"Roland Perry" wrote in message
...
In message , at 16:12:58 on Tue,
11 Nov 2008, Graham Harrison
remarked:
Visitors to World Travel Market are advised that London Underground is
currently experiencing delays on the Docklands Light Rail (DLR) between
Bank Station and Shadwell Station.

1) I heard something very similar yesterday. Is there any relation
between the 2 incidents?

I expect it's like the travel news I heard in Sunday that said trains were
disrupted because of works to the Bradway tunnel (south of Sheffield).
Yes, they would be, the tunnel's closed for three months! But somehow they
made it sound like it was just that day.

The DLR seems to be permanently borked in the vicinity of Excel.
--
Roland Perry

Yes... don't get me started about the BBC travel news and railways. They
seem to be incapable of doing any more than parroting what one TOC tells
them. For instance (I can't remember the exact words) "SWT trains are
replaced by buses between Southampton and Basingstoke." Well, if SWT
trains are replaced, what's happening to XC on the same route?

"Graham Harrison" wrote:
Yes... don't get me started about the BBC travel news and railways. They
seem to be incapable of doing any more than parroting what one TOC tells
them. For instance (I can't remember the exact words) "SWT trains are
replaced by buses between Southampton and Basingstoke." Well, if SWT
trains are replaced, what's happening to XC on the same route?

I'd guess that probably 95% of 'news' is simply rewritten press releases.
Few journalists ever bother to ask questions, let alone challenge the
'facts'
Plus many 'news' services employ no journalists at all.
--

Andrew

On Nov 11, 6:02*pm, "Andrew Heenan" wrote:
"Graham Harrison" wrote:
Yes... don't get me started about the BBC travel news and railways. * They
seem to be incapable of doing any more than parroting what one TOC tells
them. * For instance (I can't remember the exact words) "SWT trains are
replaced by buses between Southampton and Basingstoke." * Well, if SWT
trains are replaced, what's happening to XC on the same route?

I'd guess that probably 95% of 'news' is simply rewritten press releases.
Few journalists ever bother to ask questions, let alone challenge the
'facts'
Plus many 'news' services employ no journalists at all.

Hmm. Doesn't explain nonsensical stories like "services from Dartford
to Victoria being diverted because of problems on the Lewisham line".

(The problems were on the Bexleyheath line, and the routes converge
again at Lewisham, which was therefore the first scheduled place they
were calling at after Dartford [via Sidcup], despite the story
implying it was where they were diverted away from. Was this
information really provided by a TOC or was it BBC News that randomly
jumbled all the words?)

"MIG" wrote:
Doesn't explain nonsensical stories like "services from Dartford
to Victoria being diverted because of problems on the Lewisham line".
... Was this information really provided by a TOC or was it BBC
News that randomly jumbled all the words?

No way to know; nonsensical press releases are not rare (I've just been
reading 20 from TfL which all contnue to give Boris credit for initiatives
launched by Ken).

But it may be that they got two press releases referring to 'apparently
related' incidents and they got merged by an idiot with no clue about
Geography.

I don't think such things are outsourced to India yet; imagine the wonderful
stories that we'll get then!
--

Andrew

Andrew Heenan wrote:
"Graham Harrison" wrote:
Yes... don't get me started about the BBC travel news and railways. They
seem to be incapable of doing any more than parroting what one TOC tells
them. For instance (I can't remember the exact words) "SWT trains are
replaced by buses between Southampton and Basingstoke." Well, if SWT
trains are replaced, what's happening to XC on the same route?

I'd guess that probably 95% of 'news' is simply rewritten press releases.

That's what press releases are there for - or it is for the couple I've
written! It can be instructive to look at some of the crud on TOC and
other websites. I had a look at the Porterbrook website recently - they
illustrate themselves with pictures of slam-door trains.

Few journalists ever bother to ask questions, let alone challenge the
'facts'

Who would they ask these questions to? The TOC who has supplied the
wrong information, who would presumably read it back to them....

Plus many 'news' services employ no journalists at all.

If the TOC can't be bothered to get it right, they shouldn't really
expect someone rushed off their feet - and according to friends in
radio, sometimes not even paid - to do their work for them.
--
Arthur Figgis Surrey, UK