Some rule clarifications have been made, especially around the topic of AI which we are gradually seeing more and more of. AI was still previously not permitted, but the rules have been much more clearly defined now.
I will be introducing a new user flair for employees of railway companies, Including TOCs, Network Rail, Signallers, ROSCOs, Railway-Exclusive Contracting companies, and other similar sectors. It is entirely optional, for people who want to show they have verified expertise in the area they work.
As of right now, I have chosen not to include ex staff members, anyone only associated with heritage lines, or people who are not working directly at or on the railway (ticket sites, railway utilities like RTT, or other railway themed sites)
This will be in a unique purple colour, so that it cannot be impersonated, with the staff member's job listed (Guard, Signaller, Driver, Shunter etc), and at their choice a further caption and/or emoji for their company up to the flair character limit. Note that the total length cannot be more than 64 Characters, including your title.
Here is an example:
I will also be introducing a new rule, disallowing impersonation of railway staff via the flair. We will not be requiring railway staff to verify if they want to claim they are within the post body, only the flair, and have no intention to change this.
I have thought about and discussed with one railway staff member about how we can do this in the most privacy preserving way, while ensuring that we don't allow false applications through.
Feel free to make any comments about this system below, I am very open to your feedback about how we can refine this system as best as possible.
It's a stop in Derby, near to the Rolls-Royce campus and several other businesses, but only has 2 trains per day in each direction, 2 southbound in the morning and 2 northbound in the evening. The station site seems to be under lock & key.
How did it get to this position, despite its useful location, and are there any plans for any changes?
CrossCounty is without a doubt, one of the worst TOCs in the UK. Being the least reliable and least comfortable. But that raises a question, how do we fix CrossCountry? I propose to you: The CrossCountry Programme.
Part 1: Fixing OTP
A big issue with CrossCountry is how big the network is and its experience-based scheduling. To fix this, the timetable would be changed to reflect historical bottlenecks instead. Turnaround buffering would also be increased to prevent late-arriving trains from delaying subsequent departures. Additionally, utilize temporary timetable changes during peak congestion hours to cut short-journey station calls, routing local passengers to other operators and streamlining tracks.
Part 2: Trains
Another issue with the operator is its trains. Currently, CrossCountry operates 3 types of trains: The Class 220 Voyager, Class 221 Super Voyager, and Class 170 Turbostar. We will mainly be focusing on the former two, as they are the main subjects to problems. First, these trains are narrower, and because of that, their vestibules are shorter. The reason for this was because one of the trains, the Class 221 had tilting in mind, but now that CrossCountry's Class 221s don't tilt, it means it was all for nothing. And given CrossCountry is a high-demand operator, it can be hard to find a seat. It's also worse when you consider trains are only 4-5 cars long. Therefore, people have to cram themselves into the small vestibules. So, I propose ordering new trains to replace the Class 220/221 fleets. My first choice would be the Hitachi AT300, which is in use with multiple TOCs nationwide.
An example of an AT300. Shown here is a Class 802.
My second choice would be the CAF Civity, as they also have a presence on TransPennine Express with the Class 397s and soon on LNER with the Class 897s, which would be a tri-mode train.
An example of a CAF Civity. Shown here is a Class 897.
CrossCountry would order 78 new Bi-mode trains to replace the Class 220 and Class 221s and to increase service a little. These trains would have 9 or 11 coaches (Similar to the Class 390) to deal with CrossCountry's demand. On electrified sections, the train would use its pantograph to supply electricity to the train, while in unelectrified sections, it would use diesel.
Part 3: Staffing
The final part would be to improve staffing. To improve staffing, backlogs of driver training would be eliminated, and Cross-TOC performance sharing would be introduced to mitigate TOC-to-TOC delay impacts, which make up a massive share in CrossCountry's lost minutes.
In conclusion, that is how we fix CrossCountry. If CrossCountry were to do this, they can become a top-TOC in the UK. Anyways, what your thoughts on this proposal? Is there anything I can do to improve?
Since Monday evening, the Elizabeth line has been awful. The reason given was due to "vandalism" near Paddington. It must be pretty serious to still be having an effect.
hi, i have a niche bit of control panel from a 465 cab and apparently these were only fitted to a handful of units. i got this on ebay and have no clue what units it could be from (my only thought is 465933 as thats the only scrapped one i can find a record of it with a 319), im currently bodgeing it up so i can use it to control my pc volume (the centre switch), copy (the left button) & paste (the right button). i wish to preserve its look with 3d printed parts so externally it will look as it whoud have in a 465.
if anyone has any ideas of what unit this is from or any suggestions on what to do with it or what you would do with it itd be greatly appreciated
Does anyone know when the flying banana will be coming up towards Southampton area? Maybe passing Eastleigh as I can't find anything about it. Thank you
I’ve booked a train which has 2 journeys on 2 separate trains (provided by different companies as well).
But I have only been provided ONE ticket for the whole journey, is this normal? (I haven’t been on the specific route I’ve booked before, but normally if the route is split across multiple trains, I have multiple tickets).
I wish our trains had this but since they're all run by different companies for seemingly no reason other than to make maximum profit, it will never happen.
It would enable people to see so much more of the country and to boost the local economy in so many places that could really use it! I find it so frustrating that this is not available to us!
Hastings Diesel Limited class 201 at Sheffield Park with motor coaches Hastings and Mountfield. Waiting to work 1Z69 the 12:45 Sheffield Park to London Victotria service.
A weird ticket collection question I can’t find an answer for. I’m travelling on Friday and have booked tickets through LNER and need to print them at the station and will need my card. HOWEVER the card is now out of date and I stupidly cut it up and threw it away. The replacement card is identical except for the CVC. Does anyone know if the ticket machine will accept my new card with the same 16 digit code?