Train Travel to matches (Never again)

I blame @Kevin1954

 

The Franchise I used to work for is going back to Governmental control in 2025 . The VAST profits and dividends will go to OUR exchequer rather than the Dutch Government

Ask any railwayprofessional and they will tell you the Franchise system was an appalling expensive failure from the outset. Separating the running of the railway from the operator was nuts

Trains, carriages, freight wagons and locomotives all rented
All operators ( There were 28 at one cont plus multiple freight companies ) had to pay track access charges to run this rented equipment, even stations were rented.
The railway businesses had no assets only its staff . A bit like BCFC ?

 

I did morecamble last season amazed they ( northern rail ) are allowed to get away with it.
They will know pre booked sales will be more than the train can hold but they couldnt care lass

 

I gather you were on the front carriage. We were on the rear carriage and luckily didn’t see any of that behaviour. The overcrowding however was exactly the same, to the point where on (older) gentleman passed out.
I can’t fault the fans on our carriage but it was really quite dangerous, and like you say, most tickets are bought in advance now - surely they can use that and a bit of common sense (awareness of football fixtures etc….) to add extra coaches

I would say I’d be reluctant to travel by train again, but i’m reluctant to travel away to watch City at all again right now, by whatever means

 

Did you know they limit the number of cheaper pre booked sales per train to allow “ turn up and go “ customers to buy on the day? Another franchise process faux pas. Once a train becomes full the only option after is to deregulate first class . They CANNOT run extra trains to accommodate the extra passengers because there is no rolling stock immediately available and they won’t have permission to run the train as “ paths” are routed up to 12 weeks in advance.

 

Informative

 

He has his uses

 

I had a similar experience inside the stadium with pissed up nobs coming in at 3pm and blocking all the stairway and aisles. The stewards did nothing about it.
It’s about time we stopped putting away tickets on general sale. Having a large away following does nobody any favours

 

I was sat nearer to the far end and there was about 1500 spare seats in mine and the two blocks either side of me. There is a solution if you don't want to be stubborn and spoil your own enjoyment in the meantime.

 

The thing is it wasn’t possible to see from Y block at 3pm that there were spare seats at the far left side and the far right blocks were meshed off.
If I’d gone looking for spare seats there was a 100% chance I’d have lost the seats I had.
Why can’t fans just behave properly?

 

Big girls blouse. Get a grip

 

You didn't need to see them, the stand holds about 4500 and we'd only sold 2000 tickets. Even with the meshed off area common sense would tell you that it was still only around two thirds full at most.

 

Then why didn’t the stewards direct the fans standing in the stairways to those empty seats.?
Our fans for these general sale local away games are a joke. They simply can’t behave.

 

You big girls blouse, get a grip as @SteveC would say.

 

I've no idea. I'm not advocating it, I'm just trying to point out that there was a workable solution.

 

Where i was sat/stood the steward tried for a good while to move the fans off the stairway and he just received a load of abuse from the fans, nothing he could really do alone with about 50 fans telling him to Ef off!

 

Not the fans fault for overcrowded trains.
I was on that service, 17:18 out of Nottingham.
We had to pull a few lads up about their behaviour but the toilet was never free and I was absolutely busting and there were literally no opportunities to get through a severely overcrowded carriage.
It was hot, unsafe as people, not fans were squashed together and at times falling over when the train came to a stop.
All Northern Rail had to do was have double the amount of carriages like they did for the train we got to Nottingham and this wouldn't have happened.
But I agree that the behaviour of some of our younger fans is worrying.
Away at Morecambe the other week, one lad was sat in his own vomit and all his mates were giving him a wide berth.
I gave them a mouthful until they picked him up and helped him.
I've been in some states when out at the football but never ever where I can't control myself or become an embarrassment to others.

 

Treat people like animals and they'll behave like animals.

 

Must be an age thing, but the thought of getting a train to an away match holds no appeal to me whatsoever.

I think my last train journey to an away match was the 'special' to Posh in 1980 when a defeat meant us missing out on promotion on goal difference