Unfortunately abuse from the travelling public is getting worse, and groups like "i hate FGW▸ " indirectly encourage contempt towards the staff!
Although the name is indeed provocative , I think that closer inspection of the I Hate FGW site reveals that Helen & co have more respect for the staff than they are given credit for.
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FOSBR▸ / Haines correspondence :
Thank you for your further email.
The 0703 and 0741 services on Monday 15 October were cancelled due to no driver being available. The initial performance investigations are carried out on my behalf and I am very sorry that I misinformed you as to the reason for this cancellation. I am also concerned that the information regarding this disruption was not available from the train tracker. I understand how important it is to keep customers up to date so that they can make other arrangements and I realise how annoying it is when this is not the case.
On Tuesday 16 October, the 1435 and 1503 services were cancelled due to a mechanical failure. The 1635 service was formed of a one carriage 153 unit instead of a 2 carriage 143 unit and this was due to stock shortages as a result of the earlier problems.
On Thursday 18 October, the 1535 and 1603 services were also cancelled due to mechanical problems. On Friday 19 October, the 1235 and 1303 were cancelled due to driver shortages.
I also note your comments regarding the cancellations on Saturday 20 October and I am sorry. This level of cancelled services is unacceptable and I can fully understand why customers travelling on this line are so frustrated.
These mechanical issues are something that we are very keen to resolve and we are working on this. I realise that there is little I can say to reassure you that things will get better but I hope that you will bear with us. As explained, we are refurbishing the entire Ex Wessex fleet, including the replacement of the engines, which will help to reduce cancellations considerably. Of course, this will not happen overnight and I cannot promise an immediate solution. However, I can promise that we will continue to do all we can and as soon as more of the refurbished trains start to enter service, you will notice things starting to get better. Once we have a more reliable fleet, we can look towards delivering the right train, in the right place at the right time.
As you know, we are also recruiting additional staff, including drivers and this will mean that we have a more robust workforce. Therefore, when there are late notice absences, we will be more equipped to replace the staff member concerned, meaning fewer cancellations.
Thanks again for contacting me and again, I am very sorry for the inconvenience caused.
Yours sincerely
Andrew Haines
Chief Operating Officer
I have to say that I am coming round to the view that Andrew Haines seems genuinely concerned at what's happening on his patch.
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