FGW's new coach-lettering system...

[RobertM]

After a while, the paint will start to wear and then those parts of the coaches will look awful!!!

[shaun123]

It's a shame about FGW. As said before they should be stripped of the franchise, and given to an operator who cares about passengers, cares about the state of their trains. FGW have ruined this Greater Western franchise. They haven't done a bad job with First Scotrail and First North Western and surely their best work is First TPE.

They really need to get their act together, fast.

Shaun

[salopiangrowler]

want to moan sign this

http://www.petitiononline.com/FGW00001/

[danny3]

want to moan sign this

http://www.petitiononline.com/FGW00001/

Or there is this one

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/FirstGW/

[AlistairW]

Or read about more moans and groans on:

http://www.ihatefirstgreatwestern.blogspot.com/
http://www.farcegreatwestern.com/
http://firstlatewestern.blogspot.com/
http://firstgreatwesternsucks.blogspot.com/

[XPTE]

That method of coach lettering with sticky tape is absolutely absurd. Totally unprofessional!

As for late running services missing out some station stops, well I wish I could travel on a service where it missed out a number of stops. As I've never travelled on one where it makes this arrangement, apart from a C2C service some months ago. For instance non-stop London-Bristol Temple Meads, or Bristol TM-Reading nonstop. Would make for a more interesting journey, and a change from the "same old same old" norm. I've used this scenario in some of my MSTS activities to add some surprise element for the player. But in fairness, those passengers waiting at the stations where the scheduled services are cancelled will be a bit annoyed. Depends really though on when the next service is at these stations where the services gets cancelled as they are running non-stop through those stations to make up time. For instance if the 1341 service from Swindon-London Paddington is running say 25 minutes late enroute from Bristol and the driver is asked to run non-stop to Reading in effect cancelling the 1341 from Swindon, and all other services are running on time, this wouldn't be a major problem as there are other services due at 1351,1359, and 1411 which passengers can travel on instead. This would be much more acceptable than at stations or times of the day(i.e. late evening or Sundays) where services are only hourly.

When I looked at the FGW website on one occasion not long ago, I saw on the Network Updates that a 1730 service from Cardiff Central-London was running 25 minutes and would then be running non-stop to London. Would have liked to have been on that particular service.

[allypally]

Central do it a lot on the Cross City line, and I've been on a Voyager thats run fast from Birmingham to Reading to make up a 20 minute deficit.

[ewsjo]

I've got to say, the only "flyers" I have noticed through Chippenham recently have been the extras and ECS to Castle Cary/Swindon for Glastonbury, and an ocaisonal ECS in the evening (can tell its ECS becasue the lights are out)
First are hardly the best operator, but the last few posts show there not the only ones....

cheers

jo

[AlistairW]

(can tell its ECS becasue the lights are out)

Thats just cost cutting, saving diesel you see...

[87015]

Central do it a lot on the Cross City line, and I've been on a Voyager thats run fast from Birmingham to Reading to make up a 20 minute deficit.

They do indeed, heading back to Selly Oak one evening I ended up RA Longbridge for bonus mileage!! Naturally I had just reached the bottom of the stairs and jumped straight on the 323 sitting there with a green peg. Wasn't the only one either a tad surprised as we stormed through Five Ways! Standard operation procedure woth most TOCs to make time back, sod the passengers its the figures that matter...

FGW perhaps even more of a shambles than Central?

[AlanP46]

Virgin used to do it a lot on the Glasgow - SW services via Manchester back when it was loco hauled. They'd just send them down the WCML to Crewe/Stafford and advise passengers to take the next New St bound service. Now they just don't run via Manchester!

[salopiangrowler]

i thought new street was in birmingham!!!

anyway moan about FGW not about other companies

[jonfun]

I would suggest a ukts campaign to display the 'I hate FGW' badges as our avatars... But then FGW would get Slaughter and May or whatever their ridiculously named London lawyers are called to sue us like they've tried to do with London Travelwatch.

[n863dwt]

you lot make me sick.
if you hadnt noticed fgw is undertaking the largest overhaul on its high speed fleet as its IS the largest in the Uk, its taken over the running of a regional opperation thats far from simple given the mess that wessex left it in, the extra summer services were canceled due to some issue between riviera and ews... and given that FGW dont have the additional stock to provide the service and that there isnt the possability of going to FM Rail to hire some mk.2's and a pair of 31's any more...there aint much that can be done.

as for the coach letters... it may be ugly, it may damage the paint long term...
but has anyone actually stopped to think... maybe its to stop passengers getting confused about where their booked seat is if the caraiges in the rake dont have the correct letters on them. (stupid idea having letters stamped on the side of carraiges when formations could change) so it saves the customer inconvenience running back and forward along a train with luggage trying to find the right seat because coach B and C have been replaced with for talking sake A and E

[AlistairW]

FGW is riddled with deep routed long term issues (long term in railway issues = 7 years or less), the shortage of under maintained stock is one of them, partly due to the DfT and partly because they shut a key DMU maintenance depot. Admittedly FGW have been forced to make decisions which I’m sure they rather wouldn’t, but one other hand when it comes to the day to day operation they’ve made some pretty poor decisions.

In my experience they ‘drop the hat’ pretty quick and are more than happy to blow off local services as, unlike with Wessex they contribute very little to their profits. Again this is a problem with large franchises; we will see what Stagecoach makes of MML as this franchise also has a very clear Inter-City operation.

From what I’ve been told the refurbishment program is pretty much on the cheap and the coaches won’t have much life left in them at the turn of the franchise, whether or not this will be an issue we don’t yet know, especially with the introduction of HST2 it may not matter as they may go for scrap anyway. They, without the DfT made the decision to cut the buffet car out and rather than replace it with a TSO and increase standard class seating capacity and leg room they decided fitting more uncomfortable seats into a smaller space is a better option – all in the aid of improving time keeping and reducing penalty fees.

At the end of the day no matter how much you look at it, it all boils down to money, the Greater Western franchise, like most current Intercity operations is a cash cow, it requires little investment and gives large returns. Both First Group (and I say First Group, not FGW) and the DfT are fully aware of this and both are happy to squeeze every last penny out of it whilst they can. By the time it comes to breaking point HST2 will be close to ready and a new operator will take control and everything will turn fantastic again.

Sorry n863dwt I'm not looking for an argument I'm just explaining my take on things.

Cheers,
Ali