I'm very sorry.

Posted on 2003/11/17 13:55:26 (November 2003) by rob.

No you're not, you work for a rail company.

How familiar is this: "I'm very sorry for the delay. The incoming service was delayed due to signal difficulties at."? Our rail network is a mess. A group of companies controlling some small section - communication between them seems minimal and costly. One company sorts out the actual track, one for the signals, one for some of the stations, another for maintenance, and then the people who run the trains on the track. Not to mention the million sub-contractors who work with this companies. Needless to say, no-one knows what is going on, or even how much they actually own!

Now, consider the ticket collector. He's been told by control that there are problems X and Y. He's also been told that it's not the company's fault. In fact, it's the fault of a sub-contractor working for the railway network (who look after the rails) who's just stopped doing business. It means that the train is one carriage too short and 15 minutes late. The driver can not 'speed up' at any point, even though the train can, to make up for lost time because the signalman won't allow it. It's not the signaller's problem because the signaller does not work for the same company as the train driver. So the train is late - and packed because more people are trying to get on a smaller train.

So the conductor comes squeezing along the carriage, trying to check tickets and sell to those who didn't manage to buy before. Now, this poor sod who is on just-above minimum wage is now the focal point for the rage of the passengers. He is genuinely sorry for the fact that their late. And not surprising, his break will get cut short at the other end as he will hve to leave on time. As apologetic as he can be, he can't make the train go any faster - not even the company he works for.

About 25% of his journeys, this chap is going to have to deal with angry customers. After a while, the apologies become plastic - practised and cold. You don't feel that he is really saying sorry. It's more of a resigned plea for people to leave the verbal tirade out next time he pushes and squeezes the length of the train. He may be working hard for the employer who is working hard to look after him, but it's not either of their fault. Of course, nationalising the railways would solve this huge bastard of a problem but that's not going to happen.

My anger now turns to the passengers. I've travelled a lot on train. I'd say more than most reading this board. Having gone to cadets twice a week for 8 years on the train (except about 6 months when I drove) and now commuting, I know the score. I'm turning my attention now to the commuter train to Gatwick - the one I get on to go to Reigate. The atmosphere is quiet - no one makes mobile calls at 8:30 in the morning and any conversations are conducted quietly. You can hear normally hear the hissed whisper of the ticket collector from the other end of a crowded train. People just want to relax before work or school. But some break this quiet. This leads me to do some classifying. There are a few distinct types of people who ride this train.

1. Commuters.
Like myself, we tend to be resigned to the fact that there is nothing we can do about the late running of the train. We just sit there quietly and read the paper, a book or stare out the window. We have our tickets at hand and our luggage is minimum. This attitude is borne from the many hours of commuting that has been had.

2. Students.
University, college and school. They are also resigned to the fact that they could be late too and know that they are doing everything they can to be on time. They tend to have more energy than commuters and thus are likely to strike up a conversation with each other. In their case, they cannot drive or do not have a car. Neither can they move home - being bound to their parents. Thus, they are trapped further by the choices their parents made. This gives an added level of carefree attitude. There is less than nothing they can do - at least the commuters can move or buy a car if they so please. Students nearly always stand, very rarely do they get seats, which is pleasant side issue.

3. Forced train travellers.
These are people who are forced to take the train. Their car is in the workshop and they must take the train. Last time they took the train was in the 60s. They have spent a fair ammount of effort deciding which service to take and how long it is going to take to get there. They have an itinerary plotted and then get stunned by the cost of the rail fare. Travelling 100 miles on the cost of petrol for 1000 miles will make them irate before they step on the train. "The train had better be comfy", they think. When the train runs late, their itinerary goes to pot. They realise tha they were naive and stupid to think that the train would run on time to the minute. They are also to think that the seats are comfy or that there is plenty of breathing room. This stupidity is only inwardly reflected, so they look for other people to blame. Our ticket collector is the focal point for this rage and they will make it verbal, trying to extract a reason so complicated the passenger would never understand it. Sorry is not enough, they want rebate, letters from the queen and the name of the ticket collector, his boss, the MD and so on. Of course, these bastards won't be writing any letters, they will just forget it when they get to the office. Their vented spleen has just ruined the day of the ticket collector, however.

4. Rare travellers.
Another deluded bunch of people are those going on the train because it's the best way to Gatwick. This lot travel rarely and have more baggage than you could imagine. Rather than putting it in the baggage rack, the have it by their seats, making it impossible for other people to do the 30 second run from their seat to the door. These people are totally bewildered by the whole idea of train travel. Chances are that they left 4 hours to do a 1 hour journey to the airport - so as not to miss their flight. They are made nervous of announcements because missing their flight would mean a poor start to their holiday.

And thus, you only really get people from class 3 complaining, but by doing so, they make the atmosphere in the train terrible for everyone else. I've only been commuting 3 or 4 weeks and already I feel sorry for the ticket collectors.

Sorry for the poor quality of that, I whacked it out at speed during lunch. I have realised my folly.

Posted by Rob Lang at 2003/11/17 14:01:18.

I am always in two minds about this issue - who to blame when it all goes wrong. Most people have worked in a customer facing role in a company at some time in their lives, and so we all know, or can imagine, how horrible it is when a customer has a right go at you.

On the other hand though, there has to be somewhere to channel these criticisms, and I can't help but feel some of the rail companies make themselves deliberately faceless.

It is important to separate individuals from companies at times. However, during my run-in with ticket inspectors on Paddington station a couple of months back, I was, by the end, angry specifically towards the individuals involved. I did not insult them, and when I had to refer to one individual I specifcally used the word "gentleman". I was so upset by the whole thing though, that it took a lot of restraint to maintain this level of politeness. My problem was largely with the staff themselves, and the unnecessarily aggressive way they dealt with the situation. I wouldn't ever go out of my way to offend an innocent member of staff who is basically a hapless cog in the system, but when they respond in utterly the wrong way, it can be very hard to hold back your frustration.

Posted by John at 2003/11/17 14:31:56.

Yes, I often feel quite embarassed about out rail system whilst living here. Yes, a lot of Hungary's rail system is old and hasn't really been changed since the demise of Communism, but it works. And it works when it's -30oC and three foot deep in snow. Also we used to have more railways and they have been taken away would you believe. For example, Wimborne where I used to live did have a railway, but they ripped it up. That's progress. Sooner or later they are going to have to sort it out because our overloaded road system is just going to grind to a halt

Posted by Simon W at 2003/11/17 14:57:17.

Hmmm. 'Out' should have read 'our' in last post...sorry

Posted by Simon W at 2003/11/17 14:58:00.

Interesting point about the facelessness of the train companies, I must admit I agree.

Posted by Rob lang at 2003/11/17 16:01:55.

There was a thing I wondered about recently with this.

It was the news story that said there were several hundred (or some simililarly stupid number) of SPAD incidents (signal passed at danger - basically a train running a red light) every month.

However, this was mentioned on one of the rare occasions where there had actually been an accident caused as the result of one of these.

Yet I feel like I'm the only person on the planet whose response was "So why the heck are there so many unnecessary red lights?"

I mean, come on! If there are hundreds of SPADs a month and only an accident relatively rarely, that must mean that 99 or so of those red lights weren't necessary, because the train could (and in fact did) pass safely through! Which, of course, is probably exactly why the drivers were running the lights - crying wolf and all that....

Posted by Mark at 2003/11/19 01:00:26.

First, a qualifier: I went on the trian every day for about 5 years, so I've seen them at their best and worst. Now the comments: Re-nationalising the railways will not help. The way they were sold-off in the first place is the problem with -as you point out- many disparate companies working together (or not, as the case may be). The trouble with a nationalised industry, is that they get their money whether they're good or not. And if they're bad, whose fault is it? Our nationalised companies are bottomless pits into which the poor old British tax payer has been pouring cash to absolutely no effect whatsoever. Bloody hell! Reading that back, I sound like the sort of bloke who would vote for Margaret Thatcher! Well, I'm not, but I believe nationalised industries are absolute dogs. Maybe selling them off will help. Maybe it won't. They railways make a bad test-case, because the selling was so hideously botched. I don't have a solution, but I can say that our government's total lack of transport strategy is destroying any hopes for an effifient British transport network. Ultimately, I believe that this is the root cause of the problem. I have sympathy for the ticket-collectors, because they do bear the brunt of the public's anger. But then, they *are* the railway's representative on the train, so they can expect a bit of flak. Of course you are right that the "Occasional" traveller is the biggest whinger. What I really can't understand, is why there is no *engineering* solution to the "Late train" problem. There should be, shouldn't there! Maybe there should be multiple, redundant points controllers (or actuators). If they don't already exist, why the hell not!? If the do, why the hell do we get point-failures? Why do we get signal failures? Surely there is a solution for this sort of thing. Leaves on the line? How about a policy of growing non-leaf-dropping trees next to the track? How difficult can it be? Come back, Isambard, this is the hour of our need! (I say! that was quite a rant, wasn't it?)

Posted by Jimmy at 2003/11/20 08:47:00.

Trains would be so much better to use if...

less people used them. In particular nutters, stop nutters getting on trains, and violet piss 'eads (football thugs).

Time tables were easy to read (anyone mistakenly read the Only on Saturday service during the week?).

Posted by Karl at 2003/11/28 01:26:58.

...and it would be handy if train opperators handed out 'sorry for arriving late' notes to passengers so that they could pass them on to the appropriate recipient when one turns up late for work or an interview, etc...

Posted by Karl at 2003/11/28 01:29:45.

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