Northern (Arriva Rail North)

[knutstransport]

RE: Northern (Arriva Rail North)
Northern staff at Manchester Victoria walked out yesterday evening.

It seems a disabled passenger was travelling with a young child. They got loaded on the wrong train 3 times, which resulted in the disabled passenger raising his voice and the staff deciding they won't tolerate that kind of behaviour from passengers.

[ant17612]

RE: Northern (Arriva Rail North)
142001 has took up residence at the NRM’s Shildon facility.

[knutstransport]

RE: Northern (Arriva Rail North)

(19/12/2019 17:12)mikestone Wrote:  Abelio should never be even short-listed for another franchise after introducing a completely and obviously unworkable service at LNw.

If you exclude all companies who've ever done a bad job of managing a UK franchise from bidding you'd end up with a shortlist of Serco, Renfe and maybe some bus operator who thinks they can have a go at running trains - like MTL did.

[wirralbus]

RE: Northern (Arriva Rail North)
Northern's problems stem from the RMT dispute , Network rail and the Castlefield corridor debacle . oh and i forgot the introduction being delayed of the class 195 and 331 units and the slow departure of the pacers from british railway tracks.

[knutstransport]

RE: Northern (Arriva Rail North)

(22/12/2019 14:03)wirralbus Wrote:  Northern's problems stem from the RMT dispute , Network rail and the Castlefield corridor debacle . oh and i forgot the introduction being delayed of the class 195 and 331 units and the slow departure of the pacers from british railway tracks.

And the failure to get ASLEF members to work overtime or train up more drivers.

[wirralbus]

RE: Northern (Arriva Rail North)
So the next question is does the Government throw in the towel with Arriva or do they let them stick it out .

Do think the other players should take some blame as well , its too easy to lay it all on arriva

[mikestone]

 RE: Northern (Arriva Rail North)
It needs a change of policy by the DfT to ensure franchises are let with a commitment to employ sufficient traincrew to provide adequate sickness cover and eliminate rest day working - if there was no RDW that might also make Sunday work more attractive.

[SK15 GZG (Moderator)]

RE: Northern (Arriva Rail North)
Taking the franchise away from Arriva won't solve anything any time soon

Neither of the Metro Mayors had anything positive to say when the new Northern and TransPennine Express trains entered service. It's nothing more than political point scoring

[wirralbus]

RE: Northern (Arriva Rail North)

(23/12/2019 18:09)Y474 KNF Wrote:  Taking the franchise away from Arriva won't solve anything any time soon

Neither of the Metro Mayors had anything positive to say when the new Northern and TransPennine Express trains entered service. It's nothing more than political point scoring

Likely outcome is Arriva would probably want to get rid of the franchise at the earliest opportunity , this franchise has been nothing but trouble since the start.

As you said the Metro Mayors have there own agenda , particulary Andy Burnham who wants to expand his Metrolink into more areas of Greater Manchester probably at the expense of Northern or its successor.

[knutstransport]

RE: Northern (Arriva Rail North)

(23/12/2019 13:21)mikestone Wrote:  It needs a change of policy by the DfT to ensure franchises are let with a commitment to employ sufficient traincrew to provide adequate sickness cover and eliminate rest day working - if there was no RDW that might also make Sunday work more attractive.

One of the problems with current Northern and old Northern is they finished up with two sets of drivers on very different contract terms. In the last year of the ATN franchise Arriva took the decision to offer massively improved terms to their drivers in a bid to end an industrial dispute, in the knowledge the next franchise would foot the bill for those improved terms. It led to DfT banning franchises from offering above inflation pay rises in the final year without first getting DfT approval.