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Longest distance - depot to start?

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traingeek97

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Ashford (AD) Thameslink Drivers are currently Route learning (in Training Bubbles given current circumstances)
London Kings Cross-Welwyn Garden City including Welwyn Sidings and the Hornsey flyover (but not the depot) in preparation for a Peak hour Sevenoaks-Welwyn Garden City service expected to start next May.
Mod note: posts 1-3 were originally posted in this thread

How much driving do Ashford drivers get to do? Surely a lot of their time is taken up by travelling between Ashford and Sevenoaks. Also, what do they do about the early starts and late finishes? Do they get a taxi from Ashford to Sevenoaks, or can they book on/book off there?
 
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Watershed

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How much driving do Ashford drivers get to do? Surely a lot of their time is taken up by travelling between Ashford and Sevenoaks. Also, what do they do about the early starts and late finishes? Do they get a taxi from Ashford to Sevenoaks, or can they book on/book off there?
It's far from the longest distance that a depot might do.

Crossrail Abbey Wood drivers currently pass on Southeastern services to London and then the Tube to get to Paddington, sometimes followed by a taxi to Old Oak Common depot, to keep up their route knowledge on the western section. Similarly for Ilford/Shenfield drivers and vice versa for Maidenhead drivers.

Avanti Liverpool drivers taxi to Holyhead for the first and last trains of the day. In pre-Covid days I'm sure they used to be as early as 4am and as late as 11:30pm. That must have been a pretty gruelling shift - I imagine they must have been relieved at Chester or Crewe.
 

Horizon22

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It's far from the longest distance that a depot might do.

Crossrail Abbey Wood drivers currently pass on Southeastern services to London and then the Tube to get to Paddington, sometimes followed by a taxi to Old Oak Common depot, to keep up their route knowledge on the western section. Similarly for Ilford/Shenfield drivers and vice versa for Maidenhead drivers.

Avanti Liverpool drivers taxi to Holyhead for the first and last trains of the day. In pre-Covid days I'm sure they used to be as early as 4am and as late as 11:30pm. That must have been a pretty gruelling shift - I imagine they must have been relieved at Chester or Crewe.

Crossrail of course is temporary due to the endless delays. I doubt they will be doing this once the Central section opens. Also I've definitely seen earlier than 4am in some TOCs!
 

Watershed

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Crossrail of course is temporary due to the endless delays. I doubt they will be doing this once the Central section opens.
Yes, wouldn't make any sense (I can't see Abbey Wood drivers being taxied to OOC either, that's what the OOC depot is there for!).

Also I've definitely seen earlier than 4am in some TOCs!
Oh absolutely, but booking on at around 2am in advance of a ~2 hour taxi ride has got to be pretty "unique" - up there with the daily 125-mile ECS from Barton under Needwood to Reading!
 
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zero

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Why don't / can't they stay in a hotel in Holyhead, and travel free (to the TOC) on an earlier / later train like pilots and flight attendants do on overnight stops?
 

Watershed

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Why don't / can't they stay in a hotel in Holyhead, and travel free (to the TOC) on an earlier / later train like pilots and flight attendants do on overnight stops?
Such lodging does occur - for example with the Caledonian and Riviera Sleepers, as well as LNER Newcastle crews lodging overnight to work the Aberdeen and Inverness services.

However these are very much edge cases, and in most circumstances it's still cheaper to have crew coming in on a taxi.

You have to consider that there are significant lodging allowances and costs to pay, not to mention additional time off in lieu. Whereas with a taxi it's "just" a few dead hours and the cost of the taxi itself.
 

tiptoptaff

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Not booked but we've had Exeter drivers book on and taxi to Penzance for a train before now. Swansea guards to London by taxi.

Don't suppose it counts though
 

MP393

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There used to be a Crewe driver & guard taxi from Crewe - Northampton at around 3am under London Midland. Not sure if this still happens
 

tiptoptaff

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What is the logic behind putting drivers in taxis to Holyhead when they already have TMs based there?
There's not any drivers....

There's long been plans to have a HHD driver depot, I'm sure I saw an advert at one time, I'm guessing Covid got in the way of it finally opening for now
 

PHILIPE

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I remember in the earlier days of privatisation Cross Country had a big sort out of Depots and although Newcastle and Leeds have now returned, a Derby driver was taxied from Derby to Newcastle early in the morning. Nobody has yet pointed out the early morning EMR ride from Nottingham to Liverpool
 

Need2

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It probably is a taxi , AFAIK there is no booking on point at Sevenoaks
There is a remote signing on point at Sevenoaks with most drivers either driving there own car or getting a taxi from there home address.


How much driving do Ashford drivers get to do? Surely a lot of their time is taken up by travelling between Ashford and Sevenoaks.
Not a lot and yes it is!
 

43066

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However these are very much edge cases, and in most circumstances it's still cheaper to have crew coming in on a taxi.

You have to consider that there are significant lodging allowances and costs to pay, not to mention additional time off in lieu. Whereas with a taxi it's "just" a few dead hours and the cost of the taxi itself.

Derby to London by taxi (around three hours, 130ish miles), for both TMs and drivers, isn’t unknown. Admittedly this isn’t typical and is usually in response to crew shortages or other unusual circumstances.

And for that matter Derby to Leeds is a regular booked job both ways AIUI, for late/early EMR Leeds services which stable at Neville Hill depot. Around 75 miles by road.
 

Class2ldn

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There is a remote signing on point at Sevenoaks with most drivers either driving there own car or getting a taxi from there home address.



Not a lot and yes it is!
Ah I dont go down that way now since blackfriars closed.
Would make sense for Orpington drivers especially if they are pass to start
 

43066

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Ah I dont go down that way now since blackfriars closed.
Would make sense for Orpington drivers especially if they are pass to start

The Sevenoaks room is in the old red star parcel office downstairs next to the car park. Absolute hovel of a place with a sewage pipe that kept rupturing, making the whole place stink to high heaven, if memory serves.

(It might have been improved as part of the wider TL investment, I’m going back around three years).
 

Class2ldn

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I know the room as I used to use it when I had a break there, like you say a right dive of a room, just didn't realise it was a signing on point. Didn't someone half inch the TV aswell lol
 

Need2

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I know the room as I used to use it when I had a break there, like you say a right dive of a room, just didn't realise it was a signing on point. Didn't someone half inch the TV aswell lol
Still a hovel but with a tv that looks like you’re watching through snow, TL pay for the tv license but SE won’t let them put a proper aerial up!
 

mmh

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Why don't / can't they stay in a hotel in Holyhead, and travel free (to the TOC) on an earlier / later train like pilots and flight attendants do on overnight stops?

I can't see a night in the Holyhead Travelodge (and it would be, as that's pretty much all there is) being more appealing than a night at home.
 

Dai Corner

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Still a hovel but with a tv that looks like you’re watching through snow, TL pay for the tv license but SE won’t let them put a proper aerial up!
A poor signal gave a snowy picture back in the analogue days but with digital TV you'll get blocky or frozen pictures or nothing at all.
 

DanNCL

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LNER crews travel between Edinburgh and Glasgow. From my own observations in 2019, the guard travelled back to Edinburgh as a passenger. Presumably the driver will have had a taxi to/from Polmadie.
 

Watershed

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Along those lines, I suppose another 'award' must go to the TPE Glasgow depot.

Most of their ECML work involves taking a taxi from Glasgow Central to Queen Street, followed by a pass ride to Edinburgh, followed by a pass ride to Newcastle. They have a break, then work the train to Edinburgh, pass back to Queen St and taxi to Central. Sometimes it's the other way around, and obviously some diagrams involve the driver getting a set on or off Craigentinny.

Shifts of roughly 9 hours to do about 1.5 hours' productive work.
 

craigybagel

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What is the logic behind putting drivers in taxis to Holyhead when they already have TMs based there?

There's not any drivers....

There's long been plans to have a HHD driver depot, I'm sure I saw an advert at one time, I'm guessing Covid got in the way of it finally opening for now
Initially post privatisation First North Western drivers were used (I believe both Holyhead and Chester based) to work Virgin services down the coast. With the transition to Voyagers and hauled Pendolinos Virgin brought the driving in house at the nearest available depots, Liverpool and Manchester. Presumably given the relatively limited service (IIRC at the time it was 5 to Holyhead plus 2 to Bangor) per day it wasn't seen as worthwhile.

A Holyhead depot for drivers has been talked about for years and Avanti recently finally confirmed it was happening and advertised for qualified drivers. As Tiptoptaff says though it's all gone quiet of late.

Similarly they're meant to be opening a drivers depot at Crewe. At present, various drivers from various depots end up there during the night bringing Voyagers on and off Arriva Train Care (including one that comes back from Holyhead) - and I believe there's a fair bit of taxi work involved. It's not been advertised although one suspects there are a lot more internal candidates looking to transfer to Crewe than is the case with Holyhead..... Although there certainly used to be at least one Liverpool driver who actually lived in Holyhead and swapped on to jobs that started or finished there as often as possible!
 
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route101

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LNER crews travel between Edinburgh and Glasgow. From my own observations in 2019, the guard travelled back to Edinburgh as a passenger. Presumably the driver will have had a taxi to/from Polmadie.
I wonder what happens with the morning service from Glasgow at 0648? Taxi to Glasgow from Edinburgh I guess.
 

Watershed

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I wonder what happens with the morning service from Glasgow at 0648? Taxi to Glasgow from Edinburgh I guess.
In theory the guard could have a pass ride on the Fort William portion of the Caledonian Sleeper, departing at 04:50. But I doubt it.
 

craigybagel

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In theory the guard could have a pass ride on the Fort William portion of the Caledonian Sleeper, departing at 04:50. But I doubt it.
It wouldn't be unprecedented. In the days of Virgin, Preston based crews were booked to travel on the sleeper between there and Crewe. Pretty sure that's a taxi job now though.
 

Ceat0908

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I wonder what happens with the morning service from Glasgow at 0648? Taxi to Glasgow from Edinburgh I guess.
The driver of the service through to Glasgow sits with the train at polmadie until something like 4/5 in the morning then gets a taxi back. The driver in the morning taxis through and picks it up at polmadie. The guard travels pass back in the evenings and the morning one is taxid through along with catering staff.
 

Callmo

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If we are bringing a train back from Felixstowe it’s a case of passenger train to Ipswich from Peterborough then either taxi from Ipswich to Felixstowe or train to Felixstowe station then taxi to our train at the docks.

Quite a journey!
 

221129

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We had a Train Manager taxi'd from Newcastle to Edinburgh at 2am to work a train back to Newcastle due to sickness last week.
 
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