Great Western Coffee Shop

Passengers have criticised FGW after they were crammed into a toilet cubicle for a three-hour journey (link below.)
http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/travel-latest/Passengers-forced-totravel-in-train39s.3223484.jp

Phil Taverner said he and other passengers had to look away while strangers on the crowded train used the loo.

He claims the two-carriage train ^ travelling from Portsmouth to Cardiff ^ was dangerously overcrowded.

Mr Taverner , who got on at Romsey to go to the Rugby World Cup match between Wales and Australia last weekend , has now reported First Great Western to the Health & Safety Executive.

Romsey MP Sandra Gidley said: 'This is a third world service from a third rate company. I've lost count of the number of constituents writing in with reports of continued lateness and lack of reliability. When a train is so full that a woman can't use the toilet in privacy, something's going badly wrong. If they don't buck up the franchise should be taken away from them.'

First Great Western says it added extra carriages to several trains on that day but Mr Taverner's was not one of them. A spokesman said: 'We can only apologise that the trains were so busy ^ reflecting unprecedented demand.'

First Great Western claims research by the Rail Safety and Standards Board found no evidence to suggest overcrowding on trains increases risk.

Is it going to take something serious to happen that is going to make FGW/DfT realise that this line is desperate for longer stock??? Its not just on stretches of the line that it gets busy, its busy virtually the whole length. 3 cars was only just enough, two is criminal!

I did quite a bit of travelling (see my thread in across the west) that day, and it was deadfull! Timmer - exactly, it was nearly needed 4 car! I know for a fact on the old PNZ-PMH the Disabled Loo was used as a luggage store lots of times!

Without trying to change the subject, I bet he would NOT of gone to the press if he had a good journey though!

I doubt he would have done Jim.

I put this on this tread rather than start a new thread but I found this so funny from the latest Rail Express ;-

A recent morning train from Leeds to Ilkley was delayed upsetting commuters. No driver could be found, the reason? He went to the toilet on an adjacent train which propmtly departed with him still on it.

Page 58, left hand colum under the heading Caught short for any readersr who havent seen it yet or for any of you who go into W. H. Smiths to just browse.