Re: NSW State Rail...a nightmare that is getting worse (original poster replies)

["Pete" <Klendathu98@yahoo.com.au>]

I really appreciate the multitude of opinions from my original post. From
fellow disgruntled travellers, to comedians (u know who u are :) and some
train drivers :)

Wow never thought I would actually communicate with one of those mysterious
fellows up the front of the train :)

I am still very disgruntled, and do not enjoy my daily train experience..but
this background information has been very interesting.

Pete

"paul" <paulrw@xa2.com.au> wrote in message 38f69edd.8904124@news">news:38f69edd.8904124@news...
> On Sun, 9 Apr 2000 03:43:42 +1000, "Pete" <Klendathu98@yahoo.com.au>
> wrote:
>
> >Im new to this group, and my train expertise only goes as far as being a
> >victim..I mean customer of State Rail in NSW. Things are reaching a
breaking
> >point in State Rail's network.
> >
> >Im a regular traveller from the Campbelltown area to the city circle, and
> >things cant get much worse.
> >
> >-Late trains are becoming the norm. Cancellations during peak hour seem
the
> >latest increasing trends.
>
> Yes an increase in late running on the south, I've noticed it too, but
> the vast majority around 4-6 minutes.
> >
> >-Filthy trains in the morning. Once had stagnant water swishing around on
> >the floor. The smell of vomit is sometimes present as well.
>
> It seems the North?West (where CityRail still has its own car
> cleaners) is doing better in train cleaning than the south, which has
> contractors.
> >
> >- Forget catching a train on the weekends, if a bus service isnt bad
> >enough....the cancellations will surely break the spirit of even the most
> >optimistic of travellers.
>
> There's supposed to be a trackwork notice up at every station from the
> previous Monday (the colour coded ones). These things are well worth
> looking at.
> >
> >- The security guards are keystone cops, and the criminals that travel
the
> >system know it. Violent hoodlums rule the system at night, especially on
> >gloomily lit stations that are not attended. Even during the daylight
hours
> >standing on a Western Suburbs platorm can be a semi-dangerous experience.
>
> The on-train security guards seem to need better surveillance of their
> own.
> >
> >-Summer, air conditioner on Non-Tangara trains doesnt usually work. Come
> >Winter, its on full blast freeze mode.
>
> Actually the Tangaras are pretty good, its the airconditioned K sets
> that fail a lot.
> >
> >-Ticket prices are an outrage, and just keep going up. 35 bucks for a
weekly
> >into the city and rising.
>
> Hmmm 35 dollars 10 trips Campbelltown to City (50km) 500/35= 7 cents
> per km, less if u use it on weekends as well. I'd hardly call 7 cents
> a kilometre an outrage. The price of any service and most goods only
> goes up, never down, that's just the way it is. Wages never go down
> either.
> >
> >-ticketing police that have delusions of power. I once honestly lost my
> >ticket on a journey, only to be rudely slapped with a 100 dollar
fine..even
> >though I had first walked to the ticket office at my destination and
offered
> >payment. I explained that for years I had been a honest paying traveller,
> >and here I was with a  lost ticket offering to pay...not good enough.
> >
> if losing your ticket enroute were to be a valid excuse, then everyone
> would use it and the revenue protection staff would be totally
> ineffectual. Unfortunately some honest folk get caught up in it.
>
> Your ticket is your proof that you have paid the fare. Without it you
> lose that proof. Don't lose your ticket!
>
> Some ticket examiners need training in  people skills, but they do
> have a horrid job to do, and cop garbage all day long. I'm sure all
> the crap they endure must wear them down, and HR should be looking at
> this.
>
> >When will this fiasco end? When will the prices stop rising and the
service
> >stop plummeting? And they wonder why people avoid public transport as
much
> >as possible and hit the roads?
> >
> They do both. Both peak hour trains and peak hour arterial roads are
> at full capacity. For peak hour travel to/from City, Parramatta and
> other major centres, road is not an alternative unless you've got
> private parking. Even then it cannot compete in terms of cost or
> travel time, even with train delays.
>
> Having said this, on time running has been achieved in the past, and
> theres no reason it can't be again.
>
> >Does anybody from inside State Rail have an opinion on whats causing the
> >trouble? Lack of funds? Bad management?
>
> Widesread, rampant abuse of concession authorites, and lack of support
> from issuing bodies (eg why no photo on Centrelink pensioner cards, or
> at least the year of birth and the gender of the holder as part of the
> card's serial number) and management for policing of this.
>
> Resources being directed into areas most visible to the public
> (lighting upgrades at some stations seem to be a yearly event and they
> want to put lifts everywhere, regardless of whether they are needed or
> not), rather than where they are really needed. Unfortunately this is
> not really raising public opinion as essential infrastructure (like
> signal phones and signal box to station communication links) runs
> down.
>
> Arrogance of middle to senior management who rarely consult those at
> the workface and even then take no notice. Managers out of touch with
> the system holding purse strings. Decisions based on public opinion
> rather than system needs.
> >
> >I remember many years ago in the early 90's things were not this bad.
> >
> The management has certainly deteriorated since the heady days of Len
> Harper, IMHO the only State Rail chief in my 24 years of service to
> recognise that staff commitment to the organisation is vital to
> efficiency and productivity. The current mob treats its staff as
> robots.
>
> paul
> >Pete
> >
> >
> >
> >
>