On Abellio Greater Anglia (GA) services, as seen on Twitter, people like to complain about the condition of the interior of the train, and more often than not, rightfully so. GA's Twitter Team like to get as much information out of you as possible before they report it. Not that they do anything about it once they've got the information. But it helps to know what to look for when they ask, just on the off chance they surprise us by actually sorting it out.
Information they usually ask for:
Service that you are on. Always pay attention to which service you're boarding, most people usually get on the same services every day when they commute, so it should be fairly easy. Most railway station platforms have 2 or more screens with information about the next train on them, look at one of them before boarding the train, even if they train is late the screen will show the when the train is supposed to be running and when it's due, include the time the train is supposed to leave rather than the time it actually leaves. Also tell them the station you're getting on at and the station you're alighting at.
Carriage Number. Each train carriage has a 5 digit number identifying that specific carriage. If the train is a diesel multiple unit (DMU), an electric multiple unit (EMU) or a diesel electric multiple unit (DEMU) then the set/unit will also have a 6 digit set/unit number. The number they usually want is the 5 digit carriage number. If you're not as familiar with trains, you may not know where to find the number they're asking for. On most trains, the carriage number is usually printed on both sides of the outside of the carriage and either above or to the side of the interior doors leading to adjacent carriages.
Above: Example of the carriage number on the inside of a Class 360 train, you can see the number (74571) is at the top to the left of the door leading to the next carriage.
Above: Example of the carriage number on the outside of a Class 360 train, in the case of the Class 360's the number is between the two external doors, near or below GA's logo.
Above: Example of the carriage number on the outside of a Mark III carriage (12034), in the case of the Mark III's the number is towards the left or right hand end of the carriage.
If the train is a DMU, EMU or DEMU then the train set in question will have a set number too. These will be 6 digits and will be printed on the outside of the train, on the end carriage, either on the end on or near the yellow panel, or on the side of the end carriage near to the end of the carriage. The first 3 digits indicate the class of train it is and the second 3 digits completes the specific set/unit number.
Please note that GA's InterCity Norwich-Liverpool St trains aren't multiple units, they are formed of a Class 90 electric locomotive coupled to Mark III unpowered trailer carriages and a Mark III driver van trailer (DVT). Each carriage, DVT and loco are completely interchangeable with one another. Therefore, neither the loco nor the DVT will include a 6 digit set/unit number, they will however carry 5 digit carriage/train numbers instead, which, like the carriages, is unique to that loco or DVT. So, in the case of complaining about a Mark III InterCity carriage, only include the carriage number as that carriage could be coupled to a completely different set of carriages, DVT and loco from one week to the next, something they can't easily do with a multiple unit train.
Above is an example of the train set/unit number on a Class 360 (360121), in the case of the Class 360, the number is on the yellow panel in the top right corner, just below the driver's window.
Description or photo of problem. Most people have smart phones with cameras on them these days. If you can take a photo of the problem, take a photo of it and include it on your tweet. A photo provides proof of the problem's existence, plus a photo is usually better than any description, especially with the limited number of characters you have to tweet with. Obviously, if the issue can't be photographed, for example, carriage too hot or too cold, a description will have to do.
These steps can be used to tell any Train Operating Company (TOC) about problems on their trains, but remember to mention the TOC's Twitter account name in the tweet, otherwise they won't get it. If you're tweeting about GA, someone who's trying to lobby for a better service will probably pick up on it. The person most likely to is my friend and fellow campaigner who uses the Twitter account: @Delayed_Again and we'll use it to help us campaign for a better service.
Feel free to share your problems with @Delayed_Again or with myself, @RealDC80 too and we'll add it to our gallery to help us campaign.
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