Alison Forster - merged topics

[whole diary]

[Jim]

When will it stop? when will this company finally start doing things right, whenever we make a suggestion to control the usual reply is somewhere along the lines of "it's our job to think" , in the days of Wessex control actually listened to what we said and if it made sense they acted on it.

Wessex Control weren't brilliant! But FGW^▸ (First Great Western) control are something different!

[vacman]

Meeting in Swindon today, apparently Alison finishes this friday? anyone know any more or can confirm this?

[Lee]

We thought that her responsibilities might be (ahem) "eased" somewhat , but there has been no mention of her going completely that we have heard of.

[Timmer]

Yes Alison has gone 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7001331.stm

[Graz]

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=unIZUQVlqqg Here's a video of the top story on Points West this evening- Alison Forster has been 'Removed'!

Apologies for the poor quality.

[paulsouthwales]

Big shock!  Just seen the Points West clip.  I think that Ms Forster has previously done very well under the old Great Western franchise, but things have obviously gone downhill since the new Greater Western was created, hence the creation of many of these types of fora since April 2006.  I personally think that Ms Forster delivered well under the old FGW^▸ (First Great Western) franchise and I am sorry to see her go, but having 15 years of commuting experience myself and more years on top of that of rail enthusiast interest, having read all the SRA^» (Strategic Rail Authority - about) documents about the proposed Greater Western franchise at that time, and actively engaging in consultations as an individual passenger, I envisaged that the new Greater Western was going to cause big problems for travellers whoever got the franchise particularly the old Wessex routes as they did not seem to be 'fully considered or appreciated'. 

Whilst I have been let down by FGW over the past year many times, I do think they did have passengers interests at heart, but perhaps now is the time for a "fresh approach" either from FGW itself or from the DFT^▸ (Department for Transport).  It will be very interesting to see how this develops, and I do sincerely wish Ms Forster good luck with her new role.

[Timmer]

Agree with everything you say Paul and am sad that Alison has been moved, paying the price for a completely flawed franchise that is totally unrealistic. I keep saying this but National Express are alleged to have walked away from this one and First were prepared to win whatever the price and unless FGW^▸ (First Great Western) put their money in their pockets and invest in rolling stock things are only going to get worse.

[CJ Harrison]

Actually this is very confusing. The original Points West report claims that Alison is being moved within FGW^▸ (First Great Western) whereas the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) site says she is moving to First Group.

In any case, Alison has been made a scapegoat. The problems with this franchise were not of her causing and her removal will not remedy them.

http://firstgreatwestern.blogspot.com/2007/09/all-change.html

[grahame]

So Alison Forster, Managing Director of First Great Western, has moved on to a new role, I read, where she won't be so involved with the regional or commuter trains.   Some are saying "scapegoat" and others that she is moving from a tricky current situation and future that is of her own making.  And it could also be that it was always the plan for her to move or move sideways once the Greater Western franchise had gone through its initial teething pains - either as a natural progression, or as a calculated "do the dirty work and move on" arrangement.

Whatever ...  I wish Alison all the best for the future if we see less of her - she was always personable, polite and we will miss her.

When the First Group took over the the "TransWilts" train service, there were five trains a day operating each way from Swindon - mostly to Southampton, but some early shorter workings and and one very appropriatly to Frome. Four trains each way on Saturday and three on Sunday completed the schedule.  All services were hampered by a lack of publicity and the weekend trains were replaced by buses more often than not, and yet traffic groth had been dramatic - anywhere between 10% per annum and 35% per annum depending on which measure you took.  Trains that had, in all honesty, been fairly empty in 2001 were getting distinctly busy on 1st April 2006.

What a GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY.

A growing service.   A growth corridor.  A public enthusiatic to travel. A lot of people who could be sold on train travel, as outlined by Alison Forster's talk at Taunton to Travel Watch South West shortly thereafter.   So what happened?

Most of the train were withdrawn

The remaining trains were rescheduled in "marginal time" - i.e. run at times that were operatioally convenient, NOT when the prospective passengers wanted them.Passenger number have shrunk (my estimate) by 95%.

What a GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY squandered!

We told 'em ... really we did ... but it seems that First and the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) knew best. You do still have direct public transport from Trowbridge to Swindon during the day - it's a bus and takes 95 minutes, not a train taking 35.  The direct daytime train from Melksham (population 24000) to Swindon has gone; instead of 25 minutes in a single, comfortabkle vehicle, anyone who needs to go hospital in Swindon, or is called up for Jury service there, is faces with a journey of between an hour and an hour and a half, with changes on the way - perhaps a walk across Chippenham in the pouring rain ...

I'm not for a moment suggesting that this sorry state of affairs be laid at Alison Forster's door.   Far from it; she was acting as part of a system that puts the Franchise payment to the government, and the payment to her employer's shareholders, ahead of the travelling public and the economic good that's generated by efficient public transport in Wiltshire.   And she / First group have listened to us much more that I would have dreamed when I first got involved with this.

A very large number of inputs were made to First for DECEMBER 2006 and timetables were adjusted ... largely for the good.  BUT FOR THE TRANSWILTS, the only last minute changes screwed up the service even more.

Further inputs were made looking for the return of an appropriate service from DECEMBER 2007, and inded a lot of work was done in the background - a Freedom of Information response received in the last few days has quantified this, but in the end of the day we have NO IMPROVEMENTS AT ALL on the TranwWilts on Weekdays; there is (thank goodness) the return of a Southbound train on Sundays.

And we are now told that we need to make a case for DECEMBER 2008 ...

The Cynical reader will think that the First Group may just be playing along with us - keeping us busy and with no real intent of providing any improvement. It certainly looks like that from the outside.   But actually I think that the majority of player DO want to see the return to an appropriate level of service.

I met for 2 hours over breakfast with two of the directors of FGW^▸ (First Great Western) (neither of them being Alison Forster) last month, where they went to a great deal of trouble to fill me in on what they had attempted for this December, and where they suggested we could go from December 2008 .... and I'm working to provide them sith further traffic flows / inputs, etc.

Also last month (seeing a feather in the wind) I dropped a note to Andrew Haines - the new man in charge at FGW I understand - and received back a much more positive response that I would have expected a year ago from a First director.  We have come a long way.

It may be that the plan all along was to play "nasty guy, nice guy" with Alison Forster pruning back services to set up a leaner and meaner network from which the nice guy Andrew could then re-grow an appropriate service.  Even if that is the case, as far as I can see it's in the interest of people in Wiltshire to be very supportinve of Andrew and his team in such developemnts, and I welcome him to the role.

Here's the current Northbound service on Monday to Friday from Melksham:
07:17 and 19:50

Here's what was proposed from this coming December (ex FOI^▸ (Freedom of Information))
07:17, 08:20, 11:20, 14:20  and 19:50

And here's what we feel is an appropriate service ...
07:17, 08:20, 10:20, 12:20, 14:20, 17:20 and 19:50

I understand that the PROPOSAL failed very much at the last minute, perhaps due to an oversite on platforming at Swindon of that 11:20 Train.

Dear Andrew,

The TransWilts line connects 6 towns in 40 miles that are all going to have major growth in the next 20 years (Strategically Significant Towns and Cities) and the other transport provision between then is dire.  And people DO want to travel the route.

Please act as soon as you can.  Even if there's a problem with the 11:20 from Melksham, please add in those extra trains at 08:20 and 14:20 from December.  You'll find that an 08:20 to Swindon in the morning will generate you a substantial return traffic on the 18:45 return ... and you won't be adding but be multiplying traffic.

And please work with us towards a full appropriate service in December 2008.  It's not just a question of planning - passengers cannot travel on plans - but of achieveing - and I look forward to seeing you achieve for us with FGW.

Graham

[martyjon]

I heard that she is to become Director of Rail Safety at First Group so that mean she WILL be moving from FGW^▸ (First Great Western) to First Group.

[vacman]

Actually this is very confusing. The original Points West report claims that Alison is being moved within FGW^▸ (First Great Western) whereas the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) site says she is moving to First Group.

In any case, Alison has been made a scapegoat. The problems with this franchise were not of her causing and her removal will not remedy them.

http://firstgreatwestern.blogspot.com/2007/09/all-change.html

Totally agree, she is being made a scapegoat but thats what comes with the job at the top, Alison is one of the very few railway managers that I do have some respect for as she's not afraid to face the public, she gets her hands dirty and she worked her way through the ranks.

Let's just hope that with the new MD comes a new start............... I hear that flying pigs are hovering!

[Lee]

Here is the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) view on this (link below.)
http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/NewsItem.aspx?id=542

[devon_metro]

Can't quite see anything happening unless FGW^▸ (First Great Western) get more trains for sections of the route that are already BURSTING!

Put it this way :

A train that is likely to gradually grow in pax numbers

or

A train that is going to be full to the rafters.

Put yourself in FGWs shoes, what would they do?

[grahame]

Put it this way :

A train that is likely to gradually grow in pax numbers

or

A train that is going to be full to the rafters.

Put yourself in FGWs^▸ (First Great Western) shoes, what would they do?

I would put it this way.  An extra train that simply spreads the existing passenger load over more services, so costs more to run for no extra income, or an extra train that generates significant new business that FGW currently doesn't have .... to the tune of over 100,000 journeys per year, many of which are long distance and will feed the lucrative 125 market.

I've put that extremely "opposite" to you, Liam, to make a point;  a passenger who is crowded out of a train or has to wait 30 minutes for the next service is still a passenger, although one who is inconvenienced.  A passenger who need to travel at 08:00 but finds that the next available service isn't until 19:50 will make alternative arrangements.

Also look at the scale of the needs; I note that to meaningfully strengthen the Cardiff to Portsmouth service would require 8 extra carriages - one per set - and that an extra 153 there would really do diddly-squatfor them, whereas it would make a huge impact "TransWilts" (and, yes, I can forecast when it too might be overcrowded  )

[martyjon]

I note from the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) press release that AF has been appointed to the newly created role of Rail Safety and Performance Director.

Mention has been made of 'a scapegoat'

One could make of the new role as a smoke screen in two ways.

FGW got it terribly wrong and AF admitted it at the recent PF^▸ (Penalty Fare) meeting in Bristol. At the meeting Ms. Forster also stated that they (FGW) had seriously underestimated the complexities of combining the three franchises into one. As these events happened under AF's wings then one could imagine a scenario which could lead to this move as being a scapegoat.

On the other hand, it may be a way to mask any upcoming furour over the forthcoming timetable changes which can be pointed at AF as being on her watch as well.

I have read other posts on this forum which at least one other member has expressed his concerns that his daily commute will be 50 minutes more than at present. I wonder how many more commuters havent realised the extent of the changes being made to the cross-Bristol services from December ?