 Poster: A snowHead
|
For the first time in my life, I've spent the last day wishing the snow would go away.
I flew back from Zurich last night, supposedly to Gatwick. We were in a holding pattern awaiting landing at 19:30 last night when LGW shut its runway. We eventually diverted to Stansted, landing at 20:26. BA then spent an hour not making up their mind about whether we were going to refuel and fly back to LGW - eventually LGW reopened but by then STN was shut - entirely predictably. They then spent over another hour getting us off the plane. So we made it onto the concourse by 23:00, but which time trains were still running into central London, but there were no connections back out to West Surrey. Then BA continued to fail to organise a p-up in a brewery for another 2 hours, with us still standing on the concourse. All the time while this f-up was going on we were hearing about problems on the M25 etc, but they were still trying to get a coach to dump us at LGW in the small hours. They finally confirmed they couldn't find a coach and we were going to be put up in a hotel overnight at about 1 am. In the meantime we'd made up a passenger list and room requirement and previously given it to the service agents (BA had no staff of their own at STN, so everything took hugely longer as the agents had to clear every single decision and announcement with BA - and there appeared to be different "managers" there who weren't talking to each other). But then it turned out that the closest hotel had suddenly become booked up, and they then had to book into another further one, and then they had to rustle up a transfer bus to get us there. Then just as we headed for the transfer bus, one girl reported that she'd just got a call from her bf who was in his room in the closer hotel into which we were all booked, and where was she? So maybe the absence of hotel rooms was due to our booking, and there was more f-uppery going on? Anyway, I finally got into a hotel room at 02.02 this morning, 5 and a half hours after landing. The bus this morning to LGW was going swimmingly, with the M25 the emptiest I'd ever seen it (around the Essex and N Kent sections), until we hit a 2 hour traffic jam between the M26 and M23 (looked like a Tesco tanker jack-knifed or maybe slid off the road). So eventually got to LGW at 11:45 - 16 hours late so far  .
But then the fun really started.
Gatwick was operating as an airport - albeit with delays from looking at the departure boards - but the terminal was complete chaos, as ground transport had virtually ground to a halt. National Express had suspended all coach services. Taxis were running, but the queue was quoted at variously 3-5 hours long. Trains were running intermittently, but there were thousands of people trying to get on each train. This was not helped by a complete organisational shambles. They periodically announced that the station was closed, and there would be nothing running for at least an hour - so go back into the main terminal and wait for further announcements. Followed maybe 5 minutes later by the departure of a Gatwick Express train - with of course no announcements in the main terminal. Periodically tempers got a bit frayed and a riot was only avoided by a very obvious police presence. The only trains running were to the south coast, or the Gatwick Express - running only direct to Victoria - and we were being told that there was nothing running elsewhere. But when I got my mother to look no the internet for me, there were a reasonable number of trains running through Redhill and Clapham Junction, but it was just impossible to get to them. So how come Gatwick Express could run services to Victoria, but it was not possible to stop at the major interchanges along the way?
Following that, I found the local bus stop to try and get to Redhill (to join the trains that were running), but after waiting 20 mins for that to turn up, the driver said there was nothing running beyond a couple of stops around Gatwick itself (but they were running fine). So back to the station and studious rejection of the Railtrack staff misinformation. First we were told there would be a Reading train in about 90 mins' time, and we should come back in an hour. But as there was now zero confidence in anything they were saying, that was completely ignored. Just as well, as about 15 minutes later Southern managed to put on a train that would stop at Redhill (for connections to Guildford and Reading), so there was a minor stampede for that, but they only let about 50 people on, and I wasn't one of them . So still over an hour to wait for this Reading train. And that allowed time to be entertained as two trains running in opposite directions arrived at the same platform at the same time - the stampedes for Victoria and Bognor miraculously managed to sort themselves out without too many injuries! By this time even the Railtrack guys seemed to be getting the message that telling the truth - and mix in a bit of banter - was a reasonable plan, and things became a little more good natured.
Eventually another stopping train to Victoria was annouced 20 minutes hence, which stretched out at various times. During which the direct Reading train seemed to have disappeared. But then when it did arrive it came onto a different platform - so those of us at the front of the queue ended up at the back of the stampede for the new platform. But then there was the complete farce that the train came from the wrong direction; those of us piling into it were then told by those already on the train that it was heading south rather than north, and so we all piled off again. No platform staff could be seen, but tannoy was suggesting it was heading north rather than south - so we piled back on again, and then started having a poll to see whether there was a majority of passenger feeling as to where the train may eventually be heading  . Finally the conductor came over the tannoy to tell those passengers previously on the train (expecting it to continue southwards) that it was in fact now not going where he had thought it was, but was in truth going to head north - only the second of the day (it was now about 16:30). So finally we got to Redhill, and found we had almost an hour to wait for the Reading train - as the previous train had just left. But at least we were now out of the Gatwick madhouse, and the station staff appeared to be fairly confident about when and where trains were running - even providing quality information about connections to other parts of the country. The connecting train then turned up and left pretty much at the time we'd been told - which was fine.
Back in Guildford the buses were "not running", and what taxi drivers who were operating were taking a fairly free view of free enterprise. But as my taxi for the last couple of miles drove up the road, we then met a bus coming in the opposite direction  .
I finally got home at 19:00, about 21 hours late. What a complete f-up  .
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
GrahamN, Ouch. That is one tale of fustration.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
|
|
Cut to the chase, what is your problem?
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
I'm surprised you're still sane after all that. No such chaos here in East Midlands. Admittedly we didn't have quite as much snow, probably only 4-6 inches, but managed to drive to and from work OK, it just took a while longer because everyone decided to crawl along at 3mph...
Much as I love snow, the UK really has no idea how to deal with it...
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
GrahamN, what a nightmare. enjoy the well earned rest!
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
| stanton wrote: |
| Cut to the chase, what is your problem? |
| GrahamN wrote: |
| I finally got home at 19:00, about 21 hours late. |
...when I could have been [skiing on the local hills] working from home  , like most of the rest of the country, rather than scrumming down in Gatwick.
You really are an ar$e.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
More of an ars€.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
GrahamN, laundryman, D'you know, I think he was actually attempting a joke.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
stanton, Well I thought it funny 
|
|
|
|
|
|
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
|
|
I once lost a day's holiday due to some delays at an aiport.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
And to add insult to injury I got on a Gatwick Express??? train this morning which stopped at East Croydon going to Victoria (having had to travel back from Streatham Common in order to even have a chance of getting on a train). You could have got on that one and changed there. Southern rail have a lot not to be proud about today. My colleague came down from Leeds today and her entire journey was fine.
I hope you at least had a good ski holiday in Zurich?
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
|
There will be lots of story like that this week, I and my wife had my Tuesday night flight from Salzburg to Dublin cancelled at 11pm. Different options provided to get home none too appealing as next flight was 2 days away with Ryanair, other option was a 280 euro BA flight via Gatwick the next morning or a 10am flight from Frankfurt. Opted for a midday flight from Treviso the next day as worked out could get a 1am train there. Needed a taxi to train station and asked driver price to Treviso (about 500km I think). Worked it out on sat nav at €750, got him down to €650 and went for it shared between six. Arrived at Treviso in just four hours. Only problem an hour to early for airport opening. Looked for somewhere warm but found no where open so hung around for half an hour for airport to open. When inside made a bed from ski trousers and a cold three hours later woke up. Eventually got home at about 4pm, very tired. Maybe I was lucky as Dublin airport was closed much of yesterday.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
|
We have just got back from Breckenridge and in the local daily Summit News paper it said 'City that survived the blitz brought to its knees by 4 inches of snow', I think they found it very amusing. Fortunately we had no problems with our journey because of the weather.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
|
Anniegirl, to be fair, though, Sheffield was wrecked by the blitz. It's never recovered.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
