Weekly Travel Report W/C 26/01/15

Monday 26th January

No Travel

Tuesday 27th January

12.03 SNF to 12.12 CHM

Train: 360112 Carriage: 74562

2 of 4 Carriages

Pulled into SNF @ 12.06

Pulled out of SNF @ 12.07

Pulled into CHM @ 12.15 (3 Minutes Late)

Temp: 17.5 to 18.9 C

Humidity: 41 to 49 %

Notes: Dirty floors, blotches on window, laminate peeling off another window, stains on seats. Four ticket inspectors on board, slightly excessive?

21.16 CHM to 21.27 SNF

Train: 360104/116 Carriage: 74566

6 of 8 Carriages

Pulled into CHM @ 21.15

Pulled out of CHM @ 21.16

Pulled into SNF @ 21.25

Temp: 15.9 to 19.2 C

Humidity: 40 to 46 %

Notes: All aboard the Dougal Express! Dirty carpets, dirty threadbare seats. Dougal Jr looks to be making an appearance.

Wednesday 28th January

12.03 SNF to 12.12 CHM

Train: 360106 Carriage: 74556

3 of 4 Carriages

Pulled into SNF @ 12.11

Pulled out of SNF @ 12.11

Pulled into CHM @ 12.23 (11 Minutes Late)

Temp: 18.3 to 18.8 C

Humidity: 41 to 45 %

Notes: Lateness blamed on safety checks/emergency engineering works. Late running 1159 to SOV using Platform 3, instead of Platform 5, regular thing lately. Dirty floors, stained, threadbare seats.

21.16 CHM to 21.27 SNF

Class 360 Train, 8 Carriages. Information not saved on phone for some reason. Photo's below.

Thursday 29th January

12.03 SNF to 12.12 CHM

Train: 360116 Carriage: 74566

3 of 4 Carriages

Pulled into SNF @ 12.07

Pulled out of SNF @ 12.08

Pulled into CHM @ 12.16 (4 Minutes Late)

Temp: 15.2 to 18.2 C

Humidity: 37 to 40 %

Notes: Dirty, threadbare seats, dirty floors. Delayed by a late running freight train. Very bumpy ride. Sign not updated, still says "next stop Stratford"

21.16 CHM to 21.27 SNF

Train: 321447/313 Carriage: 78061

5 of 8 Carriages

Pulled into CHM @ 21.21

Pulled out of CHM @ 21.22

Pulled into SNF @ 21.31 (3 Minutes Late)

Temp: 15.8 to 16.2 C

Humidity: 37 to 39 %

Notes: Late because of a broken down AGA train, Class 321 instead of the usual Class 360. Filthy as usual.

Friday 30th January

12.03 SNF to 12.12 CHM

Train: 360104 Carriage: 64554

3 of 4 Carriages

Pulled into SNF @ 12.03

Pulled out of SNF @ 12.04

Pulled into CHM @ 12.12

Temp: 20.2 to 20.5 C

Humidity: 39 to 40 %

Notes: Dirty floors, stained seats.

21.16 CHM to 21.27 SNF

Train: 360102/115 Carriage: 68565

5 of 8 Carriages

Pulled into CHM @ 21.16

Pulled out of CHM @ 21.16

Pulled into SNF @ 21.26

Temp: 19.2 to 20.2 C

Humidity: 34 to 40 %

Notes: Oh dear! Disgusting is not a strong enough word. Signs still saying "Next stop Colchester". Train rocks side to side a lot

Saturday 31st January

First day of 8 weekends of engineering works along GEML. Had access to a car, so I decided to drive to work, rather than get a train to Billericay and a bus from there to Chelmsford.

Sunday 1st February

No Travel

General Notes:

4 out of 8 journeys delayed this week, that's a 50% lateness record. Total of 21 minutes lateness. Obviously no change in the cleanliness of the trains, no big shocker there really. I pay over £110 a month for travel between Shenfield and Chelmsford and I get to travel in filthy conditions, thanks Greater Anglia, you bunch of mingers.

Weekly Travel Report W/C 19/01/15

Monday 19th January
No Travel

Tuesday 20th January

11.41 SNF to 11.52 CHM
Train: 360101 Carriage: 74551
2 of 4 Carriages
Pulled into SNF @ 11.40
Pulled out of SNF @ 11.41
Pulled into CHM @ 11.51
Temp: 13.4 to 17.1 C
Humidity: 37 to 42 %
Notes: Dirty, smells like a toilet from the outside.

21.16 CHM to 21.27 SNF
Train: 360102 & 360119 Carriage: 65569
5 of 8 Carriages
Pulled into CHM @ 21.14
Pulled out of CHM @ 21.16
Pulled into SNF @ 21.24
Temp: 16.7 to 19.2 C
Humidity: 45 to 57 %
Notes: Filthy, threadbare seats

Wednesday 21st January
15.11 SNF to 15.22 CHM
Train: 321313 & 321347 & 321433 Carriage: 62987
3 of 12 Carriages
Pulled into SNF @ 15.13
Pulled out of SNF @ 15.14
Pulled into CHM @ 15.24 (2 Minutes Late)
Temp: 20.1 to 22.5 C
Humidity: 37 to 38 %
Notes: Dirty floors, threadbare seats, no heating. Getting colder. Liverpool Street to Braintree service. 12 carriage train despite the fact that stations past Witham can only take 8 carriages at the platforms, people were told not to sit in the last 4 carriages if travelling past Witham.

19.56 CHM to 20.08 SNF
Train: 321341 & 321331 Carriage: 78079
5 of 8 Carriages
Pulled into CHM @ 19.54
Pulled out of CHM @ 19.57
Pulled into SNF @ 20.07
Temp: 17.4 to 18.1 C
Humidity: 39 to 41 %
Notes: Cold, dirty, typical Class 321

Thursday 22nd January
12.03 SNF to 12.12 CHM
Train: 360101 Carriage: 72551
3 of 4 Carriages
Pulled into SNF @ 12.04
Pulled out of SNF @ 12.05
Pulled into CHM @ 12.13 (1 Minute Late)
Temp: 20.4 to 21.8 C
Humidity: 34 to 37 %
Notes: dirty floors, stained threadbare seats, smells of toilet effluent on the outside.

21.16 CHM to 21.27 SNF
Train: 360119 & 360114 Carriage: 68564
5 of 8 Carriages
Pulled into CHM @ 21.15
Pulled out of CHM @ 21.16
Pulled into SNF @ 21.25
Temp: 18.0 to 19.8 C
Humidity: 35 to 36 %
Notes: Stains on floors, faded seat backs, another unpleasant journey courtesy of AGA.

Friday 23rd January
12.03 SNF to 12.12 CHM
Train: 360107 Carriage: 74557
3 of 4 Carriages
Pulled into SNF @ 12.04
Pulled out of SNF @ 12.05
Pulled into CHM @ 12.14 (2 Minutes Late)
Temp: 16.1 to 19.4 C
Humidity: 35 to 39 %
Notes: Threadbare seats, dirty floors.

21.16 CHM to 21.27 SNF
Train: 360102 & 360105 Carriage: 65555
5 of 8 Carriages
Pulled into CHM @ 21.15
Pulled out of CHM @ 21.16
Pulled into SNF @ 21.26
Temp: 18.0 to 20.1 C
Humidity: 36 to 37 %
Notes: Filthy, rubbish everywhere, torn seats.

Saturday 24th January
11.03 SNF to 11.12 CHM
Train: 321328 & 321432 Carriage: 78391
5 of 8 Carriages
Pulled into SNF @ 11.05
Pulled out of SNF @ 11.06
Pulled into CHM @ 11.15 (3 Minutes Late)
Temp: 18.9 to 19.8 C
Humidity: 39 to 40 %
Notes: Grey seats, red grab handles, surprisingly clean seats, dirty floors though.

20.09 CHM to 20.19 SNF
Train: 360117 & 360111 Carriage: 65561
5 of 8 Carriages
Pulled into CHM @ 20.09
Pulled out of CHM @ 20.10
Pulled into SNF @ 20.20 (1 Minute Late)
Temp: 16.8 to 19.5 C
Humidity: 37 to 39 %
Notes: Filthy and disgusting inside and out.

Sunday 25th January
No Travel

General Notes:

A total of 9 delay minutes this week, which isn't too bad for AGA. Still no real sign of cleanliness, no shocker there. Not looking forward to weekend travel between Shenfield and Chelmsford next week as there will be engineering works, I will bear AGA's alternative arrangements for at least one week to see what's going on, so watch out for my blog next weekend.

Station Codes: CHM = Chelmsford, SNF = Shenfield - Temperature displayed in Degrees Centigrade. 

East Anglia Passenger Voice is GO!

I like to keep you all updated as to various developments in the AGA Complaints world. So this evening, I met up with other disgruntled commuters, who regularly use social media to complain about the 'service' AGA offer its passengers. The meeting was used as a means of creating an organised group to further advance our cause.

The people at the meeting were:

Ian Edwards - Famous for his @Delayed_Again Twitter account

Wayne Herring - @Waynecips, Lecturer and organiser of the meeting

Myself - @RealDC80 and admin for the AGA Complaints Facebook Group and Blogger

Sandie Garvey - @Sandie_1783

Duncan Cooper - @dungadincoops

Andy Mayes - @Mayesey9

Colin Crerar - @camcrerar
Grant Lee - @grantkjl

Sam Morris

I'll post the minutes when Wayne has e-mailed them to me. But the general idea of the meeting, was to get ourselves organised into a semi-official group with the aim of getting the powers that be to listen to it's commuters and to get AGA or any potential franchisee to A) Improve the service and B) keep it at an acceptable level. Various ideas were talked about and we all came to some agreement as to what can be done to improve our service. An action plan was laid out as to what we could do to try to persuade the powers that be to make it happen, and our group was given a name, the name being:

EAST ANGLIA PASSENGER VOICE

Ian will organise a website which will be along the same lines as the old Greater Anglia Complaints website and will continue to run his Twitter account, I'll keep my blog going and running the Facebook group and we'll have reps from around the region who will act as our voice when we have meetings with the companies in question and with government reps. Regional reps will organise meetings with commuters prior to going to the companies and the government.

So please get behind us, we want to help you and we want a train service that is worth the money we pay for it. We will listen to you and we will convey your wishes and concerns to the people who need to hear them and we aim to get results, not just for us, but for you and commuters in East Anglia as a whole.

Thanks again and keep complaining!

The Engineering Works Conundrum

So, it's 2015 and Network Rail (NR) are finally spending some money on some proper engineering works on the Great Eastern Main Line (GEML), which is, of course, a good thing. For eight weeks, NR are closing sections of the GEML at weekends and Abellio Greater Anglia (AGA) are putting on rail replacement bus services to replace train services that they can't run as a result.

As a result of these works, I can't get trains directly from Shenfield to Chelmsford and back as I am normally used to on Saturdays. A direct train between the two stations in either direction usually takes around 10 minutes which isn't too much of a chore, if you forget about how incredibly dirty and tardy they usually are.

So what does AGA do to combat the closed line between Chelmsford and Shenfield, with the only intermediate station between the two being Ingatestone? You'd think they'd put on direct buses from one to the other, with a few of them stopping at Ingatestone too, wouldn't you? But alas, that is far too sensible for the good people at Abellio. They have come up with something so obscure it would make Richard Osman and Alexander Armstrong proud. I am expected to board a train at Shenfield, alight at Billericay (which is on the Shenfield to Southend Victoria line, off of the GEML) and get a rail replacement bus from Billericay to Chelmsford. How on earth does that constitute a good idea? Given that if the good people of Billericay want to go to Chelmsford, they normally have to get a train to Shenfield and another to Chelmsford, or get the First Essex 100 Service bus (which is a far better idea and is a service which has existed for over a decade).

As I have to get a rail replacement bus, I would expect my journey time to increase, and I have no issue with that. But, a bus travelling directly from Shenfield to Chelmsford (or back) would take roughly 20 minutes, maybe 25 if stopping at Ingatestone on the way. But alas, no, my new journey time in increasing by 30 minutes each way, that's an extra hour of my life AGA are stealing from me each week for eight weeks, that's the equivalent of a shift at work, when they need only take an extra 20 minutes each week. Do you think it would be worth billing AGA for my time? I could charge them the National Minimum Wage of £6.50 an hour, totalling £52 for my extra time, would go towards paying for my £112.90 monthly season ticket price I have to pay for, for which I am not going to receive a discount on, despite the engineering works.

Please AGA, think things through before you decide on them, if my normal journey from Shenfield to Chelmsford went via Billericay, I could understand the route you have chosen for me to take, but I don't, Billericay is on a different line to Chelmsford, so why make me go via I place a never go to or have to go through to get to work? It does not make sense. Please make sense in the future.

Weekly Travel Report W/C 12/01/15

Monday 12 January

No Travel

Tuesday 13 January

12.03 SNF to 12.12 CHM

Train: 360114 Carriage: 64564

2 of 4 Carriages

Pulled into SNF @ 12.07

Pulled out of SNF @ 12.07

Pulled into CHM @ 12.16 (4 minutes late)

Temp: 18.5 to 20.2 C

Humidity: 44 to 45 %

Notes: Dirty exterior, dirty floors, papers everywhere. 3 ticket inspectors on board.

21.16 CHM to 21.27 SNF

Train: 360111 & 360119 Carriage: 68569

5 of 8 Carriages

Pulled into CHM @ 21.15

Pulled out of CHM @ 21.16

Pulled into SNF @ 21.24

Temp: 18.3 to 19.3 C

Humidity: 41 %

Notes: Disgusting

Wednesday 14 January

11.41 SNF to 11.52 CHM

Train: 360119 & 360104 Carriage: 68569

4 of 8 Carriages

Pulled into SNF @ 11.57

Pulled out of SNF @ 11.58

Pulled into CHM @ 12.08 (16 minutes late, but 4 minutes earlier than I normally get to CHM)

Temp: 16.2 to 19.5 C

Humidity: 40 to 51 %

Notes: Fatality at Kelvedon. Trains all messed up as a result, doubled up, cancelled, running late or journey's shortened. This train would have normally been 4 carriages and terminating at Clacton, but is now 8 carriages and terminating at Witham. Changed between Ingatestone and Chelmsford to terminate at Clacton. Still dirty though. 

21.16 CHM to 21.27 SNF

Train: 360109 & 360117 Carriage: 65567

5 of 8 Carriages

Pulled into CHM @ 21.15

Pulled out of CHM @ 21.16

Pulled into SNF @ 21.25

Temp: 19.4 to 20.4 C

Humidity: 42 to 43 %

Notes: filthy, disgusting!

Thursday 15 January

12.03 SNF to 12.12 CHM

Train: 360101 Carriage:74551

2 of 4 Carriages

Pulled into SNF @ 12.04

Pulled out of SNF @ 12.05

Pulled into CHM @ 12.13 (1 Minute Late)

Temp: 19.0 to 19.4 C

Humidity: 47 %

Notes: Threadbare seats, dirty floors. Massive coffee stain on one of the seats.

21.16 CHM to 21.27 SNF

Train: 360105 & 360104 Carriage: 65554

5 of 8 Carriages

Pulled into CHM @ 21.15

Pulled out of CHM @ 21.16

Pulled into SNF @ 21.25

Temp: 19.4 to 20.2 C

Humidity: 40 to 44 %

Notes: Dull, faded seats, papers everywhere, dirty floor.

Friday 16 January

12.03 SNF to 12.12 CHM

Train: 360109 Carriage: 74559

2 of 4 Carriages

Pulled into SNF @ 12.02

Pulled out of SNF @ 12.03

Pulled into CHM @ 12.10

Temp: 18.4 to 20.8 C

Humidity: 40 to 44 %

Notes: Still very dirty.

21.16 CHM to 21.27 SNF

Train: 360114 Carriage: 68564

4 of 4 Carriages

Pulled into CHM @ 21.16

Pulled out of CHM @ 21.17

Pulled into SNF @ 21.27

Temp: 18.2 to 20.4 C

Humidity: 39 to 41 %

Notes: Short formed, 4 instead of 8 carriages, rubbish everywhere. BTP on board.

Saturday 17 January

11.03 SNF to 11.12 CHM

Train: 321333 & 321318 Carriage: 77870

5 of 8 Carriages

Pulled into SNF @ 11.02

Pulled out of SNF @ 11.03

Pulled into CHM @ 11.13 (1 minute late)

Temp: 17.3 to 18.3 C

Humidity: 42 to 45 %

Notes: Wheel slip on pull away. Old NXEA livery on 318. Usual dirty floors, threadbare seats. Class 321 instead of the usual Class 360.

21.16 CHM to 21.27 SNF

Train: 321439 & 321357 Carriage: 78075

5 of 8 Carriages

Pulled into CHM @ 20.10

Pulled out of CHM @ 20.11

Pulled into SNF @ 20.20 (1 minute late)

Temp: 16.9 to 18.2 C

Humidity: 41 to 45 %

Notes: Dirty, threadbare seats. Class 321 instead of Class 360 again.

Sunday 18 January

10.02 SNF to 10.11 CHM

Train: 360104 & 360119 Carriage: 68569

5 of 8 Carriages

Pulled into SNF @ 10.01

Pulled out of SNF @ 10.02

Pulled into CHM @ 10.12 (1 minute late)

Temp: 18.1 to 18.7 C

Humidity: 41 to 43 %

Notes: Dirty floor, threadbare seats. Slowed right down at Ingatestone, nearly to a stop. Matrix display not showing list of stops.

19.30 CHM to 19.40 SNF

Train: 321304 & 321329 Carriage: 63003

6 of 8 Carriages

Pulled into CHM @ 19.30

Pulled out of CHM @ 19.31

Pulled into SNF @ 19.40

Temp: 13.5 to 16.2 C

Humidity: 40 to 46 %

Notes: sign not working, dirty, creeky.

General Notes:
Yet another poor performance from AGA, filthy trains, delays, although one was caused by a fatality and they did show some contingency planning at the time. I personally was delayed by a total of 8 minutes, but the train I got on Wednesday was 16 minutes late due to the fatality, but that train actually got me to Chelmsford earlier than I was normally due to.