The disgrace that is First Great Western Options

[TallDarkAndHands...]

I had to travel from Northampton to Newbury by Train on Friday.
I got the train from Northampton to Euston. The train was busy but their were seats available and I was even asked to fill in a form regarding performance of ther service. Marks 8/10. Time of Journey 1 Hour.

I then walked to Euston Square and got the Circle line to Paddington. The Underground was packed but it was 5.45pm on a Friday so that was to be expected. Marks 7/10. Time of Journey 15 minutes.

On arrival at Paddington I decide to catch the 6.06pm train to Newbury. It was absolutley heaving and no seats were available and it must have been 100 degrees. After standing between carriages for 1/2 an hour the train left at 6.30pm. This was due to 'signalling problems'. We travelled a mile and the emergency brakes came on. The driver had passed a red light and this safety feature meant that the emergency brakes came on. After another 20 minutes or so an announcement was made that the train could not continue on its journey and that an engineer would have to be called to unlock the brakes back at Paddington. The train then inched its way back to the station and after a period of another 5 minutes or so the doors were opened. I then had to leg it from platform 1 to platform 10 to get another train which was even busier than the first train. This train left late again and was the slowest fast train I have ever been on. The service is a disgrace and I pity any fool that has to make this ridiculous jouney with this unprofessional and ill mannered outfit on a regular basis. Marks 1/10. Time of Journey 2 1/2 hours.

[Blake]

I can only agree.

I have taken morning trains to Paddington with not a prayer of getting a seat.

In the event of an accident, this would lead to carnage. I can hardly believe this is allowed to happen amid the catastrophic rail accidents in the last 20 years and the contemporary health and safety fixation...does not seem to apply to railway consumers.

[Andy]

I can only agree.

I have taken morning trains to Paddington with not a prayer of getting a seat.

In the event of an accident, this would lead to carnage. I can hardly believe this is allowed to happen amid the catastrophic rail accidents in the last 20 years and the contemporary health and safety fixation...does not seem to apply to railway consumers.

I travel to Reading and back every day during rush hour, having done so for over 20 years and very very rarely don't find a seat.

Additionally, in my opinion, to brand FGW a disgrace based on one journey is rather narrow-minded and unfair. The only disgraceful part of FGW and all the other train company's is the current over-inflated costs because of the lack of investments in the past.

[Gumbo]

I travel to Reading and back every day during rush hour, having done so for over 20 years and very very rarely don't find a seat.

Additionally, in my opinion, to brand FGW a disgrace based on one journey is rather narrow-minded and unfair. The only disgraceful part of FGW and all the other train company's is the current over-inflated costs because of the lack of investments in the past.

Hmmmm I wonder who Andy works for?!? if it is FGW then you will not have any issue finding a seat as you probably get free first class travel. If like me you are down in cattle then you surely do not get the 8.31 where unless you are one of the first on you will not get a seat. This morning I think I saw about 10 people standing in the nearest corridor to me and they were no spare seats for them. I call it the 8.31 but more often than not it is the 8.38 or 8.41 or 8.45 or the 8....oh no we are not turning up today......who's fault is that?

[Andy]

Hmmmm I wonder who Andy works for?!? if it is FGW then you will not have any issue finding a seat as you probably get free first class travel. If like me you are down in cattle then you surely do not get the 8.31 where unless you are one of the first on you will not get a seat. This morning I think I saw about 10 people standing in the nearest corridor to me and they were no spare seats for them. I call it the 8.31 but more often than not it is the 8.38 or 8.41 or 8.45 or the 8....oh no we are not turning up today......who's fault is that?

I don't work for FGW and usually get the 8:31 myself. Will agree that Monday's are usually the worst day of the week though

[JeffG]

I don't work for FGW

Of course you don't. Some of us are not quite so cynical as to suggest that.

[Gumbo]

Of course you don't. Some of us are not quite so cynical as to suggest that.

[Biker1]

it must have been 100 degrees.

Rubbish - all FGW High Speed Services are air conditioned.

The driver had passed a red light

The delay to the 18:06 was caused by a Train Protection Warning System fault. The driver DID NOT pass a red signal.

Time of Journey 2 1/2 hours.

The 18:06 to Frome arrived a Newbury at 19:49, The 18:36 to Plymouth (which I presume TDH changed to at Paddington) arrived at 19:43. Unacceptable I agree but hardly the end of the world as he makes out. Try doing it on the M4.

The 08:29 to London this morning had plenty of seats.

Does anyone have the answer to overcrowded trains?
Perhaps we should go back to the old type on non-fixed formation trains with ;lots of extra coaches lying around in sidings for most of the day.

Or build new, longer ones at £12M each which spend most of the day running around half empty.

I sympathise with those who cannot find a seat on peak trains as I am often one of those but it is not such a simple solution as may be imagined.

Perhaps things will change when electrification comes with the associated new trains.

PS - any of you out there vote for a government that privatised the railways so that shareholders could make money out of what is essentially a public service?

As for Blake's worries about what might happen in a crash. There is always a risk in any form of transport of this and we take that calculated risk every time we travel.
A crowded train, whether standing or not, is going to be horrific but the risk of this happening is small especially compared to road transport.

This is because safety is paramount in all operations of the railway and is one of the reasons why TDH was delayed on his trip.

TPWS is a resultant addition to the network from the Ladbroke Grove crash and is there to make your journey safe.

Like all technical equipment it can malfunction but, if it does, it malfunctions in the fail safe mode. I.E. it stops the train.

It is all there for the passenger's safety.

What would you chose.............a delay of 34 mins.................or not get there at all?

[TallDarkAndHands...]

The delay to the 18:06 was caused by a Train Protection Warning System fault. The driver DID NOT pass a red signal.

Thats not what the driver said over the tannoy. And yes I was a little fed up. I just expect services for the Public to run on time and be relatively comfortable. Silly me. The Japanese manage it. Why are we so bad?

[Gumbo]

The 08:29 to London this morning had plenty of seats.

Mine for one was available, as I was strolling past the council offices at 8.29 just as it was pulling out. That'll teach me for not picking up the revised timetable list. Although why they have made the time ealier when the train is more often than not late is beyond me. Typical though it was on time today!

[Biker1]

The delay to the 18:06 was caused by a Train Protection Warning System fault. The driver DID NOT pass a red signal.

Thats not what the driver said over the tannoy. And yes I was a little fed up. I just expect services for the Public to run on time and be relatively comfortable. Silly me. The Japanese manage it. Why are we so bad?

You are right to expect services to be on time and reliable.
Why we often fail to do so as well is mainly to do because most of Western Europe and the Japanese have heavily invested in their rail systems whereas we have not invested anything like as much since the war.

The exception to this being the new HS1 link to the Channel from St. Pancras which is fast and reliable.

It is mainly true that those countries with a fast, reliable system are state owned and financed.

[Biker1]

Mine for one was available, as I was strolling past the council offices at 8.29 just as it was pulling out. That'll teach me for not picking up the revised timetable list. Although why they have made the time ealier when the train is more often than not late is beyond me. Typical though it was on time today!

They have done it by taking out a couple of stops down in Devon.

[Gumbo]

They have done it by taking out a couple of stops down in Devon.

That reminds me......best check the train home is still running at the same time.

[Gumbo]

That reminds me......best check the train home is still running at the same time.

Over 20 standing in my section of the 7.47 this morning and judging by the numbers waiting to get on at Reading this was going to get doubley worse. I don't really care who is to blame I just want somebody to start making changes to improve things. Every time I hear something about improvements they are talking 10 or 15 years in the future.

[jenny10612]

Good job you weren't on the 7:16 Thatcham to Paddington yesterday when the brakes caught fire!

[Biker1]

For info -

NO TRAINS THIS WEEKEND FROM NEWBURY.

All buses.

Link