Great Western Coffee Shop

Good start to the new Timetable & week 6.43 cancelled I come back home and checking internet looks line 7.17 cancelled.
Why First Great Western have you cancelled both our early morning trains?

Its not fun waiting in the dark at an unmanned station.
Very poor show on your first day for new timetable.

service incidents page says due to overunning engineering works:

http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/LiveUpdateList.aspx

As you say not a good start.

The "excuse" is overrunning engineering works.   I would normally be very careful about using the word "excuse", but I note that the 06:30 Bristol to Paddington is scheduled just fine - all be it just 5 coaches - so obviously it can get through from Chippenham to Swindon. 

Me thinks the 06:18 off Swindon might have been engineering works ... but it was then cheaper for FGW to cancel the commuter train rather than have an extra empty stock working, and Network Rail can take the blame.   I say this because, as from today the 06:18 does NOT turn back at Westbury but continues on to Southampton, so excuses about "previous train" don't wash so easily!  And all will be well clear for the 07:45 (or so) arrival in Swindon.

Sorry if I sound a bit more p*ssed off than normal.  I had a 35 minute wait at Melksham last night, misinformation from the information point, and a customer arriving very flustered at 19:56 20:32.

We want - we REALLY want - to work well with FGW, but on this form it might be a darned good idea for us to put a few stories the way of the press and go a little more stick and a little less carrot!

That one was caused by a freight coming down the other way and the connection being held, perhaps next time you would like us just to let it go on time, without half of it's passengers?

No - it's a good call to hold the train - especially when the next one wasn't for another 12 hours (and - oops - that was canned!).   It's the lack of information / provision of incorrect information, and the relentless series of problems on nearly every journey that are frustrating.

"There is no train expected at this platform in the next 99 minute" (20:00 last night) was incorrect - and we know the system is perfectly capable of telling people that a train is 20 minutes late or 35 minutes late.

"We held the connection for another late running train".   Good - but the system should mean that you only have to do that occasionally, not routinely.

Have you noted the Melksham record since the new timetable started yesterday morning?

2 trains over 30 minutes late
2 trains cancelled
1 train I have no record for (yesterday's 17:21 from Westbury).

Would you like me to add in an extra day - Saturday

4 trains all replaced by buses.

Hmm.

I'm not looking at the individual cases, nor what the staff are doing on the ground which is a valient job with what they're provided with.   I'm looking at a system under which only one train out of the last nine might actually have run within half an hour of the timetable the FGW have published on their website. Not a good record, is it?

The problem is, if it is more 4 minutes overdue at your station from the expected time, it will disapear, I am not sure if re-placing it on Westbury Dep-boards with figures re-activates everywhere else, if it does then oblviousally it should be done!

I do appreciate what your saying about having no info though, I know how it feels!