Panicked rail passengers force 'hijacked' train to stop

[tannedfrog]

I can't see that this has been posted

http://www.metro.co.uk/news/888776-panicked-rail-passengers-force-hijacked-train-to-stop

Apparently the driver didn't tell the passengers he was going all the way to Sutton without stopping!

 

[Michael.Y]

For a paper which relies on the rail industry to carry it and promote it so that its advertisers can reach the public, Metro doesn't half carry some vitriol for the railways! Goes with being owned by the Daily Mail I guess.

 

[MK Tom]

It says in the article he did... I have a suspicion the passengers didn't understand the 'to Sutton then back to everywhere else' bit, or perhaps he didn't spell that out clearly enough, but I don't really see the call for emergency chord pulling. It's a diversion which you can complain about, not a terrorist hijacking. Very sensationalist piece of reporting IMO!

 

[lookingforit35]

Hmmm.

Articles like this are sensationalist by nature, no matter what the truth is. And I always wonder who would allow the Metro to photograph them posing to support their "hard done by" story.

Naive? Publicity seeking? Who knows, but you end up looking a prat either way as approximately 50% of the Metro readers wont believe your story and will think you have been an idiot!

 

[asylumxl]

Was probably announced, it's their problem whether they are listening or not...

 

[Michael.Y]

Most of them were probably dozing / listening to iPods / playing on iPads / reading a book / talking to friends....

 

[causton]

FCC... let's say, aren't good with communication... but see the idiots that they have to put up with as customers on Twitter and it's a tough call as to where the fault is: did the driver not announce, did the rubbish PA systems not work or were the passengers not listening?

 

[deltic1989]

This could only happen in London really, from what I have seen from my transits across our capital, London commuters seem to lack a little in the common sense department.

 

[bAzTNM]

Everytime I've been on a train in Scotland, and this has happened, the driver has always made the announcement quite a number of times before the train finally departs.

 

[DavidBusDriver]

I was working trains aswell that evening, didn't end up diverted however! But even though FCC surely has many failings in the communication front, every driver that has commented on this all agree there is no way that you would not announce such a diversion, for the very reason that we want to avoid having passenger communication alarms operated, or, as in this case, an unauthorised exit onto the track if the story is to be believed.

That is all I can say on the matter, have no further details, just tired of the media assumption that it is ALWAYS the railways fault...

 

[jopsuk]

Articles like this are sensationalist by nature, no matter what the truth is. And I always wonder who would allow the Metro to photograph them posing to support their "hard done by" story.

In front of the wrong company's train too...

 

[mrpsb]

This could only happen in London really, from what I have seen from my transits across our capital, London commuters seem to lack a little in the common sense department.

I've seen it on the very rare occasions Northern have had problems and run non-stop to Southport from Wigan when the train was almost being caught by the next Southport service. Announcements over PA, guard comes down carriages telling everyone if they need stations between Wigan and Southport to get off and get on the next train due in as soon as this one leaves.

As soon as we passed Gathurst, someone was knocking on the guard's door asking why we hadn't stopped. :roll:

 

[tom1649]

Let's hope the passenger was fined for misuse of the communication cord.

 

[jon0844]

Now the media has got involved, FCC will probably compensate the person who pulled the cord and got off the train.

I am sure the driver would have said, but can well believe that they were unable to get any sort of useful announcement put out on the platform!

I totally agree about passengers being in their own world, as I found out when I'd boarded the wrong train (thanks Atos Anne for announcing the Hertford North train as WGC) and didn't notice until Bowes Park! I had heard the driver saying something at Finsbury Park (almost certainly saying the stopping pattern) but I was watching a film on my phone and wasn't listening.

That said, depending on the stock, the PA system may work but it can often be muffled. It varies per carriage (or even part of the carriage) too - and even after subsequent refreshes, the quality of manual announcements seems totally random. At least on the systems with the proper CIS, you get clear announcements that you're likely to hear even if you've got headphones in (or enough to stop and listen). Some drivers also speak very quickly. Then, there's the issue of someone who is deaf who has no way of knowing given manual announcements won't be put in text - and 319s don't have screens anyway.

 

[trentside]

Usual sensationalist rubbish. They were shouting to people for help thinking they'd been hijacked? Really...

As usual with these forcing the doors story, it's a shame that the people involved probably won't be prosecuted for endangering themselves and other people through their actions. At the end of the day, if they haven't listened to the announcements and/or have realised the train isn't stopping where they want they should simply get off at the next station and find a way back to where they want to be. Not difficult is it?

 

[northwichcat]

Was probably announced, it's their problem whether they are listening or not...

If someone is trying to listen but can't hear it over the noise of other passengers then it's hardly their fault.

Some Northern guards don't seem to realise that their mobile can interfere with the PA system and all the passengers hear is an inaudible announcement and a lot of interference.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

At least on the systems with the proper CIS, you get clear announcements that you're likely to hear even if you've got headphones in (or enough to stop and listen).

But is it programmed to work properly during disruption? I was on a Liverpool-Birmingham 350 service after the previous two services were cancelled and due to the cancellations it was due to call at Acton Bridge, Hartford and Winsford - no trains are booked to call at all 3 stations. On that occasion the guard did manual announcements and had the automated system turned off - presumably he didn't want it to announce "The next station will be Hartford" after leaving Runcorn, leaving Acton Bridge passengers panicking.

 

[Dr.iver]

What planet do these idiot reporters live on?
Clearly the driver made a decision not announce the revised stopping pattern as it is so much fun being confronted by irate customers when you finally do stop ( for those that don't get it I was being sarcastic)
For that many people not to have heard it is more likely a PA fault on a specific coach, certainly not a good enough reason to pull the chord and then exit onto the track, maybe the passengers will get the message one day when one of them fries on the 3rd rail that this kind of behaviour is idiotic and downright dangerous

 

[trentside]

maybe the passengers will get the message one day when one of them fries on the 3rd rail that this kind of behaviour is idiotic and downright dangerous

Or worse, when one of them is hit by a passing train and killed. Then it's the driver who has to suffer with the consequences of their actions.

 

[WelshBluebird]

While I do agree that obviously the passengers were way out of order, I do think people on here have to think about about the whole communication thing.
I have lost count of the number of times I have been unable to hear announcements from drivers / guards because of a dodgy PA system, mobile interference on the PA system, the guard just talking too quietly, etc etc. It isn't totally out of possibility that either it wasn't announced, or it was announced but it was not audible.

 

[northwichcat]

While I do agree that obviously the passengers were way out of order, I do think people on here have to think about about the whole communication thing.
I have lost count of the number of times I have been unable to hear announcements from drivers / guards because of a dodgy PA system, mobile interference on the PA system, the guard just talking too quietly, etc etc. It isn't totally out of possibility that either it wasn't announced, or it was announced but it was not audible.

Yep. Also the article mentions a time of after 11pm, would they have arrived too late at Sutton for the last train back? If so, it's understandable why the passengers were panicking.

 

[monty9120]

hijacked. what the hell are they on about

he should have been arrested and jumping out of a train is just damn right stupid no matter what

 

[driver9000]

Yep. Also the article mentions a time of after 11pm, would they have arrived too late at Sutton for the last train back? If so, it's understandable why the passengers were panicking.

The article says FCC were planning on running the train back from Sutton to drop passengers off. It reads to me as though the train couldn't take the booked route to Sutton due to some kind of failure but could take the opposite road back from Sutton. Maybe the 23:01 to Sutton works the last one back to London from Sutton too?

 

[trentside]

Yep. Also the article mentions a time of after 11pm, would they have arrived too late at Sutton for the last train back? If so, it's understandable why the passengers were panicking.

While understandable, wouldn't it have been the responsibility of the TOC to ensure they reached their destination? e.g. arranging buses or taxis from Sutton to the stations where the passengers should have been able to alight.

Obviously if there were communication issues, then the situation could have been very worrying for people.

 

[Dezzero]

As a guard my bet is half the passengers had earphones in and would have heard nothing. The man who ran across the track should be found and prosecuted. He is a danger to himself and all of us who use the railway. Would he get off a boat or a plane. What about the trauma he would cause to the traincrew by his selfish attitude.

 

[CosherB]

I suppose that as this site is largely populated by rail employees or wannabes you'd expect the sort of responses we see above blaming (as usual) the passengers rather than questioning whether enough was done to inform them of a major change to their journey.

It says in the article that a train isn't allowed into service with faulty PA. That's far from my experience. Also, even when the system is working guards often have no idea how to use it and the result is unintelligable.

 

[northwichcat]

While understandable, wouldn't it have been the responsibility of the TOC to ensure they reached their destination? e.g. arranging buses or taxis from Sutton to the stations where the passengers should have been able to alight.

Yes but how many people know that? You hear of people accepting a load of ******* from Ryanair when they are stranded abroad because they don't realise what their rights are and if there's no visible conductor/guard around on the train who are they supposed to check with that they will for definite be transported home?
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

It says in the article that a train isn't allowed into service with faulty PA.

That's not what the operator have said but someone called Angus posting a reply. We don't know who Angus is or how much he knows about FCC's operations.

Trains are certainly in service with faulty PA systems and unless Southern have some expensive operation to have a member of staff in every carriage at all times a train is in service, who immediately reports a fault, then they can certainly stop working part way through a journey.

 

[tsr]

While understandable, wouldn't it have been the responsibility of the TOC to ensure they reached their destination? e.g. arranging buses or taxis from Sutton to the stations where the passengers should have been able to alight.

Obviously if there were communication issues, then the situation could have been very worrying for people.

Erm... this is FCC we're talking about... they're in a complete world of their own. I am absolutely not surprised that passengers didn't hear any announcements - they don't exactly turn them up to 11 if they make them at all - nor would I be surprised if they were all dumped at the station they didn't want. They are absolutely appalling on the customer service front, in my experience. I actually refuse to use their services, because if there is anything affecting the service, I doubt any of their procedures will actually work. Fortunately, I have the option to use other services.

 

[Aictos]

I can't see that this has been posted

http://www.metro.co.uk/news/888776-panicked-rail-passengers-force-hijacked-train-to-stop

Apparently the driver didn't tell the passengers he was going all the way to Sutton without stopping!

What rubbish, the driver would have made a announcement as it's required of them to do so - usual drivel from the Metro.

If they actually bothered to listen to the announcement then they wouldn't be complaining but sadly passengers like these are like sheep who have a set routine so anything which upsets the balance confuses the hell out of them.

I've been on FCC services before which the driver has stopped at a unbooked station to advise passengers the train was being diverted and rail replacement services were being organised from that station.

Usual sensationalist rubbish. They were shouting to people for help thinking they'd been hijacked? Really...

As usual with these forcing the doors story, it's a shame that the people involved probably won't be prosecuted for endangering themselves and other people through their actions. At the end of the day, if they haven't listened to the announcements and/or have realised the train isn't stopping where they want they should simply get off at the next station and find a way back to where they want to be. Not difficult is it?

I like this post, what you need to remember is a lot of these poor passengers are like sheep, in fact that's probably a insult to Dolly and her kind.

The driver would not reverse the train, enough said maybe :roll:

 

[northwichcat]

Just re-read this bit

First Capital Connect insisted the driver announced the diversion before last Wednesday’s journey began.

So taking that literally he/she probably announced it before all the passengers had boarded.

 

[driver9000]

It says in the article that a train isn't allowed into service with faulty PA. That's far from my experience. Also, even when the system is working guards often have no idea how to use it and the result is unintelligable.

A train is not allowed to enter service if the PA is known not to be working from a maintenance depot. It may enter service from a stabling point as long as the vehicle(s) without PA are locked out of use if possible. On DOO trains then passengers may not ride in the affected vehicles. The key here is 'known' - the PA should be tested when the train is prepared for service, and for all anyone knows the PA was working on preparation. The PA may have failed during the day at some time, no fault indication is given to a failed PA on any train I work (including those fitted with a TMS). The first indication train crew often get of a fault with the PA is when a passenger points it out to us. If a potential fault with the PA hasn't been brought to the attention of the crew during the day then it is possible that they don't know about it.