Complaints Received By The DfT Regarding FGW

[whole diary]

[Lee]

Recent Parliamentary Written Answer :

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many complaints she has received on the operation of the First Great Western franchise.

Mr. Tom Harris: In the last 12 months Ministers and officials at the Department for Transport have received several hundred e-mails, letters and phone calls regarding various aspects of First Greater Western operations.

[smokey]

Reading Politics in the answer "several hundred",

25,000 is only 250 hundreds, (ie several hundreds) so it's anyones guess just how many complaints have been made.

[John R]

I disagree, several hundred means less than a thousand, and on the basis that if it was less than 500 the answer would have been "a few hundred", I think we can conclude between 500 and 1000.

[vacman]

I disagree, several hundred means less than a thousand, and on the basis that if it was less than 500 the answer would have been "a few hundred", I think we can conclude between 500 and 1000.

Not even one passenger per train that FGW^▸ (First Great Western) runs in a single day. (about 1200 services daily)

[Chris from Nailsea]

Recent Parliamentary Written Answer :

Chris from Nailsea: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many complaints she has received on the operation of the Department for Transport.

No, perhaps not ... 

[12hoursunday]

I disagree, several hundred means less than a thousand, and on the basis that if it was less than 500 the answer would have been "a few hundred", I think we can conclude between 500 and 1000.

This could be right. Another thing that is probally right is a large percentage of these letters and e-mails have been sent by people more than once. i.e

Fred Bloggs has sent 10
Mrs Jones has sent 6
Charlie Chaplin has sent 4

You only have to read my local newspaper ( the Bath Chronicle ) for some sort of proof for this theory. There is a group of 3 or 4 who constaintly write letters or e-mails regarding train services (or the lack of them ). I tend to wonder if these people have too much time on their hands or if doing it at work does the boss know.

By the way one of them lives in the same road as me, I won't tell you his name, I have had enough tellins off on here to last a lifetime  (well 2 to be exact  ) (tellings off that is  )

[Lee]

I disagree, several hundred means less than a thousand, and on the basis that if it was less than 500 the answer would have been "a few hundred", I think we can conclude between 500 and 1000.

This could be right. Another thing that is probally right is a large percentage of these letters and e-mails have been sent by people more than once. i.e

Fred Bloggs has sent 10
Mrs Jones has sent 6
Charlie Chaplin has sent 4

You only have to read my local newspaper ( the Bath Chronicle ) for some sort of proof for this theory. There is a group of 3 or 4 who constaintly write letters or e-mails regarding train services (or the lack of them ). I tend to wonder if these people have too much time on their hands or if doing it at work does the boss know.

Interesting theory. I recall that the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) once took a similar view of the Save The Train campaign. Quote from a letter written by former Transport Minister Derek Twigg, written on 20th June 2006 (link below) :
http://www.savethetrain.org.uk/melkshamrailway/145_Letter_from_Derek_Twigg.html

Mr Ellis also asks about the timings of the remaining services. I was sorry to hear that the retimed services will be less convenient to him. I hope, though, he will understand that it is not always possible to satisfy all passengers with the train services they would like.

I would be interested to know whether you agree with the DfT's assessment that Save The Train was merely a one-man band.

It appears that Mr Twigg thinks that my quest for retiming the trains is a personal one, telling me I can't have what I want like some spoilt child.