Date: 2009-05-06
Journey Origin: Ascot
Scheduled Dep. Time: 09:55
Journey Destination: Waterloo
Estimated Delay: 35 mins+
Details of complaint: Slow slow train, and then it just stops outside Feltham. The guard announces over the tannoy "Hey guys. We have a problem and are being delayed. Please be patient."
And that's it.
After 20 minutes he tells us that there are signal problems, which apparently no-one knows when they will be resolved. Nor does he know how long we'll be stuck in the middle of nowhere.
But we need to be patient. He doesn't know how long the delay will be, but we need to be patient.
Then we move into Feltham station, move 200 yards out of it, and then stop again for another 15 minutes.
"Hey guys, be patient" says the guard again, in the most bored and disinterested voice ever.
I've missed one meeting due to this delay, and as I'm typing this on the train - still stationary - it looks like I'll miss a second meeting in London at mid-day.
Thanks South West Trains! Your rubbish over-priced unreliable service has once again damaged my business and cost me money!
Wednesday, 6 May 2009
Thursday, 30 April 2009
Heating, again
Date: 2009-04-30
Journey Origin: Waterloo
Scheduled Dep. Time: 19:50
Journey Destination: Ascot
Estimated Delay: n/a
Details of complaint: Heating jammed on full blast, again. My laptop is showing the ambient temperature as being 24 degrees. Are the heating/air conditioning controls broken? Are the guards and/or driver somehow unable to turn off the heaters when it gets warm? Or do they just not care?
I'm beginning to suspect the latter.
Journey Origin: Waterloo
Scheduled Dep. Time: 19:50
Journey Destination: Ascot
Estimated Delay: n/a
Details of complaint: Heating jammed on full blast, again. My laptop is showing the ambient temperature as being 24 degrees. Are the heating/air conditioning controls broken? Are the guards and/or driver somehow unable to turn off the heaters when it gets warm? Or do they just not care?
I'm beginning to suspect the latter.
Wednesday, 29 April 2009
Delayed train with no explanation
Date: 2009-04-29
Journey Origin: Ascot
Scheduled Dep. Time: 10:25
Journey Destination: Waterloo
Estimated Delay: 14 minutes
Details of complaint: Big delay, and the train only stopped at Staines and then Waterloo. The only explanation from the platform staff was 'emergency engineering works'.
The guard didn't explain the revised stops until after the train had left Ascot, leaving a number of very angry people stuck on the train, who'd run from the platform to catch it.
Of course as the guard is locked away in the middle of these trains you can't actually ask him anything until the train stops somewhere and he gets out.
Oh, and even though it's 16 degrees outside the heaters were still on full blast in the carriage I was in.
Journey Origin: Ascot
Scheduled Dep. Time: 10:25
Journey Destination: Waterloo
Estimated Delay: 14 minutes
Details of complaint: Big delay, and the train only stopped at Staines and then Waterloo. The only explanation from the platform staff was 'emergency engineering works'.
The guard didn't explain the revised stops until after the train had left Ascot, leaving a number of very angry people stuck on the train, who'd run from the platform to catch it.
Of course as the guard is locked away in the middle of these trains you can't actually ask him anything until the train stops somewhere and he gets out.
Oh, and even though it's 16 degrees outside the heaters were still on full blast in the carriage I was in.
Thursday, 23 April 2009
More heating! Turn it off!
Date: 2009-04-23
Journey Origin: Ascot
Scheduled Dep. Time: 09:10
Journey Destination: Waterloo
Estimated Delay: N/A
Details of complaint: It's 13 degrees C outside, yet the heating is on inside the carriage. Thanks, SWT, I really needed to arrive dehydrated and sweaty for my meeting this morning.
Journey Origin: Ascot
Scheduled Dep. Time: 09:10
Journey Destination: Waterloo
Estimated Delay: N/A
Details of complaint: It's 13 degrees C outside, yet the heating is on inside the carriage. Thanks, SWT, I really needed to arrive dehydrated and sweaty for my meeting this morning.
Wednesday, 22 April 2009
This service is poo
Date: 2009-04-22
Journey Origin: Waterloo
Scheduled Dep. Time: 20:20
Journey Destination: Ascot
Estimated Delay: 20 minutes
Details of complaint: The toilets in one of the carriages had overflowed. Effluent everywhere. Rather than just seal off the carriage the decision was made to delay the service to try and mop things up.
Firstly, that is gross - there's no way they could have cleaned the carriage up enough to make it sanitary, let alone not smelling like an effluent pipe.
Secondly, why not just seal off the carriage? SWT regularly decided to only run 4 carriage trains instead of 8 - often at peak hours - so why would only 7 usable carriages on a late train be that big a deal?
Top marks to the announcement from the guard: "I'd like to assure passengers that the carriage will be thoroughly cleaned and the toilet repaired overnight." Helpful.
If you've never had the misfortune to use a toilet on the trains on the Reading line - don't. They are clearly never cleaned during the day, at all. The doors seldom open, and if they do, they either won't shut or else lock you in. The stench is appalling, and often the only free seats on the entire train can be found near the toilets.
Yes, people would rather stand for an hour than sit near the toilet door. It is that bad.
Journey Origin: Waterloo
Scheduled Dep. Time: 20:20
Journey Destination: Ascot
Estimated Delay: 20 minutes
Details of complaint: The toilets in one of the carriages had overflowed. Effluent everywhere. Rather than just seal off the carriage the decision was made to delay the service to try and mop things up.
Firstly, that is gross - there's no way they could have cleaned the carriage up enough to make it sanitary, let alone not smelling like an effluent pipe.
Secondly, why not just seal off the carriage? SWT regularly decided to only run 4 carriage trains instead of 8 - often at peak hours - so why would only 7 usable carriages on a late train be that big a deal?
Top marks to the announcement from the guard: "I'd like to assure passengers that the carriage will be thoroughly cleaned and the toilet repaired overnight." Helpful.
If you've never had the misfortune to use a toilet on the trains on the Reading line - don't. They are clearly never cleaned during the day, at all. The doors seldom open, and if they do, they either won't shut or else lock you in. The stench is appalling, and often the only free seats on the entire train can be found near the toilets.
Yes, people would rather stand for an hour than sit near the toilet door. It is that bad.
Friday, 13 March 2009
The heating, dear god spare me
Date: 2009-03-13
Journey Origin: Ascot
Scheduled Dep. Time: 09:10
Journey Destination: Waterloo
Estimated Delay: n/a
Details of complaint: I would just like to thank South West Trains very much. Now that the weather has turned, and it's warmer, they've finally decided to turn the heating on - full blast.
It's a real thrill to be sitting on this train, slowly melting, after a winter of freezing with no heating.
Thanks so much!
Journey Origin: Ascot
Scheduled Dep. Time: 09:10
Journey Destination: Waterloo
Estimated Delay: n/a
Details of complaint: I would just like to thank South West Trains very much. Now that the weather has turned, and it's warmer, they've finally decided to turn the heating on - full blast.
It's a real thrill to be sitting on this train, slowly melting, after a winter of freezing with no heating.
Thanks so much!
Tuesday, 3 March 2009
Delay
Date: 2009-03-03
Journey Origin: Ascot
Scheduled Dep. Time: 09:10
Journey Destination: Waterloo
Estimated Delay: 6 mins
Details of complaint: Doesn't sound like much, but there was no reason why the train was running late, and it meant I missed a connecting train at London and was late for a meeting.
Date: 2009-03-03
Journey Origin: Waterloo
Scheduled Dep. Time: 20:20
Journey Destination: Ascot
Estimated Delay: 5 mins
Details of complaint: Random stops in the countryside on the way home, again more annoying because there was no reason given why the train kept on stopping outside stations all the time.
Journey Origin: Ascot
Scheduled Dep. Time: 09:10
Journey Destination: Waterloo
Estimated Delay: 6 mins
Details of complaint: Doesn't sound like much, but there was no reason why the train was running late, and it meant I missed a connecting train at London and was late for a meeting.
Date: 2009-03-03
Journey Origin: Waterloo
Scheduled Dep. Time: 20:20
Journey Destination: Ascot
Estimated Delay: 5 mins
Details of complaint: Random stops in the countryside on the way home, again more annoying because there was no reason given why the train kept on stopping outside stations all the time.
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