Seven Year Old Girl Crushed On Overcrowded Train

[whole diary]

[Lee]

Wiltshire Times article on an incident that happened on the 5.07pm service from Bath on December 22 2007 (link below.)
http://www.wiltshiretimes.co.uk/display.var.1989989.0.panto_trip_turns_into_train_ordeal.php

[devon_metro]

What worries me is why nobody seems to notice that a little girl like this was in such a space.

[moonraker]

I cannot understand why an ambulance was not called, loss of consciousness in my book requires medical treatment, lack of air - lack of oxygen to the brain !

I would not have got on such a crowded train with my child !!  Shame his son did not go to Trowbridge and drive back to Bath and pick them up if it was so busy.......

Before you say anything YES my family and I have done both of these.

[Timmer]

Local services over the Christmas and New Year were pretty poor which FGW^▸ (First Great Western) have admitted to. Next Christmas I suggest they run fewer local services but longer trains. Better to have a reliable infrequent service with longer trains then a service where you don't know if the train is going to turn up which was frequently the case over the Christmas holiday period with services either cancelled or running short of their destination because of a lack of traincrew.

This story even made the national press and guess what? it doesn't even have a comment from MTLS^▸ (More Train Less Strain)!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=510408&in_page_id=1770
 

[devon_metro]

or:

"ShopExs"
"XmasExs"

additional trains, 67s+mk2s perhaps running from Salisbury - Weston.

[Timmer]

additional trains, 67s+mk2s perhaps running from Salisbury - Weston.

Now your talking! What a useful service that would be.

[vacman]

God they've got to sort out the Cardiff-Pompey services!

[Timmer]

God they've got to sort out the Cardiff-Pompey services!

I wish they would Vacman.

Theres overcrowding, which you will find on any rail companie's services from time to time, and theres seriously and at times dangerous overcrowding thats a daily occurance on this line not just at peak times, on weekends too which is sometimes even worse with passengers often left behind at stations. Not too inconvenient if there is another service along in half an hour or so but this line now mainly operates every hour since the removal of most of the Westbury-Southampton services last December.

I know there are issues that many of you could highlight that need fixing on other parts of the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) network but this one really does need fixing and quick as its been more than proved over the past year that three carriages of passengers doesn't go very well into two.

Now just to provide a bit of balance to this post so it doesn't look like having another go at FGW. Wessex trains had their overcrowding problems as well and this is nothing new on this line. The difference between the Wessex franchise and the current FGW franchise is that they were in a position to respond to this problem by making the 158s operating on this line three carriages because the terms of the Wessex franchise weren't as harsh as FGW's in terms of having to make premium payments to the government.

Where I would be critical of FGW was that they went further then the recommendation of retaining three diagramed 3 car 158s and said only one was required, (see the following post: http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=1527.0) thats where they got it wrong and in an indirect way have admitted so in saying that they took too much stock off service in Dec 06. Now they are eagerly awaiting the release of 150/1s from the West Midlands franchise to be able to increase the 'West fleet' once again to something near what it needs to be. Of course some of these 150s will be needed to give the Devon Metro its everyday trains back again unless of course you are all happy with the 142s that you now have? 

[vacman]

God they've got to sort out the Cardiff-Pompey services!

I wish they would Vacman.

Theres overcrowding, which you will find on any rail companie's services from time to time, and theres seriously and at times dangerous overcrowding thats a daily occurance on this line not just at peak times, on weekends too which is sometimes even worse with passengers often left behind at stations. Not too inconvenient if there is another service along in half an hour or so but this line now mainly operates every hour since the removal of most of the Westbury-Southampton services last December.

I know there are issues that many of you could highlight that need fixing on other parts of the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) network but this one really does need fixing and quick as its been more than proved over the past year that three carriages of passengers doesn't go very well into two.

Now just to provide a bit of balance to this post so it doesn't look like having another go at FGW. Wessex trains had their overcrowding problems as well and this is nothing new on this line. The difference between the Wessex franchise and the current FGW franchise is that they were in a position to respond to this problem by making the 158s operating on this line three carriages because the terms of the Wessex franchise weren't as harsh as FGW's in terms of having to make premium payments to the government.

Where I would be critical of FGW was that they went further then the recommendation of retaining three diagramed 3 car 158s and said only one was required, (see the following post: http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=1527.0) thats where they got it wrong and in an indirect way have admitted so in saying that they took too much stock off service in Dec 06. Now they are eagerly awaiting the release of 150/1s from the West Midlands franchise to be able to increase the 'West fleet' once again to something near what it needs to be. Of course some of these 150s will be needed to give the Devon Metro its everyday trains back again unless of course you are all happy with the 142s that you now have? 

UMMMMM I think we'll get rid of the 142's thanks! hopefully we will get some of the 3 car 150's from LM^▸ (London Midland - recent franchise) which will sort a few things out!

[smokey]

Crumbs, Vacman you were burning the Mid-night oil last night.

Seriously The last time I took a service from Newport to Westbury in the Evening peak, it was packed to BTM^▸ (Bristol Temple Meads (strictly, it should be BRI) but BTM is a commonly used alternative)), and leaving BTM was well like the BLACK HOLE of Calcutta.

But then when some smart a*** cuts a 3 car unit and puts on a 2 car, it's asking for trouble.

History lesson: Black Hole of Calcutta, a small Dungeon whers 123 of 146 British Prisoners suffocated on June 20th 1756.

[Timmer]

UMMMMM I think we'll get rid of the 142's thanks! hopefully we will get some of the 3 car 150's from LM^▸ (London Midland - recent franchise) which will sort a few things out!

I thought you might say that 

[John R]

There's a full page about this in The Times today (although it would have been better if the picture had been an appropriate train, rather than the gleaming newly refurbished HST^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units))).

Part of me hopes there will be a couple of similar incidents (with no lasting consequences obviously), as it seems to be the only way that anyone in government will realise what they have done to the service.

Now, who's going to write to the Times and point out exactly why this happened on this route. Or shall we all do it?

[Chris from Nailsea]

History lesson: Black Hole of Calcutta, a small Dungeon where 123 of 146 British Prisoners suffocated on June 20th 1756.

That's a bit rich, Smokey: last time I ventured to offer a history lesson in this forum, you told me off!!!    

[smokey]

History lesson: Black Hole of Calcutta, a small Dungeon where 123 of 146 British Prisoners suffocated on June 20th 1756.

That's a bit rich, Smokey: last time I ventured to offer a history lesson in this forum, you told me off!!!    

Using My posh voice,

"I say old boy I don't remember telling you off, maybe you took what I said in the wrong text, If you think I was telling you off, then I'm sorry and I'm eating a big slice of Humble Pie"

your input to this site is valued

[Chris from Nailsea]

Using My posh voice,
 
"I say old boy I don't remember telling you off, maybe you took what I said in the wrong text, If you think I was telling you off, then I'm sorry and I'm eating a big slice of Humble Pie"

your input to this site is valued

No need to apologise or eat anything you don't like, Smokey     I was joking! 

(And thanks very much for your final comment  )