What's new
PNE Online
Welcome to PNE-Online. Why not register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox! You can also join up as a forum Patron to help support in the running costs of the forum.

Northern to lose franchise

raefil said:
Theres a councillor, Tory, on twitter who spends a lot of time extolling the virtues of HS2. Ive challenged him over and over to show me how HS2 will in any way benefit his constituents in south ribble. I never get an answer.

I see benefits only for the south East.
Click to expand...
This 100%
 
Blackburn away.

How many people paid for their train that day? Myself and 2 mates did as we always do (around £5-50 return) but I would hazard a guess that around 90% of our fan base on those trains didn't.

How much money are they losing here? The mind boggles!
 
So that's now 3 franchises they have threatened to take back into ownership but so far nothing has been done. Probably not helped by the month of strikes before xmas mind you(that said the service on the strike timetable seemed to be more on time than their normal service from what I used)

www.bbc.co.uk

South Western Railway warned it could be placed in public hands

The government reveals South Western Railway's franchise is "not sustainable in the long term".
www.bbc.co.uk

A rail firm could be taken in to public ownership should it fail financially, the government has said.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said South Western Railway's (SWR) franchise was now "not sustainable in the long term"

The company recently declared a £137m loss.

Contingency measures include issuing a short-term contract to SWR's owners or moving its operations to the Department for Transport, Mr Shapps said.

SWR services were disrupted for 27 days in December by the latest in a series of strikes over the future of guards.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said SWR had "not yet failed to meet their financial commitments" but the department "must prepare suitable contingency measures".
Click to expand...
 
Northern have stepped up now - some cancellations but consistently long trains to and from Manchester.

Focus will now go onto TransPennine Express who are having nightmares with their new stock introduction. But what role do the government and Network Rail play in TransPennine's failures? Why didn't they get the stock on time? Why are there so many delays? Not all down to the TOC.
 
I noticed they're recruiting drivers, send fairly decent pay for sitting in your arse pressing stop and go buttons.

Here
 
4NT5 said:
I noticed they're recruiting drivers, send fairly decent pay for sitting in your arse pressing stop and go buttons.

Here
Click to expand...

Do you even have the first clue just how tough it actually is? And on top of how much you have to learn, one safety mistake and you're fired, and potentially jailed.
 
LancasterRed said:
Northern have stepped up now - some cancellations but consistently long trains to and from Manchester.

Focus will now go onto TransPennine Express who are having nightmares with their new stock introduction. But what role do the government and Network Rail play in TransPennine's failures? Why didn't they get the stock on time? Why are there so many delays? Not all down to the TOC.
Click to expand...


In Preston station on Monday morning, 7 Northern services either delayed/late or cancelled due to staff shortages!!!!!! 2 cancelled due to more than expected number of trains requiring repairs!!!!! NO tickets checked by the second person between Blackburn and Preston, lazy twat.
 
4NT5 said:
I'd have applied if I thought it was easy, plus I'm scared of tunnels!
Click to expand...

Very true! The pay is amazing but you have to learn hundreds, if not thousands, of miles of track over varying different trains. Not even sure it's worth the £53k considering what you have to go through...
 
I think I’m more worried that the government has a department to run train companies that does nothing normally, and will have two companies potentially in days.. just hoping the department isn’t run by the trade negotiators otherwise overtime will be through the roof
 
So.... it's been nationalised. I thought Boris said Corbyn's plan was reckless!!!

Not been involved in this discussion, but a lot of people saying that Northern had only a portion of the blame. For example, I think they said that Northern invested in trains but Network Rail didn't do their part of the bargain so that Northern's new trains couldn't be used effectively. I'm not saying that Northern aren't to blame, but it sounds like a dog's breakfast.
 
Regardless said:
So.... it's been nationalised. I thought Boris said Corbyn's plan was reckless!!!

Not been involved in this discussion, but a lot of people saying that Northern had only a portion of the blame. For example, I think they said that Northern invested in trains but Network Rail didn't do their part of the bargain so that Northern's new trains couldn't be used effectively. I'm not saying that Northern aren't to blame, but it sounds like a dog's breakfast.
Click to expand...

Don't worry give it 2 years and they will sell it back to their mates for pennies in the pound
 
The Government provides funds through Highways England for the road system and Coach and Road Haulage companies pay (though road tax to use it as indeed do we all) and those companies pass on their costs to us the customers who buy what they carry

The secret of success on our railways is for the Government the funds through Network Rail (at least while it is state owned) providing the info structure for rail companies to operate, and charge the actual operating companies accordingly for their usage

At the moment wrong to blame the Rail Operating Companies for anything that is not their OWN direct fault (passing the 'buck' IMO)
If the Rail Companies were allowed to charge THEIR customers what they want and be judged by them on results, we would see whether Private enterprise works in that field or not
OR If the Government really want to make people use the rail services rather than use cars, it should then subsided it and justify it to the electorate

And good luck with that
 
Top