It appears that FCC have hit an all time low by providing an abysmal level of service today on the Thameslink route. I was lucky enough to take today off as annual leave, but have been able to monitor the chaos via twitter. It appears FCC have not only delayed customers for (literally) hours but have endangered lives.
It looks like a train broke down which caused unimaginable chaos. This combined with the bad weather and the ongoing dispute with drivers was just just too much for FCC to cope with.
A selection of tweets are posted below. Shocking.
At Kentish Town. There was no service from StP so we got sent there, stacks of us. They kept us on footbridge for 30 mins……then announced to go to plat 1. Then train arrived at plat 2 … so we were trapped on wrong platform…..People crossed the lines to get to train only for the doors to close and not allow anyone on the train.
Broken down train at Farringdon means EVERYTHING cancelled for hours, both directions… You really are a joke…
one guy had a panic attack cos it’d taken him 3 hours to get from city thameslink to kentish tn. They called him ambulance
Wishing today never ended. First Capital Connect are doing their best to make it come true. First train delayed, next two cancelled!
Delay: (First Capital Connect) Kentish Town to St Albans on 10/12/2009 at 00:18 (delayed by 2hrs 30mins)
4 hrs Ldn to flitwick with 1 hr of that spent on a footbridge at kentish town. People crossed live tracks coz of shit crowd control @FirstCC
evidently jealous of #Eurostar, manages a pre-Xmas foul-up of its own: no cross-London service because of failed train #thameslink
Am totally disgusted with FCC – waited at St Pancras for nearly 90 mins with wrong info onscreen – no thoughts for deaf ppl.
2 hours train stuck in tunnel, journey from hell! No more trains till after Xmas. Damn u First Capital Connect!
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11 comments ↓
Last night tipped me over the edge.
There are a few outlets for our anger (unrestrained thanks and admiration to those who have worked to this end), but currently it is fragmented across the below sites.
We need to coordinate and centralize a campaign to cure this appalling situation. I don’t care how we do it, (legal, Political or Physical action) but do it we must. Where possible, I’m willing to invest some man-hours in helping out.
Some Ideas:
1) Perhaps the two main sites below could agree to set up a register of sufferers. This should provide us with a significant lobbying group, which could be brought into play.
Name
e-mail address
Their MP
Station Out
Station In
2) Perhaps the sites could provide a link from one to the other.
I really liked the idea of compiling a database of tweets on http://www.ihatethameslink.co.uk however I would imagine the people with access to twitter is a small subset of our fellow sufferers, so maybe e-mail and text (bit more difficult) updates could be incorporated into this centralised database?
Sites I’m aware of:
1) http://www.firstcrapitalconnect.co.uk
2) http://www.ihatethameslink.co.uk
3) Twitter – Compensation from First Capital Connect http://www.lobbyingforum.com/petition-detail.aspx?id=161
4) Facebook – I hate First Capital Connect (amongst others) http://www.facebook.com/search/?q=first+captial+connect&init=quick#/group.php?gid=2239285772&ref=search&sid=675978835.3145587393..1
5) Downing Street Petition (Cannot find url)
Random thoughts:
The DfT Are just apologists and supporters of FCC (remember this when you vote).
Our MP’s have taken action (with the exception of M Moran of Luton South (who I understand has been totally silent on the matter, excuse me if I’m wrong) are as powerless as we are. If we get a list of users by MP locale we can send them a joint e-mail. Remember a general election is coming up!
I do not agree that removing FCC franchise management will have no effect. They are demonstrably worse than Thameslink were, they manage the statistics cynically and every aspect of their operation smells of profit first, customers last.
I think the idea of asking Midland trains to provide stops along their route where it intersects FCC’s shambles is a great idea. No idea if it is technically feasible though
FCC is an embarrassment to the UK. I have seen tourists crying trying to get to Luton airport. Last night my Japanese boss could not get to a meeting. I’m sure this will be remembered when considering London’s suitability for operations.
It is life threatening (anyone on West Hampstead platform last night with un-announced train arrivals on random icy platforms will understand that)
It ruins its user’s quality of life. No explanation necessary.
Etc. Etc…
I agree with Rory. Last night was also my tipping point.
I stood at Kentish Town amongst a few hundred other commuters, whilst watching tourists struggle miserably with young children in tow. All of their faces creased with frustration, three days before Christmas on one of the coldest nights of the year. It was an embarrassment .
The FCC staff were unable to even update us on the state of the service, never mind the train times.
The current Thameslink situation cannot be allowed to continue.
I suggest that a standard text is produced, which every one of us can use as a template to send a letter of complaint to both the Secretary of State for Transport and his opposite number.
Emails are meaningless – they can be filtered and deleted. Sack upon sack of post cannot be ignored.
If the post is ignored, we will have to decide our next step.
As customer care (or whatever they call themselves) are a bunch of moronic halfwits I suggest email Mary Grant and Moir Lockhead directly. Fill up their email accounts with your complaints and they might pull their fingers out and do something.
mary.grant@firstgroup.com
moir.lockhead@firstgroup.com
I think there is an unhealthy relationship between the First Capital Connect and the Department for Transport. After the shambles of First’s Great Western Franchise, I can think of no other reason why the government would have given this excuse for a company this lucrative franchise (and to subsidise their losses).
I agree emails can be filtered and deleted. However, FOI requests must be dealt with. I think if as many people as possible submit requests (and appeal if they get an unsatisfactory answer) this will certainly make people in the Department for Transport sit up. (basically just think up as many questions you can on the relationship between the two, cancelled trains, compensation or any other related topic.)
You can do this online very easily at:
http://www.dft.gov.uk/foi/whatyouneedtoknow/foirequest/form
Another thing I thought of was a concerted day of action. Perhaps similar to this?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7212466.stm
Enough is enough!
I reached the end of my tether several weeks ago but have been amazed at the apparent apathy of fellow passengers who seem content to grumble and shrug their shoulders but do little else to act in response to the current situation.
Perhaps this week’s events will now spur them into action.
Rory’s comments mirror my own thoughts and the anger I felt as I read about the misery inflicted upon commuters again last night.
We need a concerted and coordinated campaign, not just to obtain a suitable apology and compensation for the disruption that we have had to endure, but also to strip First Capital Connect of their franchise.
Their flagrant disregard for customer service, comfort and safety in the name of profit surely puts them in breach of their obligations as a train operator.
And at the end of the day, we expect and pay for a service that is only being partially delivered by this contemptible shambles of a company.
I’m prepared to do whatever it takes to rid ourselves of these cynical profiteers. If it means setting up and signing a petition, picketing their offices or starting a fare strike then so be it.
But the thing is, a few individuals will have little or no effect. It’s about time we got some collective backbone and took these bastards on.
But we need to be professional, organised and motivated. Expressing our anger and frustration across a number of unrelated websites is not going to give us the traction or deliver the impact we need.
I’m happy to devote some time to this if it gets us a train service that we all deserve.
Have you seen the “How Are We Doing?” posters they have up? According to that they claim that only 4.7% of trains in the last month have been cancelled.
I can’t believe that they have the audacity to put such blatantly fabricated statistics on public view.
They aren’t fooling anyone, but what can we do to dispute or question the legitimacy of these figures?
It’s also telling that some time ago they removed the “First Capital Connect apologise for any inconvenience caused” component of their service announcements.
They truly couldn’t give a shit about their passengers.
How much longer are we going to tolerate being taken for a bunch of gullible, compliant mugs?
Dear All,
Just to let you know for those who did not know… First Capital Connect’s franchise has been issued for a minimum 4 years in 2006, and can be extended if the performance reaches the required standard. (http://www.atoc-comms.org/franchised-passenger-services-first-capital-connect.php)
Whilst we have grown by over 33% in the last month, there is strength in numbers, and it is really important that we gain more more members. Tell your family, friends, and fellow passengers to join us at http://www.tinyurl.com/ihatefcc (this will link to our group!) we need to aim for at last 1000 members… I’m guessing you all know at least three commuters, even if it someone you’ve only said hello on the platform for the last few years! If all of us were to pass on this group to 3 members… We would easily acheive this target….!
You will also note that in the news, FCC plan to offer us 5 free return travel passes for the failure to provide the timetabled service over the last few weeks. (http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/news/4822501.First_Capital_Connect_offer_five_days_free_travel_as_disruption_compensation/) I think we all find this quite pretty poor compensation.
You all need to complain to FCC, and let them know that you are not happy. Do this now by calling on 0845 026 4700 or emailing customer.relations.fcc@firstgroup.com Depend from FCC, that you accept nothing more than 50% refund of amount paid over the delay period.
Once they come back to you, please then contact one of the passenger watchdogs London Travelwatch (for journeys between Stevenage and London (inclusive) or between Bedford and Gatwick Airport inclusive, or between London Blackfriars and Sutton/Wimbledon) at http://www.londontravelwatch.org.uk/complaintsform.php or Passenger Focus or Passenger Focus (for journeys between Brighton and Three Bridges, or between Hitchin and Peterborough/Kings Lynn inclusive ) at http://www.passengerfocus.org.uk/advice-and-complaints/complaints/complaint-form.asp
Given that it is likely tha Department of Transport are reviewing the performance of FCC right now… Please contact Lord Adonis (andrew.adonis@dft.gsi.gov.uk ) to let him know your concerns, also send a copy to your MP. You can do this really easily by using http://www.writetothem.com/
We need to be as public as possible…. So if you are on Twitter, Facebook, any other website or Group, please voice your frustration publically!
Dear all,
I agrree with all your comments. Before Christmas I wrote to FCC. 2 days ago I received a reply. They didnt seem to sorry. Just gave the normal line about disputes and not enough drivers and how they have now employed another 9 drivers and all will be great going forward.
Yes absolute gibberish from them. We want reslts not excuses.
DPP is to blame. If you check the postings as far back as 2007 it was the same. The only thing passengers can do is a petition expressly asking the DPP to intervene.
The threat of an enquiry may yield results.
I took pity on a group of Italian tourists who had missed their flight from Luton airport and took them back to my house to stay for the night. They were crying and vowing never to return to the UK. They told me they were’nt the only ones.
FCC are just reinforcing the generaly held belief that the UK is the bottom of the pile when it comes to efficiency.
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