Great Western Coffee Shop

Hi Everyone.

Please forgive my rudeness at not introducing myself when I signed up to this forum a few weeks back. My name is Tim Freeborn and I live and work in Bath. Though I am spared the daily commute on our wonderful region's rail network, I care a great deal about those who do and the challenges that they have been faced with over the past few months.

Over the years I have watched the local rail network change from the 'good old BR days' to what we have at present and it concerns me a great deal with what is happening to the railways. Just as BR were starting to make a good job of running the railways under the IC, NSE and provincial brandings it got taken away from them.

Initially, the eager new train companies made up mainly of ex-BR management, were keen to show that they could do a better job and many service improvements were introduced. Remember Wales and West? Bath Spa station at this time had an seemingly endless list of destinations you could travel to without changing trains whilst WW was in operation. With the WW network firstly broken up in two and then merged with FGW things appear to be going backwards. Sure Wessex Trains werent the best operator in the country but they did what they could with what they had and in the main provided a good local service. Their short lived legacy was making the Cardiff-Portsmouth service three cars, sadly now disbanded back to two cars. Now we see what was Wessex rolling stock being distributed around the UK with less stock taking it's place.

I try hard not to be too critical of FGW because the Dft must take more than their fair share of responsibility. I make no apology of not being a huge fan of First Group after what they have done to the bus network in Bath and Bristol. Their slogan is 'Transforming Travel,' well up until recently it has been the wrong sort of transformation on our region's railways. Lets hope over the coming months we start to see a transformation for the better.

Kind regards to you all,

Tim

Ah yes - the days of Brighton - Milford Haven, Portsmouth - Pembroke Dock just to name 2. Still remember the Portsmouth - Barry Island as well

London Waterloo-Manchester, Portsmouth-Liverpool even Weymouth-Maesteg on a summer Saturday!

Remember the first 2 (BTW, wasn't Pompey - Liverpool M-F only?) but don't remember Weymouth - Maesteg!

Yes it was Mon-Fri only with the return service from Liverpool sitting at Abergaveny for around 30 minutes if I remember correctly, whilst a service behind it overtook it which didn't really make it the most practical of services. Still better than what we have now in terms of destinations however.

Weymouth-Maesteg ran on summer Saturdays around late nineties before Wales and Borders was created. It was the 14:52 ex Weymouth which was normally worked as a four car 150 and 158 with the service splitting at BTM with two cars going onto Cardiff then Maesteg.

Hi, Timmer ... welcome to the forum and thank you for your introduction and posts on other parts of the board too.  I also remember getting a train from Manchester to Stockport while working up there for a week, and finding it strange to have "Bradford-on-Avon, Trowbridge" announced on the system!

I agree with you - the 'whole blame' for some of the presentg woes can be placed neither with DfT nor FGW - which gives each an excellent excuse to point to the other.   And there are other too who could be pulling weight a little more such as the transport authorities - the County Council.  Then you have a system which itself is flawed - putting passengers, it appears, at a pitiful 3rd or 4th place in the priority list behind profit, franchise premium tax, and operational convenience.

Penzance - Portsmouth, Penzance - Manchester Piccadilly/Milford haven, Pontypridd - Gunnislake, Swindon - Penzance, Penzance - Carmarthen.................... they were the days...............

Not forgetting the also rather bizarre Treherbert to Par and Cardiff to St.Budeaux Victoria Road!! Oh and Penzance to Birmingham International with a 158, good stuff!

One of my fondest memories of train travel is right when I started it back in 2003, I very often caught the 7:20 to Maesteg from Bath Spa (Changing at Bristol!) Seeing the trains going to these more further away, smaller destinations always added to the enjoyment of train travel for me. There was also the incredibly long announcements at Bristol Temple meads when the midday Arriva Trains Wales Crewe & Milford Haven service arrived!