Great Western Coffee Shop

How many people even know that this exists?

It was launched in January 2003 by Thames Trains, after the ^10 minimum fare was introduced for the Network Card the previous June, rendering that railcard useless for all journeys on the Cotswold Line except Worcester-Oxford, where it saved you about 40p. The Cotswold card was ^5 for a year when launched. It's now ^7.50 and has escaped an increase this week, probably because FGW seems to have forgotten about it.

It gives a third off standard cheap day fares and is valid on the 08.37 from Worcester Foregate Street to London and the 08.49 from Oxford to Great Malvern and all subsequent weekday services between Oxford and Worcester, and all day at weekends and bank holidays.

I somehow managed to renew mine yesterday. The 'application form' - if you can find one at one of the stations - is a tatty photocopy of the last proper printed form. I have never seen a poster promoting the railcard anywhere on the line (usually the only mention it gets at the stations is on the CLPG's noticeboards) and the FGW website's railcards page doesn't even acknowledge its existence, though it does appear on the National Rail site in the special offers area.

I wrote to Andrew Haines last month about this sorry state of affairs - enclosing that very classy application form - and he has replied admitting it wasn't a satisfactory situation and promising to pass my views along to the marketing department.

I await developments with interest, especially with all those extra seats to fill off-peak on 125s and ever-increasing premium payments to the Government in the years ahead.

In an area where the railway is the only public transport option for many journeys, and often faster than the car, you would have thought even FGW couldn't make a mess of an obvious revenue-generating tool, but then again...

On a serious note, though, if you know anyone who lives locally and could benefit from this railcard, do encourage them to go along to the following stations - Oxford, Worcester Foregate Street, Worcester Shrub Hill, Evesham, Moreton-in-Marsh, Kingham or Charlbury (latter two are staffed mornings only) - and demand to be sold one. A surge in sales might stir the marketing department into action.

I did look into this

I get two seasons - WOS to OXF and OXF to PAD

I looked into the feasibility of getting an OXF to PAD season and then getting daily tickets from WOS to OXF and back - getting a single on the way down and utilising the railcard on the way home, off peak.

Still worked out more expensive - but then its not intended to be for people like me.

It is well advertised at WOS and Foregate street.

It's not just that railcard that isn't promoted.

Great Malvern and Worcester now have daily (in theory), direct services to Brighton and Weymouth, but has First done anything to promote these new services to the wider world?

Or are the Marketing Team at First permanently on secondment to the Customer Complaints Department :D

FGW's marketing is abysmal, in Devon and Cornwall the cheap day returns are rediculously cheap (Penzance-Exeter ^14.50 CDR, 3 hours!) or Penzance-St Ives ^3.00, and they don't advertise it, the St Ives branch runs empty through most of the winter months, if that was my business i'd be shouting from the rooftops! And we've got the Devon & Cornwall railcard which gives a third off those fares and with group save fares it's a bargain!

Hence why I love FGW.

Dirt cheap fares  ;D

It may just be a coincidence, but the Worcester stations aren't managed by FGW.

The CDR's and First Minute Fares are the only good FGW fares. They put down CDR's by up to 60 percent in Devon and Cornwall and an Adult single Penzance-London Paddington is ^14 on the lowest First Minute Fare which is very cheap. I've never had trouble getting the cheapest First Minute Fare either. FGW fares aren't expensive really, only if you don't plan and just expect to get a walk on fare for next to nothing.

Or travel first class into London for 9am!

Virgin can do it

Their one way walk on is 100.60 (or was) for a walk on arriving into London about 0800-0830

But - if you booked 48 hours in advance you could get ^36.00 one way and even , if you were happy to arrive after 0900, ^24.00

I have checked first minute fairs any number of days in advance - FGW do nothing similar.  Yes if you want to arrive at midday but not otherwise.

It is why virgin 1st class season from brum to euston is not that much more than WOS to PAD even though the walk on is.

Problem is, i'd happily book myself on the 0545 to PAD four weeks in advance - but most of the time it wouldnt show up anyway

Your right, just checked online, looked upto a month ahead and no advance fares at all!

Good news on the railcard front.

There is now a proper printed application form again, with the classic river view of Worcester Cathedral on the front. Okay, it's not in the Cotswolds but anything is an improvement on the photocopied forms they were using.

Also, Derek Collett, who does the number-crunching of the Charlbury commuter blog, reports on the forum area of charlbury.info that the station's ticket machine now sells Cotswold Railcard tickets, so I'm guessing the same applies at Hanborough and Oxford.

So top marks to Mr Haines, two of my complaints on this issue tackled. All they need to do now is get it a mention on the Railcards page on the FGW website.

And finally...

In a shock development, the Cotswold Line Railcard finally gets a mention on the FGW website. The railcards page has been tweaked slightly, so that the national ones come up on the main page, but there are now side links to pages for the Cotswold and Devon & Cornwall cards, which also allow you to download pdfs of the application forms.

Good, it seems that your pestering has paid off. :)

Long may it remain so! ::)

CDR, EXD-PNZ is actually ^16.50.......still great value for 6 hours on a train.

Notice how Vacmans post is up to 2 fare revisions old ;)

To be fair to vacman, the thread has been dormant for 16 months!

My apologies to Vacman, I failed to take note of the date on your post, Sorry Vac :-[

The walk-on fares in Devon & Cornwall are very good value, unfortunate that the same is not the case going to London.  It takes the same amount of time fom me to go to London as it does to Penzance from here.  The cheapest walk-on fare to London though is over 7 times more expensive, I have a Devon & Cornwall railcard so I can go to Penzance for less than ^10.

The cheapest walk on fare from Penzance to London is ^5, but you better find a member of staff to accompany you ;)