9.17 Maidenhead to Paddington 18/12/08

[whole diary]

[johoare]

I was on this train this morning.. It was fairly full as it left Maidenhead when I got on (lots of people standing)... More and more people got on until it was horribly overcrowded. I'm used to commuting to London and this I did not enjoy today.. In fact I lasted as far as Ealing Broadway and then had to get off as it was too unpleasant to stay on there any longer. I would have got off earlier if I had been sure when the next train would come through.

So I was wondering if any one knows why it was SO busy? I guess maybe time of year, it was also over ten minutes late, so I guess picked up lots of cheap day return type passengers..?

Also, it has been said before that it is the train managers duty to make sure a train is safe to leave and has the last say on how safe it is if it's overcrowded.. I wonder how this works on driver only trains as this one was. It was such a bad situation that a couple of passengers ended up arguing with each other about whether or not they should move further down the carriage or not (the poor man who was being told to do this was trying to move towards the doors to prepare to get off at the next stop.. not an easy task on an overcrowded train and definitely best not left till the last minute) ..

[BBM]

Is this the first train which off-peak tickets are valid on? My experience this week is that morning peak trains have been quieter than normal but the evening ones have been busier and they seem to be busy with Christmas shoppers. And I've also seen arguing passengers, on Wednesday evening a couple with a young child were standing in a Turbo vestibule across the doors on the platform side when it arrived at Maidenhead. Initially they refused to move out of the way on the apparent grounds that their son was unwell! However another passenger forcefully explained the difficulties of reaching another doorway to alight so they did reluctantly move.

[eightf48544]

Is this the first train which off-peak tickets are valid on?

If it was running 10 down it would be from Slough onwards.

[jane s]

People who refuse to move right down inside the carriage (or at least move aside to let others move past them) are one of my pet hates, ever since I was unable to get on a train home once (which I needed to catch) when there was CLEARLY room for half-a-dozen more people if they had squashed up a bit more.

Sorry, but why do people insist on being the first ones to cram on to the train when they are getting off at the very next stop, when it would make more sense to wait until last so that the longer-distance people could get on first? (This happens every night at Ealing Broadway, when some of the Southall & Hayes people are the ones who swarm towards the doors, often forcing their way on before people have even finished getting off, only to then block the vestibule & doorway into the carriage. I am usually the one who shouts "Can you move down please? Otherwise we'll be here all day....!"

Sorry you had a bad experience, Jo - sounds like maybe a previous train had been cancelled or something, in my experience this usually results in exactly the situation you describe!

[Chris from Nailsea]

Well done, jane s - I applaud your approach to this problem! 

We get the same situation at BTM^▸ (Bristol Temple Meads (strictly, it should be BRI)), on the 1754 to Taunton, just for example.  Some passengers for the next couple of stations - Bedminster or Parson Street - launch themselves in through the front door of our 158 (even elbowing the relief driver aside, sometimes!), only to find themselves wedged halfway down the carriage when their stop is announced, a couple of minutes later. 

I tend to hang back, deliberately being among the last to board - as I'm only travelling three stops / ten minutes, what's the point in trying to scrum down for a seat in the middle of the carriage???

And, to the relief drivers with whom I've exchanged rolled eyes as this scene is played out at BTM - thanks, and sorry on behalf of those rather silly passengers! 

[johoare]

Yep, I totally agree with those comments about hanging back when boarding if you're getting off at the next stop.. I personally would hate to have to fight my way all the way back past people to get off the train. However on this day, the train was actually leaving stations without everyone on board it was that packed.. So maybe sometimes that is why people do it? Better to be on the train than not I guess? 

[Chris from Nailsea]

Thanks, Jo!

That brings me, rather neatly, to my next point, actually! 

Yes, I do tend to hang back from boarding the 1754, particularly if it's a 150 - already overcrowded.  My point is, it's better for those needing to get to Bedminster or Parson Street to get aboard, because I can get the next (HST^▸ (High Speed Train)) service - which stops at Nailsea, but doesn't at their stations.

I'd like to think that I'll be rewarded for all this altruism, when my time is up! 

[John R]

Yes, I do tend to hang back from boarding the 1754, particularly if it's a 150 - already overcrowded. 
 

Isn't the 1754 supposed to be 3 coaches now, which if it happens should prevent the most chronic overcrowding?

[jane s]

Jo, it's as John says. At peak time pm, if I fail to get on the 17:33 I have to wait a whole hour for the next train, whereas the people getting off at the next 2 stops would have to wait less than 10 mins!!!!!!

[Chris from Nailsea]

Jo, it's as John says. At peak time pm, if I fail to get on the 17:33 I have to wait a whole hour for the next train, whereas the people getting off at the next 2 stops would have to wait less than 10 mins!!!!!!

Erm ... Chris, actually.   

But I'm sure John has been just as altruistic, in the occasional evening melee at BTM^▸ (Bristol Temple Meads (strictly, it should be BRI))! 

[John R]

less atruistic, more not wanting to stand for 15 minutes in the area the size of a postage stamp.

[jane s]

Oops, sorry Chris! John had quoted your post in his & I was reading it fro m that one.... 

[Chris from Nailsea]

Isn't the 1754 supposed to be 3 coaches now, which if it happens should prevent the most chronic overcrowding?

Yes, it is supposed to be a three car, John - but it was a two car 158 on Monday, and a really crammed (leaving pax behind) 150 on Tuesday!

Grr!! 

[Chris from Nailsea]

... and it was a similarly crammed 150 this evening. 

We've gone slightly off the original topic started by Jo, but I think these posts show that, even allowing for seasonal Christmas / New Year / school holiday effects on services, FGW^▸ (First Great Western) do still have problems with overcrowding on many trains.

[Timmer]

FGW^▸ (First Great Western) do still have problems with overcrowding on many trains.

Not so much an overcrowding problem, more a lack of serviceable trains as the 'short formed' list has been rather busy since Monday. I guess we can put this down to the cold weather, affecting the units and of course the people who have to service them being off sick. What concerns me more is that if FGW are struggling to put out a full fleet at the moment, whats it going to be like without the 5 ATW^▸ (Arriva Trains Wales (former TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company))) 150's? Still, it could be worse...we could be on a forum discussing the many passenger woes on the WCML^▸ (West Coast Main Line) at the moment.