I was a Steward/Chief Steward at this time out of Kings Cross and worked with most of this crew. It brings back some memories. On this day if it was the first day of "the wrong type of snow" I was stuck at Lincoln waiting the return Hull Executive, stuck there for hours in the snow..Oh happy days
sounds like you're talking about the West Coast mainline, this is the East Coast mainline, these InterCity 225 sets (Class 91s/ Mark 4s) are still going! But not for much longer as they'll be replaced with the Class 801 Azumas soon
This brings back some great memories. I used to travel the length and breadth of Britain in my twenties & the train system was GREAT because of the people on it.
Sorry to disappoint you old mate but the new privatised railway is costing the taxpayer more in subsidies than the nationalised B.R. ever did. The Inter-City division of B.R. was the only passenger railway in Europe that ran subsidy free. Now the taxpayer is paying oney to German and French companies to run Britain's railways.
A lot of people talking about the costs of the public against the privatised railway aren't accounting for the fact that a LOT of work modernising the network had been put off through the 70s, 80s, and well into the early 2000s... We're paying for putting off that work now and modernising the network. Not to mention that delaying a lot of improvements has come at the price of higher running costs. At the end of the day you get out what you put in, and people weren't willing to put much in since the Benching days. We'd still be paying the costs of delaying a lot of the infrastructure projects regardless of whether privatisation had happened or not.
Must be winter of 1992 I'm guessing from what that lady said about the recession catching up with her business. The Mk4 sets always were useless in the snow. But a very comfortable and pleasant environment in which to be delayed, which is not something you can always say about the more modern trains.
You do know that, including accounting for inflation, the subsidy is around 3x what BR ever got right? Also, that the ticket prices are the highest EVER, and keep rising, and that the trains and consists on many lines are over 30 years old. Whilst the big intercity trains were meant to last, the small commuter trains, particularly in the north, are dirty, noisy, uncomfortable and usually crowded. Down south where there's profit we have new trains, but we also have old trains & old infrastructure
That woman with the wrong ticket was at it. One minute she got on the wrong train by mistake and tried to get off, the next she'd seen the board and it was valid.
for all its faults, given that employees such as guards can take home around 35K these days plus the fact that billions have been invested in the railways during the last decade, improving reliability, increasing passenger numbers thus stopping some people driving polluting cars and that the UK is got a fleet of fast, brand new trains, it´s been a win win affair
Fully agree with the guard in this regarding going backwards with conditions and hours with the powers that be wanting sundays to be part of a normal working week with no enhanced rates........indeed that is regressive. Would the management work their sundays for the flat rate? Would they buggery. This chap wanted to see more of his family not less......I wonder how the talks went in the end? Horrible grey everywhere interiors on those 1st class coaches.....not a hint of colour.....very drab. As for the chef putting in 16 hr shift......that surely wouldnt be allowed or expected today......youve barely got 8 hrs left including relaxation sleep and commuting to the depot and back......
My take on it was, when he says he might get ‘arrested’, he was being tinge and cheek referring to his wife in that he wanted to prove to her he did indeed travel at that time.
The service is far better nowadays, complimentary meals in first class, nicer more comfortable and modern interior of the trains, politer staff, nicer stations etc.
I knew Intercity was making a profit before it was wound up.The new railway system we have now may be still costing us as taxpayers far too much,but at least we are seeing some return on our money with massive improvements to the infrastructure.. its far from perfect, but surely better than the BR days of the 1970's! It disappoints me that we do not make and design our own trains anymore, but its a free market economy & that has killed off our home grown design/manufacturing base.
Nowhere near a return for our money and not better IME. As for not making our own trains anymore, the design standards of take what a few private companies offer?
There’s only 1 or 2 services which have dining now. 16 hour days are also quite common now. NHS, retailers, hospitality, HGV drivers are just a few examples where long days are standard.
1:33 laughable. What he's actually saying is I want to stay at home but get paid for work. All of us want to spend more time with our family but life doesn't work like that.
Furlough. Also what he is saying is that he’d like to be able to choose whether or not he works Sundays which is not unreasonable given when this was recorded.
@@devon896 Behave yourself, Virgin went well didn’t it when they thought they could fly trains. Stop waffling about a video you know nothing about. Just another millennial who thinks they know better.
Nationalisation is not the answer, that is a drain on taxpayers. The private sector has invested masses of money in the railway, completely rebuilding the network and stations, take Kings Cross and Edinburgh Waverely as examples. I am not saying the current framework we have for rail companies having to compete for the franchise is the perfect answer, but it is an improvement from 30 years ago.
Poor example. Kings Cross and Edinburgh Waverley stations (in fact all UK rail stations and infrastructure) have been owned and maintained are owned and maintained since 2003 by Network Rail, a publicly owned company. Therefore, those improvements were paid for by the government and tax payers. The only thing owned by privately owned companies is the provision of passenger and freight tarnsport which get a massive public subsidy.
How can a public service be a 'drain' on the taxpayer? The government isn't a business that has to make a profit it's instead the holders of a publicly owned industry so rather than profits being taken by shareholders and thus out of the industry are instead channeled back into the industry so a publicly owned industry does not need to make a profit as there is no one actually profiteering from it.
@@theflyingsteamerstoke8534 it’s pretty simple, publicly funded just means that it’s tax payer funded. As taxes are not something people agree to but are rather forced to pay under the threat of prison then it’s morally wrong to increase the tax burden in the public. Lower taxes are morally right and higher taxes are theft. Having an industry that is taking public money is effectively stealing from the public.
