One of the causes of LMs problems.
- From: Usenet20 <usenet20@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 12 Jan 2009 23:01:23 +0000
I read and lurk here frequently but have never posted.
After all that I've read recently on LMs woes or problems, I feel I need to add my tuppence-worth.
In November 2007, Silverlink ceased to be and the route was combined with a majority of the old Central Trains route to become London Midland.
In March 2008, as part of the franchise agreement, the Silverlink Control was transferred to the 'co-located' control in the Mailbox in Birmingham. This is where Network Rail and other TOCS/FOCS Controls are located (with the exception of Chiltern Trains who flatly refuse to have their Control there).
This was said to ensure effective communication between all parties using the route(s).
Up to 2000, the Silverlink Control had been based on the route at Watford Junction but with the split into County and Metro, the County Control moved to a new, purpose built Control room at Bletchley. The Control was in the same building as the traincrew, the traincrew supervisors and the management center.
Over the following seven years or so, the Control staff worked extremely hard and built up relationships with Network Rail Controllers, signallers and signalbox managers, station and platform staff, drivers, conductors and all levels of management.
It wasn't a strange sight to see route directors and operations managers in the Control sharing a pot of tea with a driver and an assistant controller. Every route director I ever worked under would call in at least once a day to see how things were going.
We had an 'open door' policy to all staff and we frequently had visits from the very people we were talking to on a daily basis on the phones. In turn, we visited them and their working environment.
Members of traincrew became friends. Problems were solved with a simple phone call. During times of disruption, traincrew would call and offer to work through breaks to get trains out on time.
Everyone, and I can say this hand on heart, had the same desire and that was to run a decent service.
During the time I was there (and it was a long time), all Silverlink employees had a certain amount of pride in what they did and how they did it.
Now, since March things have gone awry.
Not many of the Silverlink County control staff went to Birmingham. The most experienced controllers and assistant controllers decided to call it a day. What you now have at Birmingham are a couple of ex Silverlink Controllers and new controllers who don't know the route, don't know the staff, don't know the signallers, don't know the station staff.
The new timetable probably has had an effect but you have to ask yourself; why haven't LM enough staff in place and trained ready for the new timetable?
I've gone on long enough and I've proably bored you all to tears but the next time you see a member of LM staff (particularly traincrew) ask him what it's like contacting their control for information and how it compares now to when it was located at Bletchley.
.
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