Northern: DO NOT TRAVEL 24th & 31st December

[Tetchytyke]

I would be surprised if Morecambe did have zero services, given that some of them are crewed from Skipton (i.e. the 'East').

I thought that had changed, with the ‘east’ crew being swapped at Lancaster for their break? I might be/probably am wrong.

Alternatives are worse on a Sunday too, with fewer buses and the express bus from Heysham down the bypass not running.

It is fair to blame government for wasting 18 months in an industrial dispute, without forcing a resolution to this issue

The resolution is a very simple resolution: increase headcount so we can have a proper 7-day railway without relying on overtime.

Instead the government tried to force mandatory overtime.

The TOCs didn’t sort this in the past because- generally speaking- overtime is cheaper. But it leaves them at risk sometimes.

Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve falling on a Sunday has long been an issue in the north west. This goes back to First North Western days.

 

[InkyScrolls]

I thought that had changed, with the ‘east’ crew being swapped at Lancaster for their break? I might be/probably am wrong.

There are five services from Leeds which run through to Morecambe (the 0819, 1018, 1218, 1418 and 1726); all bar the 1418 maintain a Skipton driver throughout. The 1418 changes to a Wigan crew at Lancaster but due to chronic crew shortages there generally isn't a Wigan driver available, with the Skipton driver being requested to work it through to Morecambe.

Source: I'm a Skipton driver.

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

The resolution is a very simple resolution: increase headcount so we can have a proper 7-day railway without relying on overtime.

Instead the government tried to force mandatory overtime.

The TOCs didn’t sort this in the past because- generally speaking- overtime is cheaper. But it leaves them at risk sometimes.

Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve falling on a Sunday has long been an issue in the north west. This goes back to First North Western days.

Northern are already the most expensive operator per passenger carried although if you were to remove the more rural social routes it would no doubt improve to nearer the national norm. Given its finances that massively influences DafTs behaviour currently its unlikely this will be fixed anytime soon especially as its largely affecting the Labour mayoral areas. The real issue though is that many operators who failed to tackle the working arrangements of its staff on which they are utterly dependant to provide the advertised service. A franchisee would have been penalised here OLR just send the bill to the Treasury and nothing changes. Oh and plenty of the railway press will tell us what a great job OLR are doing vs the previous bus bandits. Personally Northern should just cull the Sunday service in its entirety at any depot that depends on overtime so no further money is wasted on other staff and resources just standing around getting paid.

 

[Geeves]

There is often talk about Northern requiring the highest subsidy in the country but again if you took the likes of GWR, EMT or even South West trains and hived off all their most profitable routes in their area to an entirely different operator that then collects all the revenue, has the best trains and gets the preferential treatment at the boxes you would likely soon see that the actually the express trains are helping pay for the branch lines... and the local routes would be requiring money to run. It was madness to hive off TPE from the start.

Or the other suggestion is just to chop the local rural lines to bits and wonder why they have no passengers because the timetable is awful

Anyway all in all as far as trains out of Vic have ran today its not been bad at all. All the Calder Valley trains have ran and have been five cars. Cant complain too much today

 

[skyhigh]

There are five services from Leeds which run through to Morecambe (the 0819, 1018, 1218, 1418 and 1726); all bar the 1418 maintain a Skipton driver throughout. The 1418 changes to a Wigan crew at Lancaster but due to chronic crew shortages there generally isn't a Wigan driver available, with the Skipton driver being requested to work it through to Morecambe.

Source: I'm a Skipton driver.

What about conductors?

 

[InkyScrolls]

What about conductors?

Skipton conductors work all five through to Morecambe.

 

[skyhigh]

Skipton conductors work all five through to Morecambe.

Thanks

 

[InkyScrolls]

Thanks

No worries!

 

[Starmill]

It is the TOCs who raised pay since 1995, such that Sunday working is no longer appealing, but didn't reform the contracts so that staff actually have to work on Sundays. The staff are rostered, but can simply decline the duty. It is fair to blame government for wasting 18 months in an industrial dispute, without forcing a resolution to this issue.

In the case of Northern, all decisions at senior level must come from the Department. There simply is nobody other than the Government who is responsible, and hasn't been now for many years.

 

[Tetchytyke]

Source: I'm a Skipton driver.

Thanks, I thought they’d changed all of them. I did say I was probably wrong

 

[Mag_seven]

Apparently the next time Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve is on a Sunday is in 2028. Hopefully Northern will have sorted out the issue by then.