^Appalling^ rail service slammed

[whole diary]

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the Weston Mercury:

The rail service from Backwell to Bristol has been dubbed ^appalling^ by an angry passenger.

David Thomas, from Hampshire, has written to First Great Western to complain about the packed trains and lack of announcements to inform passengers about the arrival and schedules of trains.

Mr Thomas travelled from Nailsea and Backwell Station to Bristol Temple Meads at 11am on December 27. In his letter to First Great Western, he said: ^On arrival at Backwell the train was already totally full, so much so that some of the doors would not open. At least 15 people waiting at Nailsea and Backwell Station could not get on at all. I did just get on as I had two connections to make. I counted over 100 people standing on the part of the two carriage train that I could see. It was so cramped that if the doors had opened on my side at Bristol Temple Meads I would have fallen out with dozens of people on top of me. As it was, it was a wonder no one did fall and get trampled under foot at Temple Meads.^

He added: ^There was no warning before the train arrived at Backwell that it was totally full, when this must have been known many stations beforehand. There were no announcements to tell people who had bought tickets and were unable to get on the train what they could do and no details about when there would be a train with room on it for all the same people waiting. There was not even an apology on the train.^

Mr Thomas added that he had complained to the company earlier in the year when tried to make the same journey and a train had failed to arrive despite a previous announcement that it would arrive in three minutes,

Mr Thomas said: ^You promised on that occasion that there would be reliable information given at Nailsea and Backwell Station. That promise has obviously not been kept. The screen did not work at the station and the announcements were of no use at all. The service North Somerset people have to put up with is appalling.^

First Great Western spokesman, John Ratchford said: ^We recognise over-crowding is an issue on some services in the Bristol area. The Department for Transport (DfT^» (Department for Transport - about)) had promised additional carriages to help deal with this, but the delivery of these was postponed early last year. We continue to work with the DfT to find ways to improve capacity in the area. If a service becomes busy or over-crowded, our train managers and drivers work with our senior controller for a safe solution. On rare occasions this can include missing stops or passengers disembarking at a station. When this happens, it^s important we communicate quickly and clearly to our passengers. To help this we are investing over ^12million in our current automated system.^

[inspector_blakey]

Oh dear, disgusted of Hampshire couldn't get on a train because it was too busy. Oh no, hang on, he did. Doesn't your heart just bleed that he ahd to stand on a busy train for 10 minutes or so?

How is a disgruntled occasional passenger from Hampshire writing to FGW^▸ (First Great Western) in any way newsworthy?

[Ollie]

If YOU do not think it is safe, it is YOUR choice on whether to board a train nobody is forcing you.

[Bob_Blakey]

Perhaps he has just completed the SHRUG training. 

[grahame]

But ... look at the story another way too.   

Someone travels to the area served by trains based at Bristol, and finds the service dramatically underresourced compared to his own part of the country.   It's not really surprising, looking at the assumed growth (0.8% per annum) and actual growth (8% - 10% per annum) on the franchise. And other stories, such as I could tell, of people wanting to travel by train to quite large population centres, but finding no services available at all.  All rather a confirmation that the current franchise was let at a really low point, and that in the current shuffling as new trains come on track, the case for a dozen or so carriages to come to St Phillip's Marsh is strongly made.   That provides the stock to sort out those places where people sometimes can't get on the trains because they're overcrowded, and it provides the stock to sort out those places - with lines and stations - where people can never get on the trains because they're not actually being run at present.

It may hurt our pride in our area, but there's some good to be had from people from outside complaining it's not good enough.  It not just David Thomas who's going to be put off travelling to Nailsea, Melksham, Gloucester or Trowbridge if things carry on as they are - it's also Gerry Smith, Hilda Bagshore, Tracey Brown, Mohamed Patel, Henry Blythe, Anna Haythornthwaite and many more, and without them it's the economy of our area and not just the train service / train operating company that suffers.

[laird]

I wonder if the answer would be to change what seems to be a Bristol default of 3 carriages to 4 carriages, running as 2 x 2 car units would give a little more flexibility. The approximate 25% capacity growth would help no doubt and wouldn't take up extra paths. Meanwhile whereas now if the middle car fails on a three car unit it ends up being an awkward shunt to remove the carriage a simple uncoupling would be all that is necessary. Although the cynic in me say it might mean we see fewer cancellations but more short formed workings.

Oh and as a side benefit we would see those many 4 car stop boards coming into use :-)

[TheLastMinute]

Wow! Who would have thought that a bank holiday Monday would be so busy? I suppose it must have been everyone on their way to the sales or travelling home after Xmas.

[Chris from Nailsea]

A story appeared in the Bristol Evening Post a couple of weeks ago, about similar problems at Keynsham:

Trains 'like a trip back to Victorian conditions'

Overcrowded and delayed train services running between Bristol and Keynsham resemble "something from 19th-century India", according to one disgruntled passenger.

Damian Warburton, 36, has complained to rail operator First Great Western (FGW^▸ (First Great Western)) after repeatedly being forced to wait for late trains to get to and from work as a college law lecturer since the turn of the year.

Mr Warburton, who travels from Keynsham station to Temple Meads to reach the City of Bristol College at College Green, says there is standing room only in the carriages when the trains eventually turn up.

He reported delays on January 5, 6 and 7 and further hold-ups on six trains out of ten he caught the following week.

Mr Warburton recently moved to North East Somerset after previously working in Birmingham and has only been using the train service in the Bristol area for the last three weeks.

He was so incensed by the overcrowding, he took photographs to highlight just how bad the situation is for commuters.

One of his pictures, taken on the 5.05pm service from Temple Meads to Keynsham service on January 14, shows passengers standing along the aisle of almost the entire length of a carriage.

In a letter to FGW, Mr Warburton said: "There was so little room that people were pressed together in places and, in view of the not inconsiderable fares that are charged for the train service, this is frankly unacceptable. An adult return from Keynsham to Temple Meads is ^3.90. That is almost ^20 per week to travel a few minutes in each direction and stand up the whole time at the usual commuter times. The 08.17 from Keynsham, if it ever actually shows up at that time, is similarly always too full to find a seat.

"Why can you not provide a service that at least resembles that which is described in the published timetables, and why can you not add sufficient coaches to the trains so that passengers have at least a chance to sit, or even stand in less than the conditions that are more akin to Victorian India than a 21st-century advanced western country?"

FGW apologised for the late-running trains on January 5, 6 and 7 and said the delay on January 17 was caused by an engine problem.

John Ratchford, spokesman for FGW, said: "Engineering problems are frustrating, but the real issue here was the lack of communication with passengers waiting at Keynsham. We are looking at ways to improve communications about these kinds of delays, especially for passengers at unmanned stations. We recognise overcrowding is an issue on some services in the Bristol area. The Department for Transport (DfT^» (Department for Transport - about)) had promised additional carriages to help with this, but delivery of these was postponed early last year. We continue to work with the DfT to find ways to improve capacity in the area."

[devon_metro]

I don't consider that photo too bad, afterall he is only travelling for 7 minutes if that. Not sure what you expect when you are joining at the last station before everybody bails off (similar to Nailsea really)

[asdfg]

I don't consider that photo too bad, afterall he is only travelling for 7 minutes if that. Not sure what you expect when you are joining at the last station before everybody bails off (similar to Nailsea really)

You get the same complaints from Yate passengers who join at Bristol Parkway for their eight or nine minute journey. 

And still much quicker and cheaper than the bus ........

[inspector_blakey]

A story appeared in the Bristol Evening Post a couple of weeks ago, about similar problems at Keynsham:

An adult return from Keynsham to Temple Meads is ^3.90. That is almost ^20 per week to travel a few minutes in each direction and stand up the whole time at the usual commuter times.

Your point being...? Would Warburton rather it took longer to travel into Bristol, in order to justify it costing the money in his mind? BTW^▸ (by the way), it's GBP 18.30 for a sevenp-day season which works out cheaper. I really don't understand what planet some commuters are on some times. You want to travel in and out of a city in the morning and evening peaks, trains will be busy. Frankly the price from Keynsham is hardly larcenous and the suggestion that it's intolerable to stand for a six-minute journey is ridiculous. I'm assuming he's never tried using the London Underground at 0817...

Of course I know I know it would be PR^▸ (Public Relations) suicide and won't ever happen for very good reasons, but a part of me would love, just once, to read a story in which FGW^▸ (First Great Western) commented "frankly this is a silly fuss about nothing".

[tramway]

Have we become apologists for FGW^▸ (First Great Western) all of a sudden?

2 complaints have finally made it to the press, covering untold people who are in a similar situation but don't bother to complain and just put up with it.

Early January was actually abysmal, and having posted elsewhere an indication of Firsts lack of interest in regional rail and they will try get away with as much as possible in that part of the franchise over the extremely lucrative HSS^▸ (High Speed Services) services. First didn't really want the regional element of the franchise which became pretty clear in the 12 months following the franchise award. To get to the point of  the threat of franchise removal before they actually returned the service to something resembling pre franchise levels, and even there not all areas, it was  clear what their intent was. And how close they are sailing to the wind is becoming ever clearer.

They are now reverting to type and blaming the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) for all the recent ills due to lack of stock, don't make me laugh. I would be intersting to see the failure rate (MPC^▸ (Miles Per Casualty)) of the regional fleet over the past two years, and a regular update as we approach franchise renewal. But that will be commercially sensitive won't it. How do the leasing company feel about the care FGW have shown during their rental of their assets?

[inspector_blakey]

Have we become apologists for FGW^▸ (First Great Western) all of a sudden?

No, I haven't. Fair enough things aren't perfect, but equally I think there's a balance to be struck here. I'm utterly baffled by why even a local rag would think that second story was newsworthy. Complaining about standing on a six-minute commuter journey made at the height of the rush hour seems a little precious in my opinion. Especially when the alternative bus service would be dearer and take much, much longer, with no guarantee of a seat either. I don't think this case is indicative of any huge failings on FGW's part (although there may very well be others that are), it's just someone who wants to complain for the sake of it.

[Timmer]

In all fairness to FGW^▸ (First Great Western), they are only too aware that their regional trains are more often than not rammed in the morning and evening peaks but what can they do about it? There isn't any spare DMU^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit) stock sitting in sidings that they could lease. They have to wait until the 172s for London Midland come on stream so part of the fleet of 150/1s can make their way down here.

If FGW were delibrately leaving DMU rolling stock in sidings during peak times to save money than that would be different and they would deserve every bit of bad press going but they aren't...there just isn't the DMU rolling stock available right now. It would be the same story if you were travelling on Northern or East Midlands Trains who are also waiting for the London Midland 150/1s to become available to bolster their overcrowded services.

[tramway]

I would blame the press then for their selection of the complaint rather than there being underlying issues with overcrowding, which they should be keeping an eye on.

Anyway don't we have a rule regarding making comparisons with other parts of the network. 

I agree Timmer regarding the DMU^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit) situation, but there are still loads of MkII coaches sat idle in Barton Hill.

2 peak hour failures last week that affected my regular journey, and we had to swap trains at Westbury last night to enable a failing Portsmouth train to get back to Bristol.

Also waiting at Bristol for the fitter with a hammer to ensure the coupling is complete, and the regular PAX just shrug.