Getting people back on trains as lockdown eases.

[Fenchurch SP]

My experience too. I used the Underground yesterday. Quite a few people weren't wearing a face covering and nobody said anything, including station staff. I did wear a face covering and I wish I hadn't. Whilst it was a pleasant temperature at street level it was quite warm onboard with a face covering on and would have been a more pleasant journey if I hadn't worn one.

Last week I was used a bus without a face covering as an experiment. The driver didn't say anything nor did any of the passengers. I must point I have complied on all TFL services I have used aside from this one short bus ride.

I've not worn a mask since December and the only time I've been challenged is by one bus driver and a couple of Southern On Board Supervisors (which made me choose Thameslink whenever I could).

 

[Bikeman78]

I've not worn a mask since December and the only time I've been challenged is by one bus driver and a couple of Southern On Board Supervisors (which made me choose Thameslink whenever I could).

I haven't seen a Southern on board supervisor for months. What do they do now?

 

[Fenchurch SP]

I haven't seen a Southern on board supervisor for months. What do they do now?

Just make announcements and do the doors/ right aways. I've not had my ticket checked since the start of Covid.

 

[dk1]

Just make announcements and do the doors/ right aways. I've not had my ticket checked since the start of Covid.

That's strange. Do they get commission? Lots of the guards on my patch are hungrier than ever. So good to see.

 

[3rd rail land]

That's strange. Do they get commission? Lots of the guards on my patch are hungrier than ever. So good to see.

To the best of my knowledge they don't do revenue so don't earn commission.

 

[bengley]

To the best of my knowledge they don't do revenue so don't earn commission.

Revenue is their main role...

 

[dk1]

To the best of my knowledge they don't do revenue so don't earn commission.

That’s odd. I thought one of the main points of it all was to make them more customer facing or am I missing something here?

 

[3rd rail land]

Revenue is their main role...

They have more responsibilities than I thought in that case.

That’s odd. I thought one of the main points of it all was to make them more customer facing or am I missing something here?

You're probably right.

 

[Ediswan]

(This was the best existing thread I could find.)

Avanti West Coast are running a TV advert which is mostly an animated roller-scating tortoise (prone to petty theft). The music. Some digging (not hard) says it is a 1977 Algerian 'Habibi Funk' song called 'Badala Zemana'.

Question: Can anybody find, or translate, the lyrics.

 

[duncanp]

(This was the best existing thread I could find.)

Avanti West Coast are running a TV advert which is mostly an animated roller-scating tortoise (prone to petty theft). The music. Some digging (not hard) says it is a 1977 Algerian 'Habibi Funk' song called 'Badala Zemana'.

Question: Can anybody find, or translate, the lyrics.

I was going to mention this advert in the "things you would ban" thread.

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

According to tonights Standard there was big upsurge in commuting this morning

Early figures showed a 19 per cent jump in passengers on the Tube network up to 9am, compared with last Tuesday, and 43 per cent more on buses. The return to work picked up even more speed during the morning and between 7am and 8am there were 277,000 “taps” on the Tube, up 24 per cent on last week, and 297,000 taps on buses, an increase of 56 per cent.
Between 8am and 9am, there were 332,000 taps on the Tube, up 22 per cent and 321,000 on buses, 71 per cent higher than last Tuesday, the comparison day as Monday was a bank holiday, according to figures from Transport for London.

Local station car park was busier and its only Monday so great to see and whilst this is TfL a fair few of these people will still be using mainline services so lets hope the operators are keeping a close eye on loadings over the next few weeks and ready to react.

 

[cactustwirly]

The traffic on my commute this morning was the worst I've seen for a long time. Does this mean that peak loadings on trains should be heading closer to normal now?

 

[island]

TfL statistics say 605,000 people touched-in on the underground between 0700-0900 on Monday 6th, 23% more than Tuesday 30th (the 29th being a bank holiday), so that’s certainly showing an increase in demand.

 

[dk1]

Passengers unable to board at Shenfield again this morning due to trains already full from the Southend & Chelmsford routes.

 

[Bikeman78]

Passengers unable to board at Shenfield again this morning due to trains already full from the Southend & Chelmsford routes.

"Hello, is that Sims metals? Can we have some of our 321s back please?"

 

[greyman42]

"Hello, is that Sims metals? Can we have some of our 321s back please?"

365's any good to you?

 

[dk1]

"Hello, is that Sims metals? Can we have some of our 321s back please?"

Oh goodness no. Roll out more 720s please.

 

[Bikeman78]

Oh goodness no. Roll out more 720s please.

Well yes, I assume most drivers are trained now. Displaced 321s could then lengthen other sets to 12 cars until more 720s arrive.

 

[dk1]

Well yes, I assume most drivers are trained now. Displaced 321s could then lengthen other sets to 12 cars until more 720s arrive.

I think most if not all GEML drivers are passed now & building well on the West. There has been a lull in delivering 720s but should be back on track again.

 

[Bishopstone]

Passengers unable to board at Shenfield again this morning due to trains already full from the Southend & Chelmsford routes.

Would it be at all controversial to direct them to the nice, empty, TfL Rail services?

 

[dk1]

Would it be at all controversial to direct them to the nice, empty, TfL Rail services?

Which are very very busy beyond Romford. Probably not a great idea.

 

[Bikeman78]

Which are very very busy beyond Romford. Probably not a great idea.

Agreed. They were full and standing between Stratford and Ilford way back in May.

 

[dk1]

Agreed. They were full and standing between Stratford and Ilford way back in May.

That they where. I drive alongside them & can vouch for their popularity. TfL announced earlier this year that that part of their network had recovered much quicker.

 

[Bishopstone]

Which are very very busy beyond Romford. Probably not a great idea.

Tongue in cheek comment on my part, remembering the great ‘Reading Commuters’ debates on this forum in the period 2015-2019, where a number of members thought it was wrong for said commuters to pile onto long distance HSTs and spoil the ambience of their Pullman breakfasts, when there were perfectly good Turbo stopping services available.

If I commuted from Shenfield, I’d be holding-out for the Greater Anglia services as well. Hopefully the new timetable on Monday will provide sufficient capacity.

 

[js1000]

Overall passenger journeys recovered to around their pre-crisis levels in late May and have remained steady since, standing at 49.4 million total passenger journeys in week beginning 30th August. However, TfGM data shows that passengers are continuing to use public transport less frequently. Journeys by Bus, Metrolink and Rail are -62%, -66% and -25% below pre-crisis levels respectively. Cycling and Walking are both 22% above pre-crisis levels. Car journeys are -4% below precrisis levels. Google data on the number of journeys taking place across GM shows that the recovery in the number of people travelling to Grocery and Pharmacy locations has increased, on Thursday 2nd September only Rochdale remained below pre-Covid levels. Travel to workplaces across GM was -37% below its precrisis level on 2nd September.

https://democracy.greatermanchester-ca.gov.uk/documents/s16728/12 Economic Resilience Dashboard and Economy Update GMCA 24 September 2021.pdf

Now only -20% down on pre-pandemic passenger levels in Greater Manchester. Pretty good going considering the average is about -40% down.

 

[Ianno87]

Now only -20% down on pre-pandemic passenger levels in Greater Manchester. Pretty good going considering the average is about -40% down.

Greater Manchester seems to have near-chronic road congestion, which must be starting to push people back to rail again.

 

[Jamesrob637]

Now only -20% down on pre-pandemic passenger levels in Greater Manchester. Pretty good going considering the average is about -40% down.

Commuter trains in GM are still well down unless something amazing happened last week. So the overall decrease on pre-COVID must be leisure being at equal or above how it used to be.

Greater Manchester seems to have near-chronic road congestion, which must be starting to push people back to rail again.

The population of GM is swelling and is higher than it's ever been, even before swathes of people moved down south or to the coast in the 70s and 80s.