Is it almost impossible to keep a train exactly on time ?

Question

Hi Folks,

I am not whinging, quite the opposite.

My mate is a train driver on the Cambridge to Kings Cross section, and allowed me into the cab for the journey one day.

I was amazed that he had to keep the whole show at exactly the varying speed limits, or he might be a few seconds later than the published time-table at the next station, and be admonished.

Apparantly the operator will have words if the thing stops in London more than 60 seconds out of its' appointed time.

This over a 45 mile journey/

Therefore my sympathies extend to all in the profit-driven rail industry.

I don't care if the thing is a couple of minutes late, it takes me longer than that to grab a coffee and struggle through the tube station queues.

Fair play to all railway workers then, and I don't blame ASLEF for having a justified disagreement with operators of our prided and long established fine rail system.

It is when they try and speed things up that accidents occur.

Bob

Answer 1

Trains can be run to time, as long as the flexibility is built into the working timetable (not the passenger one) and since the 30second rule concerning doors closure many trains now run on the dot. The trouble is, Customers (Passengers) often hold the train inadvertenly by the whole process of boarding and alighting. This may sound silly and petty, but you get them all trying to get in or out of the same door, fold buggies, load suitcases on or off, run down the stairs and hold doors open for mates, drop items of rubbish into the door sensors, must get in via a specific door because thats where their friends are, or do not listen to announcements and want to get on or off, move carrages because they are not sure. It may be a minute lost to that train but that can have the domino effect, especially if the trainplan is tight on time, or lets say a minute at each station, train stops 10 times, 10 minutes lost, quickly mounts up.

Each minute lost equals a penalty of around £100 the TOC responsible has to pay to Network Rail to cover other losses. Lets take an extreme example. A train from Cambridge is 5 mins late in departure. As it rolls out it delays the train going to Ely, which now also has a 5 min late departure, when this gets up line it delays the Peterbourgh train by 5 mins, this in turn delays the Edingbourgh train, because that is late it delays trains at York, Newcastle and Edinbourgh, which delay trains towards Glasgow, Hull, Manchester, etc, etc, for 5 mins, you can see now read 50 minute total delays. It is a problem with the private companies that they are bouncing delays and claims from one to another all the time. The TOC now has to claim every minute down to that 30 second margin back from whoever it can.

Often in the firm itself, it has to argue who is responsible in department wise, was it the Driver, Guard / Conductor, Platform Staff, Signalman, P-Way engineer who was responiblefor the loss of time, if so which department gets the slapped wrist and which member of staff is 'Talked Too' by the manager.

It is a nasty buisness lost minutes.

Hope this helps.

Answer 2

Its the same for signallers: if they delay a train for 3 minutes they get put on report.

The government has set the times and they also set the fines that the train operating company has to pay if their trains run late. If a train is running late and Its Network Rail at fault, the Train Companies get compensation from network Rail & Network Rail gets paid by the goverment to keep the trains running on time (these days 88% on time) so the money just goes arround in circles!

Answer 3

I think the operator would have more than words for your mate if they knew he'd let you travel in the cab.....

Allowing unauthorised persons into the cab is a criminal offence and would spell the end of your mate's driving career.

Answer 4

I have no axe to grind with our beleaguered rail system or its operatives, but when it comes to punctuality, try looking to Japan for a shining example. Over there, if a train is due to depart at 12.03, then that is exactly when it leaves. The spotlessly clean, comfortable train then goes at 200mph, arriving at it's destination bang on time.

This is the sort of service we deserve from our rail network, which would have been achievable had successive governments not strangled it and split up the various parts of the system.

Answer 5

All hail first capital connect drivers

Answer 6

i think sometimes we dont appreciate enough people like train drivers!! people in this sort of role just seem to get flak all the time