Great Western Coffee Shop

Anyone know if FGW are publishing a complete timetable book for the May-Dec 2010 period?

I asked today at BRI and the staff didn't know. Seems a bit odd that they were unaware so close to the timetable change. There was also a distinct lack of new mini- and pocket- timetables on display. The shelves were still full of timetables that have only 1 full days validity left.

Yes, it is definitely being produced as I've been promised one. Possibly late at the printers....

Just been told by FGW Customer Services* that it should be at major stations already. Price has gone up from ^3 to ^5 though. A near 70% price increase.  >:(

*Thanks to the website SAYNOTO0870.COM (http://www.saynoto0870.com/) I've found an 01xxx number for FGW Customer Services. Handy when you don't have a phone provider who offer inclusive calls to 084xx or 087xx numbers!

They've got a better idea of the print run, which is fewer than expected - hence the per-copy price is higher. How much is SWTs?....

It's interesting to add that the CS advisor I spoke with said; that whilst I couldn't order and pay for the complete timetable by phone, I could however have been sent all 40 individual timetables free of charge!!!!!

Franchise requirement to provide paper timetables - not so the book

^4.00 (+ ^1 p&p if ordered).

Paul

Sensible. Now why can't FGW offer their book on request?

Also a shame the full book isn't downloadable from the website, as I used to find it quite handy sitting on my computer along with the NRT and others.

You could probably ask the publications manager for a pc version. I did for the last one.

Nonsence the FGW Network Timetable is still only ^3.00 and available from main staffed FGW stations.  I got mine from the ticket office at Oxford last week without any problem at all.  Makes it much easier to understand connections than the plethora of mini-books that never have the full service in them!

Nice one FGW!

I'm trying to imagine a non-PC version! Does the pc version have "corrected" place names in?

"Change at Plymouth for St Gerpersons"

"Thornford, Yetminster, Chetnole and Person Newton"

And that was the new timetable book valid from 23rd May 2010 was it? First Great Western Customer Services have told me again that it is ^5. I fear you forked out ^3 for something that is now out of date.

I fear you were mis-informed by Customer Services - There was a poster up at PLY this weekend advertising the *new* book for ^3.....shame they hadn't actually got any yet...

Aha you know what I mean. A computer copy.

Wonder what Blackburn and Harringay would become.  ;D

Called again and Customer Services phoned Bristol TM Ticket Office for me (can't get out today). They've found 'em! but hardly any ticket staff new they were in and even the Station Manager was unaware. He confirmed to the CS advisor that the cover price is indeed ^3. So it looks like CS have been given duff information to pass on. Not the first time this has happened and I'm sure it won't be the last.


Sorry I doubted you gwr2006.  :-[ :)

It's bad the message wasn't consistent, the timetable brief that was sent out in April was pretty clear:

"Colleague Guide / A5 Network Timetable:
As for December 2009, the Colleague Guide will be issued to all staff and the customer version, known
as the Network Timetable, will be available to purchase at a cost of ^3 from selected locations.
These are: Bath Spa, Bristol Parkway, Bristol Temple Meads, Cheltenham Spa, Exeter St Davids,
London Paddington, Newbury, Oxford, Penzance, Plymouth, Reading, Slough, Swindon, Taunton, Truro
and Westbury.
Please see appendix 2 for retailing instructions of the A5 Network Timetable.
We have also made the following changes to the composition of this product:
^ Route mileage is included in station banks.
^ New ^Special Events^ section.
^ Section on GW175, events and information on the 175th anniversary of the Great Western Railway.
^ We have added a station index to make it easier to locate your chosen timetable.
^ The First Great Western route map will show table numbers, again to aid navigation.
Delivery of this publication will be made on or before Friday 14 May"

Got me copy from the ticket office at Temple Meads this morning. Told the guy who sold it to me that I'd phoned FGW CS to enquire about it. He told me that the CS advisor that had phoned the BRI ticket office on my behalf on Sunday was extremely rude, stating as fact that the cover price was ^5 and the person she spoke to must have been looking at the old stock. Felt a bit guilty that I'd caused hassle for the staff at BRI. Still, not my fault if internal politics cause problems. I just wanted accurate information!

Hmm. Thanks for posting that, bignosemac.

I, too, saw - or heard - an example of what I considered to be unprofessional conduct by FGW staff, at Westbury this morning.

It's so easy for just a very few FGW staff to give completely the wrong impression to all of us 'customers / passengers' who witness such behaviour.

Chris  :o ::) >:(

Care to expand on that, Chris?  ;)

Hmm. That's what struck a chord with me.  This morning, hearing one uniformed member of FGW staff shout his opinion (including an expletive) of the alleged inefficiency of the station manager, down the open platform to another member of staff, was rather unprofessional, I thought.

Just for the record, I personally saw his particular point - but the proverbial 'little old lady', in the open-doored waiting room situated halfway between them, probably had a fit of the vapours ...  ::)

Engaging staff in conversations about aspects of the service they work on can often elucidate some choice comments.

On my day out today I travelled on an XC service from Exeter to Bristol. (See This thread (http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=6821.msg67780#msg67780)) I had the TM and trolley arrive at my seat at the same time, and whilst the TM was getting his head round my split-ticket, I asked the trolley guy whether XC were ever going to accept credit/debit cards again for catering purchases. The TM said that Arriva were probably happy to keep it cash only to get round VAT rules!! Whilst this made absolutely no sense it did amuse me and I replied that surely with Arriva being taken over by DB they could look forward to German efficiency. The TM then said that the day he has to start working for the Germans is the day he quits! He also said that DB are looking to replace the Vomiters as soon as. Now, that's something I'd agree with, but with the complicated rolling stock procurement we have in the UK I can't see it happening 'as soon as'.

Chatting to staff can indeed be very worthwhile.

At the risk of going a bit off-topic here, the guard on my train from BRI this morning was brilliant.  He seemed a bit startled at my 'Nailsea & Backwell to Dilton Marsh'(!) journey, but he cheerfully gripped my ticket and said he'd make sure I was dropped off at Dilton Marsh.  Apparently, while we both had to 'change at Westbury', it's the same train, which then goes on to Warminster: it just has to be moved out of the way of three other trains, which all arrive at Westbury at the same time!  ::)

Sure enough, I watched all this happen, and duly arrived at DMH as planned - with my thanks to that Guard for his friendly chat! :)

I recall seeing a few posts earlier about the All Line Timetable and a few comments about the mileages missing and smaller print etc.

Well I bought a copy yesterday and I do have to question the reliability of its contents. For instance, table 126 (London to Oxford/Worcester and Hereford) has a whole heap of services missing. On Mondays to Fridays, the 0548 Padd to Gt Malvern, and 2148 Padd to Shrub Hill do not exist; on Saturdays, the first and last trains ex Paddington are not listed. Sundays are even worse, with nothing between the 1342 Paddington to Worcester and the 2127 (though the Sunday service in the opposite direction appears to be complete).

In the other direction on Mondays to Fridays, the last 2 trains don't show, whilst on Saturdays, it shows a 3 hour gap mid morning (nothing between the 0943 Gt Malvern to Padd and the 1213 Hereford to Padd).

I decided to look at Table 116 (London to Oxford), to see whether these missing trains appear in this table, but again they don't.

So all in all, its a pretty poor show and I must question if I'll buy the next one that comes out. 

Indeed. However the .pdf version available online appears to be a bit more accurate. So save your money next time and just download the National Rail Timetable, then just print off the bits you need on a per journey basis; that's what I do.

Just for clarification, it appears Steve Bray is referring to the National Rail Timetable and not FGW's Network Timetable.

The online pdfs were in a chaotic state a few weeks ago though, just at the time the paper versions would have been going to print. A cynic might suggest NR don't want them to be accurate, then people would stop asking for them...

Paul

The timetables could do with being made into a computer program, like Avantix Traveller.

I don't buy the paper timetable as it is too bulky to carry.  Instead I keep a PDF of the whole timetable on my computer, which can be searched wherever I am and whether or not there is an internet connection available.  Its an awful document to navigate due to its length and the lack of any clickable contents/index tables.

There is an index to individual tables/maps on the .pdfs though:

(http://i598.photobucket.com/albums/tt68/bignosemac/nrt1.jpg)

Thank you ever so much bignosemac.  I don't know how many years I've been scrolling through or using the search function to find a table  :o ::)