please empty your brain below
In both cases managers are conspicuous by their absence. Where was the Station Manager at Edgware Road, for example, when passengers were being given such a shoddy service? In his office, staring at a screen?
Thank you, DG, for giving us the viewpoint of the travelling public. If only the managers who 'organise' these 'improvement works' would actually check on the consequenses for passengers and do something about it, the reputation of London Underground could be greatly improved.
We are forever being told of the "problems with running a 150-year-old railway" but the problems that you describe are nothing to do with the age of the system - they are simply down to poor management.
I hope you reassured the confused lady at Edgware Road by telling her that 'every journey matters' ...
Station staff are instructed to be by the gate at all times. Edgware Road is a complicated station and people get horribly confused there. But revenue is what matters, and so instead of having staff leave the gates open so they can help the passengers down on the platform, staff must monitor the gates at all times.
You are right about how frustrating it is to give the same information. The main reason is, we are not allowed to use our own initiative and give out announcements which we believe may be worded better or may be more helpful in certain circumstances (for example, did you know that platform staff MUST say 'please use all available doors' and 'move right down inside the carriages' even if there is no one on the platform? The 'mystery shoppers' who now silently monitor all of us actually mark us down if we don't use word-for-word announcements).
So at Edgware Road, staff cannot give out information which WE know will help. This leads to us being overwhelmed with the same number of requests and yes we get fed up. We are not fed up with the public, we are fed up with expecting to act like robots.
On 31st December, we were told to announce that there was a "Good Service" on the Hammersmith&City line, even though it was suspended for several hours.
The train was dark, doors shut, I vainly tried prodding the (unlit) buttons, then the train slid out – eastwards. Over the way I saw another S7 and ran across the bridge, just missing it (westwards).
The platform display there now showed Hammersmith via Kings Cross as the 3rd train – odd, I thought, the north Circle must have reopened early. When it arrived, it was of course Circle via Victoria – the rest is as your tale. Except there were no driver announcements at all; not at Mile End, Aldgate East or anywhere. Some passengers didn’t get on (waiting for a District, which this in effect was); others got on and immediately go off on hearing the destination (to wait for the next H&C, presumably, interminably).
And same confusion at Cannon Street.
I too find this total lack of customer attention incomprehensible. To my mind all involved during this journey – right down from senior management to platform and train staff – seem apathetic in the extreme, to the lamentable detriment of what is otherwise in many respects an exemplary service. [I make an exception for those drivers and occasional platform staff who are helpful, as noted by others, but unfortunately these are few and far between.] It is not rocket science to get platform and train indicators right, correct on-board announcements (Cannon Street, District to Barking…) – it just requires senior management to get off their butts and sort it out. Deplorable!
Of course, on this particular day this was somewhat overshadowed by the Eurotunnel infrastructure problem/smouldering/fire – why on earth can’t Eurostar state it like it is instead of trying to protect people from the dreaded f-word? Everyone knew it was a f**e from Twitter, BBC etc.
Anyhow, thank you for your most entertaining blog providing consistently stimulating perspective on London and environs – you make the Internet a better place.
It must be extremely frustrating not being allowed to use any initiative in your work because someone based elsewhere thinks they know the situation better than you do, and not being allowed to help real customers in case you upset the mystery shoppers.
Perhaps some of these managers and official scriptwriters should be invited to work on the platforms at Edgware Road occasionally...
They'll be on the gateline and around the ticket machines. "Revenue protection" is far more important than making sure you get on the right train - didn't you know?
There had been an incident at King's Cross...
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