Traincrew exchanging between trains mid-journey

[2192]

Do you mean traincrew as in drivers or the entire traincrew including catering staff?

I vagely remember on the Carlisle - Stranraer line the complete catering vehicle was detached from one train and added to the other where they crossed, not just the staff. (The train receiving it didn't have a catering vehicle, so it wasn't an exchange.)

 

[Gloster]

The problem is, the crews would need to pass over that extra section of line at least once every 6 months to remain competent. You'd need pretty frequent route refreshes to stay competent. Also, if traincrew worked all the way through to the next crossing point and back again there's a real risk they'd need a PNB before they completed the journey.

The current system works pretty well - especially as there's already flexibility with the option of swapping Llandrindrod and Llanwrtyd. Beyond that it's probably more hassle than it's worth.

Agreed, but I think it is a case of the bean-counters overruling the operators. My suggestion could quite possibly reduce the delays to passengers, but the accountants are only concerned with delays that they have to pay for. Spending money to reduce delays that their company doesn’t have to pay for is not their concern, even if it improves the overall ‘customer experience’. Nor are they interested in retaining passengers beyond the end of their contract.

As regards PNBs: the crew on the train that is on time are still going to have to wait until the other train arrives. They don’t get back to their depot any earlier.

 

[craigybagel]

Agreed, but I think it is a case of the bean-counters overruling the operators. My suggestion could quite possibly reduce the delays to passengers, but the accountants are only concerned with delays that they have to pay for. Spending money to reduce delays that their company doesn’t have to pay for is not their concern, even if it improves the overall ‘customer experience’. Nor are they interested in retaining passengers beyond the end of their contract.

As regards PNBs: the crew on the train that is on time are still going to have to wait until the other train arrives. They don’t get back to their depot any earlier.

It would cost a fortune though. You're talking about ~200 traincrew needing to learn new track, and once learned they'd most likely need at least an extra 2 days a year off trains to remain competent, to slightly reduce the delays that only occur very rarely anyway.

In the 6 years that that was one of the lines I worked as a guard, I never once encountered a scenario where crossing at Llandovery or Knighton would have improved the punctuality of my train - but to be able to do that, I'd have required a week of training (and given I could only do one round trip a day that's being generous), and 12 days over the course of my career to refresh the route. 12 days when I could otherwise have been used gainfully to work a train.

Multiply that by 200, and add in the extra time drivers need for route learning over guards, and it starts to get kinda pricey.

 

[asdirective]

Does it no longer happen on the Cambrian Coast?

Pwllheli certainly used to have a very generous view of the manning agreement to allow it to happen.

During covid, Mach and Pwhelli crews swapped trains at Tywyn on one service. This was a diagrammed swap, due to break issues because of the reduced timetable.

It may still happen on a Sunday, but I'm not certain.

 

[Deafdoggie]

Agreed, but I think it is a case of the bean-counters overruling the operators. My suggestion could quite possibly reduce the delays to passengers, but the accountants are only concerned with delays that they have to pay for. Spending money to reduce delays that their company doesn’t have to pay for is not their concern, even if it improves the overall ‘customer experience’. Nor are they interested in retaining passengers beyond the end of their contract.

As regards PNBs: the crew on the train that is on time are still going to have to wait until the other train arrives. They don’t get back to their depot any earlier.

These aren't routes that suffer delays of great magnitude very often. I think the time and expensive would outweigh any gain. The money could be much better spent elsewhere.

 

[berneyarms]

The chances of delays on the HOWL requiring crews having such extended route knowledge are extremely slim.

Due to the constraints imposed by slots on the main lines at either end, there is lots of slack in the timetable and as a result if one train is late, the delay is recovered fairly easily.

 

[Joshua_Harman]

Saw Southern drivers changing at Eadt Croydon Before

 

[Pokelet]

Not sure if this fits into this category but there looks to be a strange 'shuffle' at Worcester Shrub Hill each morning. A Gloucester crew bring a Turbo in and round to Foregate. An Oxford crew bring in a Turbo and it terminates at P1, shunts in and out of the long siding to allow a Dorrige service to start then forms a Weymouth service. The other Turbo comes back from Foregate onto P2 as the halts service to Didcot Parkway presumably with the Gloucester and Oxford crews swapping units.

 

[swt_passenger]

Saw Southern drivers changing at Eadt Croydon Before

Was that specifically swapping between 2 trains with a pair of different crews, with no break, and both returning where they’d just come from?

The question being discussed is quite rare isn’t it?