Great Western Coffee Shop

http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/NewsItem.aspx?id=555

Yes I saw that, but still no sign of the cross-Bristol timetables!   

Looks like someone from the Bristol Evening Post has swallowed the FGW Press Release hook , line , and sinker (link below.)
http://thisisbristol.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=144913&command=displayContent&sourceNode=231190&home=yes&more_nodeId1=144922&contentPK=18568873

Glaring error :

"There will also be additional trains on the Severn Beach branch in the form of an hourly off-peak service."

We already have an hourly off-peak service....

Interesting quotes too from David Redgewell of Campaign for Better Transport :

"There's a lot of new services which we have helped design and we think they will be fit for purpose."

"This should mean better trains for greater Bristol and we are confident that the system will work."

"Apart from the state of the catering on these services, the real issue now is rolling stock - we are disappointed that the Department for Transport did not make it available for the Severn Beach Line but hopefully that will improve in May."

Give credit where credit is due BUT

Ports - cardiff tt online

Comments submitted in response tothe press article

After the drastic cuts last year, I am delighted to see any improvement back towards an appropriate service - however, I really think that we should be giving First once cheer rather that three over these changes.  Yes, there is some sensible retiming, but there are glaring omissions where major improvements had been promised.

On the Severn Beach line ... the service is already hourly. That's a non-announcement; the service has indeed risen from 15 trains a day to 18, with two of the three extra trains provided by starting some trains earlier in the day - two of the trains are accounted for by new departures from Temple Meads at 06:09 and 07:37.

Across in Wiltshire, at the edge of the Bristol Commuter Area, First have failed to deliver improvements on their services via Melksham. A huge amount of work was done on timetables, on sourcing rolling stock, and on  putting everything else into place - but the 3 extra services that Andrew Griffiths talked about to a public meeting in the Spring have disappeared into thing air, leaving just two trains a day (at 06:19 and 18:42) from Swindon.  To say that we are "disappointed" would be an understatement!

And to add

As far as I'm aware, the improvements at Bath in the morning and evening peak are effected by re-routing the 07:10 Bristol to London via Parkway through Bath and Chippenham instead - one extra train. 

Added later I don't think the newspaper likes my comments - they've not been approved onto the article.   Does the First group own any newspapers??

Thats if it runs!

....with a further round of regional improvements in 2008.....!  so it is quoted!

Is this referring solely to the 40-minute Severn Beach line service from May 2008, or are we expecting some amazing improvements across the west on top of this?

They obviously dont own the Wiltshire Times , grahame , because you are in it (link below.)
http://www.wiltshiretimes.co.uk/news/wiltshire/display.var.1732610.0.mixed_reaction_to_new_rail_timetable.php