first rubbish western

[superdrive1]

Service incidents
Can We Not Have One Minute Without Something Going Wrong On FGW!!!

15:45 London Paddington to Swansea due 18:46
This train has been revised.It will additionally call at: Patchway.It will no longer call at: Bristol Parkway.This is due to a landslip.


16:15 London Paddington to Swansea due 19:34
This train has been cancelled.This is due to a landslip.


16:22 Portsmouth Harbour to Cardiff Central due 19:41
This train has run short formed with 2 carriages between Portsmouth Harbour and Bristol Temple Meads.This is due to a train fault.


16:29 Swansea to London Paddington due 19:32
This train has been revised.It will additionally call at: Patchway.It will no longer call at: Bristol Parkway.This is due to a landslip.


16:45 London Paddington to Swansea due 19:48
This train has been revised.It will additionally call at: Patchway.It will no longer call at: Bristol Parkway.This is due to a landslip.


16:55 Cardiff Central to London Paddington due 19:02
This train has been cancelled.This is due to a landslip.


17:15 London Paddington to Swansea due 20:23
This train will be terminated at Carmarthen.It will additionally call at: Patchway, Llanelli, Pembrey & Burry Port and Carmarthen.It will no longer call at: Bristol Parkway.This is due to a landslip.


17:29 Swansea to London Paddington due 20:31
This train has been revised.It will additionally call at: Patchway.It will no longer call at: Bristol Parkway.This is due to a landslip.


17:45 London Paddington to Carmarthen due 21:49
This train has been terminated at Swansea.It will additionally call at: Patchway.It will no longer call at: Bristol Parkway, Llanelli, Pembrey & Burry Port and Carmarthen.This is due to a landslip.


17:54 Swindon to Cheltenham Spa due 19:03
This train will run short formed with 1 carriages.This is due to a train fault.


17:54 Swindon to Cheltenham Spa due 19:03
This train has been terminated at Gloucester.It will no longer call at: Cheltenham Spa.This is due to earlier signalling problems.


17:55 Cardiff Central to London Paddington due 20:02
This train has been cancelled.This is due to a landslip.


18:00 Bristol Temple Meads to London Paddington due 19:42
This train has been revised.It will additionally call at: Didcot Parkway.This is due to a landslip.


18:15 London Paddington to Swansea due 21:20
This train has been revised.It will additionally call at: Patchway.It will no longer call at: Bristol Parkway.This is due to a landslip.


18:29 Swansea to London Paddington due 21:30This train has been revised.It will additionally call at: Patchway.It will no longer call at: Bristol Parkway.This is due to a landslip.


18:30 Cardiff Central to Portsmouth Harbour due 21:52
This train will be started from Bristol Temple Meads.It will no longer call at: Cardiff Central, Newport South Wales, Severn Tunnel Jn and Filton Abbey Wood.This is due to a train fault.


18:45 London Paddington to Swansea due 21:42
This train has been revised.It will additionally call at: Patchway.It will no longer call at: Bristol Parkway.This is due to a landslip.


19:29 Swansea to London Paddington due 22:56
This train has been revised.It will additionally call at: Patchway.It will no longer call at: Bristol Parkway.This is due to a landslip.


20:00 Cheltenham Spa to Swindon due 21:00
This train has been started from Gloucester.It will no longer call at: Cheltenham Spa.This is due to earlier signalling problems.

[rwaceyw]

A landslip isn't FGW's fault is it.

Can We Not Have One Minute Without Something Whinging About FGW!!!

[superdrive1]

Someone Has To Whine About It.

[bringstybeast]

Indeed, fgw has got no better. Having used their "service" for the first time since a nightmare journey last October, both outward and return journeys fell victim to train faults and I ended up several hours late by the time I got back home (that not being helped by First City Line buses deciding to be inconvenient too).

However, I am beginning to think that averaging out at 10mph speeds for using public transport in the Bristol area is becoming the norm.

[6rdfar90]

If people are getting this rough with FGW because of a landslip right, why dont we all go on at the airport operators for cancelling flights because of bad weather, have a go at FTPE and Northern becuase they havent been running trains between Leeds and Huddersfield the last few days? Not to mention of course everyone elses fault about the FTSE going downhill...

[shaun123]

A landslip isn't FGW's fault is it.

Can We Not Have One Minute Without Something Whinging About FGW!!!

Correct and yes please! FGW are a TOC trying do their job, unfortunately, it's not going to well at the moment, wth Pacers coming back, train shortages, shortened trains but would you rather have no train and not be able to go to your destination or be packed onto a 153 or 142 and arrive at your destination, choice is obvious

How can a landslip be blamed on FGW, I think that people are saying that just for arguments sake as they aren't doing the best job at the moment, may as well blame the weather we have on them as well, since the can't do anything else right, it can't be easy for them can it?

[superdrive1]

A landslip isn't FGW's fault is it.

Can We Not Have One Minute Without Something Whinging About FGW!!!

Correct and yes please! FGW are a TOC trying do their job, unfortunately, it's not going to well at the moment, wth Pacers coming back, train shortages, shortened trains but would you rather have no train and not be able to go to your destination or be packed onto a 153 or 142 and arrive at your destination, choice is obvious

How can a landslip be blamed on FGW, I think that people are saying that just for arguments sake as they aren't doing the best job at the moment, may as well blame the weather we have on them as well, since the can't do anything else right, it can't be easy for them can it?

I Know It Isn't FGW Fault About The Landslip, But Nothing Ever Seems To Go Right For Them.

[6rdfar90]

I'm ill all the time, and behind in College quite a bit - is that my fault?

[superdrive1]

No, It's Winter's Fault In My Opinion.

[6rdfar90]

Well, its not winters fault either. So, is it still my fault?

[superdrive1]

I'm ill all the time, and behind in College quite a bit - is that my fault?

Who Or What's Fault Do You Think It Is?

[6rdfar90]

The fact that im ill. But, what im trying to get around is the point that - much like people cant control when they're going to be ill etc, its hard for FGW to take into account landslides etc - especially in an area of country prone to landslides and flooding

[superdrive1]

Very True, You Win, I Lose.

[XPTE]

Mmm... just a quick one from me.

Yes definitely not FGW's fault for the diversions, delays and cancellations due to the landslide at Chipping Sodbury.

When is the services now operated by FGW, up for franchise next? I think it's absolutely years away yet isn't it. Several years yet? I would like to see another operator take over and see how they change the services. Whether they keep them more or less the same, or do a complete revamp of services. Anyway,probably years to wait and see if that happens yet.

[mattvince]

Mmm... just a quick one from me.

Yes definitely not FGW's fault for the diversions, delays and cancellations due to the landslide at Chipping Sodbury.

When is the services now operated by FGW, up for franchise next? I think it's absolutely years away yet isn't it. Several years yet? I would like to see another operator take over and see how they change the services. Whether they keep them more or less the same, or do a complete revamp of services. Anyway,probably years to wait and see if that happens yet.

'Greater Western' (combined FGW/FGWL/Wessex) started on April 1st 2006 with a ten-year franchise (IIRC, the last two/three years are based on 'good behaviour'), so the earliest FGW can be replaced is 2013/2014-ish, 2016 at the latest - unless FGW were to be in serious breach of its franchise obligations (read: not paying enough back to HM Treasury). FirstGroup could hand back the keys if the mix of insufficient revenue combined with high costs were fundamentally undermining the business - if, for instance the predicted recession curbs travel (both commuting and leisure), but the price of oil remains high or even increases (remember FGW are almost entirely dependant on diesel). That said, other recent franchise awards (EMT and CrossCountry in particular) are also potentially at risk of that - what the wider implications (particularly on DfT) of having three or four failed 'new' franchises would be is another matter.