Great Western Coffee Shop

In 2007, it was First Great Western's branch lines that got the treatment. Despite rising passenger numbers, trains were deliberately shortened to save money  ... or even cancelled altogether ...

In the recent snow, disruption on First lasted days longer than on other London rail companies.

First Group has produced nothing, except fury and poverty in its customers and fat profits for its shareholders. It has, instead, degraded and mismanaged its part of a vital national asset.

True FirstGroup might not be the best company in the land, but is its rail franchises really any worse than the others?  What about National Express, Arriva, Eurostar, and Stagecoach?  I can see SHRUG's (http://www.shrug.info/ (http://www.shrug.info/)) viewpoint on that last one at least...  ;)

It seems that January^s snowfalls were particularly kind to SWT. They completely extinguished trains only on the company^s less commercial routes:
* local services between Brockenhurst and Lymington, and between Ascot and Guildford;
* the line between Virginia Water and Weybridge, at the end of a very circuitous secondary route from Waterloo to Weybridge;
* the Dorking-Epsom line where services/profits are shared with Southern.

It's also fair to say that as a Melksham resident you've suffered worse than virtually anybody else's local station's services.  So, if even you think the wording is a little strong, how about those who've seen a significant improvement in their service - West Drayton and Falmouth are two stations at opposite ends of the network that spring to mind...

Lord Adonis threatens First Capital Connect with loss of contract

First Capital Connect, the operator of one of the country^s busiest commuter routes, remains under scrutiny and could yet be stripped of its franchise, the Transport Secretary told The Times last night.

Lord Adonis also slammed as ^inadequate^ FirstGroup^s offer to pay compensation to commuters of 5 per cent of the cost of season tickets for three months of disruption. He intended to use the powers available to him if improvement on the Thameslink service was not forthcoming.

He made his comments as it emerged that civil servants have been writing to passengers to tell them that there were no grounds to take back the franchise.

Lord Adonis said: ^The Thameslink service being provided by First Capital Connect continues to be unacceptable in terms of cancellations, punctuality, passenger service and information. I am, therefore, considering all options open to the Government.^

A letter seen by The Times appears to suggest that there is no legal basis for the Department for Transport (DfT) to take control of the service, which has been hit by industrial action in a row over pay and Sunday working. Railway experts have also questioned whether the DfT could carry out its threat to strip the rail operator, owned by First Group, of its franchise and have suggested that politicians, in the run-up to the general election, are simply talking tough with private sector operators of public services.

More than 200,000 commuters a day have suffered almost three months of severe disruption on the line, which runs between Bedford and Brighton, after drivers refused to work voluntary overtime in a row over pay.

Last year, the Transport Secretary took control of National Express^s East Coast franchise, when it became clear that the company intended to default on the franchise because it could not make it pay. In 2003 the DfT cut short the Southeastern rail franchise, then operated by Connex, the French group, because of poor service.

I'm quoting a couple of elements from that story "for critical review" ...


Technically, they got the treatment in December 2006 rather than in 2007 - we saw the effects in 2007.  60% of trains withdrawn, and 40% + of the remaining ones cancelled in January 2007.   For the first 20 days of 2010, the cancellation rate on the remaining services (we're still down 60%) was about 25%, and by the end of this month I thnk the whole January figure will only show a 15% to 20% cancellation rate overall.

MPs debate First Capital Connect and Thameslink failure

The poor performance of rail services in Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Suffolk and Sussex is to be debated in Parliament.
St Albans MP Anne Main is leading a debate on train operator First Capital Connect at Westminster.
The firm relied on drivers working days off and longer shifts to provide a full service and the system failed after a pay dispute came to a head last year.
First Capital Connect (FCC) has said it is working to improve services.
FCC managers are planning a fact-finding tour at St Albans railway station on Friday to meet commuters.
MPs taking part in the debate at Westminster will discuss services between London, Bedford, King's Lynn and Brighton.
Ms Main said she did not believe taking the franchise back into public ownership was the right option, but she was looking for ways to persuade the operator to take improvements more seriously.
Disruption began in November last year when members of train drivers' union Aslef chose not to work overtime in a dispute over pay.
Additional industrial action caused delays or cancellations, and a petition was set up on Downing Street's website.
The petition has now gathered nearly 6,000 signatures from travellers who are calling for FCC to be stripped of its franchise due to a "gross lack of competence".
The dispute was resolved in January but many trains subsequently went out of service when snow and ice caused power problems.
Luton North MP Kelvin Hopkins has already asked transport minister Sadiq Khan to consider nationalising the franchise.
Mr Khan has said that all options are on the table.

Commuters criticise service from First Capital Connect

Commuters criticised First Capital Connect's service as MP Nadine Dorries called for the company to be penalised.
First Capital Connect (FCC) has said it is working to improve services.
FCC managers are planning a fact-finding tour at St Albans railway station on Friday to meet commuters.

FCC managers are planning a fact-finding tour at St Albans railway station on Friday to meet commuters.

Can we expect representatives of ASLEF to be there as well, putting their side of the story across?

Not saying 'Union=Bad', however it takes two to tango.