FGW Reply To Third Rate Western Keynsham HST Query

[whole diary]

[Lee]

Can be found in the link below.
http://thirdratewestern.blogspot.com/2007/12/official-train-crew-are-blind.html

[miniman]

I sent a photo to FGW^▸ (First Great Western) customer services showing exactly how much space is available. You can see it here.

Of course, if you are "i-hate-whinging-commuters", I wouldn't bother looking 

[Lee]

I sent a photo to FGW^▸ (First Great Western) customer services showing exactly how much space is available. You can see it here.

Of course, if you are "i-hate-whinging-commuters", I wouldn't bother looking 

You'll be wanting the link to go with that....here is a related one.
http://thirdratewestern.blogspot.com/2008/01/theres-space-available.html

[miniman]

Latest response from FGW^▸ (First Great Western) is here:

http://thirdratewestern.blogspot.com/2008/01/theres-no-legal-limit.html

[Shazz]

Nice to see you're still slating the Frontline staff for things that have nothing to do with them...

[Chris from Nailsea]

I agree with Shazz here: a very good point has been made, in another thread, on this subject - see

I'm sure that the staff and management are very safety conscious.....which is a very good thing!  The only main area which I think compromises safety is the overcrowding of carriages as this results in many passengers standing in the aisles and doorways.  There's no such thing as standing room on coaches and aeroplanes.  I feel that trains should be the same.

You are right that safety is our number one priority when working a train, and FGW^▸ (First Great Western) are very hot on this, and rightly so. The example you raise of overcrowded trains, is a massive problem which for some reason is not acted upon by the TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company)'s. There apparently is no law or legislation relating to how many passengers can be crammed into a train, and it is left to the conductor/train managers discretion (normally the conductor, as you rarely see an HST^▸ (High Speed Train) formed of 1 coach!). The only problem is when a single 153 arrives at Bristol TM^‡(resolve) or Exeter Central at 1720, how does the guard try to stop hundreds of people boarding, who just want to get home from work/college etc? You just try and get as many on as you can, squeeze yourself in, apologise to the passengers left behind, and hope nothing happens on the journey as there is no way you can get through the train! As for the profit first thing, in this scenario, you cannot physically check or sell tickets, so it's probably 'profit second, safety second'!

The other option is to refuse to move the train until you feel it is safe to do so, i.e. remove passengers until all of the train is accessible to the guard. This rarely happens as it normally just causes a lot more problems

As Shazz says, please don't give the front line staff stick for doing something they themselves are clearly very unhappy about!

[miniman]

Nice to see you're still slating the Frontline staff for things that have nothing to do with them...

Where on earth am I slating frontline staff? I'm saying that the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) policy is that there's no legal limit so it's left to discretion. My point is that there should be some legislation and that the staff shouldn't be expected to make a judgement call over people's safety. So actually I'm defending the frontline staff. Obviously not very clearly though. The whole point of my blog is that the people running the show are doing a piss poor job of it. Do the frontline staff disagree with this?

[Shazz]

http://thirdratewestern.blogspot.com/2007/12/official-train-crew-are-blind.html

For example

[miniman]

http://thirdratewestern.blogspot.com/2007/12/official-train-crew-are-blind.html

For example

Oh come on, get real, does sarcasm go straight over your head?? I said:

"or possibly the Third Rate Western management know damn well the trains are full because their staff and customers are telling them but they don't care. I wonder which it is."

Are you objecting to the "train crew are blind" title? We're clearly never going to agree on this but I'd argue that you're being a touch OTT^▸ (Open Train Times website) with your criticism of my writing style (or lack of it, as the case may be).

[Jim]

I think any insults towards the staff are just not right!

[devon_metro]

Still can't believe this service is a 180 

[miniman]

I think any insults towards the staff are just not right!

Sorry but the staff aren't all perfect, dedicated employees. For example, the "revenue protection" woman who flatly refused to let my colleague cross the footbridge at Chippenham without a ticket, even though he was heading to the ticket machine to buy one due to the huge queues in the ticket office. That's nothing to do with being disgruntled about having a crappy employer, that's just plain ridiculous, obnoxious and unnecessary. I could list numerous other bad experiences I've had with FGW^▸ (First Great Western) staff.

Certainly it's not fair to criticise all FGW staff as many (most?) of them are decent folk. But it's laughable to think that there's no such thing as a bad employee.

FWIW^▸ (for what it's worth), I already removed virtually all criticism of staff from my blog. If you can't see past tongue-in-cheek, sarcastic comments which are clearly aimed at FGW management, then I guess I'll just have to accept having one less reader of my blog.

[miniman]

Still can't believe this service is a 180 

Latest claim from FGW^▸ (First Great Western) customer services is that it will be gone in 2 weeks.

[Jim]

I think any insults towards the staff are just not right!

Sorry but the staff aren't all perfect, dedicated employees. For example, the "revenue protection" woman who flatly refused to let my colleague cross the footbridge at Chippenham without a ticket, even though he was heading to the ticket machine to buy one due to the huge queues in the ticket office. That's nothing to do with being disgruntled about having a crappy employer, that's just plain ridiculous, obnoxious and unnecessary. I could list numerous other bad experiences I've had with FGW^▸ (First Great Western) staff.
 

Daft yes, but also the rules. Railway Bylaws state the station IS NOT a public right of way, and to there knowledge that is what it was being used for, so were right to do that, really.

[Jim]

Still can't believe this service is a 180 

Latest claim from FGW^▸ (First Great Western) customer services is that it will be gone in 2 weeks.

Friday is the last booked day for that service, and indeed for a 180 in the SOUTH WEST.