Great Western Coffee Shop

"On Saturday 31st March my wife set out on foot to catch the 10.50 train from Montpelier to Bristol Temple Meads.

I departed later by cycle to catch her up at Montpelier station.

The online arrival/departure times for Temple Meads showed the train from Severn Beach as cancelled due to staff shortages.

When I arrived Montpelier station around 10.45 the information point there was not working.

Of the 10 waiting/potential passengers,6 i.e. 60% were intending to travel beyond Temple Meads station & were not amused that the train was cancelled.

They were even more annoyed that no advance warning was available AT THIS UNSTAFFED STATION to enable them to make alternative arrangements to meet their onward connections.

Several used mobile phones to verify the cancellation.

Some wandered off to catch a taxi from the local Bristol Taxi office in Cheltenham Road near the foot of Station Road. Why is this not mentioned on the online station details ?

Some of the potential passengers (including my wife) aborted their journey; losing FGW revenue from both the Severn Beach line & the onward portion of their aborted journey.

Previously, train companies have sometimes hired in taxis to round up abandoned passengers at unstaffed stations when substitute buses could not be arranged.

When I arrived at Temple Meads by bike; the duty Manager was "out on train dispatch duty due to staff shortages".

Returning later that afternoon, a four car train was running on the 16.08 train to Severn Beach.

When this returned from Severn Beach at 17.22 it had to wait beyond Avonmouth station for the late running 17.08 from Temple Meads to pass.

At the Travel Watch South West General Meeting on Saturday 3 March at Taunton, Glenda Lamond (Customer Services Director FGW)' s presentation included
 
a.. A difficult start, but improvements are starting to come through
b.. Investment is now starting to show
c.. Performance Improvement Plans in place

Despite this claim & the "day shift" for maintenance of the local fleet in Bristol, delays & cancellations have been too commonplace.

1. When will there be adequate "spare trained staff" for local trains to reduce delays & cancellations due to staff shortages (including staff on delayed/diverted incoming trains & during peak rail staff holiday periods)?

2. Why were passengers "abandoned" at unstaffed stations with non functional information point when the train was cancelled ?

3. Why was the 17.22 from Severn Beach delayed beyond Avonmouth instead of passing "right time" at Clifton Down to maintain:-

a.. its "path" on the mainline & into the platform at Temple Meads
b.. onward connections
c.. timely dispatch of the 18.08 departure, 8 minutes after it arrives Temple Meads ?
(the delayed 17.08 from Temple Meads would have had adequate "recovery time" at Severn Beach if it was held at Clifton Down to let the 17.22 from Severn Beach pass).

4. Why was the 17.08 from Temple Meads delayed ?"