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Commuter Column - Snow shows we are the weakest link
Train delays.
Why is it that as soon as snow falls many of our rail services fail?
Last week Southern announced a reduced service in advance of the first flake falling and then failed to deliver even the reduced programme.
There did also seem to be a difference in performance between Southern and First Capital Connect, with the latter, at least from personal experience doing rather better.
Travelling to and from Bedford on Friday, January 18, I changed trains on return at Gatwick. Delay and confusion ensued.
The information screens at Gatwick had failed due to an earlier power cut and were giving out completely erroneous information.
The one staff member on the platform had no idea of what was happening to services and the only way of being sure to board the right train was to await its arrival and look at the header board and side screen information on each train.
The common characteristic of service disruption being lack of information and total absence of any train operator’s senior team on the platforms to at least make a show of empathy to those who are paying heavily for their salaries and dividends, financially and personally in time and effort.
Twenty years after the privatisation of the rail network to lower fares, improve service and efficiency most of us are still waiting.
What has transpired is almost the opposite, massive increases in rail fares, greater over crowding, fragmentation and a blame culture and inability to deal with any adverse weather.
Editor’s note: Train operators experienced extensive problems last Monday because of over-running engineering works by Network Rail between Haywards Heath and Three Bridges, which delayed the work of de-icers on the Brighton Main Line.
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Weather for Haywards Heath
Monday 20 May 2013
Today
Light rain
Temperature: 13 C to 18 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: North
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 6 C to 16 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: North
