The Cotswold Line Trains

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 of the two trains I took was on time and the other was only 9 minutes late and that is what I have reported. The aim of the blog is to provide a "snapshot" of the performance of FGW and hopefully people other than me do record trains that run on time and not just those that are late. The aim of the blog is not to make FGW look bad - they can do that themselves without any help from us!

2. Yes, there are other ways to get into Oxford but let's look at them shall we? I don't drive so that option is out; if I did, it would take me roughly twice as long as using the train. I could take a taxi but that would cost almost 10 times as much as the train (I know, I had to do it recently when I missed the last train back from Oxford). If I catch the bus it costs more than the train and takes almost three times as long. Cycling to Oxford would take about the same time as the bus, maybe longer. Therefore, what viable option do I have apart from taking the train?

3. I have never been rude to a FGW employee although some of them have certainly been (unnecessarily) rude to me. I treat them with respect, even if that respect is not always returned. Incidentally, I have spoken to a number of FGW employees this year and they have generally been in agreement with me when I have complained about the trains. FGW employees do not seem to be very fond of FGW you might be surprised to learn!

4. I do not expect the trains to be perfect at all times - far from it. However, I do give a lot of my hard-earned cash to FGW and in return I expect a reliable and reasonably punctual service and for the Company to behave in a responsible and professional manner. Do you really think this is too much to ask for?