The Ticket Collector

FGW Train Maintenance and Cleaning staff to strike

First Great Western staff based at Bristol, Reading, Oxford, Penzance, Exeter, Plymouth, Swansea, and Old Oak Common in London will not book on for shifts that begin after 00:01 on May 18 for 24 hours.

This is due to the company’s refusal to pay an enhanced rate of pay for overtime and or to concede a 35-hour week at the Reading and Exeter depots.

“The vast majority of FGW engineering and cleaning staff are still paid the flat hourly rate for their overtime, rather than the time-and-a-quarter enjoyed by other FGW staff, including train-crew and station staff,” RMT general secretary Bob Crow said today.

“Most FGW staff already work a 35-hour week, but we have some engineering grades at Reading still on 42 hours - effectively working an extra day a week for nothing.

“For months we have tried to get the company to recognise that engineering grades have the right to the same treatment as other grades, but the company has dug in its heels and that is an absolute disgrace.

“The company has now tried to confuse matters by pretending that what is a straightforward case of equal treatment can only now be resolved in wider harmonisation talks, and that is simply not good enough.

“The company’s refusal to budge leaves us with no alternative but to strike, and the RMT executive has today agreed that the members involved will strike for 24 hours on May 18,” Bob Crow said.

NXEC tickets are a rip-off.

On the May 18th many of the UK’s Train Companies tickets will increase in price. We have been looking at the new fares and have noticed that many of National Express East Coast’s (NXEC) advance purchase tickets will just disappear and become just “advance”.

NXEC have 8 advance tickets all charged at different prices. 4 First Class singles and 4 Standard Class singles. Each of these are charged at varying levels and of course there are only so many of each available to buy on each train. Now come the 18th May there will be a ticket name change and of course NXEC are using this as an excuse to reduce the availability of each of the above tickets, forcing you to buy a more expensive ticket.

We have many visitors from Peterborough on this site so we have also compared prices with NXEC’s tickets and First Capital Connect (FCC), and came to a shocking discovery.
In one case a Peak Return from Peterborough to London Kings Cross was £80 with NXEC. It is £40 with FCC. That is 50% cheaper and if you catch the FCC express service from Peterborough there is not a lot of difference in time.

Peterborough to Kings Cross Comparison
Peak Single
NXEC £40.00 FCC £23.20

Peak Return
NXEC £80.00 FCC £40.00

Weekly Season
NXEC £139.00 FCC £112.00

Cheap Day Return
NXEC £24.60 FCC £20.00

Peak Travelcard
NXEC £85.90 FCC £46.00

Off Peak Travelcard
NXEC £27.80 FCC £25.00

Weekly Travelcard
NXEC £151.40 FCC £135.00

NXEC have refused to reply to our various Emails, which based on their past incompetent customer service, seems to be the norm.

Fares ‘revision’ 18th May.

On the 18th May the new revised fares will be coming into effect on the National Network. Some companies have withdrawn some tickets and replaced them with more expensive tickets.

In January 2008 the overall allowable average increase for regulated fares Peak day and Season Tickets was 4.8%, with variations by flow and ticket type up to a maximum 9.8% increase.

Some Train Companies did not use the full yearly increase and therefore will be increasing the tickets to the yearly maximum this time around.

National Express East Coast (NXEC) will be increasing their already expensive tickets some more in May. We have also received reports (from an unnamed travel centre clerk) that they will charge everyone without an advance ticket a seat reservation charge of £1 for each seat reserved. Is this to stop the season ticket holders reserving seats, or is it to pay for for a new seat reservation printer so they can finally put out reservations 07:20 at Peterborough and late night services out of Kings Cross?

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Guards on East Midland Trains to strike.

Guards part of the RMT union on East Midlands Trains (Previously Midland Mainline) are to go on strike on the first 3 Saturdays in May.

After voting for both strike action and action short of strike, the senior conductors, will not book on for shifts that commence between a minute after midnight and 23:59 on May 3, 10 and 17.

The dispute centres on East Midlands Trains plan to use managers and other grades to guard trains on Sundays and to impose a new grade of senior conductor with inferior conditions, outside existing negotiated structures.

“What started as a simple and easily resolved dispute about Sunday working has been escalated by the company into a total breakdown in industrial relations,” RMT general secretary Bob Crow said today.

“Using managers and other grades to cover guards’ work amounts to an attack on their safety-critical role, and attempting to impose new conditions without negotiation has escalated matters and undermined our agreed negotiating machinery.

“Not only has the company slapped a ban on RMT reps doing normal union duties, but we now understand that it is planning to ship in managers from other companies to cover guards’ turns, and that also has serious safety implications and can only escalate matters even further.

“The only people competent to operate a safe service on Sundays or any other day of the week are the professional, trained conductors who do it day in, day out.

“The solution to this dispute remains simple, but it involves the company stepping back from the brink and engaging in talks about Sunday running rather than trying to impose,” Bob Crow said.

Tony Blair caught without a ticket, and then allowed to travel for free!

Former prime minister Tony Blair was left red-faced when he was caught travelling on a Heathrow Express train on Wednesday without a ticket and said he had no cash to pay the fare.

Blair, who has earned around 500,000 pounds being a speaker at various events since leaving office in June, was confronted by a ticket inspector as he travelled to Heathrow Airport to catch a flight to the United States on Monday.

He claimed he had no cash for the £24.50 pounds fare because money an aide had given him was no longer in his pocket.
Blairs bodyguard offered to pay the ticket, but the inspector said he could travel for free.

Blair’s spokesman was unavailable for comment.

New Rail Forum Launched.

A new rail forum for employees and enthusiasts working on and around the East Coast Mainline has recently been launched by our friends at Eastcoastchat.co.uk. Launched only in March the site has seen steady growth with a solid user base.

The forum has something for everyone whether you’re a steam enthusiast or working on a station platform. If your interested in anything to do with the East Coast Mainline we would strongly suggest you pay our friends at at Eastcoastchat.co.uk a visit.

Blind man refused travel on ScotRail

A blind man was refused travel on the ScotRail Caledonian Sleeper on Tuesday 15th April because his dog might have had fleas, germs or even mites.

Mark McClenaghan said: “Well, basically, I turned up at the station, on time for the train. My blind pass doesn’t allow me through the regular ticket barriers, and so I have to wait for assistance, I have to wait for somebody to physically open the barrier at the side.”

He continued: “By the time I got through, the train was rolling out. I was then aware that there was a sleeper train leaving for Edinburgh, well, for London. I asked if I could board it and they said, ‘No, no dogs allowed.” I said, well, my pass covers me and my dog’s a guide dog and they said absolutely no dogs allowed, through possible risk of the dog passing on fleas or germs or mites, which is just absolutely ridiculous. I mean, she’s a certified guide dog with the Health and Safety Executive.”

“They left me stranded in Aberdeen with no route to Edinburgh. I then spoke to a station manager who was just an idiot. He questioned my disability. He asked if I was genuinely blind. You can tell my eyes look normal but it’s behind my eyes that’s gone. The only option was rather than spend the night in what effectively was a building site at the front of the station, was to jump on a train to Perth which is still about 50 miles to Edinburgh. And I had to get in a taxi costing me 95 quid.”

The official (not for public reading) rules on Guide Dogs on the Caledonian sleeper is as follows

Guide Dogs travelling with a blind or deaf traveller are conveyed free of charge with NO CLEANING CHARGE APPLIED.

TheTicketCollector is wondering why this man was refused travel with his guide dog when it clearly states in the retail handbook that they are conveyed free of charge. TheTicketCollector is hoping that the members of staff who refused this man travel get a Form 1 disciplinary hearing and get retraining in disability awareness.

A spokeswoman for the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association Emailed TheTicketCollector saying it was illegal to discriminate against guide dog owners. She said: “It is against the Disability Rights Act to refuse a guide dog access to any public place or public transport. Guide dogs and their owners should be treated the same way as any other user. All guide dogs are given a certificate of health and safety and do not pose any risk.”

We have emailed First Scotrail and a spokesman said: “We are investigating these claims and will respond direct in full to the customer. Our policy is to make services accessible to everyone, to provide all necessary assistance and to enable guide dog owners to travel safely.

“People with guide dogs are welcome on our services and they have Scotlandwide free travel at all times. There are clear guidelines in place and we expect these to be followed at all times.”