At long last, a British organization has seemingly learnt how to provide sensible numbering following an accident/incident:

http://www.virgintrains.co.uk/default.aspx (from web site at 9-32pm EST)

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The emergency services have issued the following number for friends or relatives concerned about anybody travelling on the train: 0800 056 01146 (00 44 20 7158 0198 from overseas).
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Perfect (apart from the superfluous digit in the 0800 number which I'm sure will be corrected) - toll-free phone number for UK callers, geographic for overseas. Someone somewhere is using their brain for once.

I was not aware that this had occurred. News story from the BBC here.

The 0800 number is 1 digit too long and it answers "Lloyds TSB Pet Insurance". Playing around with the numbers, I've found it should be 0800 0560146.

It answers "This is the police information bureau for the Cumbria train crash. If you want to report a missing person..."

From National Rail here:


Quote:

A passenger train has derailed near to Tebay between Preston and Carlisle. All services have been suspended in the area A special telephone number has been set up for anyone requiring information about friends or relatives. The number is 0845 330 0247.

British Transport Police already have a memorable  0800 number for contact purposes , if you read the BBC bulletin your see they are promoting it.

"People worried about friends or relatives on the train are asked to ring a British Transport Police family liaison centre on 0800 40 50 40. "


Also see: http://www.btp.police.uk/contact.htm

Now being quoted on Sky News as "TRAIN DERAILMENT CASUALTY NUMBER: 0800 056 0146" on their rolling banner.

and

"NUMBER FROM OUTSIDE THE UK" quoted as 00 44 207 158 0198

So almost right, although really the International number should be +44 207 158 0198 as not everywhere (eg USA) uses 00 as the International access code.  And unfortunately not quite right about the 020 number only being for overseas use because of the absurdity, sanctioned by the cretins at Ofcom, that there are now no 0800 numbers available from mobiles that are not charged as premium rate, not even numbers for the UK breakdown services or pre-agreed emergency numbers for calling the Police.

One wonders how these idiots at Ofcom can sleep at nights but then clearly they have conscience and are motivated only by their bank balance, their pension plan and the possibility of a knighthood or peerage down the road............... ::) >:( :'(

BBC News 24 is only showing the 0800 number with no mention of the number for calling from overseas (or of course more importantly from mobile phones).

It seems the Capita telecoms culture that pervades throughout the BBC shuns the use of all GN numbers and even 0800 is considered better than having no NGN number at all as at least the terminating telecoms company will be still earning a nice little revenue share on incoming calls to an 0800 number. ;) :o :'(

Seems like Capita knows how to look after its own. ::) >:( >:( >:(

NGMsGhost wrote on Feb 24^th, 2007 at 5:22am:

"NUMBER FROM OUTSIDE THE UK" quoted as 00 44 207 158 0198 So almost right, although really the International number should be +44 207 158 0198

Actually, it should be +44  20  7158  0198 but who's being pedantic?

sergeant121 wrote on Feb 24^th, 2007 at 1:09pm:

Actually, it should be +44  20  7158  0198 but who's being pedantic?

Yes I do know its 020 7 rather than 0207 but unfortunately I merely dumbly copied down what Sky provided on  screen and this may or may not have been how the British Transport Police provided the information.

The fact that many people still think of it as 0207 and 0208 is down to a total failure by BT and by OFTEL to explain the situation properly when the new single area London 020 code was launched in place of 0171 and 0181.