FGW 1st Class - ongoing discussion of the benefits and their apparent reduction

[whole diary]

[ellendune]

To return to first class travel in general, IMHO^▸ (in my humble opinion) NO discounted tickets should be sold for services that are regularly overcrowded. Since the downgrade of first class, I have regularly seen the "Golden Hind" with standing in first, yet AFAIK^▸ (as far as I know) discounted tickets are still sold for this service.

Indeed, looking at Friday 23rd Jan there are standard class seats available to Taunton at ^49.40 on the 1733 and 1803 ex PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains), and 1st class at ^92.80, somewhat less than the standard anytime fare of ^113. Just seems mad if those trains are going to be heavily overcrowded.

With a long distance train it is not much good if it is packed for the first 35 miles then empty for the other 250! Offering advance fares to Taunton may therefore make commercial sense. Offering advance fares to Reading would not. 

[John R]

That's a good point, although I don't believe advance tickets are sold between London and Reading.

Your point highlights the problem, well documented here, of managing traffic flows on a service that goes 300 miles but is potentially chronically overcrowded on the first 36 of those.

[ChrisB]

The proper solution, if ever it could be achieved, would be to offload those travelling those 36 onto other services....

[a-driver]

With Crossrail I think this is inevitable in due course, if HEx even survives at all. Why would you want to pay a premium fare to change at Paddington onto the tube or a taxi when you can get a through train to the West End, Ciy and Canary Wharf. People will vote with their feet, and I suspect the owners of HEx are already working out the optimal exit strategy. Digressing a little from 1st Class etc, but fundamental to the GW^▸ (Great Western) main line into the next decade.   

True it is digressing a little but had this happened a while ago would we now be discussing the reduction of First Class??

[TaplowGreen]

Shouldn't someone also be reminding Reading commuters what a good deal pence per mile they're getting in comparison? :-)

I will contemplate that thought the next time I am waiting for a train which has been cancelled/delayed/short formed due to one of the seemingly bottomless pits of excuses that are used for the recent/current/ongoing poor service and I am sure that reminding myself what a "good deal" I'm getting will give me a warm glow as I stand on an overcrowded platform in the freezing cold! 

[ChrisB]

I'm sorry, but the new platforms at REading are designed for this number of commuters now & can't be described sincerely as 'overcrowded'. The trains, yes of course, but not the platforms - there's acres of space for them.

[TaplowGreen]

I'm sorry, but the new platforms at REading are designed for this number of commuters now & can't be described sincerely as 'overcrowded'. The trains, yes of course, but not the platforms - there's acres of space for them.

That's a fair point - I will count my blessings as I stand on a spacious platform in the freezing cold waiting for a delayed, overcrowded, cancelled, shortformed train 

[Chris from Nailsea]

With Crossrail I think this is inevitable in due course, if HEx even survives at all. Why would you want to pay a premium fare to change at Paddington onto the tube or a taxi when you can get a through train to the West End, Ciy and Canary Wharf. People will vote with their feet, and I suspect the owners of HEx are already working out the optimal exit strategy. Digressing a little from 1st Class etc, but fundamental to the GW^▸ (Great Western) main line into the next decade.   

True it is digressing a little but had this happened a while ago would we now be discussing the reduction of First Class??

As that very interesting 'digression' in this discussion subsequently took on a whole life of its own, it has now been split off into a new topic, on a new board created for the purpose: see http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=14898.0 

[NickB]

After finding no available first class seats on todays 7.08, as is regular these days, I thought I'd wander back into standard rather than standing for my journey.
What did I find? Acres of seats. There must be 15 unoccupied seats even after maidenhead. And this is coach K at the front, not the back.

What an absolute joke.

[Jason]

I took the very last seat at Reading in 1st today on http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/C40587/2014/11/20/advanced
It was the new 1.5 carriage configuration.
Is it relatively easy to reclaim the difference under the passenger charter ?

[NickB]

It weasn't even  a 1.5, just a 1 carriage First.

This template works for me... ^350 in refunds this year and counting.  Always write in, never email, as its easier for them to say no by email.

Customer Services Team
First Great Western
FREEPOST SWB40576
Plymouth
PL4 6ZZ

Ticket Ref  2053****
Photocard ID   CLR****

Dear Sir / Madam,

Due to the reduction in seating capacity and resultant overcrowding no seating was available in First Class on the following services from Maidenhead to Paddington.  Under section 5 of the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) Passenger^s Charter I wish to claim compensation for this:

The trains were:

Monday 10th November ^ 07.08

Yours faithfully....

[broadgage]

I have recently moved to the West country and therefore am not travelling as much as in the past.
I have however had to stand twice despite having paid the first class fare.
Compensation took ages to arrive but was paid without argument. For one journey they refunded the WHOLE of the first class fare, rather than the difference between First and steerage.

[TaplowGreen]

I have recently moved to the West country and therefore am not travelling as much as in the past.
I have however had to stand twice despite having paid the first class fare.
Compensation took ages to arrive but was paid without argument. For one journey they refunded the WHOLE of the first class fare, rather than the difference between First and steerage.

That's been my experience too - tends to be refunded in full without question, also despite all the guff about not paying out in respect of "consequential losses", having taken the trouble to write in on several occasions I have had a number of fairly hefty taxi journeys refunded by FGW^▸ (First Great Western) which were incurred during the recent weeks when everything has fallen over...............interestingly though (as a season ticket holder)I'm still waiting for the mythical letter re: the void day refunds as are loads of people from what I hear!

[ChrisB]

No requirement to pay consequential loss - of course, discretionary payments can always be made, whichever company you complain to!

Are you sure that void was actually confirmed?....it would appear on the period punctuality poster (and I didn't see it)

[NickB]

Yep - here it is :

https://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/About-Us/Customer-services/Refunds

Five void days were declared for each charter group from 10 to 14 February 2014 inclusive.
One void day was declared for each charter group 06 October 2014.