Great Western Coffee Shop

Got to Maidenhead last night at 16:30 to catch the 16:34 to Banbury, only to find it cancelled. As was the 17:04 to Oxford. The 16:25 to Reading delayed by 30 minutes. Total chaos. Checked my Train Times UK app which uses the National Rail data on my phone, and it said the 17:04 was due in at 17:15. Nice to see both systems agreeing, as usual. History has shown me that the app is way more accurate than the station CIS system (for whatever reason), but as we have new nice new system at Maidenhead now, I expected them to match up - so off I went to find someone. Spoke to two members of staff that were more interested in playing with their mobiles than actually helping, and just brushed off the app as useless*, but one did thankfully direct me to customer services on platform 4.

Found the chap that was in the office, and had a nice chat with him, extremely helpful, looking on the system to see what was going on. Couldn't explain why the app was different to their system, so he went through to Paddington to see where it was - only to find just 2 trains in the whole of Paddington! We decided the next train would be the 17:40 to Oxford (I think), so he checked to see where that was coming from (Bedwyn), but he couldn't find it on the lines, so had no idea if it would be on time or not (and was actually in a bit of a panic as he said it was his feeder service to Maidenhead).

Eventually the 16:25 to Reading arrived at 16:58, so I hopped on that and got picked up from Reading instead.

The cause of the delay was signal related but unknown exactly what, he said they suspected cable theft at West Drayton, but as it was resolved so quickly (30 minutes), he thought it was unlikely.

The thing I don't understand is, if the issue only happened an hour ago, and was resolved after 30 minutes, where were the trains for the 16:34 and 17:04 services, surely they would have been either enroute to Paddington, or enroute to Maidenhead (no idea of the time it takes to get from Paddington to Maidenhead to work out where they would have been).

Now today I see an obstruction at Cholsey and signalling problems at Tilehurst >:( Going to be another fun trip home!

I know I whinge a lot on here, but I do fully accept shit happens, especially ones of out their control such as cable theft and suicides etc.

But what really bugs me is the procedures WHEN there are problems. Aside from the lack of information, it seems that FGW are more concerned with the trains being at the right place when the problem is resolved, than sorting out the paying customers that are stranded in the middle.

Many times I have been stranded at Maidenhead due to a problem only to see an empty (with the lights off) turbo fly through platform 1. Or the usual favorite of the Oxford train dumping everyone at Reading to it can run non-stop to Oxford to make up time (that really annoys me). I appreciate that trains need to be in particular locations etc, but all I can think is what makes the customers at that location more important than me!! ???

Sorry for the long post, and thank you to the guy at customer services on platform 4, he was extremely helpful and very polite.


* as for the National Rail app being useless. This morning the 07:39 at Goring was shown as On Time on the sparkly new CIS system. National Rail app said 07:41. Sure enough, in it rolls at 07:41. Just as we pull out a few seconds after 07:42, the sparkly new CIS changed to due in at 07:42 ... *slaps forehead*

Blame the red tape that are Performance Targets......

The CIS is set to show delays of 3 minutes or more. Also the new CIS is not connected to Live Departures at all, unlike the system at HSS stations such as Swindon, Bristol Temple Meads, and Platform 4A/4B at Reading (Yes it appears that the main platforms at Reading have been disconnected for whatever reason.)

Reading platforms were disconnected a long time ago - the number of tim,es I've stood there, watching the lateness increase, minute-by-minute, until arrival!

Do you have any idea why the Reading main platforms were disconnected, was it something to do with the move to the new signalling centre?

Oh, well before that started....

Probably because of the platforming changes during disruption?

Surely its a good thing to have platform numbers from the CIS shown, and not the booked ones on Trust?

Hi there, first post. If it was a cable theft or even a serious signalling fault. Normally Network Rail stop trains departing major stations such as Reading, Paddington. This lightens the load of the signallers in the affected area, also stops full trains being trapped with nowhere to go.

Unfortunatly when you have signalling again, stock and train crew are displaced for a while.

Thank-you for that response, bobbyorson, and a warm welcome to the Coffee Shop!  :)

Might have guessed!

Er, why ? If its not on time, its not on time and that information should be reflected in the displays. If I am standing on a platform at 0700 and the train is due at 0700, but the clock says 0702 and the display says "On Time", its hardly reassuring that the rest or future information on said display is going to be trustworthy, is it ? What a bizarre decision ???

Agreed but trains in the TV are "on time" up to 5 minutes late. Bizarre I know.

It's a decision made by the programmers presumably, because some other TOC's 3 line displays never show the words 'on time' - but then again they'll quite happily show a calculated/estimated time that is in the past...

Paul