Great Western Coffee Shop

I heard from a fellow commuter today that there's a plan to remove a 1st class carriage from the 07:08 Maidenhead-Paddington service.  I presume (as I haven't seen anything offical) that this may provide an opportunity to swap it for a standard class carriage.  Normally I'd support such an idea as 1st class carriages are often under occupied whilst standard class is heaving.  On the 07:08 that isn't however the case and 1st class is often full (sometimes standing room only).  I'll declare a vested interest too that I have a 1st class ticket (I pay the additional premium as a way of improving my chances of getting a seat as it is!).

Is anyone able to confirm if there is a plan?  Also, does anyone know what compensation will be given to those who've paid 1st class with the expectation (albeit low already) of a certain availability/standard of service?

The changes to FGW first class accommodation have been fairly well publicised in national media and discussed at some considerable length elsewhere on the forum:

http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=4600.0 (http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=4600.0)

I am a fellow 07:08 traveller.
I did a quick count of those standing on the platform in front of the First Class carriages this morning and counted 56.  That means we would nearly fill the 1.33 carriages by ourselves even if no one else was already on board.

Thanks for the link.  Wasn't aware of the onging discussion. 

I would question your assertion that the changes have been fairly well publicised.  I haven't seen any FGW adverts anywhere saying that the service is being altered (although I have seen an extensive marketing campaign about how FGW is investing - which upon scrutiny reveals that FGW isn't investing and that the ^7Bn+ is actually being funded by NetworkRail but that's another story!).

The only thing I recall in the press was a report that the UK Government was exploring an option to switch 1st class and standard class carriages across the UK network.  Only thing I'd seen where FGW was mentioned in this context was that they were seeking to explore compensation from the Government to FGW!......So, they're seeking compensation for failing to provide a satisfactory service to their customers.

Apologies, I didn't get my point across terribly well. It has not been particularly well advertised in itself, but has appeared in various national papers and TV news programmes under a more general context with FGW bring the first (excuse the pun!) to implement. It has appeared as a press release on FGW website, but I do agree that more targeted publicity on trains, at stations and by email for those of us who have purchased first class tickets online would be more appropriate and would perhaps help to alleviate some of the issues and frustrations starting to be seen now.

This will probably happen shortly before the first altered HSt is due back into service

Maybe a carriage could be re-classified for that service :)

Are there not many altered services running?
We had a 1.3 carriage HST on Monday forming the aforementioned 07.08 service. The train manager announced it as a 'permanent change' on the PA, although they've found full sized HSTs for Tuesday and Weds.

The are already quite a few sets with 1 less First Class, and 1 extra Standard Class carriage, running around. None of the sets with the micro buffets have been converted yet though as they are awaiting the delivery of the new composite vehicles, none of which have arrived yet. Does the 07:08 from Maidenhead normally have a full or micro buffet? If it normally has a micro buffet then should mostly still have 2 First Class carriages for now.

Thanks for clarifying. 

Does seem amazing that FGW has chosen to not make passengers more aware.

At Paddington station there have been loads of notices about access to Bakerloo being susdpended for a month or so for maintenance. This morning there are lots of TFL staff handing leaflets out about the closure too. Clearly they want their customers to be fully informed.  Haven't seen a single notice at Maidenhead regarding the change in 1st class (even though they could use it to suggest that servicer overall could be improved by increasing overall capacity). Instead customers are having to quiz staff over rumours they've heard.

To be fair, they are very early on in the process of converting the 1st to standard, whereas the Bakerloo access is going to affect a greater number in the immediate short-term.

Yes, but they have known what their plans are for 6 months now, that is more than sufficient time to properly inform people well in advance of changes actually starting to happen. Pretty pathetic not to have printed up a few posters and/or leaflets forewarning of possible disruption during a long in the planning and long winded conversion.

People very quickly forget - which is why TfL are only doing the Bakerloo now, a couple of days or so before it starts there.

I do suspect, maybe with only a couple of HSTs stopping at MAI, they may forget you, possibly. Has anyone seen posters etc anywhere yet? I doubt it,

I think the point is that TfL publicised their disruption before it actually started and is usually posted online some months before the posters go up. All most people want is to be forewarned - unexpected changes or disruption just agitate people. Maybe a leaflet distributed with each first class ticket sold or an information email with online sales, it's really not difficult informing people. They happily manage the 'before you travel' emails following online ticket purchase...

Exactly.

I used to receive the odd letter from FGW to tell me about the upgrade to Reading Station.  Completely irrelevant because my ticket was between Maidenhead and Paddington.  Nonetheless they obviously realise I'm a season ticket holder.  It would have been nice to have received a "we see you're a first class season ticket holder from Maidenhead and so may be affected by a reduction in seats....".  This could have been done before they ramped the service down - in fact they should have advised people at time of purchase/renewal and granted existing ST holders opportunity for a refund & downgrade.  Also they should very clearly publicise how to obtain compensation AND make it easy to claim.

That seems to be outside of what FGW wish to deliver.  Last year, when FGW overcharged ALL "First Class Eastbound Only" passengers by several hundred pounds, I asked FGW to write to those affected passengers.  They refused and said that they don't have records of who would have been affected, and that customers would have to work it out by themselves.  I also asked for a sandwich board/poster at the stations affected.  They refused.

And yet, as you rightly state, they write to me as a season ticket holder to tell me about Reading station - thereby contradicting their statement to me.

The 7.59 Maidenhead to Paddington HST was replaced by a class-180 on Thursday and Friday which isn't ideal as the train is full as an HST and it means only one First Class carriage.. I hope they don't make it permanent.

The best thing those is the change doesn't get mentioned on Journey check, or at the station in advance so the staff have to go to the far end of the platform to bring the people waiting there back. Even realtime trains wasn't showing the change which is a shame as I used to rely on that being correct at least.

Being highly cynical I'm not sure I believe that at all (The part I've highlighted in bold).

Recently my Bank wrote to me regarding an account I held in 2009 which I have long since closed. Long story short, they had levied charges on my account which were not the correct amount and were refunding them in full with interest and a cheque was included in the letter.

Had the bank not have written to me, back then being a slightly naive teenager I never spotted it and wouldn't have known.

So actually, I think FGW are being extremely economical with the truth. Oh and once every 3 years I get a reminder to renew my Disabled Railcard... ::)

Actually, it's probably more accurate than you think. There is no national central database of season tickets... you might have a database of tickets bought via FGW ticket offices; other databases of tickets bought from Trainline etc/FGW online/other TOCS online; other databases of tickets from other TOCs stations.

Indeed still not impossible; but you get the picture.

Agreed, yes there would be alot of databases to search through etc which would be very time consuming. But surely some form of record must be kept somewhere? Otherwise how would a replacement season ever be issued if one loses an annual season?

It was perhaps overly cynical yes. But not completely unrealistic.

I believe paper records still exist, either held centrally by each TOC at each station....still

Individual companies or retailers will have their own electronic databases of customers/the season tickets they sell and therefore have the ability to replace tickets sold by them.

So if you bought a season ticket through Trainline Business there would be no record of the ticket if you searched for any record of it in a FGW ticket office.

This morning someone came through the train (well first class at least) to count up how many passengers there  were. It was the 7.59 and it was fuller than usual in First class.. Not sure if that is so they can check how the reduction in First Class will affect people or not but that was my guess as I've not seen it happen before..

Every season ticket over a week long. IE a month or longer is supposed to be registered in a database. Each TOC will maintain its own database.
SWT wont be able to access the FGW one. FCC wont be able to access FGW. I do believe however that Serco/FirstInfo have access to all the relevant First (and EC) season databases.