023 Popular Post Share Posted September 11, 2023 This is the de facto complaining about trains thread yeah? 15 hours ago, TreeVillan said: Just dragging this over from a picture thread so I can talk, sorry whinge. I love this cartoon, but there's a man with a job at a station in it so I'm calling bullshit I really struggle with letting go of an interaction with the man in the information point at Swansea station a few years ago. Day before Xmas eve and me and MrsVM think we'll get the train up to my folks for Xmas but when we got to the station to catch the penultimate train of the day it was cancelled and a few lost souls wondering around trying to find out where the bus replacemen was and so on. We were unable to purchase a ticket obviously so I went to the info point and asked if the last train was also cancelled or whether it would be running. He asked if I had a ticket, explained they wouldn't sell me one for the cancelled train in the ticket office moments earlier and that they had sent me to him. So no, I didn't. He then asked me to leave the counter as the bus outside was for people who had already bought a ticket. I repeated my question about the last train and he ignored my question and caught the eyes of the BTP lady who came over and asked me "Is there a problem?". I've always asked MrsVM if I was angry or getting worked up or being offensive, and I'll readily admit it when I do, but I was calm and just trying to find out - can I get where I'm going before Xmas or should I just go down the bus station? She maintains they were unnecessarily officious. We didn't get an answer about the last train or trains on Xmas Eve but we got the bus anyway. I remeber saying to him, "Look mate, you're in the information point and I just want some information about the trains" that's enough to call over the police it seems. Absolutely mental. In my home town the station is closing soon. They've turfed out the guys who had the franchise for years a while back now. They were notoriously helpful to all the old dears et el in finding the cheapest fares if you go via this town or that town. Genuinely helpful. They are sorely missed. Soon we will have a ticket machine and no staff, The poor lady in there at the moment (presumably on minimum wage and new to trains) has a really tough act to follow and she seems to value her corporate overlords higher than being nice and helpful to old ladies at their expense. This is a rural line with mostly request stops - yes, you stand on a platform in the middle of nowhere and flag the train down. There is no option on most of the stations to purchase a ticket (I know people do it on phones but some of us still choose not to own one). I've had some fun conversations with overly officious people in various stations around the country who inform me it's illegal to get on without a ticket etc, that may be some internal rule you'd like to enforce but round our way it's how it still works. And guess what, it's not illegal. MrsVM was recently on the platform waiting for the early morning train. The board said it was on time, she waited. The ticket office not open that early so she's there on her own. After the sign said the train had left and the next one arriving was... she realised it wasn't being truthful. Turns out there was a bus replacement service and the bus had driven into the car park, turned around and driven off. She was the only one on the platform and there was nothing from the rail company letting her know, neither on their website or on the led board thingy. It's like less than 5 metres walk, if only the bus driver had got out the bus and looked on the platform. We've just somehow ended up in a distorted reality where the thing you're trying to acheive with public transport - providing transport to the public - is the least important criteria to the providers. Privatisation is/was a massive con. Bring back people caring I say. Rant over. (until the next time because I can't let it lie) 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bickster Posted September 11, 2023 Moderator Share Posted September 11, 2023 Transport for Wales Rail is a nationalised company Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisp65 Posted September 11, 2023 Author Share Posted September 11, 2023 I very rarely use a train. The last time I did, there was nobody in the ticket office. I got on the train and because it was over crowded the ticket dude didn’t do his rounds. When I got off the train they had ticket inspection. I explained no ticket office and no train dude. Oh no, no no no. I have to be moved to the side still in full view of everyone else but now surrounded by 4 people in, frankly, paramilitary style uniforms. Head to toe in black and black baseball caps and black stab vest things and lots of black webbing with cameras and walkie talkies and schizz like that. I need to prove there was nobody at the station and I need to prove there was no chance of buying a ticket on the train and I need to prove I got on where I said I got on. Obviously I couldn’t prove any of those things but they’d sort of painted themselves in to a corner as by now there were quite a number of people all with the same ridiculous story of a lack of opportunities to buy tickets and querying whether it was linked to the dozens of paramilitary ticket checkers available. Eventually they opened the ticket booth and let us all buy a ticket. It was quite an eye opener how quickly a place can change from mundane to abuse of power. How quickly someone given a lanyard and black boots can think they’re special forces. How quickly if it did all turn south, there would be a lot of willing helpers to clear the streets of the wrong sort of people. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VILLAMARV Posted September 11, 2023 Share Posted September 11, 2023 6 minutes ago, bickster said: Transport for Wales Rail is a nationalised company Another way of putting that Bicks is it's an 'operator of last resort' apparently they're looking for new tenders for our rural line. Quote An operator of last resort is a business in the United Kingdom that operates a railway franchise, on behalf of the government, when a train operating company is no longer able to do so. Since May 2023, there are six such operators in England, Wales and Scotland. All this after Arriva and KeolisAmey both had a go and after the differnet named companies owned by National Express in the 90s/early 2000s. Fines aplenty, but lots of money creamed off the top and a reduction in services is the story of the last 25 years imo. They also recently advertised for volunteers to clean/upkeep all their stations. (you know, like the employees used to do) TFW also has alledgedly (although this is someone who is a conductor said, not sourced journalism) around 40 executives taking home 6 figure salaries in a country with 20 odd local authorities. Not being subsidised by more profitable lines in more built up areas means were not all in it together. That's privatisation that is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xann Posted September 11, 2023 Share Posted September 11, 2023 Stattion staff going here too. After years of copping the flak for a shambles they had nothing to do with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisp65 Posted September 11, 2023 Author Share Posted September 11, 2023 To be fair rail investment in Wales includes the £5Billion taken for the HS2 scam. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bickster Posted September 11, 2023 Moderator Share Posted September 11, 2023 1 minute ago, VILLAMARV said: Not being subsidised by more profitable lines in more built up areas means were not all in it together. That's privatisation that is. Well actually the problems of rail infrastructure in this country aren't down to privatisation, well they are partly but the start of the rot was Beeching in the 60s and that was firmly in nationalised days but it was a Tory Government doing Tory things FWIW I'm all in favour of renationalising but it won't solve the problems you are talking about. There needs to be a complete change in mentality about the purpose of rail and why it exists. Currently and even if if was miraculously renationalised overnight the problems would still exist because currently and for many years of BR, this country expected rail to make a profit 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VILLAMARV Posted September 11, 2023 Share Posted September 11, 2023 12 minutes ago, bickster said: Well actually the problems of rail infrastructure in this country aren't down to privatisation, well they are partly but the start of the rot was Beeching in the 60s and that was firmly in nationalised days but it was a Tory Government doing Tory things FWIW I'm all in favour of renationalising but it won't solve the problems you are talking about. There needs to be a complete change in mentality about the purpose of rail and why it exists. Currently and even if if was miraculously renationalised overnight the problems would still exist because currently and for many years of BR, this country expected rail to make a profit Not sure I claimed re-nationalising would solve all the problems, or that the reverse caused them all, but it seems we agree about needing a change in mentality. Privatisation is/was a con works as a sentence though imo. I fear the NHS wil be long gone before the penny drops for a lot of people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bickster Posted September 11, 2023 Moderator Share Posted September 11, 2023 In fact, I watched this the other day. the bit about commuting from Portishead to Bristol City Centre is quite staggering. If this country was serious about cutting emissions that railway line would have been re-enabled years ago. No CPOs required, the original trackbed is still there, its just a few miles of track. Portishead, the largest town in England without a rail link. Population 25k, a ten mile rush hour journey can take over an hour and a half Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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