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AIBU?

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Original poster

Trains are a fucking shitshow

86 replies

Amethystbluexo · 01/05/2022 15:33

Seriously, they are. Before 2022 they was half alright. They turned up on time, never cancelled, was reasonably priced and wasn’t overcrowded, that’s on my northern route anyway.

Now they’re fucking chaotic, disastrous even. I bought a railcard last year to save money, tickets have now increased in price to the point they’re now originally the same price as they would of been without one.

Constant cancellations. I used to travel regularly and they were fine, now in the past six months every single journey has had a disruption. Either cancelling last minute, cancelling the service halfway through, setting off late. I have been left to wait at Sheffield for over three hours on two occasions because they’re cancelling trains left right and centre. It’s a joke and entirely unreliable.

Overcrowding is now piss poor. I know Northern for a fact are now operating on reduced carriages even on the busier services and it shows. I’ve had seats booked and i’ve turned up to find people sat in them. I ask them politely to move and they either ignore me or tell me to fuck off. Even worse recently a train was so busy, nobody else could even get on because we was packed like sardines at the door. People swearing, getting pissed, there was a woman with a pushchair who burst into tears on one station because she couldn’t get on, not even the ticket man could make his way around.

Not to mention customer service is piss poor. They blame everything on staff shortages and covid but it’s been like this for atleast six months now. I tweet them or send an email and they just send a link for delay refund. However, twice i’ve tried to reclaim on my journey and twice it was rejected.

Honestly, the thought of getting on trains now makes me sick. It’s so so stressful. I would travel on trains each month to my parents house but i’ve reduced this heavily as trains are just so shit. The stress and expenses just doesn’t feel worth it. Even the behaviour of people on stations are shit as i’ve had one man smack me with his bike, and then had an another old lady pull my hair.

Opinions please?

OP posts:
User135644 · 01/05/2022 18:11

Ultimately whenever the Tories are in power long enough every public service will go to shit.

DorritLittle · 01/05/2022 18:12

There is still a driver shortage. Also passenger trains in most cases have to have a guard. The solution of letting trains travel without one, people didn't want. Covid is still affecting trains for these reasons.

Aside from this, yes, and rail transport that does not go via London is especially poor. Turns out privatisation really was a crap decision after all.

JingsWullie · 01/05/2022 18:12

Public transport in the UK is famously overpriced and very poor quality and has been for a long time. Maybe you'd forgotten how bad it was if you weren't travelling very much in the past two years.

I think it's why a lot of the talk about reducing car use falls on deaf ears - it feels like we're being hectored for driving when in many circumstances driving is the only feasible option for getting to where we need to go. Which is appalling in a country like this - fairly small, few massive open spaces, no extreme weather or topography etc. But that's how it is.

JaffavsCookie · 01/05/2022 18:14

So true about Northern
DC came home yesterday
should be a simple journey, one train major city to major city, then catch the local train out
They literally couldn’t fit on the first local train it was so rammed at 9pm the conductor told them to wait for the next one ( an hour later) when that one came they took an extra ten minutes trying to squeeze all the passengers on to it, at the first stop out of the city apparently more folk were trying to get on but literally no space at all and they ended up being 30 mins late on that part of the journey which should only be a 20 min trip.
They have basically halved the number of trains, and reduced the number of carriages on those that run. Utter shit show.

User135644 · 01/05/2022 18:20

no extreme weather or topography etc

It's rarely extreme but even so, if it rains heavily the line gets flooded and you're stranded. Leaves on the line in autumn. Any snow and you're stranded. If the winds are strong a tree will blow over onto the track and you're stranded. If it's hot the rails will melt and you're stranded.

NightmareSlashDelightful · 01/05/2022 18:27

I've been left stranded so often in the last year with trains - often TransPennine Express but sometimes Northern, LNER, CrossCountry and ScotRail too - that I've simply given up using them. Either that or crammed onto carriages with large groups of drunk people. Cancelled services cost me money because I can't get to my clients in other cities.

I now fly or drive instead.

Lonelycrab · 01/05/2022 18:31

If the hundreds of billions that was wasted on hs2 was instead spent on upgrading the existing network, things would be a lot better.

Hs2 will only benefit a few dozen people, the ones that saving ten minutes is important. The rest of the network rots, but hey ho…Hmm

PronounssheRa · 01/05/2022 18:34

Before 2022 they was half alright. They turned up on time, never cancelled, was reasonably priced and wasn’t overcrowded, that’s on my northern route anyway.

Northern rail have been a nightmare for years. Dirty trains, often late or cancelled. You are lucky you have avoided this until now.

twitter.com/NorthernFaiI this twitter account dedicated to the failings of NR has been operating since 2015

Cheeseandlobster · 01/05/2022 18:34

Northern cancelled the last train from Sheffield to where I live a few weeks ago and made no provision for people to get home.

It was worse about 2 years ago though and that's why they lost the franchise. It was heavily publicised in the papers.

Oldraver · 01/05/2022 18:35

Turned up at a train station yesterday to find the platforms absolutely heaving as no one was allowed on the packed train, and the train not moving as too may people were crowding the doors making pulling away unsafe. It was mayhem

FrippEnos · 01/05/2022 18:37

I suspect that its been mentioned but southern has been shit for decades

SecretVictoria · 01/05/2022 18:38

Who was the operator you reserved seats with? Northern rail do not have seat reservations.

Topseyt123 · 01/05/2022 18:39

I agree, OP. About once a month I have to use Cross Country trains between Stansted Airport and Birmingham New Street. It used to be quite a good service, but is now much reduced in frequency and shambolic.

In fact, it is an utter disgrace.

LakieLady · 01/05/2022 18:42

Scianel · 01/05/2022 18:00

Southern has been a shitshow for at least a decade.

Make that half a century.

It was shit when I was commuting in the 70s, and although I've not had to use it for commuting since then, I get trains a few times a year and it's always a nightmare.

They even manage to fuck up the roads sometimes, too. They had rail replacement buses for a few weeks, because of works on the track, and sent them via some really narrow streets in town, rather than use the high street, which would have been slightly longer. Three times in one week a wide bus going up a steep narrow hill met a wide lorry coming down, got stuck and half the town ended up gridlocked in the time it took to sort it out.

kitcat15 · 01/05/2022 18:42

I use Merseyrail and Avanti West..,never had a problem with either

DashboardConfessional · 01/05/2022 18:46

The line near me isn't too bad but I have just been looking at getting from the South West to Yorkshire for a weekend in the summer. £300, advance! I'm going to grit my teeth, save 2 hours and drive.

bigbluebus · 01/05/2022 18:46

Same here. I've lost count of the number of times I've had to bail either DS or DH out when trains have been delayed or cancelled and they can't get to our home station or get to their connecting train on time. I really pity anyone who catches the train out of necessity without a back up person with a car at the end of the phone. Thank goodness we're only 35 min drive to Crewe Station as they can usually get that far on their way home at least - or I can drive them there to meet their connection.

woodhill · 01/05/2022 18:47

Lonelycrab · 01/05/2022 18:31

If the hundreds of billions that was wasted on hs2 was instead spent on upgrading the existing network, things would be a lot better.

Hs2 will only benefit a few dozen people, the ones that saving ten minutes is important. The rest of the network rots, but hey ho…Hmm

Yes it's disgusting and has caused so much environmental damage and ruined homes etc.

Basketet · 01/05/2022 18:50

YANBU. Poor railway services and infrastructure are just another example of how this country is steadily slipping into third world status.

All the while the turkeys keep voting for Christmas!

Andante57 · 01/05/2022 18:51

SpindleInTheWind · 01/05/2022 17:51

I remember the days where you get a train to catch a flight without having to set off the day before to be on the safe side.

Yes. When we go to London from the South West we catch the earlier train to make sure we are on time for whatever we are doing.

LadyJGrey · 01/05/2022 18:55

kitcat15 · 01/05/2022 18:42

I use Merseyrail and Avanti West..,never had a problem with either

Avanti West Coast used to be Virgin West Coast. Which did have issues.
What fucks me right off is if I reserve a seat then reservations are cancelled, leading to mayhem. Drives me mad.

Shunter350 · 01/05/2022 18:57

I'm not going to get involved in this because I'll get flamed no matter what..
I'm a Train Driver with ScotRail..
I also take an interest in transport and local politics..

Passenger behaviour is a social problem not the railway companies.
To a certain extent also the "dirty" trains.

However, since the late 1940's the railway system has been HUGELY underfunded nearly always to the benefit of the road lobby.
It is irrelevant the colour of the political rosette.. it's all lip service. Seriously. Politicians only care about the next five years and all are terrified of tackling the motorist and the car monopoly.
I own a car btw..
Good example.,
There was a huge project in the central belt between Edinburgh and Glasgow to electrify and build new railways.
It was budgeted for ...then...
£3 billion ( yes BILLION ) was taken from the project to enhance the A9.
The railway project was severely cut back with all the usual spin.
I'll leave it to others to discuss whether the politicians involved have constituencies in the area..
Oh and btw the same politicians have the temerity to cut back a scheme to enhance the adjacent railway and then have the absolute temerity to criticise ScotRail for the poor service.

Shunter350 · 01/05/2022 18:58

Oh and the fare structure is set by the government. It's never been set by the railway companies.

Minesril · 01/05/2022 19:00

The train I get to work was great pre covid. Now it's rubbish. It's the one thing stopping me going back to the office - I can't be standing on a train station worrying about getting back for the school pick up. (Which is a shame because the canteen cakes are epic.)

LauraNicolaides · 01/05/2022 19:01

User135644 · 01/05/2022 18:03

You only get a decent train service if it's to or from London.

Now they're building HS2 to continue that theme.

I'm guessing this is true then. We live in central London without a car, and use trains when we need to get elsewhere. To me they seem fine, the odd hiccough, but not the disaster I'm reading about here. But I think there's a lot of money to be made on the London commuter services, which means they work well even at off-peak times when we use them.