Train station overcrowding

newfoundglory

Of course the operator pays, but they will try and find someone else to blame - to maximise profits.

As demonstrated in this thread - profit would appear to come before safety.

Most of what we are told appears to be highly effective rhetoric and propaganda - if anything, passenger groups should be hiring teams of lawyers to get as much money out of the network as possible.

Its a bit like saying if people made less injury claims on their car insurance, that insurance prices would go down. The actual reality - more profit for the insurer. But at least with insurance there are two things not found on the rail network - COMPETITION and CHOICE.

timbo58

newfoundglory wrote: »

As demonstrated in this thread - profit would appear to come before safety.

?? where was that demonstrated then?

usignuolo

If it is in the London area, or near anywhere which has an evening paper, I should think they might run a photo of the chaos and ask a spokesman for the train company to comment. They used to have very severe overcrowding on one of those London underground island platforms and in rush hour crowding was so bad it got notorious. In the end they had to lengthen the platform as people were in danger of falling on the line. This followed a spate of bad publicity about it. Christian Wolmar writes a lot about trains in the national press - he was campaigning about the smelly loos on Virgin Intercity a while back - I don't have his contact details but he does have a website you should be able to find him easily enough. While you are about it can you ask what they plan to do about the trains which are so high off the platform that you have to step over a 2 foot gap to get on. Pretty dangerous with such a large gap that too must be an accident waiting to happen. I am quite short and I misjudged where to stand on the platform the other week and had to be lifted onto the train the gap was so large.

Stigy

newfoundglory wrote: »

Of course, if an operator believes they can squeeze a bit more profit out of the passenger - i'm sure they'll try anything.

The Railway Byelaws are national and not bias towards any of the TOCs. When a TOC successfully prosecutes an offender, they will only gain their costs and any compensation if applicable (ie; a ticket cost) back, and won't get profit in any way. Same as if they settle out of court.

Strange as it may seem to you, the Byelaws are there to protect honest rail users and staff alike. I feel we are going round in circles here. You seem like one of these customers with a constant bee in their bonnet and that isn't happy unless they're complaining about something. I have reported people like you, who believe they can beat these byelaws and other legislation, but I've yet to find one brave enough to either go as far as the courtroom, or go not guilty with such an offence with a defence that is nothing short of laughable.

The UK's train services may be of embarrassment to you, but it sure id one of the safest if past incidences are anything to go by!

newfoundglory

You've reported people like me? You know nothing about me.

But on the other hand, I guess i've seen plenty of railway staff like you with an attitude towards customers.

Its not true that settling out of court doesn't attract profit - You know train operators charge large admin fees to settle, which make equally large profits (but there is no surprise there, because i'm yet to find someone in the industry capable of telling the truth!)

Livingthedream

Why is it when passengers get gripped for fare evasion, invalid tickets or byelaw offences they always seem to use ye old 'railway staff like you with an attitude towards customers' line?

Answers on a post card below please kids.

newfoundglory

Because if travellers were sensible and just ignored railway staff and walked away - the train operators wouldn't be making as much profit :rotfl:

Livingthedream

newfoundglory wrote: »

Because if travellers were lawabiding and courteous towards railway staff and walked away - the train operators wouldn't be making as much profit :rotfl:

Let me fix that for you, my bold

Stigy

newfoundglory wrote: »

You've reported people like me? You know nothing about me...

You admitted to tailgating, therefore I've reported people like you

It doesn't attract large profit, and the out of court settlements reflect what they'd otherwise be awarded at court.

newfoundglory wrote:

Because if travellers were sensible and just ignored railway staff and walked away - the train operators wouldn't be making as much profit

Not sure that response makes sense if answering Livingthedream's post, but hey ho!

You do realise that RPIs etc have the right to detain you for refusing to provide details for suspected fare evasion until you can be brought before reasonable justice, don't you? They just tend not to because said fare evader would probably demand the staff be sacked, and win, as seems to happen with TOCs a bit too often these days.

Arg

Livingthedream wrote: »

Why is it when passengers get gripped for fare evasion, invalid tickets or byelaw offences they always seem to use ye old 'railway staff like you with an attitude towards customers' line?

Answers on a post card below please kids.

We could also ask why there are so many people supporting railway companies at the expense of the general public.