Great Western Coffee Shop

Continuing efforts by First Great Western to improve its services have been recognised by customers, with more than 82 per cent saying they are happy with the company^s service.

Results of the National Passenger Survey (NPS), carried out by independent rail watchdog Passenger Focus in November last year, show a two per cent increase in satisfaction compared to the previous year (2008), and a ten per cent improvement since 2007.

Customers said First Great Western had shown improvements in many areas of the survey, including the helpfulness of staff, ticket buying facilities, train running information and how well the company deals with delays.

Over the last 12 months, 92.14 per cent of First Great Western services arrived on time, more than three per cent better than for the same period last year.

Just last month, during some of the worst weather conditions the region has seen in a generation, the company was able to keep 90 per cent of its services running for customers while other modes of transport struggled.

Scores improved in 25 of the 30 areas that the survey measures, with customers particularly noticing improvements in the availability and helpfulness of staff on trains, and the capacity on services.

The efforts of station teams also delivered improvements in customer information, cleanliness and the general upkeep of stations.

First Great Western Managing Director, Mark Hopwood, said: "These are fantastic results and I^m very proud of all my colleagues who have helped to achieve them. We are showing improvements in some key areas, but we still have work to do if we are to provide a truly exceptional service for all our customers.

^We have lots of exciting plans for 2010 and are confident that the current ^8million refresh of our turbo train fleet in the London and Thames Valley, which will be finished by March 2012, will increase our customer satisfaction figures even further. In the west of England we introduced some new journeys as well as extending existing ones when South West Trains^ services west of Exeter were removed at the end of 2009. And in Bristol we increased capacity on some morning and evening peak journeys at the end of 2009.

^Thank you to everyone at First Great Western for all your hard work over the last couple of years ^ it^s great to see it all paying off, and thanks to our customers who continue to travel with us.^

XC are far, far worse than FGW and I think you'd be pretty hard pressed to prove my opinion wrong.

Not this passenger (not a bloody customer, particularly so in this instance).....

Want a coffee between Bristol Parkway and Taunton? No chance with XC. Travelling down last Saturday I noted that their was a crew change at Temple Meads and the off-duty 'Retail Services Manager' stayed on board along with the new RSM.

Stuff like this really p*sses oops, can't put that, um, gets on my nerves and gives the rest of us a bad name. Assuming it wasn't one of our elusive HSTs then the trolley handover should have taken place in F at the catering store so stocks can be checked in the fridge there. Even first class complimentaries should come off the trolley at the weekend so the RSM has no business hanging about the galley if they've not served the train. I personally will off drinks to first if I have time or if there's no catering on board, but don't go telling the managers that.

Phil, I rather think the situation at Chepstow is entirely different, XC pass through there anyway, so stoppi g there isn't a massive effort, whereas melksham requires units and crew which don't exist at present..!

FGW has always taken the view that if Corsham and Wantage Road/Grove ever reopen that it would not stop expresses at them. With the loss of the Oxford-Bristol Turbo service, there's nothing else running past either place, so even if the councils ever do manage to get the money to build the stations from somewhere, they would need to find yet more to subsidise some sort of train service.

Go tell the Corsham Station campaign that :)

But however... Shocked

http://www.thisiswiltshire.co.uk/news/headlines/5003869.First_Great_Western_voted_train_operator_of_the_year/?ref=rss

This does amaze me. FGW are not the worse but certainly a surprise as the best.

I have suffered a spate of problems with FGW over the last 6 months which has really put me off. I can rarely fault staff but stock problems, delays and a lack of planning puts FGW well down my list. Lower than XC  probably not - but not that far above and certainly not train operator of the year..