The Trains

Wed 14 Mar 2007, 13:02

Good point. Must admit I have witnessed a few trains recently that were on time but didn't record it; we should of course try to make the blog as full and fair a picture of the rail service as possible.

One thing that emerges loud and clear from the blog is how utterly appalling is the information provided by FGW at stations. For example, when was the last time anyone heard an audio announcement at Charlbury? I can't remember hearing one since sometime last summer! If the information screens are working at all then they often display wrong, misleading or confusing information. The ones at Oxford are also terrible - they seem to be out of action almost as often as they are working!

I have used South West Trains quite often this year. Every station, no matter how small or insignificant, has information screens with bright orange scrolling text (like the ones at Reading) which seem to display accurate and reliable information. Why can't we have something similar on the Cotswold Line? Why are we always the poor relations?

I'm sure FGW would help their own cause if they made the dispensing of accurate information a priority. If a train is late or cancelled they I get annoyed but I can be mollified if I am given a sensible reason for the problem and if I know what's going on then at least I can construct myself an alternative travel plan. Being kept in the dark and/or fed inadequate information is not the way to keep passengers happy. FGW lose customers with their approach: many a time I have witnessed people at Charlbury look at the screens, see that the train is predicted to be significantly late and then decide to drive into Oxford instead. The train then turns up only a few minutes late because the screens are displaying erroneous information but by then the damage is done - another potential passenger has been lost, possibly for good, and the environment has been unnecessarily polluted as a result.

Over to you FGW - you may be incapable of running a proper train service but you could at least tackle the simpler task of keeping your customers properly informed at all times and in all places.