Great Western Coffee Shop

Latest I Hate FGW blog post link.
http://ihatefirstgreatwestern.blogspot.com/2008/06/and-now-for-our-welsh-viewers.html

Unfortunately not realistic with pathing, and plus the fact that some areas already have too much padding, which is basically what her post is asking for..just look at the Cotswolds.

People want MORE padding now?  I can't keep up... really cannot please all the people all of the time can we?  :-[

Here's an idea that from my experience might help things a long... anyone who wants to catch a train should go to my school of Passenger Station Etiquette.  There passengers can learn:

1.  How to close doors properly behind them on HSTs.
2.  How not to be a sheep and understand the concept that yes there is more than 1 door on a HST/Voyager you can board on, not just the nearest one to the stairs.
3.  How to plan your time to arrive more than 25 seconds before departure just to see those lights go out and distract the dispatcher with rants and pleas while they're trying to get the train away on time.
4.  How to address complaints about engineering problems to Network Rail, not your TOC.  (:D)
5.  Why FGW are not to blame for the weather, (honestly we're not).

With special bonus course of:

6.  The answer to "Will I get crushed by a closing Voyager door if I jump on?"
7.  What goes through a dispatchers mind when he/she sees you reaching for a HST door handle as the train starts to move.

For a limited time I am offering this course at a knockdown price of 36 'EASY' payments of ^9.99 a month*

*Payment does not include VAT, P&P and Fuel Tax.



In this day of lawsuits/people having no sense of humour/PC Brigade, I should probably say the above was *tongue in cheek* and not meant to cause any offense, and was aimed at no-one in particular in this life or my previous lives.

I believe you are in the Wessex region?
So please may I run the course in the East Region?

But in seriousness, the example of using the Slough - Windsor service is poor, this is a journey that is scheduled to take 6 minutes, it's literally all it does, just goes back and forth. And the extra minutes at either station Helen mentions is basically similar to that of on the HSS side where the aim is at least 20mins turn around.

Yes, turn around time is different to slack.

Add more turn around in - but it may not be possible at many busy stations.

And as I said before, more slack = slacker operations = more delays.

Couldn't agree more slack = slacker. The railways must be run briskley by railwaymen like Chris Green. One of the best things he bought in was the linked digital clocks on all NSE stations to aid timekeeping which i see some TOCs are taking out. Plus if brisker also means blowing whistles and shouting at passengers to move down the train then so be it.

Of course Chris has his failings, he likes to run trains and long ones at that, 8 then 9 soon to be 11 coach Pendelinos. He also likes to run them fast and frequently which doesn't fit in with the DfT's ideas as implemented by their bus company friends and their "bean counters".

Although "slam doors" seem to be popular. If new trains with plug doors were introduced, schedules could be tightened up, leading to less delays.

There are lots of Mark 3s with power operated doors going spare. The only trouble is they need new standard gague wheelsets. Contact CIE for details.

I think once most people are used to slam doors, they are generally much better. There are no mechanical moving parts meaning they are less likely to fail and can be opened and subsequently closed very quickly. Only problems being that the handle is on the outside of the door, which often confuses people. Countless times have I seen people who are not used to slam doors pushing the "Door Unlocked" illuminated light. Always very amusing!

Have any Uk operators shown an interest in the CIE stock?

And it's not cleared in the UK ironically, despite being practically the same as a 442. They'd need to go through the new stock clearance stuff before they can run in full passenger service.