Rob S Posted September 16, 2022 Share Posted September 16, 2022 A rail strike has been announced for 5th October, opening night of Mayerling 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beryl H Posted September 16, 2022 Share Posted September 16, 2022 That's terrible for the ROH, but I had intended to book for this at the cinema, thanks for advising us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted September 16, 2022 Share Posted September 16, 2022 1 hour ago, Rob S said: A rail strike has been announced for 5th October, opening night of Mayerling They are just pitiful. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawnstar Posted September 16, 2022 Share Posted September 16, 2022 1st October too, which I'm jolly annoyed about as I'm supposed to be paying my first visit to the Hackney Empire since before covid to see one of ETO's 3 autumn operas, as only 2 of the 3 are being done at my nearest venue. There's only the one performance at Hackney & the other venues are all far too far away it looks like I won't be able to see it. It's also another 30 quid down the drain. I've already lost what would have been my first visit to Opera Holland Park since covid due to the June strikes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted September 16, 2022 Share Posted September 16, 2022 Just thinking: what "type" of rail strikes are these? Are they the more-or-less all-out ones, or the ones affecting only certain train operating companies, with adjacent companies operating normally? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizbie1 Posted September 16, 2022 Share Posted September 16, 2022 From the Guardian: "The operators affected, who are unlikely to run any trains on strike days, include Avanti West Coast, Chiltern, CrossCountry and West Midlands Trains... "The other firms at which drivers will strike are Greater Anglia, Great Western Railway, Hull Trains, LNER, London Overground, Northern, Southeastern and TransPennine Express." https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/sep/16/rail-strikes-october-conservative-conference-train-operators-walkout 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted September 16, 2022 Share Posted September 16, 2022 IIRC, those sound like the usual suspects from previous strikes. So Thameslink, SWR and Southern (among others) still running? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted September 16, 2022 Share Posted September 16, 2022 As the effects of these strikes affect more than just the opening night of Mayerling, I've given these posts their own thread. If anyone knows of previous rail strike-related posts which ought to be moved into this one, please point them out. Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted September 16, 2022 Share Posted September 16, 2022 Just heaved a sigh of relief as was going to an annual reunion …this year up in Southport …on what I thought was the 1st October so thought oh no when saw strike dates but then realised after about an hour of panic stations that in fact am travelling on the 3rd October and returning on 6th so just got lucky there as use three train lines to get there. RMT strike which affects the Brighton to London bit has not been announced yet so no doubt that will be on the 3rd or 6th 🙄 however I am very lucky in that I can always break the journey in London to a day before or after. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted September 16, 2022 Share Posted September 16, 2022 I didn’t realise that Avanti actually still ran trains! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted September 16, 2022 Share Posted September 16, 2022 Are you sure they do? Will a strike make any actual difference? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawnstar Posted September 16, 2022 Share Posted September 16, 2022 4 hours ago, alison said: IIRC, those sound like the usual suspects from previous strikes. So Thameslink, SWR and Southern (among others) still running? Oh, if Thameslink is still running then maybe I'll be able to make it down to London. I won't be getting my hopes up too high though as I'll probably find nearer the time that either they're joining in too or that the signallers are or that the underground & overground - both of which I'll need to get to Hackney if there's no Greater Anglia trains - are. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted September 16, 2022 Share Posted September 16, 2022 I will find out tomorrow when I’m finally buying my ticket for Southport Jan as I think it’s Avanti from Euston to Wigan North west …though not absolutely sure…it’s the Glasgow train anyway .. and then another line possibly from Wigan to Southport though that might be Avanti too!! Last time I was up in the North just pre Covid it was Virgin trains so have no idea about Avanti!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmhopton Posted September 16, 2022 Share Posted September 16, 2022 Avanti run the West Coast Line which I have the misfortune to use. I'm keeping everything crossed there isn't a strike for Vadim's first Mayerling on the 21st Oct. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted September 17, 2022 Share Posted September 17, 2022 9 hours ago, LinMM said: I will find out tomorrow when I’m finally buying my ticket for Southport Jan as I think it’s Avanti from Euston to Wigan North west …though not absolutely sure…it’s the Glasgow train anyway .. and then another line possibly from Wigan to Southport though that might be Avanti too!! Last time I was up in the North just pre Covid it was Virgin trains so have no idea about Avanti!! I think if you go that route you have to change stations in Wigan, but they are adjacent. I’d go to Liverpool and then get Mersey Rail to Southport. (The local trains are every 15 mins whereas my recollection of Wigan to Southport is hourly, but that’s from a long time ago.) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emeralds Posted September 17, 2022 Share Posted September 17, 2022 (edited) So basically the strikes that had been on 15, 17, 26 September that had been cancelled out of respect for Her Majesty and consideration for people wanting to travel to and from Westminster/Buckingham Palace (or other palaces/castles) to pay their respects, have just been postponed to October 1 & 5. It’s actually an improvement- 2 days of closures instead of one. Hopefully the negotiations can result in a satisfactory outcome, as starving or ill drivers and signallers being in charge of hundreds of passengers on each train is not a safe situation either. Edited September 17, 2022 by Emeralds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted September 17, 2022 Share Posted September 17, 2022 The RMT union haven’t announced their strike dates yet so no doubt will be in the same week. I just wish they would all strike on the same days so you know where you are. I am sympathetic to these strikes but nevertheless it is still annoying when it touches you personally!! It’s not as bad as train companies suddenly cancelling trains at the last minute in normal times. You can plan around the strikes to some degree but lots of sympathy to anyone travelling from afar who may have to miss the ballet 😥 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted September 18, 2022 Share Posted September 18, 2022 All very grim and even when not impacted by industrial action, Avanti seems incapable of offering the basics of a service - a published timetable significantly more than a few days in advance (Advance Tickets used to go on sale 6 months in advance Monday to Friday and 3 months in advance for weekends), a functioning booking system which doesn’t grind to a halt when at last it seems tickets are available, and a service that runs pretty consistently to time. I was unable to book rail tickets for the recent Giselle/Nureyev. And I can’t as yet book any tickets for October. Having managed to book all the performances I wanted, it’s deeply frustrating not to be able sort travel arrangements and confirm hotel bookings. I hope Anne-Marie Trevelyan, Transport Secretary, will show considerably more interest in ensuring all parties find a solution to the industrial disputes than her predecessor. I’d like her to look at Avanti’s performance and ideally take back the contract. But I’m afraid on both counts I won’t be holding my breath. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted September 18, 2022 Share Posted September 18, 2022 Yes tickets on Avanti do seem to be a problem at the moment 🙄 Yesterday I was trying to book return tickets from Brighton to Southport for 2 weeks time ( 3rd and 6th October) The conversation was a bit like this Me: I think there’s a train from London Euston to Wigan around 12.30 pm is that right? Ticket man: yes ….but no can’t do that train no seats left Me: err …the 1.30 then? Him: No, no tickets on that either…first train I can book you on is 2.30pm Me : okay I’ll go for that then Him: now I can’t guarantee the train won’t be cancelled though Me: well if it is will my ticket be valid on the next train Him: oh yes you can do that but you won’t have a seat of course Shall I book the 2.30 for you then? me: well I’ve got to get there somehow so yes please. Him : I can’t book a seat on the Wigan to Southport train though. Me : never mind that’s only half an hour journey I’ll be okay. Him: Right when do you want to come back Me: on the 6th Him: well you do realise that’s the day after the strike the trains will be all over the place so it’s no good travelling in the morning Me : okay what about if I leave Southport about 2pm Him : Okay there’s a train at 11mins past 3 from Wigan to Euston …that’s if it’s running of course. But I can’t book it anyway. Me: why not Him : Because they haven’t released the tickets yet. Me: when will they release them then? Him : I don’t know. It’s usually not till two weeks before Me: But it is only two weeks away now! Him: Well sometimes they never release them especially after a strike day because all the people who booked seats on the 5th will get priority on the 6th so there might not be any released. Me: well what should I do then I can’t stay in Southport till they decide to release some tickets!!! Him: well I can just give you an open return with no seat booked but remember you might not even get a seat at all even if the train is running because they’re always busier on the day after a strike day (🙄) Me: well looks like I haven’t got a choice …I’d better do that then ( I felt like saying if that’s okay with you) So yippee it’s Southport here I come arriving any time between 5.30 and midnight depending on how many trains are cancelled that day or not and probably sitting on the floor ..if there are any trains at all that is…on the way back 😱😱!!!!! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawnstar Posted September 18, 2022 Share Posted September 18, 2022 (edited) Unbelievable! Or it would be unbelievable if I hadn't recently read various Twitter threads about Avanti. So much for people being encouraged to take public transport for the sake of the environment. Between the train strikes & the uselessness of the standard train operations, I should think anyone who has a non-train option will be taking it. Sadly I don't, although going by that conversation it sounds like I'm lucky to mostly travel on trains that dont have seat reservations! Edited September 18, 2022 by Dawnstar 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted September 18, 2022 Share Posted September 18, 2022 On 16/09/2022 at 22:00, Jan McNulty said: I didn’t realise that Avanti actually still ran trains! 37 minutes ago, LinMM said: So yippee it’s Southport here I come arriving any time between 5.30 and midnight depending on how many trains are cancelled that day or not and probably sitting on the floor ..if there are any trains at all that is…on the way back 😱😱!!!!! Which I think proves the point that Avanti no longer run a train service!! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted September 18, 2022 Share Posted September 18, 2022 Yes local trains up to London at least run regularly and there’s no problem with seats as there’s usually plenty of them( trains and seats!) Its quite a while since I’ve been on an inter city train journey but certainly didn’t have this palava before. Im doing this one on my own and if our car wasn’t so ancient I would drive it but it’s a long way and the thought of breaking down somewhere on my own ( which has happened before and had a six hour wait then) doesn’t exactly fill me with joy either… So the train it is. To misquote Henry Longfellow “ When they are good they are very very good but when they are bad they are horrid” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmhopton Posted September 18, 2022 Share Posted September 18, 2022 Because I was unable to book a return ticket back to Preston last Saturday I arranged to travel from Cheltenham on the coach to see Ukrainian Giselle last Friday, returning on Saturday. I'd forgotten I'd registered with Avanti to let me know when tickets were available. They emailed me on Wed to tell me the good news that tickets were finally available to book for Sat.! How can this be considered to be an acceptable way to run a major train franchise? How can people make arrangements if they can't buy tickets until 3 days in advance of travel? And that's nothing to do with strikes. That's just normal service from Avanti at the moment. Unbelievable! 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted September 19, 2022 Share Posted September 19, 2022 I’ve set up ‘alerts’ for when Avanti tickets are actually released but not heard a thing. I keep checking on line and still no timetable for weekends in September and October or any weekday services from 24 October. I’m rather assuming I won’t be able to book Mayerlings tickets for 15 and 22 October until a few days beforehand. Virgin would invariably release Advance Tickets for weekends three months in advance. Avanti’s website still claims weekend tickets are made available 13 weeks before and if they’re not available, sign up for an alert. Abysmal for customers and also the excellent staff who take such pride in looking after Penrith Station and all those wishing to use the illusive trains. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted September 19, 2022 Share Posted September 19, 2022 48 minutes ago, JohnS said: I’ve set up ‘alerts’ for when Avanti tickets are actually released but not heard a thing. I keep checking on line and still no timetable for weekends in September and October or any weekday services from 24 October. I’m rather assuming I won’t be able to book Mayerlings tickets for 15 and 22 October until a few days beforehand. Virgin would invariably release Advance Tickets for weekends three months in advance. Avanti’s website still claims weekend tickets are made available 13 weeks before and if they’re not available, sign up for an alert. Abysmal for customers and also the excellent staff who take such pride in looking after Penrith Station and all those wishing to use the illusive trains. When I was trying to book trains for a weekend in May I signed up, as advised, for ticket alerts. I ended up travelling from Gloucester on FGW but I became almost obsessed with checking the Avanti website on (at least) a daily basis. The tickets for the Sunday finally went on sale about a month before so I pretended to book. It turns out that I could travel on the train but couldn't have a seat because it was sold out!! The Alert came a week later!! All was well that ended well because I had a night with my friend in Gloucester before I had a very enjoyable journey ON A TRAIN to London. The weekend was fabulous and I travelled back to Gloucester for another night with my friend. All the train companies have got issues but Avanti West Coast seem to have taken their issues to a fine art. They are a disgrace and should have their operators' license removed forthwith. (I feel sorry for the staff who work for them). 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary Posted September 19, 2022 Share Posted September 19, 2022 It is absurd that booking the train tickets has become more difficult and anxiety-provoking than booking the theatre tickets for a long-awaited first night.... Last time I travelled on Avanti trains it was a bad experience and I'm sorry to hear it has clearly got worse - time the franchise was removed. What a terrible system we have. The knock-on effects for so many people are incalculable- it needs to change! I don't drive and life is certainly getting more and more difficult to organise these days- meanwhile, the bad effects of too much motor traffic continue unabated or will get worse as people have to drive instead; but it isn't just individuals is it, it's organisations, work, businesses that are affected - as all this uncertainty will affect tickets sales, and therefore hotels, restaurants and, more importantly, people working or going to important family events or medical appointments and so on and on. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anon2 Posted September 19, 2022 Share Posted September 19, 2022 An article has just appeared on the Guardian website about the problems with Avanti trains. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted September 19, 2022 Share Posted September 19, 2022 Thank you so much for mentioning this article Anon2. https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/sep/19/why-cant-i-book-a-train-how-avanti-west-coast-hit-the-buffers There was one sentence that stood out for me (yes I know it's just a sentence taken out of context): A spokesperson for Avanti West Coast said: “We know we’re not delivering the service our customers rightly expect and we apologise for the enormous frustration and inconvenience. Frustration and inconvenience yes but what about the STRESS. Planning a trip should not cause this degree of stress for anyone. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted September 19, 2022 Share Posted September 19, 2022 I'm supposed to be going to a work event in Birmingham in a few weeks, and will have various trade fairs to attend over the next few months. For the former I could use Chiltern, although it would mean an incredibly early start, but for the latter I'd need to get to the NEC, which means Avanti. Or a horrendously slow train. Multiply that by thousands of other people ... Remind me, someone, why virgin lost the franchise in the first place? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted September 19, 2022 Share Posted September 19, 2022 Many thanks for the information Anon2 and Jan. Having read all the comments I decided I’d try contacting the Transport Secretary of State so I’ve sent my concerns and will be very interested to see any reply. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawnstar Posted September 20, 2022 Share Posted September 20, 2022 On 16/09/2022 at 22:27, Dawnstar said: Oh, if Thameslink is still running then maybe I'll be able to make it down to London. I won't be getting my hopes up too high though as I'll probably find nearer the time that either they're joining in too or that the signallers are or that the underground & overground - both of which I'll need to get to Hackney if there's no Greater Anglia trains - are. And sure enough, among the rail companies now officially announced as being on strike is the London Overground, so even if I can get to London on 1st October I won't be able to get to Hackney. Okay, technically I suppose I could walk from Kings Cross to Hackney but it's over 4 miles so it's not realistic or safe to do that at post-10pm as a single woman. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted September 20, 2022 Share Posted September 20, 2022 19 hours ago, alison said: I'm supposed to be going to a work event in Birmingham in a few weeks, and will have various trade fairs to attend over the next few months. For the former I could use Chiltern, although it would mean an incredibly early start, but for the latter I'd need to get to the NEC, which means Avanti. Or a horrendously slow train. Multiply that by thousands of other people ... Remind me, someone, why virgin lost the franchise in the first place? Virgin Trains were partnered with Stagecoach (which I had never realised) and apparently they were banned from even applying for the franchises they wanted to go for (including renewing West Coast) because the DfT were not happy with Stagecoach's staff pension arrangements: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/apr/10/stagecoach-barred-from-rail-franchise-bids-over-pensions-row 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted September 20, 2022 Share Posted September 20, 2022 Dawn star have you thought about bussing it there and perhaps a taxi back to station? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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