This is NOT the official MerseyRail website!

November 18, 2009

Whats the point …

Filed under: Merseyrail — Tags: , , , , — Chris @ 8:40 am

… of a “Service Status” ticker, right on the top of your website, that isn’t reliable (ignoring for a moment the fact that you can’t even run a reliable rail service for the commuters of Merseyside)?

There are no trains running on the West Kirby line this morning, thanks to a track failure at Meols, yet the Merseyrail website ticker says “all services running normally” …

all services running normally? I think not!

… yet they Tweeted earlier this morning that there was a problem …

Tweet!

 Which kind of implies that someone at Merseyrail at least knows roughly how to use a computer, and indeed if you follow the Twitter link, you get to this message below …

Tweet!

For F**** sake chaps, it’s not that difficult. If you’re going to suggest that you’re website provides up to date travel information that passengers can use to plan a journey, then do so. Either that or just admit that you don’t know your arse from your elbow and leave us all in the dark.

It’s utterly pointless.

Now I have to work out how to get a suitcase and a large toolbox into work, in the pouring rain, with no trains running. Thanks Merseyrail/Network Rail, great timing boys.

Oh, and thanks to my girlfriend for the phone call about the problem – maybe she should start her own “Service Status” website, although it might be tricky to update standing in a freezing cold bus stop :-)

UPDATE: Jane just called again, and described Birkenhead North station as “Hell with extra Demons”, and said that a woman on the ‘rail replacement bus’ had waited over half an hour for it to turn up. I’m taking the car …

UPDATE: 9:20, I’ve just got into work and they’ve finally made sure their website reflects the current situation. Nice of them to bother …

April 15, 2009

How much do MerseyRail stand to make from the current chaos?

Filed under: Merseyrail — Tags: , , , , , , — Chris @ 8:39 pm

And what will it take to get them to offer a discount to their long suffering passengers?

Who knows?

Not me. Yet. I’ve tried to find out the amount that Merseyrail will save during the current engineering works, but it’s not proving easy.

I contacted Network Rail, (more…)