First Great Western - industrial action in 2015 - merged topic

[whole diary]

[Timmer]

I was thinking earlier that Sunday was an unusual day to choose along with buses replacing trains anyway connected with the work at Bath. With hourly services operating on IC^▸ (Inter City) routes with connecting services feeding into them and near normal Thames Valley services, if you needed to travel by train on FGW^▸ (First Great Western) it could be done.

[Btline]

In a piece of excellent timing several months ago, Btline booked FGW^▸ (First Great Western) tickets for travel over the bank holiday weekend.

They are FGW advances from Paddington to Torquay. I'm not sure whether they will say FGW only.

Do I understand correctly that I can travel any date/time during the weekend with my tickets? The website is not 100% clear - they are now effectively anytimes are they not?

Also - can I use XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) if necessary from Newton Abbot?

[ChrisB]

No they're not Anytimes at all....clearly states you can travel on ther days but at or close to the times currently booked to travel.

What's not clear yet is whether you can travel on an earlier day or just same or later day(s)

[the void]

https://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/travel-updates/strike-information-update/ticket-information

"Advance Purchase

If you have an Advance Purchase (train^specific) ticket for travel on Sunday 23 August, your ticket will also be valid on the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) train immediately before or after your booked time.

If you have an Advance Purchase (train^specific) ticket for travel between Saturday 29 August ^ Monday 31 August, your ticket will also be valid on the FGW train immediately before or after your booked time."

[ChrisB]

As I said, its not clear what happens if there are no trains to your destination on the date in question. Can you travel a day earlier? I read somewhere they'll allow travel the following day, but that might be after you want/need to arrive

[plymothian]

If you have tickets for travel on the bank holiday weekend (Saturday 29, Sunday 30 or Monday 31 August) your ticket is valid for any day of the bank holiday weekend. If you have an advance purchase ticket we ask you travel as close to your booked time as possible.

If your journey involves a line where we^re not planning to offer a service at all on Sunday 23 August, then you can also travel on any off-peak FGW^▸ (First Great Western) services on Monday 24 August.  The same applies on the bank holiday weekend ^ if your journey involves a line we^re not planning to offer a service on, you can travel on any off-peak train on Tuesday 1 September.


    Plymouth - Gunnislake
    Falmouth ^ Truro
    Newquay - Par
    Looe ^ Liskeard
    Severn Beach - Bristol Temple Meads
    Weymouth - Westbury

So, if you have AP tickets that include travelling on the listed lines, you can travel the following day after the strike, but on lines that will be "normally operated", you can only travel on the train before or after your booked train - but that is only an "ask".

[stuving]

So, if you have AP tickets that include travelling on the listed lines, you can travel the following day after the strike, but on lines that will be "normally operated", you can only travel on the train before or after your booked train - but that is only an "ask".

I can see that might be what was intended. But when I first read this bit:

If you have tickets for travel on the bank holiday weekend (Saturday 29, Sunday 30 or Monday 31 August) your ticket is valid for any day of the bank holiday weekend. If you have an advance purchase ticket we ask you travel as close to your booked time as possible.

I took it to mean (for advances) that your ticket is now valid on any other of the three days, but please travel at close to the same time of day.

[ChrisB]

Yes, that is how I read it too

[rogerw]

I have been checking my trains from TRO^» (Trowbridge - next trains) to PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains) next Sunday if the strike goes ahead.  At present there are no BRI^» (Bristol Temple Meads - next trains) to PAD services listed which is surprising.  Cecking BRI to PAD on the journey planner shows no through services either.  Fortunately my connection from SWI^» (Swindon - next trains) is a CNM^» (Cheltenham Spa - next trains) to PAD service which should not be too full.  I am stuck with an advance ticket so can't even go via SAL.

[Adelante_CCT]

This is what National Rail say on there website under the First Great Western strike page:
http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/service_disruptions/104437.aspx

Journey Planners have not yet been updated for these dates.

[rogerw]

But the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) site suggests otherwise as it advises you to check your journey times using their planner

[Btline]

No they're not Anytimes at all....clearly states you can travel on ther days but at or close to the times currently booked to travel.

That's what I thought, although it appears to contradict further down where it says tickets are valid on the train before or after.

I wonder what defines as "close"? If this cannot be defined or enforced, then effectively all tickets become anytimes.

Good to know I've got some flexibility if services look busy, a pretty good service is going to run anyway.

[ChrisB]

If your service runs, I think you're expected to be on it....it's only if it isn't that the flexibility kivks in

[Eliza]

A revised timetable has been put in place for Saturday 29 August - or at least my train from Taunton to Paddington has been rescheduled.  Previously it was the 10.45 arriving London at 12.38.  Now it is the 10.24 arriving 12.23.  The kind folk at First Great Western's Assisted Travel phoned me this afternoon.  No change as yet to the times of my return journey on the 30th.

[Timmer]

Still no word on whether this weekend's action will take place. You kind of think that if it's going to be called off today would be the day we would hear something.