If you register, you can do a lot more. And become an active part of our growing community. You'll have access to hidden forums, and enjoy the ability of replying and starting conversations.

The Christmas Cheshireman 30/11/2013

Discussion in 'What's Going On' started by BillR, Nov 24, 2013.

  1. brasso1

    brasso1 New Member

    Joined:
    May 31, 2005
    Messages:
    191
    Likes Received:
    7
    Sorry that was a flippant response. Give us a sec and I will write a more considered reply...
     
  2. brasso1

    brasso1 New Member

    Joined:
    May 31, 2005
    Messages:
    191
    Likes Received:
    7
    I'm sorry if a charter spoils their quiet routine,
    I never said I felt that way... I personally view steam charters as a refreshing change to have at work.

    but they are there to serve the public however they depart/arrive and if it's a few joining at an intermediate station or 500 people at the destination then they must get a grip and get on with it.
    I agree to an extent, but this should be a team effort. An example of this as I suggested above is revenue protection staff. They are trained to understand railway tickets and know if they are valid at a glance. Two charter promoters have, in the past sent sample tickets. They did not “need to” but it does improve the customer service the TOC can offer to the promoters customers.

    If the station management have not picked up on the fact that a charter is due then I cannot see it's the charter companies responsibility
    All the station management are required to do is ensure the contractual responsibilities are met, i.e. accept the train and (if it has been agreed) take rubbish, tank the train etc. This is the problem you get when you say, “well its not my responsibility” – NOBODY takes it! At the end of the day, if the charter promoter wants to give the best possible service to its customers, it is in the interests of that promoter to make every effort to make the whole experience as good as it can be. It does not actually matter to the station operator as the station access fee never really covers costs.

    To pick up on your point about the cafe owner at Bishop Auckland, I think it is excellent that he while actually being nothing to do with the railway, is responsive to charters.
    On the Compass Tours TripAdvisor I note a complaint about Kyle of Lochalsh being unaware of the influx. The response from John is as follows
    Many thanks for your review and we are pleased to read you enjoyed the trip, at Kyle of Lochalsh we were informed that the village was aware of our arrival as it always has been on previous visits but it would appear one or two of the establishments did not seem to be aware on our arrival. We will be making sure that they are notified for our next visit so they can cater for our passengers and thank you for feeding back to us your findings on the day.
    So, Compass are going the extra mile.

    I would add that much of the disruptive effect is down to non travellers. While I don’t want to take this off topic, a recent example can be seen here...
    [​IMG]
    “There was a marked lack of British Transport Police”... was a comment made, but the police really aren’t there to tell people who should know better that they are breaking the rules. The BTP are very thinly spread and deal with everything from suicide and cable theft to assaults and theft of items from trains.

    Once again, As far as I am concerned everybody has a part to play in making the charter train industry a success.

    And some charter promoters may see this, and take some comments on board...
     
  3. RalphW

    RalphW Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Administrator Friend

    Joined:
    Sep 11, 2005
    Messages:
    35,445
    Likes Received:
    9,143
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Retired-ish, Part time rail tour steward.
    Location:
    Northwich
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    I have and I have nothing to remove or add.
     

Share This Page