Re: Email to John Laws regarding comments this morning

["Jane Campbell" <janecampbell@optusnet.com.au>]

SNIP
all I can say is "The reason for this delay is a red signal ahead."  I can't
tell you any more than that

Actually I could tell you a lot more than that

"The reason is a red signal caused by a train in front of us, I don't know
when it will move, I don't know where it's going and I don't know it's
stopping pattern so really we could be here for an indeterminate amount of
time".  However, that's not what my passengers expect to hear is it?  If I
said those things I'd just be called a stupid woman who doesn't know what's
going on or another bloody Cityrail employee who doesn't care.  The truth is
that I do care, I do want to know the answers to all those questions but the
people who pass on the messages are so bad at it that I am unable.  I care
and I want to pass on as much information as possible for my own sanity as
well as that of my passengers......because if I don't, I get spat on, yelled
at and things get thrown at me....signallers don't care about that though do
they?

Jane Campbell <janecampbell@optusnet.com.au> wrote in message
83argp$db4$1@news1.mpx.com.au">news:83argp$db4$1@news1.mpx.com.au...
> Finding out what a problem may be is like playing Chinese whispers.  The
> controller tells the signaller, the signaller tells the phone boy, the
phone
> boy tells the driver and if we're lucky the guard gets some idea from all
> those people what is going on and tells the passengers.  If the cause of
our
> delay is a red signal, all I can say is "The reason for this delay is a
red
> signal ahead."  I can't tell you any more than that and for most people
that
> still isn't enough.....we can't win either way.
>
>
> Garry Hoddinett <hoddos@netspace.net.au> wrote in message
> 83agvh$2oen$1@otis.netspace.net.au">news:83agvh$2oen$1@otis.netspace.net.au...
> >
> > Rod <comtrain@mpx.com.au> wrote in message
> > 83a2m3$6gf$1@news1.mpx.com.au">news:83a2m3$6gf$1@news1.mpx.com.au...
> > >
> > > A  few weeks ago I had a very comfortable trip down to Melbourne on a
> > train,
> > > we arrived Spencer Street 10 mins late, but we did take over 13 mins
to
> > get
> > > from South Ken to S.St, and I guess a broken down Spark had caused
this
> > > delay. A truck had jammed itself under a Railway Bridge and no trams
> were
> > > running along Spencer Street and the traffic was just not moving. I
> > finished
> > > up walking  to do most of my messages. When I passed the scene of the
> > > accident I noticed that there was plenty of room for traffic to move
> past
> > > the truck, and in fact it was not badly damaged and did not look
unsafe.
> > And
> > > yet the young cop on duty stopped everything from moving, and held no
> > regard
> > > for the convenience of the people, either waiting for a tram, or in
> their
> > > cars. On the way back a heavy tow truck was working to release the
> truck,
> > > and a more senior Policeman had the traffic almost back to
> normal....Guess
> > > you would get a bit upset by that as well?? Or is it one thing for the
> > road
> > > and a different thing for rail??
> > > Rail does a bloody good job doing what it does
best!!......particularly
> > when
> > > you think that your local friendly Poli"s can find less than $200
> million
> > a
> > > year to keep it going!
> > >
> > I fail to see the relevance of the road industry to your argument.  Non
> the
> > less I generally agree with your comment that " Rail does a bloody good
> job"
> > with the little funds it receives from government coffers.  I have been
> > travelling by train twice every working day for the last 16 years.  The
> > service generally runs smoothly although the evening train is always at
> > least a  few minutes late to my destination.  In my travels I have seen
> > quite a number of CityRail "problems"and the thing that irks me about
> > virtually all of them is they way CityRail handles them - it stuffs them
> up.
> > I was on the 9:57 to Lithgow, the train was being progressively delayed
as
> > it traveled west but, as is rather typical, there was no apology or word
> of
> > explanation why.  CityRail fails the  most basic customer service rule
of
> > keeping the customer informed when there is a problem.  I have spoken to
> > many CityRail management personnel over many years and they all agree
that
> > the organization fails in this despite the fact that they say staff are
> > trained/ told to keep customers informed.  Studies have found that
people
> > are far more tolerant of problems if they are kept informed - yet
CityRail
> > constantly fails to do this.  I really appreciate those few guards in
> > particular who, not only make an effort to find out what the problem is,
> but
> > also make an effort to keep their customers informed.  When their are
> > service delays beyond a few minutes or a service is cancelled there
should
> > be a word of explanation - yet CityRail usually doesn't do this.  Your
> > example above illustrates my point - you knew of a problem and you could
> > understand the problem (because you saw it) and you could graciously
> accept
> > it.  CityRail rarely tells you there is a problem and even more rarely
> > explains why.
> >
> >
>
>