If I want a white knuckle ride with a real fear of injury I could go to Alton Towers or even Disney. But there the fear is mostly imagined (until things go wrong anyway). But I never expected to be in fear of my life on a GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) train. A few weeks ago I caught an HST^▸ (High Speed Train) service to Swindon from Reading. All went smoothly. But then I had to return later that day. At Swindon one of those sleek new Hitachi GWR electrics turned up. I was really looking forwards to the ride back. I managed to get a seat at one end of a carriage - mistake. I wanted to use my laptop - second mistake. The ride to Reading was dreadful. The bogies were bouncing up and down and 'hunting' like demented demons - the track was obviously 'rippled' to enhance the bouncing - the sprung mounted carriages bounced at the same frequency. It was impossible to stand up and not be thrown down. Without seat belts I feared I'd be thrown out of my seat. I had the arm rests down - no help. My laptop nearly ended up on the floor. I had to put it away. I really feared for my life. A train manager went by holding on for dear life. I complained to him about the rough ride. The GWR culture of complete arrogance meant that he totally ignored me. He had no explanation. He uttered not a word. But he walked away. I told him not to be so bl**dy ignorant. I wouldn't be surprised if one of these Hitachi Japanese crap trains don't jump the track sometime soon. An experience never to be repeated.

The Swiss mountain railways are mainly overhead high tension line. The actual supports seem to be flimsy wooden poles. Yet it all works through most weathers.

SWR^» (South Western Railway - about) "The Journey  Starts Here ..."

Buzzcocks.

Widespread disruption and hours' worth of delays and cancellations.

Tryng to get from Feltham to Kingston - the black fella in the ticket office who was more interested in playing games on a smart phone - eventually said "Kington?" He didn't know where that was. Catch the next train in 20 minutes (one of the few running) - change at Twickenham (which I already knew). That was all the help he offered. Then went back to his smart phone.

When I got to Twickenham there was so much disruption - all trains were delayed by hours - not even showing cancelled - and nothing was going round the Kingston loop.

So I ended up at Waterloo - two hours' late.

The announcements on the trains and stations were 'a train fault' or 'power supply problems.'

Obviously there's "lies, damned lies, and SWR excuses."

At Waterloo there was a brave new sign stating South West Railways - "The Journey Starts Here..."

Bo$$ocks. No-one's journey was starting anywhere are certainly not here at Waterloo - period.

I have now complained to the Advertising Standards Authority.

I'd have thought that they'd have toned down the message bearing in mind the network-wide disruptions.

Of course disruptions on First Group services are expected, they've got those to perfection on GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway).

And MTR? Well an out-and-back Metro service in Hong Kong is no training for managing the complex ex-SWT^▸ (South West Trains) network. And they well failed today.

SWR had taken out a full two page advert in Metro. They're promising all kinds of improvements. Well running trains would be an improvement. How hard is that? SWT managed - but not it seems MTR / First Group.

Pathetic bunch of idiots. No wonder RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) etc. are going on strike.

SB^▸ (Signal Box)

Bit like the disjointed announcements on the new FGW^▸ (First Great Western) Electrostars then.

Traveled to / from Waterloo yesterday.  Noticed some minor changes in procedures at stations. Now the guards release the doors to open immediately upon arrival. Previously guards would detrain, look up and down the station platform, admire the scenery, have a chat, then release the doors.

And for departures platform dispatch staff - in their new shiny pinny-tabards - flag away trains a good minute early, sometimes 90 seconds. This is highly irritating for pax trying to board thinking that they still have at least a minute left to get on; but then get whistles blown at them. I can see trapped clothing - like for GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) - becoming an issue.

Some things remain the same. No attempt to make announcements as to destinations. No attempts to make announcements as to scum who put their feet on the seats. No announcements as to where the guard actually is on the train. No visibility - aka train walk-throughs. No ticket checks. Etc., etc.

And delays, delays, delays - what else.

Those who travel on FGW^▸ (First Great Western) will recognise the culture - welcome to SWR^» (South Western Railway - about).

Failing any interest from Hillingdon Council, and not even John MacDonnell (Lab) the local MP^▸ (Member of Parliament), maybe his will do the trick:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4829350/Cowboy-firms-banned-doling-100-fines.html

The upper entrance to Hayes Station is a 'no-go' area after the commuters have gone - say after 19.00 Aggressive beggars  male and female - are a frequent problem - they don't just sit there but approach folks for cash. We have had at least one near fatal stabbing at the bus stop. Gobs of chewing gum litter the pavement. Once I called the police due to blood stains all over the pavement. But when they arrived they said that it was kava gobbed out by some unsocial male. Kava is illegal but all the grocers shops sell it.

This whole area is a squalid sh$thole, not made any better by the permanent and abandoned Crossrail works. Even the station name has been removed at the front.

The entrance to the southern car park is not visible nor obvious. It is not sign-posted. Station Parade is a direct route to / from the town centre.

This is how the High Point Village management treat their tenants and leaseholders:

Unsocial housing? Gates within gates divide the 'haves' and 'have-nots'

Critics and residents claim High Point Village in west London is a low point for communities in mixed-tenure housing schemes

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/oct/22/unsocial-housing-gates-within-gates

"Tension came to a head in August (2013) after a disruption to the water supply left some residents in affordable homes without water for nearly two days. Some residents found an emergency hosepipe existed for the private homeowners only to be told it could not be used to temporarily supply affordable homes. Families claim that at one point they were reduced to filling up bottles from a decorative fountain at the entrance to the luxury housing area."

And Tescos delivery vehicles too. Indeed just about every vehicle that enters the Station Parade dead end road has to do a three-point turn to exit, and since this is on High Point Village land they are fined. Even cars dropping off residents of HPV are photographed and incur a fine for so doing. I have witnessed this so any times.

My TripAdvisor report was accepted twice, but then rejected...

"Staycity Aparthotels London Heathrow Hayes

One star - should be zero.

AVOID - Draconian and Abusive Security

Well we WERE going to stay there, BUT talking to some folks on our flight to Heathrow they said do NOT go there. Black Cabs wont drop off or pick up there because security photographs everyone in the area, even passersby. AND cab drivers are fined £200 plus if they venture into the Station Parade road outside. Staycity. Hayes & Harlington Station must be the ONLY one in the country without a proper drop-off / pick-up area."

So whilst the station building is demolished - NOTHING has been done or is being done to the site. All work has stopped. And reportedly will be so for the next TWO years

Meanwhile the rip-offs being perpetrated against innocent and unwary motorists by High Point Village management will continue because no-one cares.

Crossrail and FGW^▸ (First Great Western) are to blame in creating this situation. But it is also illegal discrimination against the elderly and disabled by not allowing drop-offs and pickups at the station entrance.

Indeed the entrance to platforms 4 and 5 is via private land. Indeed it is ALL private land in Station Parade ever since the railway sidings were sold to build the High Point Village carbuncle on.

Sadly John MacDonnell (H&H MP^▸ (Member of Parliament) (Lab)) has got other things to contend with rather than his constituents being ripped-off. But Hillingdon Council are equally useless.
 
BTW^▸ (by the way) there are also numerous complaints on TripAdvisor about StayCity Apartments which is part of HPV.
 

Not THE S Byers - but a local tenant resident. BTW^▸ (by the way) I tried to add photos to the first thread but the system insisted upon creating a new thread.

Meanwhile I have spoken with the local police. The officer in the group I spoke to mentioned that a few months ago he'd been called to Tescos to handle a shoplifting incident. He had left the police minivan on the double yellows outside Tescos. Apparently the reg. plates were then photographed by the HPV security neanderthal. When he had sorted out the shoplifting he curtly told the security idiot that as police on a call he had every right to park where he needed to be. The security idiot then made a formal complaint about him. You couldn't make this stuff up. 

It has been rumoured that the security guy is on commission, which is a nice little earner ripping off the unwary public at 60 tickets a day times £200 each.

No drop-offs / pick-ups at Station Entrance. Nor outside Staycity foyer.

Entrance to Platforms 4 - 5