Customer Service – First Great Western Style
Yesterday, as I said in this post, I missed my 09:07 train to Exeter, due to problems on the Metropolitan line.
I knew that to get to Exeter, I would have to get another ticket for the next train, which was the 10:07. One of their staff said to go to the ticket office and see what they would do.
I did and went to the First Class window, where after explaining the problem, they checked thoroughly and then endorsed my out of time ticket for travel on the 10:07. I should say, that I expected to have to buy another ticket and was at my politest. As there wasn’t a queue full of angry passengers, just a couple of anxious ones, this might have helped.
But it does go counter to the sort of Jobsworth behaviour reported on programmes such as Watchdog.
Coming back, there was a Travelling Chef on the train. And I ordered this smoked salmon salad.
A Salad From The Travelling Chef
Note the French dressing in a little bottle, with all the ingredients and allergy information on the outside. That is a good idea, that should be copied more often.
I also had two complimentary glasses of wine.
And how much did the salad cost? – Just nine pounds! As it was served at my seat, I think that was good value.
I asked if you could buy the meals in Standard Class. Apparently, you can and you get it in a plastic box with plastic cutlery.
So it would appear that the discrimination is in the service!
Roll On Crossrail
Yesterday was a day, when Crossrail would have been more than handy.
I went to Exeter to see an old friend and his wife and had booked myself out of Paddington on the 09:07 train.
From Hackney, getting to Paddington is not easy and I usually take the Metropolitan line to the western end of the station and walk in to the trains from the bridge. Since the new Underground station has been built, this is the easiest way to get a train for Wales and West.
Paddington station for me also presents a gluten-free breakfast problem, in that there is nowhere I would trust in the station. So I took a bus to Kings Cross station, where there is both Leon and Carluccio’s, who both do excellent gluten-free breakfasts. Yesterday, it was Leon’s turn and I left myself thirty seven minutes to get to Paddington, after finishing my egg, chorizo and beans.
But that was my downfall, as there was signalling problems on the Metropolitan line and the trains were very infrequent and crammed solid.
So I tried a taxi and the queue was hundreds long and there wasn’t a taxi in sight.
In the end I found a bus to take me up to Euston Square station, where after a wait, I got on a train to Paddington.
But I missed the train by about five minutes.
Normally, the journey takes ten minutes from Kings Cross to Paddington, but it had taken me forty-five. The Metropolitan line, which is normally one of the most reliable had let me down.
It’s on journeys like this, that Crossrail will really benefit people like me, who live in the eastern part of the capital.
I should have a choice of buses to various Crossrail stations, or I could even take the Overground to Whitechapel from Dalston Junction station, just up the road from my house.
Crossrail is going to change the east of London dramatically and not just the places, which have a station on the line.
More Sense About HS2
The Standard today has this headline on the front page.
Crossrail and HS2 Superhub Will Bring £6bn Boost to North-West London
The article goes on to describe how where HS2 and Crossrail are supposed to meet at the new Old Oak Common station is going to be developed. Here’s the first two paragraphs.
Boris Johnson is to set up an Olympic-style regeneration agency to transform a rundown area into a thriving new district and deliver a £6 billion economic boost to London.
The Mayor wants to use Crossrail links and the planned HS2 route — which will converge at Old Oak Common — to spur the creation of 80,000 homes and 20,000 jobs.
At last someone has seen some sense in how to link HS2 into London. I talked about it earlier, so I won’t repeat myself.
Stopping Suicides On The Railway
Some months ago, I posted about how the rail industry and The Samaritans were getting together to cut suicides.
Today, there is a good article about the results of that initiative, on the BBC’s web site.
The training would appear to be working.
So perhaps we ought to look at other suicide points like bridges and car parks and create some appropriate initiatives, drawing on the railway’s experience.
Speeding Between Silicon Roundabout And Cambridge Science Park
There is an article in the Sunday Times that says that Ministers want to improve the links between Silicon Roundabout and the Cambridge Science Park. Here’s the guts of the story.
The aim is to slash travelling time between them and accelerate growth in Britain’s hi-tech industries.
The trip between London and Cambridge has long been considered a stumbling block to greater collaboration between the two tech hubs.
A station is already being built at the Cambridge Science Park, which should open before 2014, although the report in the Sunday Times says this is only being considered.
The article also talks about a Shoreditch stop on a fast train from Liverpool Street station to Cambridge.
It strikes me though that if you look at the proposals for Crossrail 2, which are slated to possibly go via Dalston Junction and the Angel, then this could be eventually an integral part of the new rail route, especially if Crossrail 2 links to the West Anglia Main Line.
I say eventually, as Crossrail 2, will be unlikely to open in the next thirty years.
Alternatively, there is the option of running the fast Cambridge trains into Old Street and Moorgate stations on the Northern City line. They would then use the Great Northern route to Cambridge.The stations would need to be enlarged, but the tunnels could probably take the full-size, Class 365, trains currently used on Kings Cross to Cambridge services. Remember that Old Street station is actually under Silicon Roundabout.
There are a lot of possibilities.
Battersea Park Station
I saw something in Modern Railways about the refurbishment of this station. So I went and took a few pictures.
It may be a nice station, but it certainly isn’t one you’d use, if you had diofficulties with stairs.
East Croydon To Dalston Junction
It would appear that the cheapest way for me, to get to Brighton from where I live near Dalston Junction station in London, is to buy a ticket from East Croydon. I would get there using my Freedom Pass as the station is in Zone 5. Ideally, I’d want to buy a ticket that was valid on all services, but it seems that those that are valid on only First Capital Connect are cheaper. I found a Super Off Peak Return at £5.95.
Coming back from Brighton yesterday, I couldn’t get a fast train to London Bridge to where my return was valid, so I decided to change at East Croydon for Norwood Junction, where I could pick up the Overground for Dalston Junction.
The change wasn’t difficult at Norwood Junction, but it did entail a walk through the subway to get from Platform 3, where my connection arrived at Platform 1 for the Overground. The Overground trains run on the slow line and actually pull in between Platform 1 and Platform 2, which is a walk over from where the faster trains stop on Platform 3. Would it not be an idea, to open the doors on both sides of Overground trains, so that there would be direct access between the trains on Platform 1/2 and 3?
Norwood Junction station is being upgraded for Thameslink. This is from Wikipedia.
The project includes the lengthening of platforms, station remodelling, new railway infrastructure (e.g. viaducts) and additional rolling stock. When implemented, First Capital Connect services will call at Norwood Junction.
I hope cross platform interchange from slow to fast services is also included. it would mean that someone in a wheelchair or with limited movement could get on the Overground at a fully-accessible station like Haggerston, and then go across the platform at Norwood Junction to get on a train for Gatwick Airport and Brighton.
I went back to Norwood Junction and found that we have the bizarre situation, where passengers going South can do a cross platform interchange for East Croydon, but those coming North have to go down into the subway and up again.
A member of staff told me it was for security reasons.
The Lack Of A Standard In Buying Train Tickets
I regularly buy tickets from lots of train companies. Over the last few months, I’ve bought tickets from GreaterAnglia, East Coast, East Midland, Southern, First Great Western and Virgin to name just six of them.
Today, I bought a ticket on First Capital Connect and duly registered.
I didn’t have any serious problems, but I do have some observations.
Why is it, that I can’t have a global account, that works with all train companies? That way, I wouldn’t have to deal with several different logins and I could have access to all tickets I’ve bought and it would probably be a lot easier, to book a repeat journey. I would probably use one credit card for all tickets, so that the only thing, I would need to book, would be the security number on my card, after choosing the tickets.
I always pick up my tickets from Dalston Junction, as it is a shortish walk from my house. But some companies don’t have it on the list of their stations, where I can pick up the tickets. That is a bug to me!
In an ideal world, all of these web sites would have the same feel, even if they were to be individually branded.
I never use the all purpose sites like TheTrainLine, as when I did once, I just got a load of spam, that could probably be traced back to them. I always find that cutting out the agent is the best way to save money.
The Anonymous Widower 