The trains were running on time this morning.

First thing I heard as i opened my eyes this morning was the wind. First thing I thought as I opened my eyes this morning was the trains will be up the swanny then. First thing I did as I opened my eyes was look out of the window to see how bad it was and I didn't like what I saw.

I checked the web and was surprised to see no problems reported but I've seen that before only to find major disruption at the station. Regardless, after a couple of quick games on 'Call of Duty 4' (which I can;t put down at the mo) and a cuppa, I left at the usual time. After a blustery and quite hairy ride to the station (more knobheads on the roads trying to kill me) I could not believe what I saw when I got there. Every service was running on time and there didn't appear to be any restirctions due to the high winds. Now that is unusual to say the least. I wasn;t the only one to be surprised either. Every other passenger I spoke to was equally impressed.

The 07.20 arrived on time (just) and thanks to a bit of slow running around Sandy, we arrived less than 10 mins late (ok, 15 if you don't count the extra time NXEC build into the timetable).

I wonder what it will be like tonight and tomorrow though. Wind is expected to be strong all day and Snow has been forecast for tomorrow.

I've had a crap morning so far and most of it is due to NXEC.

For those that don't know, there are 2 car parks at Peterborough station. One north of the station and another south. Commuters parking in the south car park access the platforms via the main building. Until this morning, Motorcyclists and commuters using the north car park could access the platforms via a gate which NXEC and GNER before them, kept open between 6 - 9.30am and 4 - 7.30pm. This morning there was a notice on the north gate stating that 'for reasons of safety, this gate will be permanently closed from Jan 28th'. For fucks sake. Safety reasons! What safety reasons? How dangerous can a gate be? Do NXEC beleive that us commuters get so excited about being able to access the platfors without trudging down to the main building that we loose all common and rush ontyo the platfors delerious with joy only to fall onto the tracks in blissful joy? By my mind, what the notice should have said is 'this gate will be permanently closed becasue we can't be arsed to man it properly.

From my point of view, it's no big deal to walk down to the main building. However, for those using the north car park or those running late, this gate was a life saver (or train saver) as it meant customers stood a good chance of making their train without runnign an extra 500 yards down to the main building. What's insensed me most are the lies they have told to justify closing it. There are NO SAFETY issues using this gate. How unsafe can it be walking through an open gate? In my opinion, NXEC think there are shed loads of customers using this gate and boarding train without a ticket which there isn't. Under GNER, they used to have a man or two checking tickets on this gate and if you ask any of the regular platform staff if anyone has ever been caught using this gate without a ticket, they would say not really.

The other thing that pissed me off this morning was the lack of seat reservations AGAIN. So far this year, NXEC have not once issued the seat reservations on a monday morning. This morning was particularly busy and each vestibule was full of people (including myself) standing. Being a seasoned commuter, I know Mondays are going to be bad which is one reason I reserve a seat. It irks me no end when I have to stand becasue NXEC can't be arsed to sort their own problems out and provide the service I've paid and gone to the trouble of securing. Some of us regulars suspect NXEC are deliberately witholding seat reservations on a monday morning becasue they know it's going to be busy and it's easier for them to do this than deal with the complaints from non Peterborough commuters who can't get a seat. They never do a ticket check when it's like this either becasue the guards can't face the complaints from people who have reserved a seat but don't have one becasue of THIER incompetence.

The final complaint has to do with punctuality or lack of it. One again the 07.20 was 3 mins late into Peterborough and 8 mins late into Kings Cross. Not good enough. 8 mins is neither here nor there for me, but for other catching connecting services, 8 mins can mean the difference between catching and missing your connection.

NXEC seem to be pissing me off more than GNER did and until recently, I didn't think they would.

The title is a well sung chant on the football terraces directed at referees when they make one of their numerous mistakes, it could also be directed at NXEC at the moment, because their first month in change has not gone well.

Once again this morning the 06.10 was cancelled, and once again no reason was given, thats the 3rd cancellation of the 06.10 since NXEC took over, in the previous 2 years under GNER I only ever encountered 3 cancellation of that train. The 06.40 and 7.00 were also on the board as running late. A few nights ago the 17.50 was cancelled due to train failure, the 2nd time this month. This is on top of the large scale problems we have all suffered already this year. It has got to the point now that I arrive at the station expecting problems.

Is this just an "unlucky" start? or are NXEC really incapable of maintaining the level of service we are used to?

Dear NXEC,

I'd like to resign my membership of the GNER benefits scheme and start claiming for the delays you force me to endure, as I experience them. You've fiddled and fucked about with the timetable so much that the odds are now stacked in your favour that perfromance levels are acheived to the point where I beleive I will be uneligable for any discount when I'm due to renew my annual season ticket next autumn. It is now more than likely that come Autumn, I will receive not one penny to compensate me for the delays I will endure and have already endured beween the date you took control, to the date I renew. Consequently I want the same benefits as season ticket holders who have renewed since you took control.

Secondly I am getting more and more pissed off with your inability to provide and efficient seat reservation service. We've been back at work for 3 weeks now and in the 15 days I've travelled with you since the new year, 5 mornings have seen the trian arrive into Peterborough with no seat reservations. This morning being the latest.

On the same subject, I've heard numberous complaints from passenegers who have renewed their seat reservation and requested the same seat they've reserved every day for years only to find they've been moved for no apparant reason. I myself have been a victim of this farce where I requested my usual table seat (I specifically say seat x, coach Y or any table seat on my form)on the 17.20 but have been placed in a seat with no table at all. What fooking good is that?

Finaly in todays rant, I'd just like to say thanks to the selfish twat on this mornings 07.20 who felt he had every right to take up 3 quarters of the table with his laptop and papers and ignore his fellow passenegers requests for a little bit of personal space in which to read the paper. I truely hope you have a shite day, you tread in 8 piles of dog shit and that you miss your train home you knobhead.

You really need to pull your socks up guys becasue first impressions of the service your providing, have not been what I would call reassuring.

...cause National Express's disruption page for yesterday is about as much use as a chocolate teapot.

We could provide a better service by redirecting folks to this blog most days. Except of course, that that would presuppose the WiFi on the delayed trains worked long enough to get an update up.

Get a GRIP, NXEC.

As I boarded the 18.03 last night I sensed all was not well at the Cross. The tell tale sign was the fact that this was the only train in the station and FCC passengers were being told to travel to Finsbury Park to catch their trains. It did not take years of experience to work that one out!!. At 18.00 all still seemed OK with our service as "anyone not travelling" were asked to leave the train. By 18.10 we knew otherwise...

At 18.15 the 18.03 to Skipton had been turned into the 18.20 to Newcastle, which rightly confused those going to Leeds and beyond. We eventually left just after 18.30, so had 3 train loads of passengers on board including 100s for Stevenage. The train was packed, but at least it got everyone home.

So far this year has not been great, and it seems that despite the on going huge work and investment by network fail, we are yet to see any real difference.

Just looking at the National Rail arrivals board for KX - am I the only one who finds it a little... suspicious that every single NXEC train is expected 3-5 mins early. Assuming they leave Peterborough on time, could it possibly be that the timetables are deliberately a little over-generous? God forbid!

Still not regretting working from home - it's quite possible I could have made it in in reasonable time, but my main gripe was about the lack of coherent information, not necessarily the lack of trains.

Got to KX in time for the 1610, which was late in, and sat there for ages, with the guard professing complete ignorance as to our predicted start time beyond 'overhead lines down near Finsbury Park'. Eventually left at 1645, got in just after 1730, which was quite surprisingly quick considering I could have almost walked faster as far as FP.

Friend on the 1740 FCC reports it left at 1900.

This morning? No sign of the 0610. Not in the platform, not on the display. Several FCC trains cancelled, as well, so I said 'screw this', and headed home to send the 'working from home today' email.

Looking at the NXEC site, it says, on http://www.nationalexpresseastcoast.com/en/Travel-Information/Disruptions/?op=714 - "alterations have been made to some morning services". The National Rail arrivals board for KX seems to be continuing in blissful ignorance of any issues, having 'No report' for most trains, and happily expecting two Leeds arrivals in early. Some chance.

And these alterations would documented WHERE on the website exactly? If you click on 'TImetable Alterations' it says, happily: "Currently there are no alterations listed for this day.". YES THERE FLAMING WELL ARE. IT SAYS SO ON THE PREVIOUS PAGE. As usual, I can get more useful information from the FCC site than whoever allegedly 'manages' the East Coast main line service. I'm forced to conclude that whoever edited the NXEC site at 3am fell asleep in his coffee halfway through.

C'mon, NXEC, get a frodding grip. I could have caught a tube to FP and back and ASKED someone what was going on in the time it took your crew to find out yesterday, and I refuse point blank to travel at the mercy of some undocumented 'alterations'. No better than GNER.

[And while we're at it? Yesterday's 0610 left from Platform 3. PLATFORM 2 WAS EMPTY until after we left!]

NXEC's gift for us commuters of 2 first class returns anywhere on the route was a welcome surprise. It seemed too good to be true...2 First class returns anywhere along the route....anytime up until next November. It was too good to be true I just tried to book 2 returns to Edingburgh at Easter only to be told "its not vaild over the Easter period"....what a shock!!!

As this mornings 07.20 pulled into Tinsel Town this morning, things weren't looking good. This service is usually a 225 electric train and when regulars see a 125 in it's place that usually means there will be no seat reservations and 1 coach less. Happily this wasn't the case this morning. OK so I didn't have a table seat as requested but at least I had a reserved seat and it wasn't rammed becasue there were the same number of coaches as normal.

What really made this mornings 125 stand out was that this set had been resprayed in the new National Express livery and it didn't actually look as bad as I thought it would. In fact I'd go as far to say that it looked OK. However, clearly this set has been washed fairly recently and it was obvious to one and all that NXEC are either going to have to wash thier train sets a bit more regularly or we will be traveling on trains that look like they've been pulled through the Thames estuary.

Personally my list of complaints is longer than than the things I've been impressed with. Consequently, my current feelings are that NXEC are slightly worse than GNER were.

COMPAINTS
1. Punctuality - Worse. Definately worse. Been delayed nearly every morning and most evening (Admitedly evening journies have so far tended to be only a few mins)
2. Seat reservations - Cocked up. Missing every morning last week, asked for a table seat both ways but only got one going down despite there being plenty of unreserved table seats on my usual servic home.
3. Customer communications - Much worse: -
Changes to schedule during Xmas week and last week but absolutely no communications to regular customers.
Trains that are clearly delayed still showing as on-time on departure boards.
Little or no explanations when things have gone tits up.
Only the odd appology.
4. Charging for short term parking - Didn't take long. How long before they try to charge motorbikes and then push bikes?
5. Fare increases - High? Yes but GNER would have implemented a similar or worse increase.
6. Wifi not working. I've tried to use it most evenings but I can count the number of times I've been successful on one hand.
7. Guards with no bottle. (Well at least 1) There were 2 lads smoking out the window on one of the old 125's just before Xmas. Every passenger in both adjacent coaches knew what was going on becasue we could 1. see them and 2. smell them. Guard walks into coach 1, checks tickets and walks into the vestibule seconds after they finish and just as they are returning to their seats in coach 2. He ignores the whole episode as if it never happened despite everyone staring at the culprits an d the onvious smell of ciggi smoke in both coaches and all over them.
8. Tickets hardly checked. Personaly, I've had my ticket check on perhaps 1 in 3 jourines since NXEC took over. Fare dodgers cost me money in increased fares.

PRAISE.
1. Free WIfi. (When it works).
2. Free 1st class ticket for 2 anywhere on the line.
3. New compensation scheme - Seems fairer in theory but won't know how good or bad it is reality until I renew next autumn.
4. Nope, can't think of anything else just yet.

What about any other passengers? What's your experience been like? Also what is the opinion amongst staff? Are they better or worse to work for than GNER?

Happy new year fellow commuters. Back at work today but got in late because the 06.10 did not run this morning apparently due to it being a revised time table. So several hundred Peterborough commuters were once again shafted on Day 0ne of the commuting year.

I have not seen it written anywhere that it was still a "revised" timetable, and of course there were no announcements at the station. When I asked a NXEC member of staff how long the revised timetable would be running for he just shrugged his shoulders and said "no idea mate". Thanks for your fucking help!!!

Somethings never change, it does not matter if its BR, GNER or NXEC the commuters still get treated like shit...rant over..back to work.....