Posting as one of let night's headless chickens ...
... perhaps, having slept on this it's a good time to reflect, analyse, and perhaps we can even make a couple of cheeky suggestions to
FGW▸ as to little changes.
Arriving via the Hammersmith and City, I got a hint of things amiss in that the "Next Departure to" boards at the taxi ranks were only showing local stations, and a further hint in that the bridge across to the middle of the platforms was solid rather than free flowing. And getting across to the main bridge, everything showed up as "delayed" ... with little clue as to why.
Suggestion (1): A one line 'ticker tape' status banner on each of these - even if it says as little as "We have just [18:37] received reports of a problem on the main lines. All services are held while we learn more. Next update by 18:52 at the latest"
On the main concourse, I spoke with a very helpful staff member ((who told me his role wasn't normally 'front of house')) who filled me in pretty well. And I congratulate him for saying "don't know" rather than guessing to certain questions. He did, however, have to direct me to some l-o-n-g queues for further specific information, some of which I think could be included in a general set of guidelines rather than overloading the normal front of house team.
Suggestion (2): I've seen
FCC▸ do it - a "what alternatives are there in the event of disruption?", together with, perhaps, a paragraph on the steps that FGW go though ... "Please bear with us in the early stages of disruption. When something goes wrong, it takes us a little time to find out what's happened, and some more time to know how long it's going to take to fix and what the options are. But we WILL promise to update you at least once every 15 minutes, even if the answer is "don't know yet"." Alternative options listed may include use of Greenford Trains, South West Trains from Waterloo, Chiltern from Marylebone, Heathrow services, etc. Most commuters have common sense - so explain that it's better to hold services at Paddington than to dispatch in hope and leave people crammed into trains near the wilds of Slough for indeterminate periods.
Suggestion (3): "Off Peak restrictions lifted" was announced ... and that was contradicted by the departure board for the 18:15 to Swansea when in flashed up. But what exactly does 'lifted' mean. Would my off peak return half to Melksham have been accepted on the first connection in the morning? If so, I would probably have found myself a cheap hotel near Paddington and travelled out on the 07:30; unlikely to have been a "sardine" service, but I wasn't going to risk a hotel bill plus a peak single, nor did I really want to queue and ask. So - clarification and perhaps standard practise.
Well - they called the 18:15 and - scrum down. It was the only possible chance to catch my last connection from Swindon, and it's unclear to me whether "person hit by train" is considered to be a rail industry fault, so whether compensation (not really interested) and / or getting e to destination come what may (very interested) would click in. And we boarded and waited and waited. Comment was made in the coach vestibule that there's only just time to board most of the time at Paddington, so why is it when we were sardined it took so long? Information had dried up, and I noted that most of my travelling companions knew even less about what was going on that I did. A strange sense of camaraderie in discomfort clicked in ...
Suggestion (4): back to that
FAQ▸ again ... have information in there about how and when information might be expected, how it's best to keep people in stations not between, why there can't be announcements on trains while they're waiting (!) and a promise of a time limited update come what may. And if even one or two people have that FAQ, they'll share it with others; keep people in the dark and they'll complain - help explain (better yet get them to explain to each other) and the whole atmosphere becomes easier.
Once we were going, information WAS pretty good. Changing points, what was happening with connections, an offer to come through once the train got less crowded to help the West Wales contingent.
Suggestion (5): remember all the connections ... including the TransWilts one ;-) ... I didn't have a clue whether anyone hade even thought of Swindon to Westbury, though they were full of Swindon to Cheltenham
Arriving into Swindon, off train, asked I First chap "where for Melksham" ... "Platform 2" he says with confidence. "That's under the subway". Ah - nice that the connection was making. Dash upper, up, forward to an ... empty ... bay platform. Oh :-( ...
back to ask another First chap. "Oh - it's gone. Go back to platform 4 and get that Bristol train that's just pulling in ... I'll contact Chippenham to have them get a taxi for you ..."
puff puff puff ... I had heavy luggage on this trip
Suggestion (6): don't let staff guess answers just to move customers on. I really didn't want to do 4 sets of stairs with heavy bags, and nearly be delayed a further hour, because of a guess!
Chippenham - dispatcher sends of west and east trains, writes out a taxi chit and finds me a taxi. Quite a relief - didn't really want to fork out nearly 30 quid of my own or wait 90 minutes for the late bus. THANK YOU. But I really wish I knew the precise rules.
Hey - it could have been a LOT lot worse, and there were others a lot more delayed, let alone the family of the person hit, driver, etc. But it's worth a quick look back a day later and wondering "are there reasons why some of these apparently simple information items can't be done?". Perhaps there are, but it looks to me like a little could have gone a long way - and that little could be planned for and seeded so it doesn't drain resources at that peak busyness time!
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