howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
courtesy of which magazine,our local service is panned again.
For the first time, Which? has surveyed train passengers to find out what they think of the train companies they use.
The Which? survey paints a mixed picture of the service provided by train companies, with some passengers experiencing overcrowding, erratic punctuality and poor value for money.
Mixed results for train companies
Survey satisfaction scores ranged from 64% for top-rated company Virgin Trains to 40% for bottom-ranked Southeastern.
Commuter companies generally received lower scores than train companies carrying a higher proportion of leisure passengers.
Keith Sansum1
- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,942
ALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS
Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
- Posts: 7,819
lol!!
The reason that the leisure passengers get a better service is because they are not a captive audience. They have to be sold the idea. The commuter on the other hand generall sticks to his regular train through thick and thin because he has little choice, he/she therefore will come down the pecking order. You see these reports on TV regularly and it is rare to see a satisfied commuter.
HMG I beleive have promised us longer trains...so there!
Keith Sansum1- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,942
without doubt paulb there is no encouragement to get people out of cars and onto trains.trains are to expensive, captive audience is correct, but train companies need to do more.
having said that south east trains knows that there trains are over full in commuter time, and they cannot get any more passengers into london
ALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS
Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
- Posts: 7,819
The best PR the railway network has had in recent times by a mile is that terrific programme Michael Portillo does called Great British Railway journeys. That has been terrific and shows rail travel at its best. Off peak travel of course...but commuter travelling is hell in comparison. It used to be in my day years ago. Packed in like sardines was the norm. And you wouldnt put a pig on the tube system at rush hour.
They penalise the motorist at every turn, years ago the idea was to get motorists onto the trains, but now the train is more packed than ever and of course so are the roads, and as we said travel by rail is very expensive. The solution hasnt been found.
Keith Sansum1- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,942
yes to expensive so all south east trains can do is concentrate on the off peak
ALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS
I would never take a train to commute - I always use the car. I know how unPC that is, but as a disabled (mildly) woman there is no way I could sustain that commute and survive! Trains at peak times are over priced and a rotten service.
Keith Sansum1- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,942
unmderstand that bern
ALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS
Ross Miller
- Location: London Road, Dover
- Registered: 17 Sep 2008
- Posts: 3,706
Well as someone who does commute every day, I have nothing but praise for the southeastern HighSpeed service, almost always on time, rarely if ever unable to get a seat, almost always clean and all of the On Board Managers are pleasant etc.
"Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today." - James Dean
"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength,
While loving someone deeply gives you courage" - Laozi
Guest 725- Registered: 7 Oct 2011
- Posts: 1,418
Dunno why they just don't build another motorway to London and leave the train to those who like the idea of travelling in cattle wagons. Far better in my opinion and you don't have to endure the agony of sitting next to all those other smelly passengers and mobile phone oiks telling their spouses they're on the train.
Radio on, window open, wind in your hair and the feeling that you only get when you know you are in your own little space in this heavily built up part of England. Heck I'd even pay a toll for the pleasure.
Guest 705- Registered: 23 Sep 2010
- Posts: 661
At last Ross-a realistic appraisal. I think they do ok on the high speed too.
Never give up...
Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
- Posts: 7,819
It is much easier commuting from here Ross where the trains are empty, but I remember years of doing it from well up the line and it was a nightmare. No doubt they have improved the situation a tad, but when you live at a station, and there are many many of those, where the trains are full by the time they reach you every single time, and you are still being charged the huge full amount per year where not only do you NOT get a seat but you stand in extreme discomfort the whole of the journey, particularly difficult if you are not the youngest or the fittest. This problem hasn't been fixed and maybe it is not fixable...this is the dilemna.
Ross Miller- Location: London Road, Dover
- Registered: 17 Sep 2008
- Posts: 3,706
Strange isn't it how commuters will stand for 30 minutes on the tube or the bus but somehow it is awful when they have to do so from Sevenoaks
"Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today." - James Dean
"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength,
While loving someone deeply gives you courage" - Laozi
Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
- Posts: 7,819
But thats not an argument Ross. It is comparing one bad situation with another bad situation and saying..because its bad over there, its okay to be bad over here. Settling for the lowest common denominator is not good.
People pay a lot for their annual journey from Sevenoaks..they deserve something akin to a respectable responsible service.
Ross Miller- Location: London Road, Dover
- Registered: 17 Sep 2008
- Posts: 3,706
Indeed it is not but to be honest this has been the norm for commuters in every city I have lived and worked in - the commuter services and metro in Paris, Brussels & Munich are just as packed, people stand for significant parts of their journey etc.
The big difference is we pay significantly more for the pleasure.
Oh and of course we engage in that great British sport of whining about it - no wonder the Aussies describe us as whinging
"Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today." - James Dean
"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength,
While loving someone deeply gives you courage" - Laozi
Paul Watkins- Location: Dover
- Registered: 9 Nov 2011
- Posts: 2,226
I'm with Ross on this one. When I have to use either HS1 or slow coach I find it reasonably good.
The great bugbear is queueing for tickets.
Watty
Guest 664- Registered: 23 Mar 2008
- Posts: 1,039
Rail is one of the few major industries that have survived relatively unscathed.
High Speed 1 is a brilliant service and I use the train regularly to get to all parts.
We have enough motorways to London.
I am not sure if we use the same trains!! Although I have not used the high speed link and because I was put off using the trains a while back I have not used them in some months. But when I did it was horrible! PaulBs view that it's ok from Dover because it's near the beginning of the journey is accurate - it's ok to get a seat. But when the train becomes crowded and phones, laptops and all are pinging all over the place and people bellowing into them, crushing up on seats, and being generally intrusive and failing to recognise a public place as public it is far from comfortable and a malodorous experience for which we pay extortionate prices. Terrible!
Guest 664- Registered: 23 Mar 2008
- Posts: 1,039
Perhaps you have used the trains at rush hour Bern - they are definitely ones to avoid if possible, with the iPad army of besuited showoffs who maihly seem to live in Ashford.
Getting on at the first stop is definitely a bonus. Sorry you haven't found them comfortable and I can understand that you might feel a car is more to your liking to avoid the melée.
How to avoid the rush hour if one commutes during working hours for a routine job?! When I have had to use the train I have tried to avoid the rush hour, but surely it is up to the train companies to tailor the service to suit the needs of the customers - therefore to predict the daily rush hour and behave appropriately and provide better service!!!
