Worst Capital Connect

I wrote:

I take the 8.43 thameslink service from Herne Hill to King's Cross every weekday morning. However, I don't remember a day that this train actually arrived at 8.43. For example, today it came at 8.52, yesterday at 8.53, last week it was cancelled once and late the rest of the time... Information about when the train might be arriving isn't always announced, except when it is "passenger action", and then it is announced in such a proud way, as if we should be happy that it isn't FCC's fault that the train is late yet again.

The late running of the 8.43 impacts on the 8.53 and 8.59, making the journey to work hard to predict. In contrast, the Southeastern train to Blackfriars that arrives at Herne Hill at 8.57 is on time, or early, every day. Surely if Southeastern can run their trains on time (and it must be noted that their trains are also in a far better condition than the very shabby Thameslink trains) then FCC could at least attempt to as well? If it is simply not possible to get the 8.43 to arrive at Herne Hill on time, please stop advertising it as the 8.43 and wasting everyone's time.

Travelling by FCC every morning is one of my least favourite things of the day. Waiting in the cold, then being packed into an overcrowded train, with arguments breaking out as not everyone can fit on thanks to the erratic timetabling (why are there 3 trains between 8.43 and 8.59 anyway? Would it not make more sense to have them spaced out at 10 minute intervals throughout the rush hour period?), rattling about on the journey, then being held up at Blackfriars because of signalling, all for an extortionate amount of money, is disgraceful.

You have a policy of compensating people for severe delays to their journey but none for a systematic failure to deliver the service advertised. I begrudge giving your company a single penny as the service is so dreadful.

And here was the response:

Dear Miss Lamb

Thank you for contacting First Capital Connect regarding your journeys between Herne Hill and Kings Cross Thameslink. Please accept my apologies for the repeated delays that you have experienced whilst traveling with us.

First Capital Connect is working hard to provide a reliable and punctual service and I am sorry that the delays caused you to arrive late at your destination on several occasions.

I have investigated the running of the 0843 service between the dates on 12 and 22 October 2007. I can clearly see that services were delayed, if only by 4 minutes, on every weekday during this period.

On the 15 November 2007, there was a incident on the Thameslink line that resulted in a severe delay to the 0843 service. This delay was caused by track problems in the Keymer Junction area. Operations staff from First Capital Connect worked closely with Network Rail engineers to minimise disruption and to resolve the problems as quickly as possible. However, journeys were significantly disrupted and I apologise for the delay you suffered as a result.

Please be assured that we take all complaints of this nature very seriously and as such I have forwarded your comments to the relevant management for their attention and action.

With regard to the timetabling of the morning services, I have outlined below the reasoning behind this.

0843 - fast service to Bedford
0853 - service to St Albans, calling at all station
0759 - fast service to Bedford

Our train-planning department aim to provide as much flexibility as possible for our peak services but I do understand that with delays occurring on this basis, there are undoubtedly crowded conditions at the station. As such I have forwarded your comments to our Train Planning Manger for his consideration.

In view of your circumstances and as a gesture of goodwill for the delays that you have experienced, I would like to offer you £15.00 in the form of a Rail Travel Voucher. I will send these to the postal address that you have provided.

Thank you again for contacting First Capital Connect and if I can be of any further help please don't hesitate to contact me.




£15 - winner.

Pandatime

Oi vey, it's been such a long time since I've updated this, and quite a lot has happened. Last week I had a bit of weird episode. It had been a while, and I had seen it coming really. But it was awful. For a time I had suspected that my grip on reality was not as good as it could have been, and I knew I was definitely mixing up my dreams with real life. But on thursday I woke up really upset (for a long protracted reason I can't go into) and by 10am I was in tears as B had shouted at me and called me immature and pathetic (though this turned out to be a joke). Going to the graveyard at lunchtime probably didn't help my mood. In the evening we had a work night out - a pub quiz, only I had to be the quizmaster. I think it really took whatever I had left in me because after that there was only so much conversation I could do before I went to the loo, looked in the mirror and thought "my god, I hate you"... I said goodbye to people and cried all the way to the station, where I then cried all the way home on the train and then cried walking back to my house. When I got home it all seemed to cave in on me and I don't really remember exactly what happened (except of course, I do remember - it's just I don't like to, so I don't). But then I lay in bed feeling very very scared, and very sad, and very alone. Eventually I fell asleep listening to my mp3 player.

On Friday I tried to pretend I was okay but I felt so sick with nerves about what J would say. In the end, J was the most lovely in the world about it. I feel so safe and happy in his arms. In fact, I would say that I am only about 75% of a person without him (though I will try not to think like this, as it is another 3 days until I see him - and also I sound like a bit of psycho). It took me a while to get used to having J in my life and I didn't really know how to be, but now I feel like I can't function without him. I just wish I wasn't such a mess, and so could be more fun/interesting/whatever I'm meant to be. And then J wouldn't need to worry about me so much.

The weekend was good. On saturday J got his new car and we drove out to my parents and spent the day with them. My dad was predictably odd and did his normal thing of pretending not to know the names of his kids. My mum gave me a flat screen monitor for my computer, which is awesome! I didn't realise how dreadful my old one was until now. I wanted to throw the old one out of the window but apparently it wasn't a very sensible idea.

On sunday we went to a mathmetal gig, but there wasn't quite enough calculus for my liking. One of the old guyts at the blues jam asked loads of questions about silent movies and we didn't have the heart to tell him that they're slightly before our time... On the way home I started to feel really sick and I am a bit worried that my insides are falling out because there is something seriously wrong with my guts. Oh well.

As soon as my hip is fixed I am going to rejoin the gym as J tells me I have "winter warmth" and then said something that sounded like "wibble wobble" but I wasn't listening by this point. The gym would be a good idea methinks.

The baby panda in Vienna zoo is called Fu Long!! I am so excited about going to see him, it's going to be really amazing. And Vienna will be great too - my first holiday in over 2 years (and first ever with J). February is too far away, I want to go now! I must try and refrain from jumping into the panda enclosure (like has happened at Beijing zoo twice in a year) to give the pandas a hug...