The Cotswold Line Trains

Wed 16 Jan 2008, 16:36

Savers on the 0833.
Re J Norris' enquiry, YES, Saver tickets are available on the 0833 weekday departure from Charlbury. National Rail Enqiries uses precisely the times shown in the National Fares Manual when advising the available ticket types and fares. The departure time in the NFM for this train is 0834 (1 minute different), causing the Saver price not to be shown. It is OK for Kingham and Moreton-in-Marsh, where the correct times are shown in the NFM.

Wed 16 Jan 2008, 13:05

Has anyone bought a saver ticket for the 8:33 recently? National Rail seems to think that a saver is no longer valid which would in effect mean a doubling of price for this train.

Thu 10 Jan 2008, 14:30

Here's another group that appears to get results from FGW , at least around Bristol:

More Train Less Strain today met with FGW area manager Andrew Griffiths and their marketing manager. FGW readily admitted that the quality of their service has been becoming worse and is unacceptable. MTLS made clear…

Long post - click to read full text

Thu 10 Jan 2008, 14:17

Now apparently they're going on strike!!

Looks like there some common interest groups do know how to get their needs across to FGW.

And I expect they'll get results.

Thu 10 Jan 2008, 13:08

Now apparently they're going on strike!! www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/transport/article3165250.ece

Mon 7 Jan 2008, 22:57

Brief service announcement from your friendly local web chimpanzee - the new times are now on the blog. Sorry for the delay (it seemed fitting somehow).

Thu 3 Jan 2008, 20:09

All the chimpanzees are at Milford House Swindon - home of FGW management, and nowadays they rarely come out!

Thu 3 Jan 2008, 18:40

The most efficient information system I've witnessed at Oxford in recent times is the one that was in operation in July 2006, one day after a lightning strike on the station. As all the electrical systems were still out of action, a member of staff had to walk up and down the platform bellowing out "THE NEXT TRAIN IS FOR BOURNEMOUTH, CALLING AT READING, BASINGSTOKE..." A chimpanzee with a sandwich board would be more useful than the current arrangement at Oxford!

Thu 3 Jan 2008, 18:06

Richard,

Dont forget that with the new boards at Oxford there can be a difference of 15min between the reported departure times on the various boards, also the train may or may not be cancelled/delays or on time depending on the direction of your gaze.

When asked about a very out of date board one member of management staff told me that that particular board was updated by typing in the information (the one between the two automatic doors as you enter P1)!

Thu 3 Jan 2008, 16:17

A brief postscript to the comments about the information boards:

Being only an occasional rail traveller these days, I was fairly astonished to see the new departures board at Oxford station.

Never mind the fact it's clearly too small and I can't read it without my glasses. Never mind the fact that trains 6 to 9 are usually obscured by a Windows error message. No, it's better than that.

It doesn't have any platform numbers on it.

Clearly, the railway station as it stands has only existed since 1830, and First only runs 660 or so of them at last count... so you can forgive them not remembering this fairly useful piece of information.

Or maybe Oxford accidentally got the board that was destined for Charlbury?

Thu 3 Jan 2008, 09:34

Just a note for Paul T: not everyone using this thread or the commuter blog is a London commuter (not that this should make any difference). There are plently of us commuting to Oxford, or I daresay to other stations on the line or indeed commuting to Charlbury. There are also plenty of occasional users of the train service for shopping, visiting friends or family or whatever. It is true to say that one of Charlbury's attractions as a place to live is the presence of a main line station. This is just one of the factors why the town is so popular and prices expensive. To blame London commuters for the house prices seems churlish. Maybe you would be better venting your spleen a second home owners?

Thu 3 Jan 2008, 08:56

There is a Facebook group already called "I suffer with FGW trains" - see link to www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2474643859. We should all join and add more comments there.

Wed 2 Jan 2008, 23:58

This is a long thread, and can be a bit tedious at times, but it can be financially valuable. A posting by Caroline Shenton on 5 December drawing attention to an FGW offer of compensation after a particularly disastrous week was directly responsible for a letter with £28 worth of train vouchers arriving today. Thanks Caroline.

Wed 2 Jan 2008, 21:51

John M - I've experimentally changed the front page to show the two most recently updated topics, so if the top one is this thread, the next one won't be. If you want to be sure of not missing anything, the best answer is to subscribe to the RSS feed for the forum (any modern web browser will do this, or you can use a dedicated feed-reader).

John anon - I'm sure you're right (though I'm very dubious about Facebook!). But as yet no-one appears to have had the time or energy to set such a thing up and publicise it. I did have an approach from users of another station further down the line who were interested in setting up an equivalent of our commuter blog; I didn't have the time to set it up for them, and though I was happy to advise on what they'd need to do, they decided they didn't have the technical skills.

Wed 2 Jan 2008, 21:41

No Geoff, the blog is not intended for discussion of the trains, only for reports about individual train services. When you make a post in the blog you will see a message from Richard to this effect.

I absolutely agree with John Munro: posts can often be overlooked if they are quickly pushed down the pecking order by others. Richard: is it possible for the latest 4-5 Forum posts to be displayed on the home page? This would give a better flavour of the Forum and prevent important posts from being ignored.

The other John's comment is a good one but be aware that we have already sent a letter to Andrew Haines (COO of FGW) using data from the blog and concerns expressed in the Forum and another one will be heading his way in the next few weeks when I get time to analyse the latest wodge of data. The "Cotswold Line Trains" thread serves as a useful safety valve for exasperated passengers infuriated by the quality of the service. If letting off steam in this thread prevents only one nervous breakdown from occurring then surely it is worth preserving!

Wed 2 Jan 2008, 20:38

Why not put all Railway gripe in the Commuter blog I thought that was what it is for.

Wed 2 Jan 2008, 19:19

In no way do I want to get involved in any tit-for-tat discussion about the railway situation, but speaking as someone that sits on the sidelines over this issue, may I just comment that at times, quite a few 'interesting' forum subject have been missed by myself (and probably others) because when you look in via the main Charlbury Homepage is has been quite often that there have been 2+ additions to this particular string fairly close together and anyone that has posted a fresh forum subject doesn't get their message appearing on the homepage for long enough for others to see! You only get to find out by maticulously going to the actual Forum list page to see something fresh has been started - something that I don't always have time to do!
As a suggestion, could the Homepage include a slightly longer list of recent posts or maybe just a list of 'fresh' post topics?

Wed 2 Jan 2008, 16:58

My comment about the train people setting up their own website wasn't meant to be entirely flippant. If you guys got together with other users along the Worcester line (in the form of a facebook group for example) you would be far more effective in lobbying First Great Western to improve their service.

Tue 1 Jan 2008, 22:34

What facts are those then Paul? I don't work in London, I (mostly) work in Charlbury and I live here as well. As I use the trains on average two to three times a week doesn't that entitle me to express an occasional opinion about them? If you don't want to read about the trains then fine, ignore those threads on this website that are railway-related - no-one is forcing you to read them after all! Leave the discussion to those who are interested in the trains and how to improve them and start your own thread on a different topic if we are boring you too much!

Tue 1 Jan 2008, 19:37

Sorry missed the name calling just spelling out the facts .
Happy New Year all

Tue 1 Jan 2008, 19:13

Can we stop the namecalling? Charlbury is big enough for many different types of people to coexist happily. Occasionally catching a train doesn't make you worse, or better, than anyone else.

If you're not interested in railway stuff, there should be plenty on the rest of the site to interest you.

Happy New Year!

Tue 1 Jan 2008, 15:34

Well said Paul T! This thread has got so long I don't know why the particiants don't just set up their own website!

Tue 1 Jan 2008, 10:21

Information Systems at Charlbury station.
As I understand it, the small computer screen which displays information through a window onto the platform is likely to be much more reliable than the old screen and voice one created by Thames Trains some years ago. The new system collects information direct from…

Long post - click to read full text

Tue 1 Jan 2008, 01:33

221 posts flogging a dead horse springs to mind . Why work in london then moan about the traveling some young locals would love to buy a home in Charlbury but the london folk have bought the houses because its on a main line to london . This has in turn put house prices out of the reach of Charlbury folk but they dont carry on moaning about it. If its that bad buy a house there and stay away let some one have your house here ?

Mon 31 Dec 2007, 13:35

I find myself in full agreement with the sentiments expressed by Nick Johnson in the Commuters Blog regarding the information supplied by FGW. The current situation is deplorable, disgraceful and unacceptable and, what's more, it is getting worse not better. Some examples:

1. I went home on Christmas Eve. I…

Long post - click to read full text

Sun 23 Dec 2007, 21:01

Derek is SO RIGHT. The railways SHOULD be re-nationalised, along with the gas and electricity services. The Tories (remember it WAS them that sold our railways off to their fat cat friends) should be ashamed...however the current government seems to be more like the Tories than any other Labour government in history...so don't hold your breath!

Sun 23 Dec 2007, 13:54

Thank you John & a very merry christmas to you.

Sun 23 Dec 2007, 13:41

HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL OUR READERS

Sun 23 Dec 2007, 10:38

There was a good example of FGW's attitude yesterday morning. The 10.35 to London left Charlbury on time but then was delayed for a long while at Oxford and subsequently crawled along between Oxford and Didcot. As we pulled out of Reading, 15 mins late, the train manager announced "Welcome onboard the slightly delayed..." Slightly delayed - 15 minutes? If this happened in Japan, the train manager would have no option but to ritually disembowel himself in full view of all the passengers, as the only way to combat the shame, embarrassment and dishonour he would have brought on himself, the train crew, the passengers and the rail company. What happens in Britain? There is a grudging announcement (with no hint of an accompanying apology), in a bored and uninterested tone, to say that we are "slightly delayed". Meanwhile, connections are being missed, friends and relatives are left waiting around, shivering, on freezing station platforms, appointments are broken and lots of people have their days screwed up. Do FGW care? Of course not - the fat cat managers will still get their huge Christmas bonuses and the shareholders will still make a profit.

If Gordie wants to save his job in 2008 he could do far worse than to remove the franchises from corporate leaches such as FGW and renationalize the railways. There's a happy thought to keep us warm over the festive period - the imminent demise of FGW! If only the dream could come true.

Sat 22 Dec 2007, 15:41

Saturday afternoon, from the FGW web pages, 22 service alterations of which 17 are cancellations/short termination due to staff unavailability. Come on FGW, you cannot keep relying on overtime to run a timetable.

Wed 19 Dec 2007, 09:23

A reply from FGW to my email sent last week regarding the nonsense of only platforming one standard class carriage:

"Thank you for your e-mail of 11 December 2007 regarding the problems that you have experienced with the new Selective Door Operation system for our HST's. We are aware that here have been some problems.

The SDO system is in its infancy and there have been some teething problems. I am sorry that his has affected your journey. We are doing everything possible to address these problems and we expect the SDO system to be working fully very soon, and for our HST's to call at the full range of stations.

Thank you again fro writing. I trust that future journeys will be pleasant."

So, there we have it.

Wed 19 Dec 2007, 08:17

Good luck to Dave! I expect he's looking forward to meeting the pleasant people in Greece.

Wed 19 Dec 2007, 06:24

Ian L's analysis suggests to me that we should all email FGW asking them not to impose any fare rise on the Cotswold Line

Tue 18 Dec 2007, 18:46

How foolish of me to think I could use the new 18:46 Charlbury - Reading to meet up with some friends of mine for a meal in Wokingham at 20:30. Inevitably it was cancelled, leaving a gap of more than 2.5 hours between the 17:18 and the 19:55.

I was going to say I was annoyed at the scrapping of the old 18:09 in favour of a new 18:46 one, but that's about the time the old train used to turn up anyway.

Most dischuffed.

Tue 18 Dec 2007, 18:05

Just to let everyone know that Dave, who has been in charge of Charlbury station since early in 2002, worked his last shift this morning (18th December). He is leaving FGW and, in the New Year, will be taking up residence in Greece.
It is not yet known who will replace Dave. For the time being, it is expected that the relief staff, Pat and Ken, will be in attendance. However, they also have responsibilities to cover staff rest days, holidays and absence at Kingham, Moreton-in-Marsh and Evesham, so there could be occasions when they will not be available at Charlbury.

Mon 17 Dec 2007, 10:23

From FGW's own website i have been collecting the passenger charter punctuality figures for the thames valley services. These are not ideal but they are at least a set of comparable and complete data. The data are posted for each 4 week period.

The most recent 4 sets of data terminating in the 8th December (so all covering the period of the old timetable and before SDO/reversed trains began influencing things:

19/8-15/9 79%
16/9-13/10 75%
14/10-10/11 69%
11/11-8/12 66%

So despite all the promises of improvements FGW's own data show that for the former Thames valley services (including the Cotswold line_ the situation has been getting significantly worse.

Let's see what effect the new timetable has on the next 4 week set of figures.

Fri 14 Dec 2007, 10:06

I think they might even have been replying to an email from last week in anticipation of the chaos when I wrote that it was mad to platform just 1st class as announced, but this reply seems to have crossed with a second complaint I sent earlier this week after seeing things in action. Anyway, it sounds like they may have seen the light very quickly!

Fri 14 Dec 2007, 09:11

"The Cotswold Line Promotion Group has been advised by FGW that, after only 3 days of unsatisfactory performance, it is experimenting with a different system"

So the email Caroline got from FGW was a deliberate lie, claiming driver incompetence when he was carrying out company policy? As we all knew already, since the Coffee Shop website has been discussing this policy - and its predictable consequence - for the past week.

What do FGW employees think about this misrepresentation?

Thu 13 Dec 2007, 21:40

Selective Door Opening on HSTs
The Cotswold Line Promotion Group has been advised by FGW that, after only 3 days of unsatisfactory performance, it is experimenting with a different system whereby the standard class coaches are alongside short platforms. Users may have noticed the presence at Charlbury station on Monday and Tuesday mornings of Teresa Ceesay, the FGW Service Delivery Manager for the Cotswold Line. She was horrified at what she witnessed on these days and reported the matter to her senior management. As a result, the General Manager travelled from Evesham on one of the morning HSTs on Wednesday, and, following what he witnessed, he arranged for the procedure to be changed, which it was on Thursday with what appears to be a much more satisfactory outcome. However, this is still a trial and may need further revision if other problems emerge from it.

Thu 13 Dec 2007, 20:58

17.52 delayed 23 minutes of out Paddington and then terminated at Oxford. How do these people believe that abandoning a journey mid way is acceptable? It is totally outrageous. We attempted to make some kind of protest by refusing to leave the train, but to no avail and we were very rudely ejected onto a freezing platform, amid threats of the police being called. Very customer focused. This service has deteriorated so badly recently one has to wonder where it's all going to end.

Thu 13 Dec 2007, 15:21

Maybe someone with my rail knowledge than me can confirm this one. I understand that HSTs could stop at short platformed stations like Charlbury because of 'Grandfather Rights'. However, once SDO is in use on the line, 'Grandfather Rights' are lost. This means that if SDO is not working on a train, or not fitted, or staff not trained, then the HST cannot call at *any* short platform stations. I presume the train would then travel non stop through Charlbury. Can anyone confirm?

Thu 13 Dec 2007, 13:09

I emailed FGW and got this: "I am sorry that you are unhappy with the new Selective Door Operation procedure at Charlbury. The trains are not supposed to stop at Charlbury with only First Class platformed, but are instead supposed to have two of the Standard Carriages platformed.

We believe that this problem is due to HST drivers being unfamiliar with the approach patterns for smaller stations, as they have not stopped there before. This means that they can sometimes approach too fast or too slow and end up with the wrong part of the train next to the platform.

We expect this to resolve itself once the drivers become more familiar with the routes but we will be monitoring the situation and we will provide extra instruction to drivers as apropriate. Thank you for bringing the matter to my attention and please accept my assurances that we are addressing this problem."

Not sure that really takes us any further forward. My point was that it was crazy to stop with only two doors available for standard class - 4 doors is not going to improve things much either. This morning the 0729 did stop as it used to, with coaches A-E on the platform and was much better. The train manager said they were trialled what worked best over the next few days...

Thu 13 Dec 2007, 11:55

From what I can understand is that the Train Manager/Guard can either open doors in front of him, behind him or all doors. I believe the panel is at the back of the train, which is why he chooses to open doors in front of him, hence the train has to stop earlier thereby first class is platformed. I think they are going to trial opening the doors as they were before ie. moving where the panel is on the train for door opening to the front of the train, and thereby opening all doors behind. Then the train will stop as did before, with first class being non platformed. Does all this make sense. There was an announcement on the train today, which hardly anyone could hear because of the appalling tannoy system, but that is the gist of it.

Thu 13 Dec 2007, 10:03

I dont think the problem is with Selective Door Opening, SDO doesnt mind if the front or rear of the train is on the platform, rather the problem seems to be the crazy change that FGW have insisted upon that first class must be platformed rather than SDO itself.

Thu 13 Dec 2007, 04:19

Does anyone know anything about the pedestrian walkway plans? Knowing FGW's way of upsetting everyone, I would not be surprised if they plan to remove the cherry trees!

Wed 12 Dec 2007, 11:24

Christine, if you look on the front page of the Charlbury website, there is a large red link which will take you to the petition.

Wed 12 Dec 2007, 10:39

Susie, Where's the petition about selective door opening? I seem to have missed this if it's on-line.

Mon 10 Dec 2007, 13:12

I think the FGW rep who has been on the station the last couple of days indicated that there would be a pedestrian lane, so we don't all get run over in the dark. Please can everyone sign the petition to go back to non selective door opening - it just causes chaos and will only make the trains even later.

Mon 10 Dec 2007, 11:50

Perhaps it's the drivers who need to slow down when leaving the station?
As for 'government requirements' - the whole country is going completely mad with 'rules and regulations'. It's about time the public fought back!

Mon 10 Dec 2007, 11:01

Just two small things:
1. It took about ten minutes for everyone to board the (delayed) 07.29 this morning, with scores of people trying to get into about 2 open doors, then tramping all the rest of the way down the train to get into the standard class carriages. This is utterly mad and I hope they change it back again as soon as possible. The FGW rep on the platform said the change was "due to Government requirements" or something equally loopy.

Can we have a pedestrian lane out of the station to avoid someone being injured in the dark when drivers pile out of the station?

Fri 7 Dec 2007, 18:35

Another new initiative from FGW is that all bikes now need pre-booking for travel, and there will only be 3 spaces on HST with SDO, at short platform station. I look forward to the fights.

This will also mean walking through 1st class or down the platform to the engine car to get bikes out,probably causing delays. Also what will stop cyclist from long platform stations putting their bikes in the power car and using up the three spaces. FGW customer services don't seem to have the answers, yet

Fri 7 Dec 2007, 18:13

On the blog thread, Susie Finch said someone was asking what people thought of the station this morning and we're getting a mobile cafe (I think it was agreed by WODC a few months ago).

It made me think. What do people like and dislike about it? Is there anything that could make the station better?

Fri 7 Dec 2007, 18:05

Aren't Network Rail already looking at the options for redoubling all or some of the three sections of singe track? It was in their business plan which came out last month and an announcemnt is due in the new year with the work being done in 2010.

Selective door opening on HSTs does mean that the leading power car and first class coaches (in normal formation) will always be on the platform as the line will have a mix of 7 and 8 coach trains. The train manager will be at the rearmost door that is on the platform and will then release the doors in front of where s/he is stood, making sure that those behind remain locked. S/he will also need to unlock the cycle storage area on the leading power car as it cannot be accessed by passengers like Coach A. Passengers can board through any of the doors that are platformed.

I think the future of the Adelantes is still unclear and there are various rumours circulating about where they will end up. FGW will only use 8 of them from Monday, and will start sending them back to the leasing company after Christmas. All will be withdrawn by March.
Howeveer, until all the HSTs are finioshed, the following trains should continue to be operated by Adelantes -

0550 Moreton-in-Marsh - Paddington
0542 Paddington - Worcester / 0837 Worcester – Paddington
0951 Paddington - Worcester / 1240 Worcester - Paddington
1151 Paddington - Hereford / 1519 Hereford - Paddington
1751 Paddington - Worcester / 2058 Worcester - Paddington

Thu 6 Dec 2007, 18:16

A petition has been created, campagning for dual track etc. on the cotswold line.

View the petition here: petitions.pm.gov.uk/Cotswold

Please sign it, and hopefully your misery could end!

Thu 6 Dec 2007, 14:22

And apparently our lovely Adelantes are off to Wales...

Thu 6 Dec 2007, 13:52

If you will permit an intrusion from a Moreton-in-Marsh commuter, further to the comments about selective door locking system on HSTs, you may be interested in the postings on this topic at First Great Western Coffee Shop, see www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=1103.0

Thu 6 Dec 2007, 11:32

Just to let you all know, the rail bus timetable has changed slightly - from 10th December. Also the single fare has gone up 10p and is now 90p. Timetables are available on the buses as from today.

Wed 5 Dec 2007, 11:53

John - yes, that's my understanding too. This will also mean that cycle space is restricted to just three bikes from all the Cotswold Line stations with short platforms, i.e. practically all of them. Three bikes on an eight-carriage train? Come on - that's the same as in the two-carriage Turbostars used in the Midlands.

No, this is a crazy decision. I can understand that the change makes sense for short platforms where HSTs do not currently stop (e.g. Hanborough), and which therefore do not have stop-boards (and, ooh, it must cost at least £25 to bang a post in the ground saying "HST 8 STOP" or whatever). But at Charlbury the current system works well. The selective door opening on the HSTs is, apparently, capable of opening either the "front doors" or the "back doors" so it's not as if there's a technical reason for the change.

FGW - once again creating chaos out of order.

Wed 5 Dec 2007, 10:12

If you were delayed by last week's fiascos (fiaschi?), FGW is offering compensation to travellers, including season ticket holders. See here: www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/Content.aspx?id=111

Wed 5 Dec 2007, 08:24

Selective Door Opening. Today FGW was testing this new feature on the 07.29 and the guard informs that the trains, from next week, will stop with First Class on the platform. I encourage everyone to email FGW with regard to the more sensible practicalities of stopping Standard Class coaches on the platform, with due regard to the vast majority of passengers who travel in that class. If not we are going to get much crushing while boarding and crowding of vestibules.

Mon 3 Dec 2007, 11:20

Friday 30th November.
During the mid afternoon, a north bound freight train broke down at Radley (between Didcot and Oxford). It is not entirely clear what happened after this, but from reports gathered from various sources, including the Charlbury Commuter Blog, it was probably something like this:
1352 PAD-GMV (Charlbury 1504) - delayed behind the failed train. In effect cancelled beyond Oxford.
1727 OXF-GMV (Charlbury 1749) - Held at Oxford. It appears that when the 1352 eventually did arrive at Oxford over 3 hours late at around 1800, it then formed a delayed 1727 but terminated at Worcester SH.
1551 PAD-WOS (Charlbury 1702) - diverted via Swindon.
1722 PAD-HFD (Charlbury 1835) - diverted via Swindon.
1752 PAD-WOS (Charlbury 1903) - ran, but not clear whether it called at all its booked stations. A report that it was to run non-stop to Evesham would not be correct, as it had to stop at Moreton-in-Marsh to obtain a single line token. Caroline Shenton's report on the Blog implies that it did call at Charlbury, 30 minutes late.
1822 PAD-HFD (Charlbury 1940) - ran as booked, but was reported 42 minutes late at Moreton-in-Marsh.
1922 PAD-GMV (Charlbury 2036) - noted about 30 minutes late at Moreton-in-Marsh.

In the opposite direction, the knock on effect was:
1658 GMV-PAD (Charlbury 1810) - cancelled (the stock which should have formed it appears to have left Oxford heading for Worcester at around 1805).
1815 WOS-PAD (Charlbury 1916) - originally cancelled but reinstated and ran somewhat late.
1941 GMV-OXF (Charlbury 2056) - Started at Worcester SH, but departed 45 minutes late from Evesham having been delayed there by the late running 1822 from Paddington.
2056 WOS-PAD (Charlbury 2149) - Departed on time, but delayed on single line by some 30 minutes by late running 1822 and 1922 trains from Paddington.

Fri 30 Nov 2007, 15:23

Well, I saw this info in the news as well. The Oxford Times has a piece today about rail users from Oxford suffering high fare increases. So I thought I would check how we are faring (!) at Charlbury with the changes. I used the National Rail website using dates in December and January to compare but unfortunately the new fare prices do not seem to have been programmed yet. I did notice one change - 'Saver' tickets no longer appear to be valid on the 8:34 London-bound HST service. Maybe a mistake?

Fri 30 Nov 2007, 09:36

According to "South Today" (or whatever it's called these days) th other night, Last Great Western are imposing the highest fare increases in the new year. Why am I not surprised?

Tue 27 Nov 2007, 17:01

Amongst all the complaints,what about a train success story !?! We went from Charlbury to Bordeaux and returned from Biarritz to Charlbury by train for the October half-term. The 6-20am to London was smack on time leaving Charlbury and arriving in Paddington. As was the Eurostar to Paris and the TGV to Bordeaux. Coming back spot on time leaving Biarritz and arriving back in Charlbury! And the price was the about the same,(in fact £5 cheaper) as flying from Luton or Bristol to Bordeaux and much more fun.

Thu 8 Nov 2007, 18:02

On arrival at Oxford station this afternoon I noticed that staff were working up beside the large concourse departure boards. In fact they seemed to be working on two more new departure boards. Observing the boards several things became apparent within minutes, firstly they crash or vanish quite regularly, secondly we now have three sources of information on the concourse and all three are giving different times for trains, the 1636 to Edinbugh was variously given the expected departure time of 1647,1657 and 1704 from the main departure board, the pair of new boards and the new low level board, a spread of 15min being displayed simultaneously.

As I watched the new displays were turned off, hope they are fixed before being turned back on, otherwise FGW are simply adding to the confusion over departure times.

Mon 5 Nov 2007, 16:20

Susie - I most definately don't work for FGW and I think the service they offer is particularly bad, if not diabolical at times. I hope FGW know that and they must be as frustrated as the passengers that it isn't getting any better.

The forum is a good place to air views but the point I was trying to make was that to gain credibility people need to understand reasons behind the problem so they can direct criticism in the right place (sometimes its FGW but other times it is not).

Analysing the blog is useful but if you use different criteria to FGW or any other train company it cannot be used for comparison. You need to allow for some delay (5 minutes on all trains apart from the two HSTs from Hereford) and calculate the percentage of trains that arrive late from the number of trains observed.

How often does anyone drive from Charlbury to Oxford and expect to arrive there in, say, exactly 23 minutes? I'd say it never happens due to roadworks, traffic lights, bad parking, weather or anyther reason and people allow some tolerance - the railway is the same.

I don't want to wait until 2010 for things to improve but how many people have been campaigning to make this happen? How many people in the town have written to MPs, Councillors and Network Rail to see if it can be done quicker? People power gets things done elsewhere.

Sat 3 Nov 2007, 12:15

Ed - are you sure you dont work for FGW. You ALWAYS seem to stick up for them. Even you must agree that the situation is deplorable and even with the proposed redoubling of "some" of the line, that's not until 2010. FGW themselves recognise (I hope) that this line is bad. Why cant you?

Wed 31 Oct 2007, 20:32

As reported by the BBCTv News and FGW website, over-running Network Rail engineering work at Pangbourne caused delays, diversions and cancellations for most of the morning. Hardly a typical day!

Wed 31 Oct 2007, 19:30

Left Charlbury 5.30am in works van limited to 70mph got to Barnes SW13 6.45am had breakfast start work 7.30am back in Charlbury 6.15pm some times sooner LOL . The trains never seen to work keep on about how late they are why not drive your self when your late you can blame your self

Wed 31 Oct 2007, 17:03

The 7.20 from Charlbury limped into Paddington at 9.12 this morning. I despair!

Fri 26 Oct 2007, 22:45

Maybe the unusually large passenger flow reported on 25 October was due to passengers being pxxxxd off at the cancelled 06.20 on 22 & 24 October?

Thu 25 Oct 2007, 09:45

A new excuse on the FGW website this morning:

0824 Worcester to Paddington
This train has been revised.It will no longer call at: Slough.This is due to an unusually large passenger flow.

Thu 25 Oct 2007, 09:33

I've noticed that the 20:19 OXF-CBY is consistently running using turbo stock instead of booked Adelante. Is this a permanent thing now?

Wed 24 Oct 2007, 17:15

Having noted that the 0620 to London did not run on 22nd and 24th October, I decided to investigate why.
22nd October. The empty stock train ran as usual (but driver only)to Moreton-in-Marsh, where there should have been a Worcester based Senior Conductor waiting for it. His booked taxi from Worcester did not materialise, so the train was cancelled and had to run back without any passengers on board. Usually, this train has a Reading based Senior Conductor, but one was not available on this day.
24th October. The empty stock train from London to Moreton was stuck behind a failed freight train somewhere between Reading and Didcot, so eventually only got as far as Oxford.

Wed 24 Oct 2007, 13:41

Must be the half term effect, FGW are cancelling trains all over the place due to a member of staff being unavailable....ie the rely on staff working overtime and during halfterm they do not have the staff to cover the timetable.

Sat 20 Oct 2007, 13:57

Same thting happened to the 5:15 from Charlbury to Paddington. The old screens weren't on, and the new screen said the train was still in Moreton-in-Marsh and would arrive at 5:22. Then it just disappeared off the board at its scheduled departure time. Finally turned up around 5:45.

Sat 20 Oct 2007, 09:48

Last night (fri) I was told to ignore the new board as it did not show the correct delays but that the old departure boards (which were switched on) were closer to the truth.

More information, more confusion!

Fri 19 Oct 2007, 23:35

....and the wizzy board did not show the late running 6.10PM(? is that it's scheduled departure time - I am not a regular user) CBY - PDN tonight until the late running down 'halts train' departed

Fri 19 Oct 2007, 19:02

The "wizzy" board is all very well, but it doesnt show which stations each train will be stopping at (unlike the old boards) so if you are not sure, its not very good. Only shows the final destination, time it should be, platform, if on time or not.

Thu 18 Oct 2007, 17:51

The whiteboard at Oxford station has gone to be replaced by a wizzy new departure board. The old useless departure boards are still there.

Time will tell which is the most useful as even today old and new didnt completely agree!

Mon 15 Oct 2007, 22:11

As we saw today, the 7.29am didnt get into Paddington until 9.13am - over 26 minutes late. And that's not that unusual. If the time (as is proposed) to arrive is even later - then the trains will be much later. This now cannot be viewed as a commuter train to London (on the new draft timetable) and only to Oxford or Reading. And the train before is so much earlier than the present one. I would call upon the CLPG representatives again to see if they can fix this - if the latest "commuter" train with FGW behaving as they are at present, is the 6.39am then I can see that the line will close. Drastic action needs to be taken.

Tue 9 Oct 2007, 22:19

While waiting at Oxford for the stopping train due to earlier cancelled train the station manager made a rare appearance. I asked about the lack of departure board information and mentioned that I had spoken to him on the same subject at a meet the manager session 9 months ago...he smiled and admitted that it was not very good at the moment and said to ask him again in two weeks time.

So either he is on holiday in two weeks time or moving job or maybe they are actually going to do something about getting rid of the non-functional screens and temporary whiteboard.

Or maybe they are going to add a second whiteboard on platform 2!

Mon 8 Oct 2007, 10:59

Susie - I agree with you but time constraints apply here unfortunately. There are 125 entries in the blog for September alone (!) so just processing those will take me quite a while. Also, if I do July, Aug and Sept then that will cover the period when the line was flooded and FGW will probably blame "exceptional operating circumstances", "acts of God", etc. for any problems we report.

I suggest that I analyse September for now, see how long that takes and then based on that maybe look at the earlier data at a later date if time allows.

Mon 8 Oct 2007, 01:17

I do agree Derek, but is September really the best month to quote - perhaps maybe over the past three months may be better? But go for it! And if you need lots signatures, then let us know and we can set something up at the station for people to sign.

Sun 7 Oct 2007, 19:11

I hope to find time within the next week or two to prepare a statistical summary of FGW's performance during September, using data derived from the Commuters' Blog. I would suggest that this is then sent to Andrew Haines with an attached letter saying something like "Here is a snap-shot of the problem - what do you intend to do about it?" Do other people agree that this would be a sensible thing to do?

Wed 3 Oct 2007, 02:02

Well because everything will rest of the 5.21 being on time, and it wont, can I ask that CLPG really badger FGW into changing the timetable back to what it is now - or was before last December. They obviously dont care - I see they are going to spend a small fortune in doing up Oxford Station, but dont seem to care about the passengers. Perhaps we should all join forces with OxRail Action and More Train Less Strain to get these times sorted! Over to you John and Geoff.

Wed 3 Oct 2007, 00:14

The comment of Nick Burch on 2nd October is very valid. Two afternoon services towards London are absolute horrors. The one to which Nick refers is one of them. Basically, the problem appears to be that FGW no longer wants the train at Oxford at 1827 for an 1838 departure, so it is retimed 8 minutes later from Great Malvern. This actually benefits commuters returning home from Worcester FS, from where it will depart at a more popular 1721 instead of 1712. It will also benefit those returning to Honeybourne, where it does not call at present. After that, FGW has to "lose" it for about 20 minutes, which it achieves by a 13 minute wait at Moreton-in-Marsh and an extra stop at Shipton at 1833 (which will give people from that area a chance of an evening in Oxford). Then it has to wait for about 5 minutes at Ascott-under-Wychwood for the single line ahead to clear at about 1840, that is if the 1721 from Paddington is running on time. After this, the train has to make a quick dash for Wolvercot Junction, omitting the Hanborough stop, much to the annoyance of a daily commuter from Hanborough to Worcester who pays some £2500 for an annual season ticket and uses this train to get home. The reason for this 12 minute Charlbury to Oxford dash is because the 1751 from Paddington has already been held at Oxford for 8 minutes. One can foresee tremendous operational problems here, as so much will depend on the 1721 from Paddington being bang on time.

Oh, the other horror! This is the 1324 Hereford to Paddington (Charlbury 1515 now, 1534 from 10th December), which currently takes 3 hours 7 minutes for the journey. From December, this becomes 3 hours 35 minutes. Again, the problem is getting the train through the single line between Ascott-under-Wychwood and Wolvercot Junction. This train will now have long dwell times at both Evesham and Moreton-in-Marsh.
The sooner we get double track, the better.

Tue 2 Oct 2007, 20:59

Earlier in the year there was a 'meet the managers' at Oxford in the afternoon. I spent 5min talking to them and they made it quite clear that they were not interested in Cotswold line performance or problems with Charlbury station...only interested in Oxford to London. On determining this I asked about the abysmal performance of the departure boards at Oxford (which was turned off with a message that 'Thames trains apologise'. The point was taken I think because the next week the apology changed to First Great Western apologise...many months later the departure board still fail more often than they work!

Tue 2 Oct 2007, 20:55

At last! I posted details of the train times and how to find them on 18th Sept!

I am a member of CLPG and must admit that I have not seen any draft timetales before 18th Sept, certainly not any provisional timetables for comment.

Tue 2 Oct 2007, 14:52

Well, having just looked at the times of the trains I am appalled. Instead of 2 two hour gaps between trains, we now have 3!! This really isnt at all good - especially for the non commuters. It will be much easier, and more reliable to get the bus into Oxford. I know it takes longer, but at least they go every hour. Why cant the trains? And what has happenned to Didcot? You can get there on the first two trains of the day and that's it. As for coming home - forget it. Is it really necessary for every train to now call at Hanborough and not Didcot. I would have thought many more people would want to go there. This timetable is a farce and really needs to be looked at again. It no way addresses what the CUSTOMERS need and want. I go along with Derek's comments - I didnt have time to speak to the managers at Oxford as in a rush but had all the time in the world (because of the awful timetabling) to talk to them in the evening. Please can our lovely CLPG representatives do something about this draft timetable.

Tue 2 Oct 2007, 12:57

Dear J. Norris: I stand by my previous comment. It may have been facetious but then travelling with FGW tends to foment a great deal of facetiousness in me!

OK, you were able to give your comments to the FGW managers on Friday morning but how many others did likewise…

Long post - click to read full text

Tue 2 Oct 2007, 11:11

Looking at the new timetable, what has happened to the 18:10 from Charlbury to Oxford? With trains now at 15:34, 17:18 and 18:46, there are some serious gaps for getting from Charlbury to Oxford/London in the late afternoon and early evening. That's just added half an hour onto when I get home if I get the train (since I ge the 18:10 now), so I'll probably just end up driving more

Tue 2 Oct 2007, 09:40

GWR have published a draft version of the train times from December here:

firstgreatwestern.co.uk/Documents/Custom/Dec%2007%20Paddington%20to%20Worc%20and%20Hereford%20Mon%20-%20Fri.pdf

Early trains now leave earlier. No news on the types of train being used though.

Fri 28 Sep 2007, 10:10

I spoke to the managers this morning. I think the comments about the times being illogical are a little unfair. All commuters will be passing through the station at that time and not necessarily returning before 7pm. I can say with certainty that I will always be in Oxford station between 7am and 9:30am but will only return before 7pm 1 day out of 2. It only takes a few minutes to air your views and you are just as likely to be rushed in the morning as in the afternoon / evening. Anyway...

I asked about the footpath situation (or lack of) at Charlbury and they confirmed that a footpath will be installed on the access road. Apparently it is County Council funding. So a result there.

Thu 27 Sep 2007, 22:05

That's undoubtedly why they chose them then Susie! Everyone will be rushing off to work and will be too busy to go and ask awkward questions. A session between, say, 4 and 7 pm would have been far more sensible, which is obviously why they didn't choose it! Logic and FGW are not natural bedfellows.

Thu 27 Sep 2007, 18:18

There is a notice at Oxford station to say that you can have your say with station management tomorrow between 7am and 9.30am. Not very good times!

Thu 27 Sep 2007, 16:02

“Ed” unfairly suggests that the Cotswold Line Promotion Group (CLPG) does not consult with rail users: ‘I will ask again, how many regular commuters have been invited to give their comments to CLPG?’ As Charlbury Representative for the CLPG I clearly request views and feedback from rail users on the…

Long post - click to read full text

Thu 27 Sep 2007, 10:50

Not sure if this helps ease any pain but I have found this - better late than never - on the FGW website:

www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/Documents/Custom/Final_Coupon.pdf

This gives season ticket holders the chance to upgrade to First Class during off peak times.

You should fill out a form to get to this page which is:

www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/Content.aspx?id=1488

The offer runs out in a couple of weeks and I hope it is renewed as I often travel late in the evening and a little more comfort would be nice.

Thu 27 Sep 2007, 00:26

Not been a good week has it Mr Haines - and its only Wednesday today! Also now that I am having to get a new job - again - the fact the 7.29am will now no longer stop at Didcot severely restricts where I can work - as there are many jobs at Milton Park. Surely this is not very sensible on the part of FGW to discontinue stopping at a station where there is a large amount of employment in the area?

Mon 24 Sep 2007, 10:14

The CLPG Charlbury rep is a commuter (Charlbury-Reading), has a poster up at the station asking for people's views and feedback, and his details are in the Chronicle.

Mon 24 Sep 2007, 00:16

Ed - I think you misunderstood me here - when I said the arrival at 8.42am (7.27am departure) was not always on time, I implied that because the train is now going to arrive at LEAST 9 minutes later (and probably much more) that it now was not a viable train to catch to get to the City for 9.30am start. Luckily I'm not now having to make that journey - but lots of people are. Do you work for FGW? You seem to know an awful lot of inside stuff? If so, perhaps you can help - and not criticise a bunch of people who are only trying their best - on a completely voluntary basis. I think we should all become members of CLPG - they have our interests at heart.

Sun 23 Sep 2007, 19:19

Ed: either your comment was aimed at the committee of the CLPG or at the organization as a whole. If the former, then by definition it was a personal remark because there are only a small number of people on that committee to whom you were referring. If the latter, then your remark is inaccurate because at the last count the CLPG had about 1700 members and I know for sure that not all of those members are retired because I'm a memmber and I've not retired!

You say that the CLPG has not listened to the views of commuters: did you as a commuter (assuming that you are one) write to them or phone them with your concerns? Did you go and ask a question at the AGM in May? If not, then I don't think you can justifiably criticise them. You can't expect the CLPG to have the resources to interview every commuter on the Cotswold Line on the off chance that one of them might have something useful to say.

I'm not here to defend the CLPG as I'm sure they can do that for themselves. As I said before, I think they are doing a reasonable job in difficult circumstances and unconstructive sniping is not going to help improve the rail service.

Sun 23 Sep 2007, 16:35

Question: "If you really can’t hack the long commute why work so far away from home?"

Answers:
(1) Because many commuters will have partners, family or other local ties who do work locally, and someone in the household has to compromise about where they live
(2) Because some of those people with partners, family or other local connections may work in specialist fields where jobs are few and far between and you have to go where your skills are needed
(3) What makes you assume that some of us are not trying to get jobs closer to Charlbury, but just not succeeding?

Sun 23 Sep 2007, 16:01

It was hardly personal abuse Derek and wasn't directed at anyone in particular, but it was a statement of fact.

Everyone seems to moan about the train service on this forum and perhaps it doesn't matter who runs CLPG but what does matter is the way they represent the views of rail users to FGW.

I will ask again, how many regular commuters have been invited to give their comments to CLPG? If CLPG aren't asking the users who are commuting every day on the trains what they need, on what basis can they then go and tell FGW what the timetable should be?

CLPG had the new timetable weeks ago but didn't share it with anyone like the users? Now it seems it is too late to put things right and that annoys me. There's no point having a user group that doesn't represent users!

Sun 23 Sep 2007, 13:50

I don't think personal abuse will help make the trains run on time Ed. It might have worked for Mussolini but we tend to do things differently here.

What does it matter if the CLPG is run by retired people? Surely, compared to people who work full-time, retired people have (a) more time in which to travel by train and (b) more free time at their disposal to help run a passenger group such as the CLPG? I don't think that the CLPG is perfect by any means but I think they probably do a pretty good job in difficult circumstances. I wouldn't imagine it is very easy to deal with an organization as seemingly disorganized as FGW. Ill-informed ageist comments are not the way forward.

Sat 22 Sep 2007, 17:50

The new timetable must have been finalised by now if it is showing on trainline, and I understand CLPG has been advising FGW on it for several months.

CLPG is supposed to be the group that represents users along the Cotswold Line but did they ever ask for anyone’s views? They don’t seem to know what most of us want and certainly aren’t very active or effective like OxRail Action. We’re stuck with a group of retired people who don’t understand commuters but are telling FGW what times suit there own interpretation of a day out. Isn’t it about time they started listening to all users or someone started a new user group?

Even if a comparable new train takes a few minutes longer than now, I think that 1hr 22 minutes from rural West Oxfordshire to central London is still very good, and acceptable if the new arrival time is more reliable each day. Even Susie implied that the old 0842 arrival wasn’t reliable so with the extra time the train should arrive on time more often. I‘m sure 40 minutes is still long enough to get across to the City. As John says there are more trains running these days, so extra time is going to be necessary unless the Government invest in more tracks. If you really can’t hack the long commute why work so far away from home?

The current 0647 from Charlbury (starts from Great Malvern) will be slightly earlier and operated by an HST from December and this has been confirmed by FGW. The train will have more seating - 515 seats compared to 282 seats on a 5-car Adelante or 3-car Turbo. One final comment, these trains will initially need longer stops at stations because of the manual doors so if you don’t want to be delayed make sure you close the door behind you - a few seconds doing that can avoid delays building up throughout your journey.

Fri 21 Sep 2007, 20:37

Reading the Oxford Times today and their short article about Ms Forster's change of job, I saw how the Oxford Times sought OxRail Action's reaction to Ms Forster's move; no reference to CLPG. Remembering how OxRail Action successfully lobbied FGW to reintroduce trains from Oxford, so depriving Cotswold Line passengers of an Adelante for the 06.47(was it 6.47?). Will CLPG and ORA coordinate their lobbying? Would this be possible?

Fri 21 Sep 2007, 17:20

Regarding the concerns about the 0729 from Charlbury to London from December, on behalf of the Cotswold Line Promotion Group I have contacted the Timetable Manager at FGW. He has responded by saying that the times for this train are still provisional, having not yet been confirmed by Network Rail. However, I can tell you that whilst the 0729 will be calling additionally at Hanborough, this is not the cause of the extended journey time if travelling beyond Oxford, where the train waits for 4 minutes (0748 to 0752)instead of the usual 2. Even though the Didcot Parkway stop has been removed from it, 30 minutes is still being allowed between Oxford and Reading (normally 24 minutes). It appears that the problem lies with the large number of trains requiring access to the Didcot-Reading-London fast lines during the morning peak.
Regarding the previous train, currently proposed at 0631 from Charlbury, FGW's aspirations are that after many protests about the Turbo units curreently used on it, this will, after all, become a High Speed Train. This is a late change of plan and may not be confirmed, but we live in hope.

Fri 21 Sep 2007, 15:42

It was only this time last year that the 7.27am from Charlbury got into Paddington at 8.42am (or was meant to). How come with just two minutes later it manages to get there a whole 9 minutes later. The 8.42 arrival time meant it was possible even with FGW appalling timekeeping to get to work in the City for 9.30am. Now it will have to be the 6.39am!!! In effect this means leaving at 6.30am instead of say 7.15am - a whole 3/4 hour. I think we should lobby for the times to be altered. They can only say no!

Fri 21 Sep 2007, 09:15

The trainline shows that when the new timetable comes into effect in december, the 07:29 will arrive at paddington at 08:51, six minutes later that it does now. This makes total journey time 1 hr 22 minutes and makes this much less of a commuter train as it's just getting later and later. Oh for the days of the 1 hr 2 minute journey home in the evening (18:28 - 19:30 with first stop oxford, second stop charlbury...)

Wed 19 Sep 2007, 08:24

One down - 200 more to go!

Tue 18 Sep 2007, 17:30

"In June a spokesman for FGW said it was 'aware our performance has been poor and we have already apologised for this'."

So, according to the BBC story, Alison Forster has been appointed "Rail Safety and Performance Director".

You couldn't make it up.

Tue 18 Sep 2007, 17:21

Alison Forster has been replaced as Managing Director of FGW by Andrew Haines. See this link on the BBC website for more details:

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

I hope this is not a case of "The head beneath the crown had changed but all else remained the same".

Tue 18 Sep 2007, 08:51

Browsing Qjump for train times, if you look up 10th December from Charlbury to oxford and oxford to Charlbury you get a glimpse of the new timetable train times which I havent been able to find released anywhere else.

Dep Charlbury 0610,0639,0729,0750,0833, 0938, 1034, 1231, 1340, 1535, 1718
Dep Oxford 1449, 1649, 1731, 1816, 1855, 1919, 2021, 2119, 2252

(Not all trains included eg early trains Oxf to Charlbury)

Main changes other than usual fiddling with actual times seems to be that the 2 hour gap after the 0920 has been moved to after the 1034, still a number of 2 hour gaps however.

Mon 17 Sep 2007, 12:35

Central Trains - are you FGW in disguise? I used CT yesterday to get from Worcester to Birmingham and back. On the way out my train from Worcester was cancelled and I had to wait an hour for the next one. On the way home the train left Birmingham New Street twenty minutes late (no onboard announcements at all until we'd been sitting there motionless for more than a quarter of an hour), lost more time on the way and arrived at Shrub Hill forty-five minutes late, enabling me to miss my connection for Charlbury. Very little in the way of apologies in either direction and no explanation for the delay on the return journey. By contrast, both FGW trains I used turned up: one was smack on time and the other only ten minutes late. Could it be that there is actually a worse railway company in Britain than FGW?

Thu 13 Sep 2007, 15:37

Amused to find another Cotswold Line blogger: lastlatewestern.blogspot.com/ . (To be read with trainfellows.blogspot.com/ , if you've not already seen the latter.)

Tue 11 Sep 2007, 18:44

Seen this article? View here - www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2007/09/10/cngwr110.xml

Sun 9 Sep 2007, 17:58

Except that the Guardina article is very misleading...

All that has changed is that First Great Western management will now report to Andrew Haines who has been UK Rail Director at FirstGroup since last year rather than FirstGroup's Finance Director as they have done for several years. This brings the company into line with newer FirstGroup franchises, such as Scotrail, TransPennine, Hull Trains and First Capital Connect.

Alison Forster will continue to have overall responsibility for FGW, and also a focus on the high speed services. At the same time, two new managers will focus on the former Thames and Wessex areas, both reporting to Alison. Mike Carroll has the role of Route Director, London & Thames Valley (which includes the Cotswold Line) and John Curley will be Route Director, West. As far as I know these are temporary positions to oversee performance improvements in these areas.

Sun 9 Sep 2007, 12:08

Interesting story in the Guardian which essentially says that Alison Forster, FGW's MD, has been demoted. She'll be concentrating on "high-speed train services" (i.e. ex-InterCity); Mike Carroll, who was formerly FGW MD and has a decent reputation, will be taking over Thames Valley services - which I guess includes us; and FGW as a whole has been put under the supervision of the MD of First's rail division, which incredibly it was independent of before.

Of course, it remains to be seen whether this will actually make any difference to the trains running on time...

Thu 6 Sep 2007, 10:39

I'm sure you're right John. I was basing my information on the fact that every time I write to complain to FGW about some aspect of their service I get a reply on a piece of paper with a Plymouth letterhead. Incidentally, I have just looked all the way through the current Cotswold Line timetable and the only postal address listed for FGW is the Plymouth one. I suppose they don't publicise the location of their head office in case people go and protest outside it!

As they are only in Swindon I'm up for a picketing expedition - anyone else? The best time might be around midday on a weekday so as to annoy as many of the big nobs as possible as they go in and out of the building at lunchtime - how about it?

Wed 5 Sep 2007, 22:42

Re Derek Collet's post at 11.18 on 5th September, as a matter of fact, FGW's headquarters are at Milford House, 1 Milford Street, Swindon, Wilts. SN1 1HL.
It appears that FirstGroup uses Plymouth as the location for the Customer Services departments of most, if not all, of its franchises. Last winter, I had occasion to submit a Passengers' Charter claim from First Capital Connect when it cancelled my train because two of its units would not "connect" at Brighton station and I then missed my connection at Gatwick Airport. My vouchers came with a letter from Plymouth.

Wed 5 Sep 2007, 11:18

Oh dear, that serves me right for telling a story that shows me in a bad light! My example wasn't meant to illustrate how crap I am at claiming compensation (although I admit that in this case I almost certainly am) but rather to act as a counterbalance to Ian's…

Long post - click to read full text

Wed 5 Sep 2007, 09:21

Susie
re-read Jon's post there are 3 good idea contained in it.
1. Picket FGW offices
2. refuse to pay for a day - call it 'free travel friday' - i think this is the best one.
3. follow DC around - okay so this might get his back up a bit but at least it would make sure the issue stays firmly on his agenda

Tue 4 Sep 2007, 22:43

I 100% agree - but what do you suggest Jon? The blog was initially started so that we could track each time trains were late, on time, over-crowded etc. This information would then be sent to Alison Foster and David Cameron. David has used this information in meetings he has had with FGW and as we know was shown on BBC South Today. We should continue to add to this blog - even just to shame FGW and perhaps this could go towards them loosing the franchise? Who knows. I agree we should do something - has anyone any practical great ideas? How about a petition or something at Street Fair?

Tue 4 Sep 2007, 09:57

John, Well Said.

Tue 4 Sep 2007, 09:42

If there is a problem with this thread on the forum, it has to be this: it allows angry travellers to let off steam on a regular basis, without actually DOING ANYTHING. FGW must be very happy with the situation. There is Derek, tricked out of his compensation, content to grumble here eight months on instead of taking part in a mass event designed to raise hell in the most public ways imaginable. Picket of FGW offices? No-pay days (or refuse-to-show-my-season-ticket days, for those who have given FGW millions of pounds in loans for trains that will not run)? Demo outside David Cameron's next clinic (imagine the Corner House under siege -- and follow him round from clinic to clinic!)? All with press present and photos a-plenty. No, the internet provides the opium and nothing happens. Once there would have been chaos (caused by passengers) and hell to pay (by the company). Maybe it's time to stop writing here and DO something?

Mon 3 Sep 2007, 22:05

Ian - the other side of the FGW coin is as follows. In January I had to be in Bristol for a meeting at 1.30 pm on a Sunday. The 10.14 train from Charlbury was the only viable travel option. FGW cancelled the train at short notice and provided no replacement bus (they also provided no explanation or apology for the cancellation but hey that goes without saying doesn't it?) I had to beg a complete stranger to drive me into Oxford so that I could complete the journey in time for my appointment. I applied to FGW for a refund due to the stress and inconvenience caused as a result of their complete failure to provide the advertised service. They wrote back saying that I was entitled to a refund, which would be sent to me "automatically". Quite how they proposed to do this considering that they had neither my credit card number nor my bank account details was not immediately clear to me. Needless to say, I am still waiting for my refund eight months on. Don't believe the hype - FGW are dishonest and incompetent!

Mon 3 Sep 2007, 17:41

Jon - you are so right...sob!

Mon 3 Sep 2007, 09:49

But Ian, surely that isnt the point. You wouldnt have had to claim had they not cancelled the train and then your plans would have all gone according to plan - how can you evaluate that?

Mon 3 Sep 2007, 09:17

FGW are the bane of my life, but to give them credit, two weeks ago on a Saturday I had to be in Charlbury by 10:30 at the latest, but they cancelled the only train I could get into Reading, so my plans for the day had to be cancelled to my great annoyance.

I wrote to FGW (and they turned the complaint around within a week) and they refunded the cost of my ticket plus £15, so fair play to them on that score.

Sat 1 Sep 2007, 11:36

Cry on! If FGW charged you the rate per mile that Worth's charge a commuter between Finstock and Charlbury, your ticket would cost you £33,943. On buses mostly owned by the county council. When Stagecoach takes over the route next year, fares will almost certainly rise. I know you get a crap train service, but it's interesting to see what a scandalous price buses are, especially as they are supposed to encourage people not to drive.

Fri 31 Aug 2007, 12:03

I have just filled in my request for an annual season ticket loan from work. The season ticket from Charlbury to London zone 1 is £5035.00. And that's WITH a 5% discount to make up for the appalling service over the last year. It makes my eyes water.

I'd like to point out to those people who have added comments to this thread saying that regular commuters are making a fuss and that we should just put up with it: if you had bought a second hand car for £5053.00, which the dealer told you was reliable yet for 70% of the time you tried to use it the battery had run down, or the ignition wouldn't start, or it took you twenty minutes on a frosty morning to get the engine to turn over, or the airconditioning was broken, or you could only drive it below 30mph, you'd soon be back at the dealer's making the most enormous uproar and demanding your money back or a replacement car. That's the situation regular commuters are in, except the dealer in this case is not legally obliged to provide us with adequate compensation for a completely duff product.

Fri 31 Aug 2007, 04:02

Regarding the long delay on 22nd August; of interest and possibly slightly concerning to Peter Evans (on the train), Susie Finch (waiting for it at Oxford) and others, is that the 1551 train from Paddington (1648 from Oxford) overan a red signal near Didcot station and near missed another train in the process. It was taken out of service at Oxford, doubtless for required checks to be undertaken, presumably involving the driver and the train. The incident is being investigated by the Rail Accident Investigation branch - details on their website.

Thu 30 Aug 2007, 19:47

After the last two days fiasco of the 18.21 being cancelled, can I please ask you all to carry on adding to the blog - Derek will not be able to calculate realistic statistics if half the information isnt there. We must make a concerted effort and then write yet again to Alison Foster and David Cameron. A journey that only takes 15 minutes is taking me over 1.5 hours!!

Mon 27 Aug 2007, 12:36

16.45 from Hereford to Charlbury requires a change in Worcester. The 18.15 from Worcester was cancelled - because the train coming from London was on one engine and would arrive late. The member of staff at Worcester said he couldn't understand why one of the many trains in the sidings at oxford had not been brought into service. They ordered a coach which got us back half an hour late. Not bad considering, but deprived me of an hour of much-need work time on the train. I can't read on road transport.

Thu 23 Aug 2007, 00:46

Derek, I think that is a brilliant idea but we wont get any real true statistics until everyone puts all their experiences on the blog. Come one - lets see if for just a couple of weeks EVERYONE who uses FGW put down their experience - whether train cancelled, on time, how many minutes late, over crowded, wrong information etc etc.

Wed 22 Aug 2007, 22:52

Rather than just drawing the blog to Alison Forster's attention, would it not be better if we could extract some statistics from it and send a summary to her? For example, how many trains have run and how many have been cancelled in the last 6 months?; how many trains have been late and how many on time?; of the late trains, how many were less than 5 mins late, 5-10 mins late; more than 30 mins late?, etc. If other people think this would be a good idea I might be able to prepare such a summary but I am not a statistician so it would probably take me several weeks to do it. What do other people think?

Wed 22 Aug 2007, 18:43

Think that would be a good idea - though I think she knows already. David Cameron has already pointed it out and it was used on the South Today news item. But it cant help but re-iterate it. After today's fiasco it really is the final straw. I have to use Charlbury station and dont have the choice of going to Bicester - also if we dont use Charlbury station, we could loose it. And its not just this line - it seems that ALL FGW lines suffer from bad time keeping, cancelled trains etc.

Wed 22 Aug 2007, 13:58

Should we now draw the blog directly to the attention of Alison Forster FGW's MD, and ask for her response to it?

Wed 22 Aug 2007, 12:15

I've posted eight times in the last week Susie and I'm not a commuter, only an occasional rail user, so don't leave me out! I agree though that a greater range of correspondents would be valuable. I suppose everyone is away on holiday at present.

Wed 22 Aug 2007, 11:47

Are Nick and I the only ones who travel on the trains from Charlbury? Really need to put everyone's delays down on the blog - even if its for the same train. More ammunition.

Mon 20 Aug 2007, 21:48

I sympathize with you Helen but based on my experiences last week I'm not at all surprised. I'm familiar with organizations in which the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing. FGW take this a step further - in their case the right hand denies that the left hand even exists! If I get time I'll write to Alison Forster and ask her why they made such an almighty Horlicks of the half-price travel offer last week.

Mon 20 Aug 2007, 16:29

We also struggled to obtain the half price fare on Friday. I had gone to the station earlier in the week, but was told I could only buy the ticket on the day. Despite allowing what thought was enough time and the fact the train was late, we did not reach the front of the ticket queue in time to buy tickets. The train was incredibly full but the train manager denied all knowledge of the half price ticket offer! He said we would have to buy the ticket at Paddington or pay full price. Ticket sales at Paddington also refused to sell us the ticket. We wasted half an hour of our litte enough time - we knew we were restricted to the 15.52 train or return much later. Eventually we were sold 4 adult super saver return tickets for a total of £21!!! Ironically, the return train was cancelled and after a long wait at an overcrowded Paddington we returned on a later train. Regaling my husband with the story of our journey, he said 'now you see what I have to put up with everyday'. I am now much more understanding when supper is delayed and plans have to be remade.

Mon 20 Aug 2007, 13:35

How drearily predictable FGW's implementation of the half-price ticket offer was. Consider these points:

1. The external ticket machine at Charlbury had not been reprogrammed to dispense half-price fares. I saw several people on Thursday afternoon who were unaware of the half-price offer trying to buy their tickets from the…

Long post - click to read full text

Fri 17 Aug 2007, 10:35

Yes, I noticed that it wasn't working this morning as well. However, the screen was working yesterday at about 6:45 although completely unreadable because of the sun glare.

Fri 17 Aug 2007, 10:13

Oh well, went to look for the new information screen....it had an error message,'Internet explorer Failed to connect to server, DNS error'. Otherwise no information available.

I am afraid this is fairly typical for FGW, nice idea just a shame about the implementation.

Wed 15 Aug 2007, 19:20

Will keep a look out for the new display, however if it is any good then perhaps FGW should put one at Oxford as well....no departure information working at all this afternoon (1710-1730ish)

Wed 15 Aug 2007, 19:05

Has everyone else spotted the new display screen at Charlbury? It's in the window on the platform side, by the town map.

It's main innovation is that it tells you where the next two trains were last spotted, and how late/early they were at that point. This offers the prospect of having a fairly good idea of where the train is, and how late it'll be :)

Mon 13 Aug 2007, 15:18

See the front page of the Times today for FGW's alleged attempts to silence the London commuter watchdog, and other news about FGW's performance and future.

Mon 13 Aug 2007, 14:16

There are, apparently, rumours afoot that senior heads are soon to roll at FGW...

Fri 10 Aug 2007, 21:08

There's more on this special offer at the FGW website:

www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/Content.aspx?id=1588

I can't find anything at all about whether a railcard can be used in conjunction with these special fares to make them even cheaper so presumably it can't.

Fri 10 Aug 2007, 17:24

No coming back from Paddington between those times Dave but not for other places as far as I know.

Fri 10 Aug 2007, 16:53

This is a good gesture, but remember that with a cheap day return, there's no coming back between 4pm and 7pm.

Fri 10 Aug 2007, 11:30

This was in last night's Oxford Mail:

First Great Western is giving passengers on its Cotswold Line services a treat next week by halving the cost of cheap day return tickets.

The gesture by the train operator, which was described as a welcome piece of PR spin by a passenger pressure group, is to celebrate the reopening of the line between Oxford and Worcester after the tracks were was damaged in last month's floods.

The deal, which will see a fare from Charlbury to London of £10.35 (down from £20.70) and Oxford to London of £8.75 (down from from £17.50), runs from Monday until Sunday, August 19.

It includes fares for passengers travelling from Oxford, Hanborough, Charlbury, Shipton and Kingham to stations on FGW's routes to London Paddington, Gatwick Airport and Newbury.

Cheap day returns are valid for travel on the Cotswold Line on the 8.24am from Worcester to London and all later trains and on trains leaving Oxford after 10am.

Thu 9 Aug 2007, 00:44

We thought it was just us with the appalling train service and just one line. Check out these sites www.farcegreatwestern.com and www.railvoice.co.uk and you can see we are not alone!! In fact I would urge passengers when adding on the blog on this site, to also go to www.railvoice.co.uk and put their experiences on their too. It has to help - doesnt it?

Wed 8 Aug 2007, 11:44

Not strictly on topic - I took the last bus at the weekend and can confirm that it is a good service and fairly empty after Woodstock. Only £3 single so much more cost effective than a taxi home. Following on from Richard's suggestion of the Jericho Tavern, I can wholly recommend the Royal Oak on Woodstock Road which is directly opposite a bus stop for the 20A which departs at about 23:50.

Fri 3 Aug 2007, 16:14

The line reopened at 1527 this afternoon with two 20mph speed restrictions between Kingham and Moreton-in-Marsh. The following trains will run on Friday:

15.27 Oxford to Moreton-In-Marsh (calling all stations)
17.22 Paddington to Hereford (running via Evesham)
17.27 Oxford to Great Malvern
17.52 Paddington to Worcester Shrub Hill
18.22 Paddington to Hereford (running via Evesham)
19.22 Paddington to Great Malvern
20.19 Paddington to Great Malvern
21.48 Paddington to Worcester Shrub Hill

16.14 Moreton-In-Marsh to Oxford (not calling at Finstock or Combe)
19.41 Great Malvern to Oxford
20.56 Worcester Shrub Hill to Paddington
22.20 Great Malvern to Paddington

A full advertised service will run from Saturday.

Fri 3 Aug 2007, 14:47

FGW have just announced that the Cotswold Line has now been reopened, albeit with speed restrictions in place on some sections.

Thu 2 Aug 2007, 13:50

The last bus to Charlbury is quite good as it is direct without going round the houses.

Thu 2 Aug 2007, 12:21

I'm sure you're right Richard but when it's late at night and one is tired, cold and hungry the fastest option home has a certain appeal and to hell with the cost (on a strictly one-off basis and provided one doesn't charge it back to FGW!).

Thu 2 Aug 2007, 11:22

On the occasions when I've got back to Oxford too late for the last connecting train, I've found a bus to Witney or Woodstock, then a taxi from there, can work out cheaper.

Don't forget there's now a late bus from Oxford to Charlbury, but as it doesn't leave Gloucester Green until 23.45, you might have to spend a couple of hours in the Jericho Tavern or similar... worse things have happened.

Thu 2 Aug 2007, 10:47

Let me just get this straight - you arrive at Oxford almost an hour and a half after the last scheduled train to Charlbury was due to depart (and you say you knew about the temporary timetable being in operation) and calmly demand a taxi to take you home? I admire your brassneck! I wish I'd thought of that one about a month ago when I found myself stranded at Oxford very late on a Friday evening through no fault of my own (massive disruption on the Underground due to a security alert). There were no taxis at the station and a largish crowd of people waiting at the cab rank. I had to hang around for quite a while on a very chilly evening and then pay £35 to get back to Charlbury when a cab finally appeared.

I know that FGW are compensated by Railtrack but if we all demand free taxis whenever we feel like it what is that likely to do to ticket prices next time they are reviewed? They will have to go through the roof to pay for it!

Wed 1 Aug 2007, 22:37

Got to Oxford at 20.46 on 1st August to be told no onward service to Charlbury (I do know about the disruption) and that a taxi would not be provided. After the lad on the ticket gate spoke with the duty manager a taxi was provided. Anyone else had the same 'not FGW's problem' attitude? Does everybody realise that Railtrack pays FGW substantial 'compensation' for the line being closed?

Tue 31 Jul 2007, 10:51

Could I remind people again that this, not the commuter blog, is the place to discuss the trains.

The blog is simply for recording your travel experiences, as it says immediately by the "Post a new entry" form. The purpose of the blog is to present a comprehensive record of delays so that MPs, FGW, etc. can be lobbied: if the first thing they see is a load of point-scoring about "FGW are great / no they're not / yes they are", they'll turn right off.

All the discussion-type comments within the blog have now been deleted. If you think the points need making, post them here.

Mon 30 Jul 2007, 20:31

Yup - I got the 0620 this morning - got to London at 0800 so better than expected.

Mon 30 Jul 2007, 17:36

I would not go into work 2 hours before I was due to start work, sorry - I'm not paid high enough! For me, the busses are handier at the moment until the trains sort themselves out.

Mon 30 Jul 2007, 16:50

But if you look at FGW's own website you will see that an earlier service also runs 2 hours before. It is clearer in tomorrow's timetable, but also apparently operated today.

Mon 30 Jul 2007, 15:03

Re: First Great Western's "Changes to Train Times" Monday 30 July 2007 Oxford to Hereford route, what use is a shuttle service that stops at Charlbury at 0823, and arrives at Oxford 0843? Most people start work at 0900. And this is providing it arrives on time! I pity those who work on the other side of Oxford. Still, what more have we come to expect?

Sun 29 Jul 2007, 15:25

Indeed the information is now on the FWG website. It quite clearly shows the trains between Oxford and Kingham (shown in blue) and the connecting buses from Kingham to Worceter, as well as other direct buses from Moreton-in-Marsh to Didcot Parkway.

Sun 29 Jul 2007, 13:07

Graham: the times are on the FGW website. You have to click on "Flooding update" on the homepage and then you can find them from there. It does say that it is a bus service but I think we can assume it is a train.

Sun 29 Jul 2007, 09:06

The County Council has been working with FGW all week to make up-to-date accurate information available to rail users. Their website has been updated several times each day and that's where the information came from. They must have got it from FGW.

Sat 28 Jul 2007, 18:18

If you go to the County Council website, and follow the links for the flooding and the trains, they have put all the times for the shuttle service there. Link here.

Sat 28 Jul 2007, 16:49

Wherever they've come from, they're accurate - Anna and I caught the 10.23 to Oxford this morning, and the 3.27 back. The only other passenger on the morning train had also got the info from here; and the train crew had a timetable which agreed (as well as some seriously scary pictures of the line towards Moreton), though Charlbury station had nothing.

So thanks, Ed - info much appreciated.

Sat 28 Jul 2007, 12:49

Where did these arrangements/times come from? There seems to be nothing on the FGW web site about it.

Fri 27 Jul 2007, 19:42

Here are the times of the shuttle train service -

Saturday 28 and Monday 30 July
Trains will depart from Oxford at 07.27 and then every two hours until 19.27, calling at Hanborough (xx36), Charlbury (xx44), Ascott-under-Wychwood (xx49) and Shipton (xx52). The 15.27, 17.27 and 19.27 trains also call at Combe and Finstock. Trains will depart from Kingham at 08.10 and every two hours until 20.10, calling at Shipton (xx15), Ascott-under-Wychwood (xx18), Charlbury (xx23)and Hanborough (xx30). The 08.10 will also call at Finstock and Combe.

In addition, on Monday 30 July, the 06.00 Moreton-in-Marsh to Paddington train will be altered to start at Kingham (06.08) and will operate as far as Oxford (arr. 06.38), calling at Shipton, Ascott-under-Wychwood, Charlbury and Hanborough.

Sunday 29 July
Trains will depart from Oxford at 09.27 and then every two hours until 19.27, calling at Hanborough (xx36), Charlbury (xx44), Ascott-under-Wychwood (xx49) and Shipton (xx52). The 15.27, 17.27 and 19.27 trains also call at Combe and Finstock. Trains will depart from Kingham at 10.10 and every two hours until 20.10, calling at Shipton (xx15), Ascott-under-Wychwood (xx18), Charlbury (xx23)and Hanborough (xx30).

At Kingham and Shipton all trains will use the westbound platform. A connecting bus service will run between Kingham and Worcester, serving some of the intermediate stations, with a journey time of just under two hours.

Fri 27 Jul 2007, 15:23

Now confirmed: Kingham-Oxford reopens tomorrow (Saturday), with a bus service from Kingham to Worcester; Oxford-Didcot (and from there to Paddington) reopens Monday. Timetables not published yet.

Fri 27 Jul 2007, 07:48

There is now a possibility the line between Oxford and Kingham may be re-opened on Saturday, running a limited shuttle service.
Divers are inspecting a bridge over the river Evenlode to check for any damage. If it is safe you could have late running shuttle trains within 24 hours!

Thu 26 Jul 2007, 17:26

Live Departure Boards are showing a shuttle between Oxford and Ascott operating. Anyone seen this in action? Nothing apparent from FGW website.

Wed 25 Jul 2007, 17:42

I checked the recent White Paper on the future of the railways and it did not mention redoubling of the Cotswold Line. The only mention of the Cotswold Line was as an example of a rural line which had reached capacity with a rather ominous reference to the line passing through wealthy areas with high incidence of car ownership.

Wed 25 Jul 2007, 17:26

Very droll Richard! Seriously though, I didn't hear anything yesterday on the news about the redoubling of the CL as part of the DOT's announcement so I assume it's not going to happen any time soon. The government said it wanted to alleviate bottlenecks on the railways - what bigger bottleneck is there than the CL? Once again those of who use the line are treated like third-class citizens. C'est la vie...

Wed 25 Jul 2007, 16:05

Don't suppose we could get them to redouble the line while they're putting the embankment back...?!

Wed 25 Jul 2007, 16:00

Thanks Stephen.

Wed 25 Jul 2007, 15:34

I used the taxi service this morning. I got to the station at 6.40 and was in Didcot for 7.20.

The next train I caught was the 7.30 to Paddington which arrived there at just after ten past 8.

There were plenty of Taxi's and they were putting 4 people in each, though there were only four of us there at the time and another lady waiting to up the line I think.

It has also been said that line running through Charlbury may be shut for up to a month, as a long stretch has been washed away up towards Moreton in the Marsh (around 150 feet), with only the rails remaining between the gap and all of the sleepers gone.

They will need to build a road to get to the troubled section before repairs can start.

I am not sure about this evenings routine and will update if I have any news.

Wed 25 Jul 2007, 15:33

Is Charlbury station open this week? Can I buy a rail ticket to Didcot and then use a taxi to get there or is it not that simple?

Wed 25 Jul 2007, 11:58

Anyone had experience of the Didcot taxis?

How long do they take, what do you need to show?

Are there enough?

Wed 25 Jul 2007, 10:00

If anyone else is driving in to Oxford they will have seen the horrendous queues. The A44 is solid from Yarnton to the Wolvercote roundabout. Anyone going into Oxford centre might consider driving to Tackley and getting the train from there. FGW are running hourly local trains between Oxford and Banbury which stop there. I think it is a 20 min drive IIRC.

Tue 24 Jul 2007, 15:00

See update on taxi/coach services to and from Didcot on Richard's posting in the News section.

Tue 24 Jul 2007, 12:43

In December 2005, the line was shut between Oxford and Hanborough for engineering work and FGW ran a shuttle service between Hanborough and Worcester. I have just emailed them to ask why they can't do something similar on the unflooded section of the line between Oxford and Kingham.

Tue 24 Jul 2007, 11:01

Well, if FGW can run an hourly shuttle to and from Banbury stopping at the local Cherwell Valley stations then I don't see why they can't do one to Charlubry and back (if that part of the line is clear).

Tue 24 Jul 2007, 09:29

Thames Trains certainly ran Oxford-Charlbury services at one point in the past when there was trouble further up the line - I remember catching one.

Mon 23 Jul 2007, 21:40

Ed I have been advised by a National Rail Customer Services representative, whom I've just called that the busses have been suspended owing to adverse weather conditions.

Mon 23 Jul 2007, 15:42

FGW has now arranged for customers from Charlbury and Combe to use the Stagecoach 20A bus service to and from Oxford at no extra cost using their rail tickets.

Mon 23 Jul 2007, 14:41

It is not straightforward as Network Rail would have
to rewrite the instructions to drivers and signallers
on on how to work trains termianting on the single line

On reading that, a vision popped into my mind of the northbound bus stopped in a layby waiting for the southbound bus to go by :-)

Mon 23 Jul 2007, 14:28

Oxford Station is open but ther roads surrounding it are closed. The following train services are running:
FGW is currently running a shuttle from Oxford to Banbury between 0600 and 2245, at xx00/xx45 past most (but not all) hours. Tickets to London Paddington are valid via Banbury and Chiltern Railways.

Virgin Cross Country is running one train each hour to Birmingham.

The line soutn of Oxford is expected to remain closed until Thursday morning and FGW is looking at alternative road transport.

Running a shuttle train is somehting that might happen if the line is closed for a long time. It is not straightforward as Network Rail would have to rewrite the instructions to drivers and signallers on on how to work trains termianting on the single line. Derek, even if you got to Oxford there are no trains south from there.

When the water recedes Network Rail can start checking track and equipment and some trains might start running again but the tracks between Evesham and Worcester are still under deep water so it might be some time before they can do so.

Mon 23 Jul 2007, 12:57

Ian: you could take the Stagecoach bus to Oxford, catch the X39 bus from St. Aldates to Wallingford and then another bus (I think it may be the X40) from there to Reading. After that, you're on your own! I realize this would be (a) very time-consuming and (b) horrendously expensive but you would be significantly nearer to Farnborough than at present.

Yes Harriet I can take the Stagecoach bus to get out of Charlbury but the last time I used it (just before Christmas last year) it took over an hour to get to Oxford (because it stopped at seemingly every village in the Western Hemisphere) and was very expensive because the driver could not issue me a day return ticket ("Singles only mate!"). It's not a question of trying to get to work because I work from home in Charlbury but I had planned trips this week to Guildford, Cholsey and London, all of which are far more easily reached by train than any other mode of transport. I still don't see why FGW can't operate a skeleton service over that part of the Cotswold Line that is not flooded.

Mon 23 Jul 2007, 12:53

Banbury Station is also open again. Trains to Reading & London Marylebone also run through there.

Buses to Banbury run from Chipping Norton if you don't fancy the bike ride. Useful maps of public transport across Oxfordshire are often just ouside the library, or available in Tourist Information Centres.

FGW is now saying that the Cotsworld line is unlikely to be open before August 6th, so it's worth checking out the alternatives.

Mon 23 Jul 2007, 12:11

I realise there's a bus to Oxford, but I hear the station's closed at the moment. I have no idea how to get to Reading after that, and then my line to Farnborough (wgere I currently live) has also been flooded!

Mon 23 Jul 2007, 11:38

Of course you're not stuck here - there's the Stagecoach bus you know! That goes to Oxford several times a day. If there isn't one that gets in at the time you usually do I am sure your employers will make an exception for special circs!

Mon 23 Jul 2007, 10:59

Given the number of Charlbury residents who use the trains, surely it wouldn't be beyond the wit of human ingenuity for FGW to provide a shuttle service to and from Oxford? Even two Turbos a day in each direction would be better than nothing! I have no car, and like Ian I now face the prospect of being stranded in Charlbury for the next two weeks. I can walk or cycle of course but what if I want to go further afield?

Mon 23 Jul 2007, 10:16

I've been stranded here since Friday, and now it looks I'll be here for a fortnight!! Surely it's not too much to ask for rail replacement buses?

Sun 22 Jul 2007, 22:26

FGW Update @ 22:30 Sun:

The line between Didcot Parkway and Oxford is expected to be closed until at least Wednesday.

The line between Oxford and Worcester/Hereford will remain closed until at least Monday 6th July.

There will be no alternative road transport on these routes.

Sun 22 Jul 2007, 21:50

FGW Update @ 21:45 Sun:
Train services between Oxford and Didcot Parkway have been suspended due to severe flooding in Kennington, South Oxford. The line is closed (as it was in 2003) and no road transport can be provided as roads into Oxford city centre are also closed due to the flooding.

Sun 22 Jul 2007, 21:29

I need to be in London for around 9:30 Monday. Given that FGW is currently indicating that services will be a problem between Oxford and Didcot, I will be taking the Chiltern Line - Haddenam and Thame to Marylebone. Anyone want a lift? I can take three - leaving at around 7:15am Park Street.

Sun 22 Jul 2007, 20:47

An update this evening on the FGW website says that all lines will reopen on Monday morning, with the exception of the Oxford-Worcester line, on which it says: "We expect this situation to remain for the next fourteen days at least" - not good news.

I guess it will depend how quickly the water drains away and if the repairs to the railway are extensive or not.

Sun 22 Jul 2007, 16:39

Sorry, it was from National Rail, here's the link.

I'm hoping they've got it wrong, as otherwise it means the bus or Park and Ride for me.

Sun 22 Jul 2007, 16:23

I'm not sure where Frank has been looking but the FGW website is saying that: "We expect this situation to remain for the next seven days at least."

With flooding at Moreton-in-Marsh, Evesham, Worcester Shrub Hill, Great Malvern and Ledbury it could well be longer as Network Rail isn't able to check dmaage to the track and signalling until the water has resided.

Sun 22 Jul 2007, 10:32

The FGW site is now saying the line will be closed for two weeks, which is really bad news.

Sat 21 Jul 2007, 23:00

Now looks like there won't be a service at all next week, not even alternative road transport.

Fri 20 Jul 2007, 15:04

Routes between Oxford, London Paddington and Bristol have been severely disrupted or cancelled due to flash flooding across the South. First Great Western have advised people not to travel by train because of the torrential storms.
Source - Skynews.com

Tue 17 Jul 2007, 23:43

To respond to Mark, who incidentally posted his comment in the blog and not in the correct place, i.e. this thread:

1. I agree that the trains are not always late or cancelled and I think the blog reflects this fact. Look at my two postings for today - one…

Long post - click to read full text

Tue 17 Jul 2007, 09:27

Richard - 29 June for the fatality and 2 July for the lightning strike. I'm not sure you should be shot at dawn for claiming compensation - after all FGW certainly will from Network Rail.

Sun 15 Jul 2007, 20:30

I wouldn't hold out too much hope of getting any compensation. If you look at paragraph 42 of the National Rail Conditions of Carriage (NRCC), that apply to every train operator, it says:

"Where delays, cancellations or poor service arise for reasons within the control of a Train Company or Rail Service Company, you are entitled to compensation in accordance with the arrangements set out in that Train Company's Passenger’s Charter. The amount of compensation offered by each Train Company in its Passenger’s Charter varies from Train Company to Train Company. However, if you are more than one hour late at your destination station you will, as a minimum, be entitled to compensation in the form of travel vouchers.

However, paragraph 45 lists the exceptions to compensation and says that circumstances that are not within a Train Company’s control include:
(a) acts or threats of vandalism or terrorism;
(b) suicides or accidents involving trespassers;
(c) gas leaks or fires in lineside buildings not caused by a Train Company or a Rail Service Company or any of their employees or agents;
(d) line closures at the request of the police or emergency services;
(e) exceptionally severe weather conditions;
(f) industrial action by a Train Company’s, or Rail Service Company’s, staff or agents or by any other person;
(g) riots or civil commotion; and
(h) fire, mechanical or electrical failure or a defect (except where this is caused by a Train Company or Rail Service Company or their employees or agents, or as a result of the condition of a Train Company’s trains).

Exceptions (b) and (e) apply so no compensation would be payable.

because of the severity of the major signal failure between Slough and London on 2/3 July, FGW has decided to offer compensation 'on-request' outside of the terms of the NRCC, as a token of goodwill to passenegers who would otherwise not be entitled to compensation.

Sun 15 Jul 2007, 14:32

a lightening strike is an act of god if you believe in religion. somebody losing there life under a train is a a tragedy .any body trying to claim compensation for being late for work should be shot at dawn.

Sun 15 Jul 2007, 13:05

Can any London peak time commuters give me the dates of...
1. the fatality at ivor,
2. the lightening strike at slough,
both of these happened in the last couple of weeks.
I'm filling in my compensation forms and the exact dates have eluded me.

Thanks

Wed 11 Jul 2007, 14:03

Isnt that a crafy wayout for the train providers to pay less money. What if your train was always 29 minutes late? You would have no recourse. At least with the 5% discount on season ticket holders, you got some money off - instead of having to write in every day/week/month. And individual ticket holders were also able to claim back money for severe delays of 30 minutes or more. This will just put people off writing in complaining - and the rail company not giving any discount - therefore a price increase. Great - and I thought the government were there to help!!!

Wed 11 Jul 2007, 12:19

I noticed on the BBC Web site that Virgin has lost its cross country rail franchise to Arriva, even though it had until 2012 to run. It seems that the Department of Transport decided to retender the franchise. I didn't think Virgin was very much worse than FGW so surely it must be a possibility for the Cotswold line to be retendered, or at least threatened.

Also, the Dept of Tranpsort web site has the following statement about compensation for delayed trains which seems to apply to other companies.

" The New Cross Country franchise will offer a single compensation policy for all passengers. As with other recently announced franchises, discounts in renewal for season tickets valid between one month and one year in compensation for poor punctuality and reliability will be replaced by compensation based on delays to individual journeys, known as Delay/Repay. Under the new system, all passengers will be entitled to claim compensation for all delays, whatever their cause.

• 50 per cent of the price paid for a single-leg journey delayed by between 30 and 59 minutes;
• 100 per cent of the price paid for a single-leg journey delayed by between 60 and 119 minutes; and
• 100 per cent of the price paid for a return journey delayed by more than 119 minutes.
  The changes will also start to standardise disparate compensation arrangements for single, return and weekly season ticket holders on different train operators. "

Wed 11 Jul 2007, 12:11

The poster in Oxford refers to the evening peak period when the signals between Slough and Paddington gave so many problems, there is no mention of the signal problems at Ascott during the morning peak period when Cotswold line trains were 48 minutes late or cancelled.

Wed 11 Jul 2007, 11:51

Just a note for anyone with a season ticket who travelled on the 2-3 July when we had all those signalling problems. If you phone FGW customer relations on 08457 000125 then you can request 'compensation'. There is a poster in Oxford station to this effect.

Thu 5 Jul 2007, 16:23

I do find it galling that FGW will make a fortune from NR because of delays due to signal failures and problems with axle counters, yet the most us season ticket holders will ever see is 5% disount on renewal.

Wed 4 Jul 2007, 13:19

Susie,

I looked into Season tickets, and because I sometimes get a lift to Oxford or go overseas for a few days in the month it doesnt quite make financial sense for commuting into Oxford. A mix of cheap day returns and carnet tickets seems to work out best....when the ticket barriers let cheap day returns through that is.

Wed 4 Jul 2007, 12:55

Ian, you seem to travel quite a bit on the trains - wouldnt it pay you to get a season?

Wed 4 Jul 2007, 10:50

Ed,

All along I have been quoting FGW public charter figures, these are correct
and it is for only the thames valley line that only peak trains are included, all other FGW regions all trains are included...why the difference? FGW will not tell me even when asked directly.

Secondly FGW are compensated by Network rail when the cause of delays is due to NR, FGW do not in general compensate their customer for less than an hours delay or if they are not a season ticket holder. In fact these compensation payments from NR are a very large part of the bidding package for a franchise, one which GNER got spectacularly wrong.

While the last couple of weeks have been dominated by signal problems, ever since the timetable changes in December the dominant cause of problems seems to have been (according to the FGW website for service disruptions) staff unavailability and train failure, add to this the recent two months replacement of a 5 car Adelante by 3 car turbos with associated overcrowding.

As a non-season ticket holder I still pay the full ticket price with absolutely no compensation.

Wed 4 Jul 2007, 10:19

I agree with Susie. We have all experienced trains which run so late that they terminate at Reading. I regard that as cancellation.

Wed 4 Jul 2007, 10:12

And how many trains have been cancelled due to poor maintenance of the trains, crews not turning up etc? I agree with Richard, its up to FGW to sort Network Rail out. No other operator seems to have this problem - they run their trains on time. And on our line, if they cancelled late running trains, we wouldnt have any!!! This week has been particularly bad, and not all FGW's fault. However, I am sure there were measures they could have taken to get passengers home - coaches for instance. As Richard says, we pay our money to FGW - and its up to them to sort it!!! As I said before - any suggestions as to what we can do?

Tue 3 Jul 2007, 20:21

Ed, you say that "There is no point blaming the train operator when the underlying problem is someone else's. If people actually complained to the right organisation then things might actually get better."

You might be right that many of the problems are Network Rail's fault; some of them are also Alstom's fault because the Adelantes, lovely and comfortable though they are, can't run for more than 100 yards without falling over; some of them are the fault of the people who designed the Customer Misinformation System; some are legacy issues left over from Thames Trains. I don't doubt any of that.

But the fact remains that First Greater Western is the name that appears on my debit card statement. Network Rail is not a public-facing organisation: FGW is. If FGW have a problem in delivering the service for which I, and a hundred other Charlbury travellers have paid them, it's up to them to sort it out with the companies with which they have a contractual relationship.

After all, if I have a problem with my iBook, I contact Apple, not the company which makes the CPU and the graphics chip - even if it's the CPU or the graphics chip that has failed.

(For what it's worth, Network Rail are the ones who appear to be doing something about the Cotswold Line - a study into redoubling the track. FGW don't even appear to be able to tell us what trains we'll have this time next year!)

Tue 3 Jul 2007, 19:36

Here are the performance figures split into punctuality and reliability from FGW's own website. Second table down for the 4 week period starting late May.

www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/Content.aspx?id=265

Note the separate figures for each area split into punctuality and reliability....punctuality is 68%

Tue 3 Jul 2007, 19:32

Ian, I believe the figures quoted on the FGW poster are Passengers’ Charter figures, not PPM. So FGW’s punctuality for the past four weeks was an appalling 68% of peak trains arriving on time and their reliability measure was 98.7%. Only peak hour trains are used for calculating charter figures. This applies to all franchised train companies in England, Scotland and Wales.

Whilst they don’t always arrive on time, the FGW ethos is generally to run a train even if it is running late rather than cancel it like some other companies would do. If the punctuality and reliability figures are combined, and extended to include all scheduled services on all days of the week they achieve a PPM of 85%.

I don’t work for FGW and wish they would get better…soon! But I do get frustrated and annoyed that people don’t want to understand the full picture.

I agree that the figures reflect the user experience but people need to understand that FGW (like other train companies) is responsible only for running their trains on tracks operated by Network Rail. There is no point blaming the train operator when the underlying problem is someone else's. If people actually complained to the right organisation then things might actually get better.

Tue 3 Jul 2007, 18:21

Sorry Ed, my figures come from from the FGW poster at Oxford, which explicitly states separate figures for punctuality and reliability for the annual average and the 4 week period. I only quoted the punctuality figures for the recent 4 week periods. I know that separate figures exist for reliability.

On the same poster there is a footnote that states that for Thames Valley services only that only trains to and from Paddington during peak times are included.

I have queried FGW about this and they were not prepared to answer the email with an explanation although they did not deny the fact that a large number of trains are specifically excluded from the figures.

Yes the punctuality figures include rail, signal and TOC on TOC delays as well as FGW delays but that is not what the figures are supposed to present (it is in intiernal inductry problem) the figures are what the passengers are experiencing and indicate that as expected the last 4 week period is getting worse again.

I dont suppose you work for FGW Ed?

Tue 3 Jul 2007, 17:33

I should correct what Ian has said. The Public Performance Measure (PPM) combines figures for punctuality and reliability, and covers all scheduled services, seven days a week. It does not seperate peak or off-peak, weekday or weekend services.

PPM measures the performance of individual trains against their planned timetable, and is therefore the percentage of trains ‘on time’ compared to the total number of trains planned. For example, PPM of 80% means 8 out of 10 trains arrived 'on time'.

A train is defined as ‘on time’ if it arrives within five minutes (i.e. 4 minutes 59 seconds or less) of the planned destination arrival time. Where a train fails to run its entire planned route calling at all of its scheduled stations it will either be shown as a full cancellation (if it runs less than half of its planned mileage) or a part-cancellation (if it runs more than half of its planned mileage). Full and part-cancellations are combined to calculate an overall PPM figure.

What PPM does not show is the split in responsibility for late running between Network Rail and the train companies. Today's signalling problems at Ascott are not the fault of the train company but their PPM will be affected as trains failed to complete their planned journey on time.

Industry figures show that Network Rail is accountable for 55% of all delays (up 5.4% in the last 4-weekly period compared to last year), with train operator delays falling by 15.1% in the past year.
More pressure should be brought on Network Rail to improve the track and signalling to allow the train company to run a reliable service.

Tue 3 Jul 2007, 17:24

Used the bus again today to Oxford and back - glad I did!!

Tue 3 Jul 2007, 15:38

The latest 4 week period of punctuality figures have just been released...getting worse again. The punctuality figures for recent 4 week periods are 64%, 72%, 82%, 72% and the latest 68%.

Remember these figures are for trains arriving in Paddington before 10am and leaving between 4pm and 7pm so the often late 0920 Charlbury to Paddington and the 1648 Oxford to Charlbury are not included in these figures.

Mon 2 Jul 2007, 14:07

Recently spotted this entertaining blog by a Cotswold Line commuter - from Kingham, I think?

Sat 30 Jun 2007, 08:26

In answer to the last question, experience over the last few years is that the automated display screens showing alleged train times are NOT reliable. Sometimes they show trains delayed when they are not, and when there are delays you won't get much sense out of the screens.

Fri 29 Jun 2007, 19:33

How reliable is the on line departure board? Still waiting for my husband who caught the 17.22 from Paddington this evening, but the online board shows this train arriving after one that left Paddington later. Do FGW have to pay compensation for delays over a certain length, and so avoid double payment by letting a later train overtake an already delayed one? Or am I too cynical?

Thu 28 Jun 2007, 16:29

Totally gave up on the trains today and caught the bus!!

Tue 26 Jun 2007, 18:17

It has been suggested that we conduct some sort of protest on a Saturday - any suggestions? Please contact susanna_finch@hotmail.com

Wed 20 Jun 2007, 22:31

To answer Susie's post - maybe we should contact David Cameron. Who knows? Perhaps he will know some people who could make a difference?

Wed 20 Jun 2007, 22:08

The 18:46 eventually left Oxford at about 19:30 - some 44 minutes ahead of schedule! At least they bothered to give an excuse (computer failure in case anyone cares) this time - not that it alters the fact that it was late! I am getting to the point where I have to start being greatful for the fact that the trains turn up at all!

Wed 20 Jun 2007, 22:02

Re: the 07:48 - what amazes me is the utter contempt FGW appear to have for their customers! I understand this cancellation had been on the cards since the night before and yet no alternative transport was arranged. Who is regulating this franchise?

Wed 20 Jun 2007, 14:56

Well the trains are really up the shoot today. One of the ticket sellers at Charlbury station told me that FGW are 17 drivers down today and she didnt know why. She said that "if it was the holidays would expect it" which doesnt sound well for us in July and August. Everyone else manages to cover holidays, sickness etc. Why cant FGW. Has a plane every been cancelled because its a) not there or b) no crew? Very very rarely. People are still missing appointments, loosing jobs etc. Dont FGW realise this? This is after all meant to be a train SERVICE. Cant see much of that! Any suggestions on where we go from here?

Mon 18 Jun 2007, 16:53

Rebecca and Michael - postings about individual trains are best placed in the commuter blog (see link on the front page), not here in the forum. Thanks!

That said, your experience with the 12.20pm does sound pretty horrendous...

Mon 18 Jun 2007, 16:46

This relates to the 12:20pm on Thursday 7th June: delayed by over 1.5 hours as the machine that counts the number of carraiges on a train broke down somewhere at the end of the single line. Delay continued to get longer and longer - we were assuranced that it was only half an hour delayed at first. No taxis offered and as I had no car that day I missed my 2pm appointment in Oxford.

Mon 18 Jun 2007, 15:08

Overtook a FGW HST on friday night....doing about 60mph on the back of a low loader on the M5. They obviously cant affod the delays moving them around by rail.

Sat 16 Jun 2007, 16:27

On Friday 15 June the 06.45was cancelled without explanation; I assume flood related.

Fri 15 Jun 2007, 13:14

At the end of the other train thread, Frank stated that he "believed that only the threat of losing the franchise will improve matters. Last year FGW told its employees that they were at risk of losing part of the franchise because of poor performance". Where do we go from here - who do we ask - what letters to write etc etc. Practical suggests only!