SMART are working in collaboration with SHRUG in collating evidence to submit to the Rail Authorities.
It is crucial that hard evidence, based on personal experiences, is logged for submission to the Rail Authorities in time for the new Franchise scheduled to be renewed in 2014. Information will have to be as full as possible and compiled as early as possible to impact upon any changes contemplated.
If you are willing to take part in a survey please download a proforma from the website www.smartrail.co.uk. Northern Rail is aware the survey is taking place. Don’t worry if you can’t complete all the headings; any hard evidence however small is useful. Once complete please e- mail details to the e-mail address on the proforma. If there are two colleagues using the same line simultaneously a collective view of events might prove most useful. It is helpful if you go on a journey which is uneventful you still report this. As a positive this will be seen by Northern Rail as helpful and that we are not wanting to be critical for the sake of it.
Initially the survey will be conducted until the new winter timetable is implemented during December. At about the time of the new timetable, we have been promised additional carriages and consequently the proforma may be altered.
Fares are not always collected and this reduces the recorded number of passengers using the service and consequently lessens the case for more carriages and more trains. Fares which then have to be collected at Manchester Victoria or Huddersfield for example can result in queues (our longest reported delay is 18 minutes) at that station and some indication of the impact this has on passengers merely wanting to leave the station would be much appreciated. But, please, you are not expected to hang around counting but as near an accurate figure of those waiting to pay fares as possible would be helpful.
Let’s hope we get a better service as result of all our efforts.
If you are willing to participate in our survey and you think of other issues which should be addressed please don’t hesitate to contact us. If your regular journey is into central Manchester it would be helpful if you were to indicate whether the Piccadilly Station or Victoria would be your preference. [ See other posts on the SMART website regarding proposed service changes which may result in trains from Slaithwaite, Marsden, Greenfield and Mossley going to Piccadilly instead of Victoria in future.]