Great Western Coffee Shop

I got on the 1648 at Oxford yesterday (12th December) to find that the New MD of First Great Western, Mark Hopwood, was on board, sitting with his young family. They got off at Evesham. 

Are we lucky enough to have the boss living on the line, or was he visiting friends?  Either way, train on time with unusually a female driver.

In Standard clasS????

well hes not on beechings sallery :0)

Original post doesn't mention what class they were in?

First, last coach.

Thought it would be, not sure why others assumed it be standard.

if i was md i would go standard...

... if I was MD, standard class would be first class.

Then again I'd also reintroduce 3rd class for people who don't mind sitting on benches so long as it's cheap.

is that not what the pacers are?

As an update, no, he doesn't, asked him today.

A bright future for rail ^ we'll get there as fast as we can.
First Great Western managing director Mark Hopwood is firmly focused on the art of the possible.

And, as far as he is concerned, that includes train journeys of two hours and 40 minutes between Plymouth and London.

Last month, Mr Hopwood and around 50 business leaders travelled on a special non-stop train between Plymouth and Paddington to see how quickly the journey could be completed.

http://www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/business/bright-future-rail-8211-ll-fast/article-2836248-detail/article.html

And it wasnt a full length HST, it's just not going to happen very soon!

You know that and I know that,no more than a PR exercise really to calm the fears of the business natives in the far west worried that they are being left behind the rest of the country especially in the light of the Financial Times article that the GWML at least to Bristol is likely to be electrified.
PS. Another bad day yesterday for timekeeping on Penzance/Paddington trains in Devon and Cornwall with most 15/20 minutes late into Exeter.FGWs Mark Hopwood needs to sort the ongoing problems with the present timetable in Devon and Cornwall before talking "in the longer term".

You learn something new everyday!

FGW Managing Director Mark Hopwood is also a presenter on Hospital Radio Basingstoke.

http://www.hrbasingstoke.co.uk/the-team/mark-hopwood.htm

Working his sundays i see..... ;D

Unpaid overtime, though!  :o

Fair play to Mark Hopwood for that, I think: he's clearly a very busy man these days, but if he can still find time to offer his services to such a worthy cause, he's gone up in my estimation.

CfN.  :-X

Mark Hopwood, GWR MD, was presented with Industry Leader of the Year at last night's Rail Business Awards Dinner.

Looking at the video at http://www.railbusinessawards.com/2018/en/page/home (http://www.railbusinessawards.com/2018/en/page/home) he was presented with his award by Michael Portillo wearing, for him, a rather sombre suit.  (Mr Portillo not Mr Hopwood!)

I love these backslapping ceremonies - it's rather like the North Korean regime awarding each other medals and applauding each other endlessly! (......and for God's sake don't be the first one to stop clapping!)

As a convert in favour of awards I'm going to comment on that ...

I too love these ceremonies.   They come across as a grouping of people being self-congratulatory to other members of the group, with the whole thing probably happening at the financial expense of their customers / clients / population / lower party members.  And being there (at the event) is certainly now everyone's cup of tea.

but

They're an encouragement to perform up to, over, and above the norm, not just to the winner but the whole pool of entrants / potential winners.  They're an encouragement to entrants to review what they're doing / providing as they put their entries together.   They're a way for organisations and people who make nominations of other people and groups to say "thank you - we appreciate what you do".  And they're a way for groups of people who are doing similar things to come together and network, with many valuable conversations and contacts going on around these events if not on the platform.

I'm headed out from home in a few minutes and I'll be stopping at  location on my way to take pictures ...with those pictures potentially forming the basis of a competition entry.    That entry process will make me thing about the place I'm picturing, and my entry will help keep it in the attention of the judges, who are a selection of folks from outside the area who we really need to consider us in good light with regard future developments!