Great Western Coffee Shop

Says Oxford?

Hi Guys.

Who owns the carpark at Yatton Station, as they are putting the price up from ^1.00 a day to ^2.10 a day.

I know we have had it good for so long, but to more than double the price is shocking.

Thanks

APCOA in charge of car park prices and revenue collection on behalf of FGW

Anger over railway station parking fee rise

Rail users have condemned increases in parking fees at Yate station, saying they are having to fork out more money while getting nothing in return.

The all-day parking fee at the station recently more than doubled to ^2.10 - a move branded as a "rip-off" by Northavon MP Steve Webb.

Yate was among a number of stations in the Bristol area where parking rates went up last week, leading to a protest to First Great Western (FGW) from the town council.

It has now received a letter from the train operator saying the increase was necessary to pay for repairs and maintenance of its car parks, as well as the maintenance of ticket machines and CCTV.

But Yate has no CCTV system and its ticket machine has not been replaced since being vandalised, despite a pledge to install a more robust version.

The Friends of Yate Station lobby group said it was also angry that it had not been told of the increase in fees, despite meeting in the last few weeks.

Town councillor Chris Willmore, who is a member of the Friends group, said: "We'd love CCTV and ticket machines. Sadly First Great Western has taken the ticket machine away and says it cannot install CCTV."

The group said by putting up the cost of parking, passengers could be put off using the train, relying instead on their cars and adding to congestion.

There is also concern people will park in residential streets to avoid the car park fee. The letter from FGW customer services adviser Janine Bailey to Yate Town Council said: "We haven't increased some of our parking prices for three years but we do need to ensure we cover the costs involved with maintaining the car park. Parking at our stations is still value for money and we continue to offer period discounted season tickets for rail users. To try to encourage sustainable transport to and from our stations, we also work closely with local bus companies to provide suitable links, so that passengers do not have to rely on the car to reach the station."

But Sue Walker, chairwoman of the Friends group and a Yate councillor, said: "There are no bus links with the station so all their arguments for putting up the fee are nonsense."

Parking at Yate used to be free and when at attempt was made to introduce a ^2 charge, it led to a boycott by drivers until the charge was cut to ^1.

Councillor Walker said: "They parked in the trading centre across the road instead and I hope people will take similar action this time."

Parking at our stations is still value for money

It could be argued that increasing prices for parking will encourage more people travel to the station by public transport.  This does require the bus fares to be reasonable though.

I know that the crossover has been used a few times by the 21:55  & 23:35 Bristol - Exeter St Davids  services to allow them to reverse and work wrong line between Yatton & Worle when there is engineering work late at night

Railway bosses have moved to allay fears that improvements to Yatton station will disturb nearby residents. First Great Western had alarmed some with the news that it was upgrading the public address system at the station.

Planning bosses had received five objections to the scheme, which also includes new CCTV cameras.

Pensioner Thelma Wareing, of Wemberham Crescent, said: "I was concerned that if they were going to change it I would not want it any louder."

A spokesman for First Great Western said the improvements were part of its franchise commitments. The spokesman added: "It is just an update with the latest systems and it will pretty much be the same, but more reliable and newer."

A decision on the application was expected by July 8, but a result is yet to be published.

The company is also putting new customer help points on both platforms.

Car park charges to remain

First Great Western (FGW) has defended its decision to charge commuters to park at Yatton train station following complaints from residents over an increase in off-street parking.

Motorists are charged ^2.10-^2.30 per day to use the car park and residents said it has had a knock-on effect on people using nearby roads to park for free.

Steve Tyler, central area manager for FGW, said there was no prospect of the charges being removed. He said: ^When we introduce or increase charges at a car park, it is always going to cause upset.^

The increasing number of cars parked in the roadside could cause a safety issue according to residents at Yatton Parish Council^s AGM on Monday night.

Rhiannon Price-Owen, who runs the village PACT group, said many people were concerned. She said: ^Now there are charges to use the car park it has had a knock-on effect on streets in the surrounding area. We get commuters parking on the road and it is having a huge impact on community safety.^

Mr Tyler said he would continue to ask Network Rail to improve the car park^s state amid further complaints from residents. But he said FGW had made great strides since it first took over the franchise in 2006.

He said: ^It wasn^t the greatest start to a franchise as there weren^t enough carriages and they were not on time enough.^ But he claimed reliability has steadily improved with more than 90 per cent of trains on time in March.

The future however remains uncertain with a 15-year franchise up for grabs next year. Mr Tyler confirmed FGW would be bidding.

The Department of Transport will outline guidelines later this year details what train companies would have to provide. It could mean booking offices are closed to save costs.

Mr Tyler said it was an important decision with the electrification of the London to Bristol line due by 2016. But with Weston not due to see its line electrified, Mr Tyler called for the decision to be reviewed. He said: ^Anyone who works in the rail industry knows that is somewhat stupid.^

If the ticket machines are the standard ACPOA ones ...

British Transport Police are appealing for information after a brick smashed through the windscreen of a train travelling through Yatton railway station near Bristol.

Inspector Andy Irwin-Porter, of BTP, said the driver was uninjured but has been left extremely shaken by the incident, which happened at around 9.55pm on Wednesday, August, 29.

^The 3.08pm Edinburgh to Plymouth CrossCountry Trains service was travelling through Yatton railway station, near Bristol, when the brick smashed the outer windscreen," Inspector Irwin-Porter said.

^Thankfully, the driver was not injured but has understandably been left extremely shaken by the incident.

^This was an incredibly irresponsible and dangerous act, and it was lucky no one was injured or killed.

^Officers attended Yatton station after the incident happened and immediately searched the area as well as conducting house-to-house enquiries. No one was located but we are determined to find those responsible and bring them to justice.

^I am appealing for anyone who was in the Yatton area around the time of the incident and who may have seen anyone acting suspiciously, or running away from the station, to contact BTP as a matter of urgency.

"It is beyond belief that anyone could throw objects at moving trains and we need to trace those responsible before their actions result in serious harm to rail staff or passengers."

Following the incident, the train was driven back to Bristol, where it was taken out of service.

A reward of ^5,000 is being offered by CrossCountry Trains for information leading to the identification and conviction of those responsible.

Anyone with information that could assist police with their enquiries can contact British Transport Police on Freefone 0800 40 50 40 quoting incident reference 569 of 29/08/2012.

Alternatively, call the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111, quoting the above incident reference.

The incident, which happened around 9.55pm on Wednesday, 29 August, caused significant damage to the windscreen, and resulted in the train being taken out of service.
...
Following the incident, the train was driven back to Bristol, where it was taken out of service, causing major inconvenience for passengers on board travelling to destinations between Bristol and Plymouth.

Owing to signalling problems between Bristol Temple Meads and Weston-Super-Mare fewer trains are able to run on all lines.

Impact:
Train services running through these stations may be cancelled, delayed or diverted at short notice. An estimate for the resumption of normal services will be provided as soon as the problem has been fully assessed.

Customer Advice:
Disruption to services is likely to continue for the remainder of this morning while Network Rail replace a defective 650v signalling power cable in the Yatton area which has caused a signalling blackout.
Cross Country services are conveying passengers between Penzance and Bristol Parkway in both directions until further notice. Arrangements have been made for First Great Western rail tickets to be accepted for these journeys.
First Somerset and Avon services are conveying passengers between Bristol Temple Meads and Taunton in both directions until further notice. Arrangements have been made for First Great Western rail tickets to be accepted for these journeys. Customers may use First Somerset and Avon Bus numbers X1/351, 3/3A/3B, 5/5B/14/14A/X25, 14/14A, 21/21A, 102/112, 126, 352, 353, 362/363, 375/376.
First Devon and Cornwall services are conveying passengers via any reasonable route until further notice. Arrangements have been made for First Great Western rail tickets to be accepted for these journeys. Customer may use First Devon & Cornwall X80 between Totnes and Plymouth.