boiling hot train 24 July 2014 at 1:11PM edited 30 November -1 at 1:00AM in Public Transport & Cycling 26 replies 3.4K views

Fen1

I was on the train a few evenings ago. The heating was on in the carriage. I asked the platform guard if he could inform the driver. I was told 'Can't do nothing about it. The switch is under the carriage'.

Everyone in the carriage had to sit in horrible heat for the rest of their journeys. No- we could not change carriages as the train was full. And why should we have to change carriages?

Do I have any way of making a valid complaint? Do the train companies have zero responsibility if they roast their passengers?

HappyMJ

No you get off and get another train. You are welcome to send a letter and you will probably get your fare for the part of the journey that was affected back....so certainly no harm in doing so.

Would you have preferred the train was taken out of service and your journey seriously delayed?

wealdroam

Fen1 wrote: »

Do I have any way of making a valid complaint?

Yes, complain to the train operating company.

Their website will have details on how to do that, as will any of their staffed stations.

Fen1 wrote: »

Do the train companies have zero responsibility if they roast their passengers?

No.

Bollotom

Heating controls under carriage, volume controls for announcements under seat. The driver has certain parameters to observe and if in doubt contacts his control who make the decision to take the train out of service. So let's assume your train was taken out of service. It isn't always convenient to put in a spare train if there is one. So you hop on the following train and the subsequent crush means it's just as uncomfortable, and the train heating may still be on. Pain in the butt, I know but it probably was never envisaged that air-con would be an important addition in this country. But I am surprised a tech wasn't waiting at a station ahead to turn off the heating, unless you were on a short journey.

sniggings

HappyMJ wrote: »

No you get off and get another train. You are welcome to send a letter and you will probably get your fare for the part of the journey that was affected back....so certainly no harm in doing so.

Would you have preferred the train was taken out of service and your journey seriously delayed?

so that's the only option...how about turn the heat off.

wealdroam

sniggings wrote: »

so that's the only option...how about turn the heat off.

Apparently that is not possible.

Did you read the original post?

lulu_92

HappyMJ wrote: »

No you get off and get another train. You are welcome to send a letter and you will probably get your fare for the part of the journey that was affected back....so certainly no harm in doing so.

Would you have preferred the train was taken out of service and your journey seriously delayed?

I'm guessing you don't use trains much. If this was me I would have to wait an hour and a half for another train!

sniggings

wealdroam wrote: »

Apparently that is not possible.

Did you read the original post?

Did you read it.

so it's impossible to turn the heat off! the OP didn't say that at all.

it might be inconvenient but hardly impossible.

wealdroam

sniggings wrote: »

Did you read it.

so it's impossible to turn the heat off! the OP didn't say that at all.

it might be inconvenient but hardly impossible.

'Can't do nothing about it' sound like another way of saying 'it's not possible' to me.

sniggings

wealdroam wrote: »

'Can't do nothing about it' sound like another way of saying 'it's not possible' to me.

as I said it's not impossible, the platform guard was hardly saying it's impossible he was saying he couldn't be [email protected]

The point I was making was, of course we all know the OP could have gotten off the train, so for people to suggest that is just daft.

Lets hope if the OP does ring and complain the response they get is a little better than "you could have gotten the next train".

matttye

Yes make a complaint.

Complain about anything and everything and you'll get loads of free stuff.

My aunt always complains when her train is late and she's had so many free tickets offered by way of apology.