GWR bans surfboards from IET services

[whole diary]

[mjray]

I probably shouldn't suggest this, but if they fit in the bike racks, why not just reserve a bike space? Draw a few bike symbols on the bag and claim that it's a bagged bike if anyone asks. Take a luggage strap to strap it to the rails if you feel the need.

[grahame]

The fact that such space is unused much of the time is simply part of running a train service.
A lot of seats go unused at off peak times.
Large luggage space may be unused outside of the holiday season.
Wheelchair spaces are often unused.

Agreed (the bit I have highlighted in purple)

I know of only a very few public transports which only depart when they are full and they very few times I have used one I have felt irritated by the wait, and the inevitable heavy crowding.

[Worcester_Passenger]

Some years ago I travelled on the winter through Eurostar service to the Alps.

There's a demand on this for people who want to bring their skis with them.

Very sensibly, Eurostar deal with this by not selling two pairs of seats at the end of each coach, and then covering these with a plastic cover (exactly like the ones that the garage puts on your driver's seat). The cover has a pictogram on it of some skis.

[Umberleigh]

London commuters have a very loud collective voice and GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) prioritise their needs over long distance passengers. The new IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train) are no exception, with plenty of seats but no buffet, limited heavy luggage storage and space for only a handful of bikes. Perhaps its time that GWR Long Distance became a separate franchise, with strictly controlled pick-up/put-down at Reading and 9 car IETs reformatted to accommodate the needs of the long distance traveller? Then short distance GWR could squeeze extra seats into the 5 car sets (you don’t need all those toilets!) and abolish the token trolley service

[rogerw]

The IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train) were specified by DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) and were a condition of the franchise.  The later ones, although ordered by GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) still had to be approved by DfT and I suspect that it was significantly cheaper to stick with existing designs.  Does anyone at Dft actually know what a surfboard is?

[MarkHopwood]

There are a number of practical reasons why train length cannot exceed 9 or 10 cars and the pressing need from customers is for more seats. Other contributors have commented on the wasted space in HST^▸ (High Speed Train) power cars.

Other posts here make less flattering comments about short distance journeys on InterCity trains - the market has developed that way thanks to differing levels of economic growth and national house building strategy. It’s not for us at GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) to change that but the IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train) trains clearly had to meet a variety of customer needs including very clear expectations from customers, stakeholders and government they would bring an increase in capacity.

[mjray]

Perhaps its time that GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) Long Distance became a separate franchise,

Didn't we already try that? I remember the days of GWR being the Intercity operator and suffering Thames Trains, Wales & West, Valley Lines and who remembers what else?

[grahame]

Perhaps its time that GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) Long Distance became a separate franchise,

Didn't we already try that? I remember the days of GWR being the Intercity operator and suffering Thames Trains, Wales & West, Valley Lines and who remembers what else?

Good and bad ...

* When asking (FGW^▸ (First Great Western)) staff at Swindon how to get to Melksham (a Wessex train) being directed to the Bath train with advise to take a bus from there ... when a TransWilts train (that name not in use in those days) was sitting the the bay, running 5 times a day, and due out about 10 minutes later. These days - eventually - a much better service an a much better attitude towards it.

* Direct trains Chippenham and Swindon to Oxford - sadly missed. As are the middle of the night Maesteg to Waterloo via Chippenham service, and that direct Stockport to Bradford-on-Avon service I once took, though neither would have the same business or political case these days with Eurostar moved from Waterloo to St Pancras.

[jamestheredengine]

Perhaps its time that GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) Long Distance became a separate franchise,

Didn't we already try that? I remember the days of GWR being the Intercity operator and suffering Thames Trains, Wales & West, Valley Lines and who remembers what else?

The problem was that the split was in the wrong place. Alphaline services generally belonged in Intercity.

[Richard Fairhurst]

The IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train) were specified by DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) and were a condition of the franchise.

I think what's most frustrating is that although the IET layouts were specified by DfT, the day-to-day usage of bike and luggage spaces wasn't - that's entirely at GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway)'s discretion.

GWR have chosen a "one size fits all" policy where the same rules apply to every train, whatever service it's working, whatever time of year. No surfboards for Cornwall. No extra bike allocation for the Cotswolds, where we've been reduced from 6 bikes per 180 to 2 per 5-coach IET. And so on. In an age of train-by-train yield management, it should be possible to do better than that.

[Chris from Nailsea]

MarkHopwood, I welcome your previous post on this topic - thank you for contributing! - but are you able to expand your comments in response to the particular point raised by Richard Fairhurst above?

[PhilWakely]

The IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train) were specified by DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) and were a condition of the franchise.

I think what's most frustrating is that although the IET layouts were specified by DfT, the day-to-day usage of bike and luggage spaces wasn't - that's entirely at GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway)'s discretion.

GWR have chosen a "one size fits all" policy where the same rules apply to every train, whatever service it's working, whatever time of year. No surfboards for Cornwall. No extra bike allocation for the Cotswolds. And so on. In an age of train-by-train yield management, it should be possible to do better than that.

My impression is that the GWR IET was designed as a middle-distance commuter (eg Bristol to London and all points in between) train with the longer distance traveller ignored.

[broadgage]

Indeed, years ago I expressed the view that the IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train) were basically a commuter train and unsuited to inter-city use.
IET supporters disagreed and some pointed out that IETs were intended for the shorter journeys, with HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) being retained for Cornish services.

Then it was announced that no HSTs were being retained and all long distance services were to be downgraded to DMUs^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit).

IET supporters then rallied with the suggestion that the additional IETs for the Cornish services "could" be to a better specification, including more luggage space, and "might" include a buffet.
I replied that this seemed unlikely, to which advocates of the new DMUs stated that I should not be so negative "before any of us have even seen any of the follow on order".

In fact of course the additional units were of the same commuter style.

And whilst I have not yet seen every example of the IET fleet, I can state that none of them have buffets.
Toilets are unreliable.
Seat reservations seldom work.
Seat are too hard.
Single 5 car formations are a frequent feature, over a dozen yesterday.
The catering downgrade has been a fiasco, with the trolley often either entirely absent, or hiding in first class, or in the other unit of a 5+5 train.

[Henry]

''Indeed, years ago I expressed the view that the IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train) were basically a commuter train and unsuited to inter-city use.
IET supporters disagreed and some pointed out that IETs were intended for the shorter journeys, with HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) being retained for Cornish services.''

 Totally agree with broadgage, I had the same opinion of Cross-Country Voyager's when they were introduced. Ironic that XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise))
 are running converted HST's.

[eXPassenger]

And whilst I have not yet seen every example of the IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train) fleet, I can state that none of them have buffets.
Toilets are unreliable.
Seat reservations seldom work.
Seat are too hard.
Single 5 car formations are a frequent feature, over a dozen yesterday.
The catering downgrade has been a fiasco, with the trolley often either entirely absent, or hiding in first class, or in the other unit of a 5+5 train.

Yesterday the 9:00 Temple Meads to Paddington was 2x5.  No trolley in front portion and a garbled announcement that the static trolley was in coach B in the rear portion.  No seat reservations and no announcements of that fact.  No sign of any GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) staff all journey.

Return 20:45.  Paper seat reservations, no sign of any trolley and train manager checked tickets after Swindon.

Seats Yatton Temple Meads and return FAR more comfortable than the IETs.