Seems to me our Travelwatch and rail user groups are a total waste of time. FGW▸ it seems can do just what they like.
TravelWatch SouthWest is no longer the statutory instrument it once was - I think it now has a legislated role only in London. In the SouthWest, I value their twice - a - year meetings where there's a chance to meet other campaigners, and their more detailed enquiries / reports. Have a look at their 'about us' page at
http://www.travelwatchsouthwest.org/About_Us.html . I'll be going along next month but they aren't and don't pretend to be a regulator.
You haven't metioned Passenger Focus. Now they can be very good at ensuring that the
TOCs▸ stick to the letter of their exisiting contracts, and at surverying existing customers on satisfaction, etc. And I'm going to take my hat off to them and congratulate them on setting up some meetings for Rail User Groups in the FGW area over the next two weeks, to look forwrd and at the
GWRUS▸ consultation.
Rail User Groups ... vary. There are some very good and active groups as far as the regular traveller is concerned, others (such as Save the Train which I am involved with) more focused on getting a decent train service - and there the "what will the fares be" question is important, has been raised / looked at with a view to making the service viable. But that's a different 'game' to the current changes! Others have a membership that looks more back to the past, when the Class 33 diesels ran the Portsmouth to Swansea, and the stock for the
FSO▸ working sat in the siding all week. Good luck to those - there is a place for all of them and indeed I'm a bit that way myself at times if you noticed my post on the Lymington Slammers.
FGW's passenger forum ... another useful group but without any control / without very much inputs on pricing, I suspect, except at the fringes.
And we should add Community Rail Partnerships ... now THERE you may have a chance with fares, such as the changed scheme on the Severn Beach line.
Henry - I would really welcome your constructive inputs. We should all be playing on broadly the same field - to raise rail use by attractive fares, to give overall good use of the system and a decent return to First shareholders without milking the taxpayer. How we get there with all these groups (and roll in the
DfT» and Network Rail as other interested parties) is the $64,000 question.