Swindon - facilities, improvements, signalling, events and incidents, including GWR history - merged posts

[whole diary]

[bobm]

There are alternative stops down the road from Swindon station opposite Gloucester Street or up the road on Corporation Street.

Depends where you want to go - I think all the ones that call at Gloucester Street are coming into town and terminate at the Bus Station/Flemming Way.  Not sure about Corporation Street as I have never used them but I doubt they serve the west of the town centre itself or the areas to the south and west of the town.

[Chris from Nailsea]

From ThisIsWiltshire:

Rail survey skips question of cost

Blink and you^ll miss it. A customer survey handed out by First Great Western at the weekend devoted just one question out of 100 to ticket pricing.

Passengers are quizzed about their age, family background, employment status and even the appearance of train staff.

Views are also sought on the condition of the outside of the train, the floors and the soap dispensers. But respondents have to wait until question 28, under the heading ^opinion of rail journey in general^, before getting to the topic on most people^s minds.

The sub-question asks for a rating ^ from very satisfied to very dissatisfied ^ for ^the value for money of the price of your ticket.^

The survey comes at a time when Swindon passengers are likely to be hit by another round of price increases.

Swindon is in the top 10 most expensive lines in the country, with a trip to London costing 72p per mile.

Company secretary Susie Kandolah, 42, from Purton, was travelling from London Paddington to Swindon. She said: ^They say it^s to improve their service but it sounds like they just want to make more money out of us. When you^ve paid over ^50 with a Travelcard to get to London and back you^re not that bothered about what the windows look like.^

Lorna Stephens, 21, a student from Bristol, said: ^It^s so expensive I find it cheaper to drive to London. I can^t see the point of the survey if there^s nothing about cost.^

Coun Kevin Small, chairman of Swindon Borough Council^s scrutiny committee, said: ^It^s not a satisfaction survey, it^s more about the customer base and the kind of people they want to attract to the trains. They are finding out if they can appeal to different sections of the community. We have made it clear from the scrutiny work we have done one of the major issues which First Great Western has failed to make any recognition of is price. They see tickets as an easy way to make more money for themselves."

A spokeswoman for GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) said the survey was a customer satisfaction monitor which was aimed at giving the rail operator an idea of how it was doing ahead of a national survey carried out by Passenger Focus, an independent public body protecting the interests of passengers.

She said: ^We only need to ask one question about fares ^ whether they^re good value for money or not. Obviously there are a number of other factors including whether the trains are on time and the frequency and capacity. We are currently investing ^29m with the Department For Transport in increasing capacity on high-speed trains. On value for money we have worked with Swindon MPs^▸ (Member of Parliament) and the council in terms of keeping fares down in Swindon over the last couple of fare increases, particularly on walk on fares.^

A spokeswoman for GWR said ...

Eh?? 

[phile]

Thre is no need to ask at all if fares are value for money.     FGW^▸ (First Great Western), and any other Company for that matter,  should know passengers opinions without asking. They have been documented enough !!!

[grahame]

Rail survey skips question of cost

A customer survey handed out by First Great Western at the weekend ...

Coun Kevin Small, chairman of Swindon Borough Council^s scrutiny committee, said: ^It^s not a satisfaction survey, it^s more about the customer base and the kind of people they want to attract to the trains. They are finding out if they can appeal to different sections of the community. ..."

Where it says "customer survey", was it done on railway premises / trains - i.e. to existing customers?   If so, it's going to tell them much more about people they've already attracted to trains than about extra people they want to attract, surely? 

[Oxman]

FGW^▸ (First Great Western) run a Customer Satisfaction Monitor every quarter. It is directed at FGW customers and asks very similar questions to those asked in the National Passenger survey (which is twice yearly). The sample size for the CSM^▸ (Customer Satisfaction Monitor (FGW Survey every quarter)) is much bigger than that of the NPS^▸ (National Passenger Survey), so the results are more significant and, of course, you get a much better picture of trends with it being a quarterly survey.

The results are widely distributed within FGW management and are closely scrutinised, particularly by station managers. The results for individual stations can be quite revealing.

And like the NPS, there is only one question on vaue for money. Lets face it, its a bit liking asking turkeys what they think of Christmas.

[Southern Stag]

I've been given a FGW^▸ (First Great Western) passenger survey twice, both times given out on a train and a National Passenger Survey once at a station. They are both pretty long questionnaires which ask you you're opinion on pretty much everything to do with you're journey. I can imagine the FGW surveys are more useful because of the larger sample size, FGW's survey has been handed out to everybody on the train in my experience while the handing out of the National Passenger Survey seems to be quite selective.

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the Swindon Advertiser:

Rain delays railway station plans



The major improvement of Swindon^s railway station forecourt has been delayed by the heavy rain but is still on track to be completed by the summer.

Contractor Britannia Construction, which started the work in late September, hoped to complete the work at the end of June, but the wash-out means it is likely to be a July finish.

Forward Swindon commissioned the ^1.8m project to provide a more impressive and user-friendly gateway to Swindon. Nearly ^1m came from Government, while the remainder of the cost was met through Swindon Council and Network Rail.

The scheme gives pedestrians priority through an uncluttered space which will feature seating, planting, lighting and re-siting of the Millennium Clock, which used to be located in the centre of town.

Taxi ranks, drop offs and bus stops will be in well-defined locations.

Britannia Construction is well into the final phase of the work and says it is progressing well, despite a number of challenges, including the exceptional weather, which has also delayed other construction projects nationwide.

Contracts manager Rob Rees said: ^We are still looking to complete the project by the summer ^ most likely July. But we have had a particular struggle with the exceptionally wet conditions lately, meaning there are certain areas where we cannot carry on paving as quickly as we would like. We have also experienced some flooding on site, which has been exacerbated by overflow from the adjacent Sheppard Street car park, situated on higher ground.^

Additional utilities work has also been required since the site is crossed by a number of major pipelines and drainage systems, none of which were evident at the start. When workmen have not been able to complete part of the project, they have moved, on to another part to reduce delays.

The final stage of the project, is now being undertaken, which has seen the installation of 500 tons of natural granite to create the 2,000sq metre forecourt area. A mix of colours define the pedestrian routes and access to transport links.

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the Swindon Advertiser:

Taxi drivers facing strain of rail revamp

Taxi drivers continue to be upset over the work to carry out a major revamp of Swindon train station.

The ^1.8m scheme, which includes Gloucester Street, will replace the run-down cab rank and frontage with a new pedestrian plaza. But the work, which has involved months of disruption, will reduce spaces for taxis from more than 40 to around 30.

Cabbie Nathan Blake, 43, of Old Town, said: ^It^s ridiculous, the whole thing is a waste of money. Fewer cabs will be able to stop outside the station when it is finished and the way the kerbs are designed they are very high and too far from the areas taxis will stop in. It will make it more difficult for us to pick up passengers. The trade in the town is struggling enough as it is without this.^

Ranks in Gloucester Street and Wellington Street have been used while the diggers have been going about their business. Less than 10 cabs have been able to use the station forecourt itself at any one time while the work has been taking place.

The revamp has been delayed by the recent downpours of rain, but is expected to be completed by July.

Taxi driver Keith Larbey, 42, of Park North, said: ^The main worry is the length of time it^s taking, they are getting on with it as much as they can but it^s an inconvenience to the general public as well as to us. There are overspill ranks but there^s still not enough space ^ it^s crowded and hazardous and we risk having our vehicles damaged. It^s in the final stages now and we are just waiting to see what it looks like when it^s finished, it might be just as effective.^

Cabbie Tom Evans, 50, from Penhill, said: ^It^s a total waste of taxpayers^ money. All they needed to do was tarmac it and flatten out the surface. The money would have been spent on something else. We have got a dead town and it would have been better to invest in the town centre. It^s a railway station, that^s all it is. The new bus shelter alone cost ^15,000 and the kerbs have been imported from China. One has already had to be replaced as it had a point in it. The disabled access is past the traffic lights on Station Road and it will be a real struggle for people to walk back to the station on a rainy day.^

Daniel Cooper, secretary of Swindon Taxi Association, said: ^When it^s finished it^s going to be safer for us and safer for the public. However it does cause us concern because more than 40 cabs could use this rank before and that will be taken down to 30. It^s going to be difficult for us having a lot less vehicles over here. We will have to see how it works when it^s finished.^

The scheme is intended to give pedestrians priority through an uncluttered space which will feature seating, planting, lighting and re-siting of the Millennium Clock, which used to be located in the centre of town. Taxi ranks, drop offs and bus stops will be in well-defined locations.

A spokeswoman for Forward Swindon said that extensive consultations had been carried out with taxi drivers before the work commenced.

[ellendune]

The work seems even more chaotic this week with the walking route to the station having moved and the tarffic route past the station changing during the week.  I hope it is finished soon.  I was colecting someone from a train this morning and it was impossible to park in the pick up area.  If it is not finished soon it will put people off rail travel.

[ellendune]

There was a very short article in the June Modern Railways about the transfer of Swindon B to the Thames Valley Signalling Centre in March.  According to the article was the first application of some new technology that improved operational flexibility.  I am not clear whether the interloking was replaced by the new system or just the control. Can anyone help?

[bobm]

I have just read the article in Modern Railways and it seems to suggest that while the area covered by the new technology is the Didcot area the actual equipment/software is still at Swindon B rather than at TVSC^» (Thames Valley Signalling Centre - about).

[bobm]

More rain delays....  From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page).

Building work at the front of Swindon's railway station is running behind schedule.

The improvements had been expected to finish at the end of July but now look likely to be completed by mid August

Forward Swindon - the company overseeing the work - says the recent heavy rain has delayed the work.

A spokesman said it had been been working closely with the contractor to ensure the work on the forecourt was completed as soon as possible.

"However, due to factors outside of all of our control, including the unusually wet weather, it is likely that work will not be fully completed until mid August," he said.

"The area to the right of the station entrance - toward Costa Coffee - will be fully opened up to the public next week, and the contractors will then focus on the area on the other side of the entrance.

"The imperative has been to keep access to the station open at all times."

Work has been taking place at Station Road for nearly a year. The area to the front is being paved with granite to highlight the route to the town centre.

A new taxi rank will have room for 14 cabs with an additional route for taxi drop-offs and emergency vehicles.

Forward Swindon is the economic development company for the town and is responsible for the delivery of economic growth in the borough.

[SandTEngineer]

Well when I passed through there twice last week there wasn't a worker to be seen

[John R]

Quite why it takes a year to build a glorified patio I do not know.

[bobm]

There is going to be an accident outside Swindon Station shortly.

As part of the redevelopment out the front they have put a new signal controlled pedestrian crossing which most people will have to use to get to and from the town or the bus station.

It is across a one way street with three lanes of traffic.  Two are for cars and the other for taxis and they are signalled independently - the lights let the cars through and then as they go to red the taxi lane gets a green before that in turn goes to red and the pedestrians get a green man.  The problem is as pedestrians see the car lights go to red they start to cross just as the taxis get a green light.  It isn't helped by the fact the red and green indicators for those on foot are on the posts by the button rather than high up on the pole on the opposite side of the road, so if there is a throng of people you cannot see them anyway.

I have seen a couple of near misses already.