Southern Rail strikes set to cause Christmas chaos November 3, 2016 Southern Rail workers have announced they will strike for three days in December, certain to cause Christmas chaos for travellers and commuters. Strikers from the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) said they would stage industrial action for three days from 22 December, and three more days from New Year's Eve as part of the long-running [...]
Grinding to a halt: Southern rail services set for the sidings next week with no talks scheduled January 2, 2017 Commuters are bracing themselves for the longest wholesale shutdown of the Southern rail network starting next week. Combined strike action by both drivers union Aslef and guards union the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) will take place between 9 and 14 January, extending longer than the three-day strikes previously held. The dispute between unions, Southern [...]
How can brands avoid social media crises? February 16, 2017 The London Dungeon apologised this week after its “dark Valentine campaign” on social media drew widespread criticism. This incident got me revisiting a familiar issue: how can brands avoid social media crises? With policies, practice runs and neutral second opinions. There are often just a few origins for social media crises: Misjudgement: Brands can [...]
Canary Wharf station reopens after flooding trouble causes more travel headaches for the capital’s commuters January 12, 2017 The capital's commuters have been given yet more travel headaches for the week, after flooding caused station troubles during rush-hour. Canary Wharf was evacuated due to flooding, while westbound services weren't stopping at Mansion House and Victoria station also because of flooding. Bank was also closed due to overcrowding. Trains are now stopping at Mansion House, though Circle [...]
A Southern train without a guard travelled with its doors open yesterday (but not very far) November 8, 2016 A Southern train on the way from Tattenham Corner to London Bridge travelled for a brief period with its doors open yesterday. The DfT said it was aware of the incident; the Rail Accident Investigation Branch said the incident happened on the 0554 service and was reported by operator Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR). The driver-only operated (DOO) [...]
Southern rail strikes by drivers and conductors cause fresh travel disruption for long-suffering commuters December 6, 2016 London Underground passengers might have got some respite after today's Tube strikes were called off yesterday, but there was no such joy for Southern rail commuters. They're facing yet more delays today as the latest three-day strike got under way: with the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union walking out at midnight over the ongoing [...]
Southern rail make late attempt to appeal Thursday’s High Court Aslef ruling December 9, 2016 Southern rail has lodged an eleventh hour attempt to avert trains grinding to a halt next week. The rail firm is under unprecedented pressure from two trade unions: joining forces with the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT), members of drivers union Aslef will walk out for nine days starting next Tuesday. Whereas previously Southern has managed to [...]
Aslef’s not happy with Southern over “misleading” claims it cancelled a strike ballot November 7, 2016 Train drivers' union Aslef is not happy over a press release sent out by Southern's parent company Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) over the weekend. A press release from GTR said Aslef "cancels ballot 24 hours after launch", calling it off for technical reasons. Aslef said it had simply been postponed. Angie Doll, Southern's passenger services director, [...]
Go-Ahead’s rail division profit slumps 35 per cent as it counts the cost of Southern rail strike troubles February 28, 2017 Go-Ahead shares have slumped 14 per cent after it warned over full-year profits. Interim earnings at its rail division plummeted 35 per cent on the back of months of Southern rail disruption. The transport giant, which owns 65 per cent of the Southern franchise through Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), said full-year results were lowered due to "the [...]
Auto delay repay? No way: Southeastern won’t automatically refund customers using its celebrated ticketless smartcard, says bidder December 9, 2016 One of the bidders in the running for the Southeastern train franchise says it will not provide automatic compensation to delayed customers, despite a sector-wide push to ensure passengers are more swiftly and fairly compensated, City A.M. can exclusively reveal. Govia, which is in line to team-up with Network Rail to run the Southeastern franchise, [...]