First Great Western - industrial action in 2015 - merged topic

[whole diary]

[ChrisB]

Have East Coast agreed to *all* these demands?

[JayMac]

The talks have stalled.  No great surprises there!

http://www.rmt.org.uk/news/talks-collapse-and-action-goes-ahead-on-first-great-western/

Not surprised they stalled. The press release from the RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) show's their belligerence. I really hope now that FGW^▸ (First Great Western) stand firm and offer no concessions.

[Jason]

"There will also be a rally in support of RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers)^s members on FGW^▸ (First Great Western) in their dispute at 17.00 hours Wednesday 8th July at Paddington station"

I'm sure that will be a popular move amongst a few thousand commuters about to face two days of misery.

[paul7575]

You also have the option of Cross Country services which will be running as normal, but may be a bit more crowded that usual.

I assume that you definitely won't find any FGW^▸ (First Great Western) RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) members using those trains on their day off though, because:

a.) they operate with the driver releasing and then closing the doors (when signalled to do so by the train manager),
b.) they have a catering trolley,
c.) they are maintained by in a depot controlled by the train manufacturer.

That's all so scary, it's little wonder XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) trains run around empty most of the time... 

Paul

[Tim]

"There will also be a rally in support of RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers)^s members on FGW^▸ (First Great Western) in their dispute at 17.00 hours Wednesday 8th July at Paddington station"

I'm sure that will be a popular move amongst a few thousand commuters about to face two days of misery.

Quite.  I have to say I admire the RMT for doing this.  If they believe in what they are doing they should be prepared to show their faces and argue their case. 

[ChrisB]

I suspect they won't be allowed to gather close to the concourse - it gets busy in any case, and it's almost incitement to public (dis)order....bet they go nearer the staff entrance on Eastbourne Terrace area.

[IndustryInsider]

You also have the option of Cross Country services which will be running as normal, but may be a bit more crowded that usual.

I assume that you definitely won't find any FGW^▸ (First Great Western) RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) members using those trains on their day off though, because:

a.) they operate with the driver releasing and then closing the doors (when signalled to do so by the train manager),
b.) they have a catering trolley,
c.) they are maintained by in a depot controlled by the train manufacturer.

That's all so scary, it's little wonder XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) trains run around empty most of the time... 

Paul

All good points, though of course regarding point 'a', that's exactly what happens currently on non DOO^▸ (Driver-Only Operation (that is, trains which operate without carrying a guard)) turbo services operated by FGW.  If that method of operation was being suggested then I think settlement on that issue would be reached easily as the TM^‡(resolve) retains overall control of the dispatch and there would have to be one on every train.

[Timmer]

Train times for Thursday 9th now available to view on Journey Planners, Real Time Trains etc.

[grahame]

Train times for Thursday 9th now available to view on Journey Planners, Real Time Trains etc.

Updated press release at https://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/strike and a link to a useful overview map (screen capture attached here). No news of any progress in the talks; wording remains such that it suggests that the strike will happen .    No news / information that I can see about ranger and rover ticket use for those of us planning to do some travelling on such tickets purchased ways ahead.  And a new question from me - "after the strikes and overtime ban - what then with regard to follow up action and/or resolution of the issues which are so significant that they're causing staff to withdraw their labour?"

[Timmer]

Helpful map from FGW^▸ (First Great Western). However it would be more useful if it highlighted that other operators ARE running as normal on routes where FGW aren't - eg Salisbury-Portsmouth/Southampton-Brighton.

For those travelling to London, the tube is affected by strike action on Thursday as well.

[ChrisB]

No news of any progress in the talks; wording remains such that it suggests that the strike will happen

There was from the RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) - check their website - talks broke down, nothing new on the table apparently - definitely going ahead.

The updated page on the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) says no catering on any trains & bring your own suggested.

No news / information that I can see about ranger and rover ticket use for those of us planning to do some travelling on such tickets purchased ways ahead

Yes, they ought to address that specifically - I think I saw tweeted advice that pro-rata refunds will be given.

.  And a new question from me - "after the strikes and overtime ban - what then with regard to follow up action and/or resolution of the issues which are so significant that they're causing staff to withdraw their labour?"

More of the same I reckon. Possibly extended to 48hrs duration quite quickly.

[Chris from Nailsea]

I've just received the following in my e-mail:

Hi,

I am a journalist from Sky News who is covering the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) strike this week.

We would like to do some filming tomorrow in the South West with commuters who may be affected and I wondered if you could help please?

Would you consider doing an interview or could you recommend anyone from your forum who would be able to help?

Please let me know,

Many thanks,

Siobhan Robbins

West of England Correspondent

If anyone is interested, please reply here or send me a personal message and I'll provide contact details.

[JayMac]

National Express are taking advantage of FGW^▸ (First Great Western)'s woes:

First Great Western Rail Strike Disruption

There will be significant disruption on long distance and local rail services should the planned strike action by RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) members go ahead from 18:30 on 8 July.  This disruption is expected to last until 11 July.

First Great Western are reporting that capacity will be limited and trains will be very busy during this period. This could also mean late notice changes or possible cancellations and levels of service will vary.

To help people complete their journeys and get to their destinations we have made thousands of additional seats available during the disruption.

The First Great Western rail strike will affect train services from the following towns, cities and airports:

Bristol, Cardiff, Cheltenham, Exeter, Bath, Heathrow, Swansea, Plymouth, Luton Airport, London, Newport, Gatwick, Swindon, Gloucester and Cirencester.


Why travel by Coach?

We have fast and frequent services to 100's of UK^▸ (United Kingdom) towns, cities and airports, and you can travel with ease and convenience. Our coaches have:

Reclining leather seats

Free Wifi on selected services

Ample leg room

Air conditioning

Plug sockets

Onboard toilet facilities

A friendly driver to help to load your bags and store them securely

 It's little wonder why people are increasingly choosing coach travel as a more affordable rail alternative. With our coaches, you can avoid costly fares, packed carriages, rail replacement services and inconvenient service charges. Find out more about what makes our modern coaches the best in their class.

Coach v train - the benefits

Making the switch to coach from train?

Here are some of the many benefits our passengers enjoy on every journey:

No more crowded carriages or platforms
A spacious seat for every passenger
Limited stops for a faster, smoother journey
Cleaner travel - the most environmentally-friendly form of public transport
Regular services every day of the year
Direct travel to 100's of UK towns, cities and airports
 
All you have to do is sit back, relax and enjoy your journey.

http://www.nationalexpress.com/rail-disruption.aspx

[ChrisB]

What's not yet clear is whether where other TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company) cover the same route (or part of, but still might be more than useful), that these other TOCs will honour tickets where usually, travel would need to be with FGW^▸ (First Great Western). Inter-availability I think is the name of the game - but will they play ball?

[JayMac]

Some ticket acceptance is in place with other operators on routes affected. That is made clear at https://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/strike when you click on the individual area links.

Where services are not operating there are some limited arrangements in place for Season Ticket holders to use local buses. Those already holding non-season train tickets on routes with no service will have to buy a bus ticket and claim a refund on their train ticket.

I have spotted one error in the info for individual routes though. For Westbury to Weymouth it says:

"Customers for Weymouth from Westbury are advised to take a South West Trains service to Southampton and change for connecting services to Weymouth. Tickets will be accepted on this route."

You can't take a SWT^▸ (South West Trains) service from Westbury to Southampton. The advice should be to take a Bristol Parkway-Salisbury FGW^▸ (First Great Western) service from Westbury to Salisbury and change to SWT there for Southampton.