Norman Normal

[Norman Normal @NormanNormal12]

@GC_Rail I trust it was ok to board the 0831 at Doncaster for King’s Cross given the cancellation of the 0934. Waiting until 1200 seems pretty unacceptable and there’s no sign of any other ticket acceptance.

[Norman Normal @NormanNormal12]

@welltroddenrug @adamaofficial Well you seem to have it all figured out. Of course, it could just be that he’s tested positive for Covid.

[Norman Normal @NormanNormal12]

@EastMidRailway With the tax payer keeping your shareholders happy by funding you entirely whilst you decimate service levels you’d think these million pound wastes might be reduced. Alas, no.

[Norman Normal @NormanNormal12]

@CatGuy46 @thetrainline @AvantiWestCoast Your ticket will always be valid on the next service after the one you were booked on if they change it, and often the one before. Trainline have access to the timetable data when it changes so they COULD automatically send you an email to say your train is cancelled or changed.

[Norman Normal @NormanNormal12]

@EBComedyYork1 @northernassist Did you have a valid ticket or an officially listed reason for not having one?

[Norman Normal @NormanNormal12]

@gceccles @TrainDriverIan1 Release all doors without looking. Close doors without looking. Close local door. Buzz buzz. Close the cabinet. Straight into the back cab without checking pti whilst in the platform. It’s how many guards do it where I used to work. Book open before you’re out of the platform.

[Norman Normal @NormanNormal12]

@gceccles @TrainDriverIan1 I’d hope you agree that there are significant concerns regarding it. If there weren’t, then a guard wouldn’t have been dismissed for self dispatching at a staffed station with dedicated dispatchers the other year.

[Norman Normal @NormanNormal12]

@gceccles @TrainDriverIan1 I know how rushed and limited the training is as I went through it. I have a keen interest so I furthered my learning (I am office based within the industry but not for an operator now) but the training given to guards at at least one operator is woefully inadequate.

[Norman Normal @NormanNormal12]

@gceccles @TrainDriverIan1 It was a route I used to sign, and traction I used to sign. It was NOT the procedure there, and no SDO, no communication with the driver, just a panic followed by a full release. No way to see the starting signal from the doorway either and no repeater so dispatched blind.

[Norman Normal @NormanNormal12]

@gceccles @TrainDriverIan1 Bell codes escape many guards, a few months ago I arrived at a station where the driver stopped short with the rear overhanging the platform. Nothing happened. Then the guard released the doors and stood by the local door to stop people alighting into the cess. I could go on.

[Norman Normal @NormanNormal12]

@gceccles @TrainDriverIan1 Most have no real clue how to use the PA system efficiently which would be safety critical in the event of an emergency. Training at at least one operator consists of telling them to lift the handset and press the button and talk. Nothing more. Most are broken anyway.

[Norman Normal @NormanNormal12]

@stitt1994 @northernassist @LNER Splitting your tickets does not remove your rights to catch a later service in the event of disruption (although many staff claim otherwise, especially when they earn commission for selling you a new ticket). You are allowed to travel later and claim delay repay from Northern.

[Norman Normal @NormanNormal12]

@scorpio48k @northernassist What baffles me is how they can run a reduced timetable, one they’ve created by just removing diagrams so freeing up trains yet at the same time they are using all available units. For your information there’s 60 trains stood doing nothing each day on the Northern network.

[Norman Normal @NormanNormal12]

@TrainDriverIan1 @danmcc41 Near misses and trap and drag shouldn’t even come into the equation. It shouldn’t make a difference if there’s 1 person or 6, if nobody can see, stay where you are. If that causes delays, tough, that’s the result of the railway choosing to use doo etc.

[Norman Normal @NormanNormal12]

@gceccles @TrainDriverIan1 10 seconds training is all some railway staff get on some things. 0 seconds on some others.

[Norman Normal @NormanNormal12]

@Gavhuds Your ticket was rejected so cannot possibly have been used. You have evidence of the ticket you purchased and used. You cannot use a ticket and not use a ticket at the same time. I suggest asking them to provide a deadlock letter for you to escalate this to @RailOmbudsman

[Norman Normal @NormanNormal12]

@stagetechuk @thetrainline There will be an algorithm for what it charges but it’s anyone guess what it is. It’s always £0 to book with LNER or cross country for example and both are much more helpful in the event anything goes wrong.

[Norman Normal @NormanNormal12]

@stagetechuk @thetrainline I’d strongly recommend using a different retailer and avoiding Trainline altogether. You can use any retailer (even operator ones) for any ticket. You don’t have to be using that operators trains. Eg you could use the Scotrail site to book tickets between Plymouth and Bristol.

[Norman Normal @NormanNormal12]

@SeeItSayItDoggo @RuariJM @al_corfield One of the main issues is people selecting “open return” for long distance journeys that would ordinarily allow return within a month. Split save will sometimes offer a random day return in the mix making the combination useless. It often doesn’t make it particularly clear either

[Norman Normal @NormanNormal12]

@AndrewClarke48 @northernassist @AvantiWestCoast @robjbeech generally has some information on this sort of thing.