That’s two journeys in a row that have been cocked up – I’m sitting at Manor Road waiting for the next train, thanks to Merseyrail being unable to run the 11:56 because of “operating difficulties”. What are those then, finding a train that works, perhaps?
February 10, 2010
October 26, 2009
Three nights out of four now …
… thats Wednesday, Thursday and now Monday evenings that Merseyrail haven’t been able to get passengers home on the train they wanted, at the time they wanted, and maybe even with a seat, if they’re lucky (plenty weren’t tonight – when the 5:21 from Moorfields arrived at James St on it’s way to West Kirby, there were plenty who couldn’t even get on the train, never mind on a seat).
I missed the start of the disruption, but I got caught in the chaos it caused. The train I was on was ridiculously overcrowded, and late getting me home.
If this continues, it really will be a return to the ‘old days’ of MiseryRail. I wonder if Bart has ever tried getting home after a days work on one of his early evening trains? If he did, maybe they’d see fit to make sure the trains they’ve got don’t keep breaking down, and perhaps lay on a few more 6 carraige units to ease the pain.
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October 23, 2009
Thats two nights running … are they returning to the old days?
That makes two nights running that Merseyrail have managed to turn a journey into a trauma.
But last nights really WAS a trauma. It would almost have been funny.if I hadn’t been trying to get home from an after-work beer with SWMBO*, been lied to by a member of Merseyrail staff and saw someone nearly fall under a train.
Basically, it went like this:
Waiting in James Street for the 20:37 West Kirby train, on the normal platform (3, I think it is) an announcement was made that there was a ‘track fault’ at Central (you know, the same track that was shut for a whole month earlier this year for maintenance, causing a good deal of inconvenience). All Wirral Line trains would now start and terminate at James Street.
Note that the electronic board still said our West Kirby train was about 2 minutes away.
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October 22, 2009
NEVER, EVER, believe the Merseyrail website
This is what the Merseyrail website said last night, at 5 o’clock, some 30 minutes after chaos descended upon the Wirral line and it’s hapless commuters thanks to a broken down train somewhere in the vicinity of Hamilton Square.
The Merseyrail website this evening
Luckily, someone called and warned me, so I managed to avoid the worst of it, but there was no warning to commuters as they entered Hamilton Square, so my girlfriend wandered unwittingly into the middle of it. You’d think they would at least provide passengers with the info they need to make a decision, before diving underground.
So never, ever believe their website status ticker, because it’s bullshit (probably so the regulator doesn’t get to see).
As an aside, it would be interesting to know how many trains technically ran late last night (which count against Merseyrail’s performance figures) and how many they cancelled (which, somewhat strangely, don’t count). So late is poor performance, cancelled isn’t – go figure!
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September 29, 2009
The wrong kind of weather?
As I was coming through Moorfields station this morning on my way to work, I heard the most unbelievable announcement. Before I recount it, bear in mind that it is a grey overcast morning, with a light breeze. Nothing remotely unusual or inclement.
The announcement was apologising for the late departure of the next train to Hunts Cross because of, and I quote …
“adverse weather”
WTF ??? The wrong kind of heavy grey clouds, one can only presume. It’s like 1991, revisited.
They do make me chuckle sometimes.
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August 25, 2009
Oh, the irony of it …
On the day that Miseryrail announced that they’re the most punctual rail operator on the Wirral (or was it the world, I forget), my train was fifteen minutes late getting me home tonight.
The train was late leaving Moorfields and then we sat outside Bidston for nearly ten minutes, without any explanation or apology, while I sat staring incredulously at my Blackberry reading about how brilliant they are at getting us there on time.
I sometimes wonder if they do it on purpose.
On another subject … if you’re a Merseyrail passenger wondering what the unholy stench of diesel in the loop this week was caused by, I can enlighten you. One of the diesel trains that they use for maintenance at night (when the power to the third rail is turned off) sprang a leak and sprayed “most of the loop”, apparently. Good job they didn’t spill anything flammable down there.
I know, because I asked.
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