WHAT the hell is going on with our rail links in and out of Chelmsford? How can a signal problem at Gidea Park still be a problem the next day?
Why was it not fixed properly in the first instance? Why, since the signals where "updated" five years ago, do they now apparently have more faults than ever before?
What are Greater Anglia doing to fix these signal problems? I could ask them, but what will the response be? Just more dribble and no facts
My wife is paying £4,300 a year to travel to London, while I pay nearly £1,600 to get to Brentwood. And we, like so many Chronicle readers are simply sick and tired of trying to make people listen to us about the horrific service we are expected to live with.
I have seen people in wheelchairs unable to get off trains, and they say "this is not the first time".
I had to alert someone at Liverpool Street to go down with the ramp, and waited to see how long it would take this guy. He took nearly six minutes to even get the ramp, so the poor chap on the train was left sat alone and probably embarrassed due to the amount of times he says this happens.
Do we want more people to use the trains and get off the roads, or not?
Due to the signal problems on Friday the 8.19am was cancelled and then three minutes later a Norwich train went straight through half-empty.
Why does Great Anglia not put on extra stops in these situations? After some digging, I think they do everything they can to make sure as many journeys fall in within the 30 minute delay deadline before they have to start paying compensation?
They would rather delay 20 people by 50 minutes, and pay the necessary compensation, so they can concentrate on getting 100 people on one train in before the 30 minute delay deadline, rather than make the extra stops and get everyone there within 35 minutes, as this would cost them more money?
What exactly has Greater Anglia done to make our lives better in the last 12 months since they took over from National Express East Anglia?
Will they claim the proposed £1million station improvements are thanks to them, despite this project being started by National Express?
Do they want us customers to say thank you for installing information points on the platform (which by the way I have never seen a member of staff stand in, as they sit in the heated offices instead) or are we meant to appreciate their train refurbishments?
A train is not refurbished by placing a sticky vinyl countryside scene on the door of a toilet, but by replacing faulty toilet roll dispensers, wash basins and locks, and train doors that get stuck and cause delays.
Making sure heating and air con works is general maintenance.
But why would a Dutch company care about a recession-hit Britain whose people are forced to adopt austerity measures? All they care about is profit.
One more thing. Regulators say a train does not count as "delayed" until it is more than 15 minutes late, so why only pay compensation for delays of 30 minutes or more?
If a train is late by 20 minutes, I then miss my connection at Shenfield, so I end up being more than 40 minutes late for work.
Why am I and my company not compensated for this time Greater Anglia's late-running trains cost me so often?
I have seen a lot about the Witham MP Priti Patel asking serious questions about the service we receive, but I have never seen Chelmsford MP and transport minister Simon Burns speaking about this subject.
Mr Burns, you are my MP and I have voted Conservative since I was old enough to vote. For God's sake, give me a reason to put an x next to your name!
Get on the phone and get something done. We rely on you to do what is right for your constituents, and this is one of the biggest topics among the people on the street.
Spend a week around Chelmsford station between 7am and 8am and hear what people are talking about.
I saw a pregnant woman stuck standing all the way to London this morning. No one could offer her a seat as she could barely fit in the door, let alone even see a seat. She, like all of us, should be able to rely on a service that has occasional problems, not occasional good services.
And remember, what ever Greater Anglia say is going to be manipulated by them. They claim only 20 per cent of trains were delayed this year. That is true, if you don't class a train as delayed until it is more than 15 minutes late.
I will try and tell my boss I am not officially late until it's more than 30 minutes, that way I can turn up at 20 past nine every day and technically still be on time!
The railway company's response:Greater Anglia managing director Ruud Haket writes: We would like to apologise for the disruption suffered by many of our passengers last week and the obvious inconvenience it caused.
The main causes of the problems were track and signalling faults, along with some late-running freight trains. We are working with Network Rail (which manages and maintains the rail infrastructure) to prevent similar problems in the future.
Network Rail has undertaken a review into the causes of the signalling problems of last week and is taking steps to resolve them. It is also renewing overhead power lines between London and Chelmsford.
Although performance has been less consistent in recent weeks, overall mainline performance is at its highest level for over 12 years – almost 91 per cent of trains arrived within five minutes of their scheduled time.
In addition, in the space of just over ten months since the franchise began, we have:
Improved information and communication by equipping all our 1,600 frontline staff with Blackberry phones to ensure they are able to communicate more quickly
Deep cleaned our train fleet
Significantly reduced the amount of pre-planned disruptive weekend engineering work (including bus replacement services) on the main line in 2013 – from over 30 weekends a year for the past five years to just seven Sundays and two Saturdays in 2013.
Invested in new and more modern ticket machines
We will continue to work closely with Network Rail to deliver a better service for customers – in the short term by delivering the current service more consistently and to a higher standard, and in the long term by trying to secure the investment necessary to deliver a major upgrade.
The MP's response:Chelmsford MP Simon Burns writes: The reason I can't ask questions in the House like Priti is because I am the minister answering them, but I do frequently take up issues about the railways and problems constituents have had with the service with both Greater Anglia and the former franchise holder, National Express.
Furthermore, as a backbencher I pressed for years to improve the track and electrification, which is now being done.
Obviously, as the Minister I am determined to raise standards across the whole network. I must say, I still think the quality of the service is considerably better than when I used it every day 25 years ago.
Since then we have seen improved rolling stock, the renovation of the track, the replacement and improvement of the electrification of the overhead lines, the refurbishment of Chelmsford station, and journey times have been reduced.
I do, though, accept that there is a great deal more to be done because the service does need to improve further.
Also, until I became the minister for rail, I, along with a number of other regional MPs, have been working on a paper for the DfT to seek to ensure improvements to the line. That work is continuing.
