CONNEX Excellent Train Service
08 January 2003, 12:47 PM
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Does anyone else suffer the joy of travelling into London via the quite excellent Connex train service.
Last week I was invited to show my ticket... at the time the train was running on time (it was 20 minutes late by the time we got to Tunbridge Wells)... so I decided on a little fun. Moved my hand towards my pocket and then announced to the Inspector that there would be a delay as my hand had been inexplicably delayed on its way to my pocket and would he like to come back in 10 minutes while I sorted the delay. Needless he didn't smile but the guy opposite me was laughing.
Seriously thogh it has been appauling the last 8 weeks. I genuinely can't remember catching a train that arrived on time and the mess at London Bridge is quite frankly a joke.
Anyone else want to go off on one...
Dave
Last week I was invited to show my ticket... at the time the train was running on time (it was 20 minutes late by the time we got to Tunbridge Wells)... so I decided on a little fun. Moved my hand towards my pocket and then announced to the Inspector that there would be a delay as my hand had been inexplicably delayed on its way to my pocket and would he like to come back in 10 minutes while I sorted the delay. Needless he didn't smile but the guy opposite me was laughing.
Seriously thogh it has been appauling the last 8 weeks. I genuinely can't remember catching a train that arrived on time and the mess at London Bridge is quite frankly a joke.
Anyone else want to go off on one...
Dave
08 January 2003, 12:51 PM
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LOL, nice one 
They are absolute sh1te. Hardly any trains running today on our line. When will ever learn to deal with slight changes in the weather ?
They are absolute sh1te. Hardly any trains running today on our line. When will ever learn to deal with slight changes in the weather ?
08 January 2003, 01:00 PM
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LOL Dave You didn't expect a ticket inspector to SMILE, did you..!! 
What i would say though, is that the C2C line, between Fenchurch Street and Shoeburyness, previously affectionately known as The Misery Line, is now not too bad.
They have their bad days, but generally, they don't do a bad job.
You didn't expect a ticket inspector to SMILE, did you..!! What i would say though, is that the C2C line, between Fenchurch Street and Shoeburyness, previously affectionately known as The Misery Line, is now not too bad.
They have their bad days, but generally, they don't do a bad job.
08 January 2003, 01:08 PM
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Also pre the fancy barriers I used to walk through and not show a ticket if my train was late... I would explain I was a figmant of their imagination as I had passed through 10 minutes ago when my train was due in!!!
08 January 2003, 01:27 PM
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Dave,
O yeah, I live near gatwick, so the last few weeks for me have been a total nightmare.....
2001 - We'll cut the trees down at Merstham (on the london to brighton line) to stop the delays from leaves going on the track...
2002 - Oh where we cut the trees down in the small valley theres now landslides cos of the rain - like it never rains here
2003 - Train de-rails at Merstham because of the landslide - Intelligent
2003 - Points frozen takes on ave now 2 hours for me to get in, plus they put my monthly ticket up by £15 WTF!!! >
I got to say this countrys rail service is total pony, winds me right up, I dunno how they can justify increased ticket prices and damn right sh1te service.
If it wasnt £12 a day parking in town i'd drive in, but its just not feasible
O yeah, I live near gatwick, so the last few weeks for me have been a total nightmare.....
2001 - We'll cut the trees down at Merstham (on the london to brighton line) to stop the delays from leaves going on the track...
2002 - Oh where we cut the trees down in the small valley theres now landslides cos of the rain - like it never rains here
2003 - Train de-rails at Merstham because of the landslide - Intelligent
2003 - Points frozen
takes on ave now 2 hours for me to get in, plus they put my monthly ticket up by £15 WTF!!! > I got to say this countrys rail service is total pony, winds me right up, I dunno how they can justify increased ticket prices and damn right sh1te service.
If it wasnt £12 a day parking in town i'd drive in, but its just not feasible
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08 January 2003, 02:16 PM
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Tel
Hope you like the new c2c trains - I managed their purchase for c2c
I'm now weaving my magic
on some trains for London Underground
Dave - move to Essex the trains are much better here
Hope you like the new c2c trains - I managed their purchase for c2c
I'm now weaving my magic
on some trains for London UndergroundDave - move to Essex the trains are much better here
08 January 2003, 02:21 PM
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Nigel, thumbs up mate, good job.
What i'd like to know then, is how the seats and seating patterns on C2C are so good, whereas on the identically-bodied versions on Great Eastern, they're absolutely sh1te??
For someone as tall as myself, the C2C trains are a Godsend. On the occasions i have to suffer Great Eastern, it's ridiculous, the legroom is laughably bad.
What i'd like to know then, is how the seats and seating patterns on C2C are so good, whereas on the identically-bodied versions on Great Eastern, they're absolutely sh1te??
For someone as tall as myself, the C2C trains are a Godsend. On the occasions i have to suffer Great Eastern, it's ridiculous, the legroom is laughably bad.
08 January 2003, 03:04 PM
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What are the seating arrangements then telboy ? - and why don't they all have aircraft style seating where you can get yer feet under the seat in front of you rather than crammed against someones legs facing you... ?
08 January 2003, 05:15 PM
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Telboy, absolutely the new trains are badly thought out. I cannot sit in the aircraft style ones as my legs are too long.
Has anyone tried the Connex website today. Just gone to check the services as no doubt they are worse than ever... but the link is bust.
Connex we love you....
Has anyone tried the Connex website today. Just gone to check the services as no doubt they are worse than ever... but the link is bust.
Connex we love you....
08 January 2003, 05:28 PM
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WAGN are just as bad if not worse. Wasn't the Hertford East -> Liverpool Street line voted worst in the country at one point? It really is crap.
09 January 2003, 03:55 PM
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Tel,
We put as many seats in as we thought we can get away with. I suspect you are sitting in the priority seats that have the more space for disabled passengers. You should see a lable telling you that's what they're for. AFAIK the leg room on c2c is about the same as GE in the other seats.
GE has recently done a refurb on its 321s and that put in some airline seating.
In general there's a need to cram in as many seats as possible, 'cos that's a cheap way of getting extra capacity. There's not much that can be done to increase capacity on the network, and there's not much scope to increase train length.
If we all wanted a nice big seat it would cost a fortune
We put as many seats in as we thought we can get away with
. I suspect you are sitting in the priority seats that have the more space for disabled passengers. You should see a lable telling you that's what they're for. AFAIK the leg room on c2c is about the same as GE in the other seats.GE has recently done a refurb on its 321s and that put in some airline seating.
In general there's a need to cram in as many seats as possible, 'cos that's a cheap way of getting extra capacity. There's not much that can be done to increase capacity on the network, and there's not much scope to increase train length.
If we all wanted a nice big seat it would cost a fortune
09 January 2003, 04:26 PM
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Dave I used to go on the Tunbridge Wells line till recently. Not working at the moment and certainly not missing that train journey every day! And I certainly dont miss that conductor who thinks its fine to shake people to wake them up to see their ticket, I nearly shoved him out the train for doing that to me, he is such a w@nker! He will give someone a heart attack one day waking people up like that!
I think the old slam doors are better than those new ones they have put on the Tunbridge Wells line, I can't even sit in half the seats as there is not enough leg room and I'm only 6'3, hate to think what it must be like for the tall people on the train [img]images/smilies/mad.gif[/img]
I think the old slam doors are better than those new ones they have put on the Tunbridge Wells line, I can't even sit in half the seats as there is not enough leg room and I'm only 6'3, hate to think what it must be like for the tall people on the train [img]images/smilies/mad.gif[/img]
09 January 2003, 04:46 PM
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Did a double-take when I saw the thread title as CONNEX and Excellent train service do not sit comfortably together in the same sentence.
It's like First Great Western. Only one portion of the company title is accurate. Yes, you've guessed it - Western because of the direction they generally head. They're never first and they're certainly not great (all IMHO, of course).
Cheers
Kav
It's like First Great Western. Only one portion of the company title is accurate. Yes, you've guessed it - Western because of the direction they generally head. They're never first and they're certainly not great (all IMHO, of course).
Cheers
Kav
09 January 2003, 05:29 PM
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I spent 5 years suffering South West Trains. They still have slam door trains (with smoking carriages). They have a 12 carriage train with 2 empty 1st class carriages. They are one of the worst for punctuality and cancellations in the country IIRC. Anyone from Farnborough onwards has to stand (unless they smoke) for 40 (more like 55) minutes. Even the Underground is better.
09 January 2003, 06:35 PM
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An excellent start to my day today... no trains at Tunbridge Wells. The good news is they laid on two coaches to get us all to Tonbridge. Train finally turned up and got in at 9.10.
best trains are the two plus twos with the big comfy seats with no arm rests and the nice pads to rest your weary head against.
What do you think about obese people on trains. There was one on last night and it was impossible to sit next to him. Not fattest or anything, just think they should not be able to take up two seats.
Dave
best trains are the two plus twos with the big comfy seats with no arm rests and the nice pads to rest your weary head against.
What do you think about obese people on trains. There was one on last night and it was impossible to sit next to him. Not fattest or anything, just think they should not be able to take up two seats.
Dave
09 January 2003, 07:07 PM
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Know were you coming from, spent two years going back and forth on (CON)nex central from Christs Hospital to London Bridge.. Oh the stories I could tell...
Saying that I have the pleasure of WAGN Nov/Dec last year from Kings X to Welwyn Garden City... Can honestly say that not once was the homewardbound train from WGC was on time...
Now working in Gatwick, so thats 10mins in the car - oh the joy....
cheerio
Saying that I have the pleasure of WAGN Nov/Dec last year from Kings X to Welwyn Garden City... Can honestly say that not once was the homewardbound train from WGC was on time...
Now working in Gatwick, so thats 10mins in the car - oh the joy....
cheerio
10 January 2003, 12:52 PM
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Jerome,
Had she:
a) peed on you?
b) excited you so you were wet for her?
c) made you sweat?
Sorry just needed some clarification for my own peace of mind.
Train 20 minutes late today.. no idea why no appology and got a £30 parking ticket last night coz we decided to drive to Tonbridge in the morning changed our minds and I left the ticket in my pocket. Rang TWBC but they wouldn't help me.
I add TWBC onto the same list as Connex.
Dave
Had she:
a) peed on you?
b) excited you so you were wet for her?
c) made you sweat?
Sorry just needed some clarification for my own peace of mind.
Train 20 minutes late today.. no idea why no appology and got a £30 parking ticket last night coz we decided to drive to Tonbridge in the morning changed our minds and I left the ticket in my pocket. Rang TWBC but they wouldn't help me.
I add TWBC onto the same list as Connex.
Dave
01 August 2003, 01:48 PM
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Think yourself lucky you can get the ticket out of your pocket!
My trains are so packed (WAGN) that you can't even move/breathe
And they've put the prices up...cheeky £eckers
Phil
[Edited by Philip Attaway - 1/8/2003 1:49:33 PM]
My trains are so packed (WAGN) that you can't even move/breathe
And they've put the prices up...cheeky £eckers
Phil
[Edited by Philip Attaway - 1/8/2003 1:49:33 PM]
01 August 2003, 03:11 PM
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Yeah, that's what makes them good Adam - a lot of the seats are configured "aircraft-style" on C2C, and those that face each other have enough room for two "normal" sized people.
On Great Eastern, anybody over 5'8" or so really suffers. And they have floor mounted heaters which take up another six inches of floor space next to the carriage side. [img]images/smilies/mad.gif[/img]
I have no idea how these designers get their jobs. It seems SO obvious that these trains don't do the job very well, yet they STILL get commissioned.
[Edited by TelBoy - 1/8/2003 3:12:25 PM]
On Great Eastern, anybody over 5'8" or so really suffers. And they have floor mounted heaters which take up another six inches of floor space next to the carriage side. [img]images/smilies/mad.gif[/img]
I have no idea how these designers get their jobs. It seems SO obvious that these trains don't do the job very well, yet they STILL get commissioned.
[Edited by TelBoy - 1/8/2003 3:12:25 PM]
01 September 2003, 08:21 PM
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Being totally fattist, obese people should have to buy 2 tickets/season tickets because they take up 2 seats.
I once had some bloater squeeze next to me in a middle seat (I, luckily, had an aisle seat) and by the time she waddled off to McDonalds or the Lard Sandwich shop, the whole side of my leg was soaking. Yeuch!
I fact, people over a certain weight/height ratio, should have to get into the guards van. No guards van, no travel. The 50 mile walk will do them good.
Also, anyone who has no concept of personal hygenie should travel on the roof, and people who insist on a breakfast of 6 cloves of raw garlic should travel on a special open trailer carriage towed 100 yards behind the train.
Oh, one last thing. A condition of the ticket should be that if *any* fellow passenger thinks you are annoying/too loud etc talking into a mobile phone, said passenger is allowed to chuck the offending piece of electronics out the window.
Phew, I feel better for that.
[Edited by Jerome - 1/9/2003 8:23:28 PM]
I once had some bloater squeeze next to me in a middle seat (I, luckily, had an aisle seat) and by the time she waddled off to McDonalds or the Lard Sandwich shop, the whole side of my leg was soaking. Yeuch!
I fact, people over a certain weight/height ratio, should have to get into the guards van. No guards van, no travel. The 50 mile walk will do them good.
Also, anyone who has no concept of personal hygenie should travel on the roof, and people who insist on a breakfast of 6 cloves of raw garlic should travel on a special open trailer carriage towed 100 yards behind the train.
Oh, one last thing. A condition of the ticket should be that if *any* fellow passenger thinks you are annoying/too loud etc talking into a mobile phone, said passenger is allowed to chuck the offending piece of electronics out the window.
Phew, I feel better for that.
[Edited by Jerome - 1/9/2003 8:23:28 PM]
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