Description
Ganesh Sittampalam
The 06:48 from St Neots to Kings Cross often leaves early.
For example this morning the doors closed when the clock on the platform was showing 06:47:35. This meant that I nearly missed it and another person behind me to actually did miss it, whereas the clock on the platform was suggesting we still had time to spare to get down the stairs.
Problem History
- 1 Ganesh Sittampalam reported the issue on FixMyTransport. close 06:54 17 May 2012 #
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2
Ganesh Sittampalam wrote to First Capital Connect
close
06:54 17 May 2012
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Here is the letter that Ganesh Sittampalam wrote.
Train leaving early
The 06:48 from St Neots to Kings Cross often leaves early.
For example this morning the doors closed when the clock on the platform was showing 06:47:35. This meant that I nearly missed it and another person behind me to actually did miss it, whereas the clock on the platform was suggesting we still had time to spare to get down the stairs.
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Thank you for contacting First Capital Connect. We confirm receipt of your e-mail and aim to forward a full response within 5 working days.
Please note that you will not be able to reply direct to this email, however if you wish to contact us further by email then please use the address below.
[First Capital Connect problem reporting email] -
4
Peter Dixon commented
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08:02 17 May 2012
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Hello
FixMyTransport Volunteer here.
Rail operators do often shut train doors up to two minutes before departure to allow for trains to depart on time. When they say 0648 departure, they usually mean 0648.00, the wheels start turning. Of course, this varies depending on the operator and what Network Rail has planned the service to do.
30 seconds can be very important, particularly with congested lines like those out of Kings Cross. This small delay can lead to significant delays for this and other services.
I hope this helps
anorakadmin -
5
Ganesh Sittampalam commented
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12:56 17 May 2012
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In this case the wheels also started turning before 06:48!
I was aware of the policy of closing doors early at Kings Cross, but not of it happening anywhere else. Checking their timetables, I now see that they do actually state a general 30 second policy.
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FREEPOST RRBR-REEJ-KTKY
Customer Relations
First Capital Connect
PO Box 443
Plymouth
PL4 6WP
Tel: 0845 0264700
Fax: 0845 6769904
Website: www.firstcapitalconnect.co.uk
Ref: 6563353/FCC-1
Dear Customer
Thanks for your e-mail via 'FixMyTransport'.
Feedback is important to us and we would welcome the opportunity to correspond with you personally.
Please feel free to contact us at [First Capital Connect problem reporting email] or call us on 0845 026 4700 and we'd be happy to respond to you direct.
Yours sincerely
Customer Relations Department
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First Capital Connect Limited. Registered in England & Wales No. 05281077.
Registered office: 50 Eastbourne Terrace, Paddington, London, W2 6LG.
First Rail Holdings Limited. Registered in England No. 5154485. Registered office: 50 Eastbourne Terrace, Paddington, London W2 6LG.
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Hi,
Thanks for your reply. Please use this email address to respond to my complaint.
Since sending my original message I've discovered that the PDF timetable online does include a mention of train doors closing 30 seconds before the timetabled departure. However, this information doesn't seem to be widely communicated and I feel that you are therefore misleading people; I've been commuting on your trains for over five years and had only ever been aware of this happening at Kings Cross.
I've since looked again at St Neots Station, and can't see any mention of it, including the departure board. Nor is it mentioned when I look up a journey on online planners including the one on your own website (see for example http://www.firstcapitalconnect.co.uk/plan-your-journey/SNO/KGX/depart-2012-07-24T06:30:00/ ).
I would also note that on the specific occasion I mentioned the train also started moving before 06:48.
Regards,
Ganesh Sittampalam
-
Thank you for contacting First Capital Connect. We confirm receipt of your e-mail and aim to forward a full response within 5 working days.
Please note that you will not be able to reply direct to this email, however if you wish to contact us further by email then please use the address below.
[First Capital Connect problem reporting email] -
FREEPOST RRBR-REEJ-KTKY
Customer Relations
First Capital Connect
PO Box 443
Plymouth
PL4 6WP
Tel: 0845 0264700
Fax: 0845 6769904
Website: www.firstcapitalconnect.co.uk
Ref: FCC/6567735
Dear G Sittampalam
Thank you for your email of 21 May 2012, following the response you received from my colleague. I was sorry to learn that you were unhappy with the outcome of your complaint, as we take excellent customer service very seriously.
I note your comments regarding the online timetable, this is the area we feel obliged to provide this information and its also shown on all printed timetables. It is therefore available to all passengers when checking their individual journey information.
We are not unique in this practise; it is to aid the punctual departure of our services. We have found that signage in stations is not an effective means of informing passengers about this and I am sorry for any disappointment caused.
Thank you once again for contacting me.
Yours sincerely
Niomi Bradley
Customer Relations Advisor
Avoid the queue go to FAQ. Lots of answers to everyday questions can be found on our website www.firstcapitalconnect.co.uk/FAQ
First Capital Connect Limited. Registered in England & Wales No. 05281077.
Registered office: 50 Eastbourne Terrace, Paddington, London, W2 6LG.
First Rail Holdings Limited. Registered in England No. 5154485. Registered office: 50 Eastbourne Terrace, Paddington, London W2 6LG.
This message is confidential. It may not be disclosed to, or used by, anyone other than the addressee. If you receive this message in error, please advise us immediately.
Internet email is not necessarily secure. First does not accept responsibility for changes to any email which occur after the email has been sent. Attachments to this email could contain software viruses which could damage your system. First have checked the attachments for viruses before sending, but you should virus-check them before opening.
For more information on our range of services or to book your tickets online, please visit:- http://www.firstgroup.com -
10
Ganesh Sittampalam commented
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06:07 28 Jun 2012
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It seems that this problem is an industry standard practice, and getting them to change it would be hard. In my opinion they should change their timetables if they need the extra slack. Once a train's doors have closed it's departed for all practical purposes.
Problem Reporter
