We cant answer your question, so we'll make up some technical jargon in the hope you go away



  •  I travel to work with one of the shitty train companies that operate in the UK. Part of my shitty journey is travelled on a shitty Branch line which runs into a major Junction station. At that station the Branch line is served by a separate platform, where there used to be a bus-stop-type shelter for waiting in for the train. It wasn't pretty, or warm, but it kept you dry.

     In April of 2012, they tore it down, and started to build a new one. This took a few weeks, which was inconvenient but whatever. Improvement is usually good and if you think thats where this story ends you haven't been reading TDWTF long enough. They completed the new shelter in May, and straight away they boarded the entrance up. Why? No idea! But they did. You could just about see a button to operate an electronic door (like they have on most trains). Perhaps there was a problem with the door and they're waiting for a part.Shouldnt take long. They'll re-open it soon. And if you think THAT is where this story ends you've STILL not been reading long enough. Today is December 4th. The shelter is still boarded up. Another irate commuter has grafitti'd "BOARDED UP SINCE MAY 2012" in foot high letters on the board. It seems im not alone in my annoyance of having to stand in the wind/rain every night.

    So out of pure morbid curiosity, I decided to email the shitty train company to find out what the delay is. Here is a section of that response.

    "We have been waiting on Network Rail to provide a power supply to the waiting area. Unfortunately, there was a delay in supplying a power bond. Without this there is a serious safety risk which we could not ignore."

    so many problems with that 1 line.

    1) Is it a missing power supply or missing bond? I can tell you for FACT that there is power in the shelter. Now the evening are dark, you can clearly see 8 lights burning away inside a boarded up shelter.
    2) Electrical bonding consists of reducing the potential across metalic surfaces - pretty common in the UK, all bathrooms need it on exposed metalic items like pipework. AFAIK, theis requires 1 component - wire. Not exactly the hardest component to source!
    3) The shelter is 100% metalic construction. If it requires bonding, and this hasnt been done, then nobody should be anywhere near the EXTERIOR of the thing, let alone inside it.

    And finally

    "I am pleased to say that this work is on target for completion this weekend. No issues permitting, we are hoping to have the waiting room on platform 11 opened on Monday 03 December 2012."

    Clearly there were issues. You guessed it, it's still boarded up.

     

     



  • @jamiec said:

     I travel to work with one of the shitty train companies that operate in the UK. Part of my shitty journey is travelled on a shitty Branch line which runs into a major Junction station. At that station the Branch line is served by a separate platform, where there used to be a bus-stop-type shelter for waiting in for the train. It wasn't pretty, or warm, but it kept you dry.

     

     

    Stupid question but, if you can't shelter on the platform, why don' you shelter in the station? Or on another platform. Is platform 11 shelter is our of order, i guess there are shelters on platform 10, 9, 8, ... ?

     



  • @tchize said:

    Stupid question but, if you can't shelter on the platform, why don' you shelter in the station? Or on another platform. Is platform 11 shelter is our of order, i guess there are shelters on platform 10, 9, 8, ... ?
     

     

    Not a stupid question, and I guess I should have predicted it.  Platform 11 is separated by an underpass, and 100m walkway from the other platforms & main station. You could shelter in the main station, but missing a single-tracked branch line means waiting 55 minutes for it to travel to the other end of the line and back again.



  • @tchize said:

    Stupid question but, if you can't shelter on the platform, why don' you shelter in the station? Or on another platform. Is platform 11 shelter is our of order, i guess there are shelters on platform 10, 9, 8, ... ?

     

    I believe you want platform 9-3/4. You don't need a shelter then.



  • @jamiec said:

    "We have been waiting on Network Rail to provide a power supply to the waiting area. Unfortunately, there was a delay in supplying a power bond. Without this there is a serious safety risk which we could not ignore."
    Over here, a "power bond" would refer to an election allowing them to use a share of local tax revenue to pay for electricity.  Maybe the voters just didn't approve the expenditure.



  •  Why don't you just take the law into your own hands and pry open the boards?



  • @jamiec said:

    I travel to work with one of the shitty train companies that operate in the UK. [...] It seems im not alone in my annoyance of having to stand in the wind/rain every night.
    Found TRWTF. You live in the UK: it rains. Either move to a country with a decent climate, or stop complaining.

     



  • @Tacroy said:

    Why don't you just take the law into your own hands and pry open the boards?
    Maybe there's some obscure constitutional right to shelter where you live, but he lives in the UK. Meaning that, if you take the law into your own hands, you're held without charge for two months on suspicion of terrorism, or you get shot in the head if you have the misfortune of looking Brazilian.

     



  •  @Severity One said:

    or you get shot in the head if you have the misfortune of looking Brazilian

     You win this thread!

     Is it irony that on the very day I posted this rant, I got back to shithole Junction station and the shelter was OPEN!!

     



  • @jamiec said:

    Is it irony that on the very day I posted this rant, I got back to shithole Junction station and the shelter was OPEN!!
    You see? Posting on TDWTF helped, in more ways than one. No doubt the bosses at Network Rail read this site as well, and decided to take immediate action.

     



  • @jamiec said:

     Is it irony that on the very day I posted this rant, I got back to shithole Junction station and the shelter was OPEN!!

     

     

     

    Pics, or it didn't happen :)

     



  • If it is any consolation the metro system where I live is just as bad.  There are many elevators that have been closed for 'renovation' and 'capital improvement program' which have been closed for over a year.


  • Discourse touched me in a no-no place

    @Severity One said:

    or you get shot in the head if you have the misfortune of looking Brazilian.
    He didn't look Brazilian, he was a Brazilian electrician who "looked like a terrorist."



    Maybe that's why the shelter isn't open - any electrician going near trains is shot by the police...



  • @tchize said:

    @jamiec said:

     I travel to work with one of the shitty train companies that operate in the UK. Part of my shitty journey is travelled on a shitty Branch line which runs into a major Junction station. At that station the Branch line is served by a separate platform, where there used to be a bus-stop-type shelter for waiting in for the train. It wasn't pretty, or warm, but it kept you dry.

     

     

    Stupid question but, if you can't shelter on the platform, why don' you shelter in the station? Or on another platform. Is platform 11 shelter is our of order, i guess there are shelters on platform 10, 9, 8, ... ?

     

    This is the British rail system - the 6 o'clock train can get in anytime between 5:50 and tomorrow. And there will be a thousand people fighting over three seats. And two of those seats will be first class.



  • 1. They probably mean that a separate earth rods (bond) needs to be installed and tested before it can comply.  This can be time consuming, but not more then a few days.

    2. Te inspection and testing probably has to be booked in separately after the work.

     



  • @Severity One said:

    @jamiec said:

    I travel to work with one of the shitty train companies that operate in the UK. [...] It seems im not alone in my annoyance of having to stand in the wind/rain every night.
    Found TRWTF. You live in the UK: it rains. Either move to a country with a decent climate, or stop complaining.

     

    No, then they'll come over here and complain that it's too hot and sunny. Especially last week when we had a heatwave with days in the high 30s! (°C)


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