• Our booking engine at tickets.railforums.co.uk (powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!

Why doesn't Heathrow Connect publish performance (PPM) statistics?

Status
Not open for further replies.

All Line Rover

Established Member
Joined
17 Feb 2011
Messages
5,221
Why doesn't Heathrow Connect publish performance (PPM) statistics?

According to Wikipedia, "as the service is a joint venture between First Great Western and Heathrow Express it is not subject to the usual franchising specifications and is not obliged to provide performance statistics". No source is provided.

I raise the question only because Heathrow Connect appears to be the only train company that doesn't publish performance statistics, which limits its accountability to the residents of Ealing and Hayes & Harlington.
 
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R

RailUK Forums

All Line Rover

Established Member
Joined
17 Feb 2011
Messages
5,221

Mojo

Forum Staff
Staff Member
Administrator
Joined
7 Aug 2005
Messages
20,382
Location
0035

All Line Rover

Established Member
Joined
17 Feb 2011
Messages
5,221
Well hidden in the sense that you don't expect Heathrow Connect's performance information to be published on First Great Western's website. And listing Heathrow Connect as "Connect" in the PDF is quite ambigious. If First Great Western has the greatest share of control over Heathrow Connect, it would make more sense to have Heathrow Connect listed on the FGW website, rather than having a separate, poorly maintained website.
 

transmanche

Established Member
Joined
27 Feb 2011
Messages
6,018
Off topic, but why doesn't it call at Acton Main line?
Not a lot does - basically just the Greenford service and a few extras.

Even back in the mid-90s, the stopping service to Slough was nearly always 'all stations except Acton Main Line'.
 

button_boxer

Established Member
Joined
12 Nov 2009
Messages
1,270
Heathrow Connect is not a Train Operating Company full stop. As I understand it, officially a "Heathrow Connect" branded train is a FGW service between Paddington and H&H (so it would make perfect sense for its statistics to be part of those for FGW on that stretch), and beyond H&H it's run by Heathrow Express and is not a National Rail service.
 

transmanche

Established Member
Joined
27 Feb 2011
Messages
6,018
Heathrow Connect is not a Train Operating Company full stop. As I understand it, officially a "Heathrow Connect" branded train is a FGW service between Paddington and H&H (so it would make perfect sense for its statistics to be part of those for FGW on that stretch), and beyond H&H it's run by Heathrow Express and is not a National Rail service.
Although that won't be obvious to the casual passenger...
 

transmanche

Established Member
Joined
27 Feb 2011
Messages
6,018
What relevance would this have to the "casual passenger?"
OK, I'll re-phrase that to "the ordinary passenger who is unaware of the technical minutiae regarding the ownership structure and operational details of trains operating under the Heathrow Connect brand." But you knew that anyway... :roll:
 

Mojo

Forum Staff
Staff Member
Administrator
Joined
7 Aug 2005
Messages
20,382
Location
0035
OK, I'll re-phrase that to "the ordinary passenger who is unaware of the technical minutiae regarding the ownership structure and operational details of trains operating under the Heathrow Connect brand." But you knew that anyway... :roll:

But why would "the ordinary passenger" care about this? What relevance does it have to how they make their journey?
 

455driver

Veteran Member
Joined
10 May 2010
Messages
11,332
Why would the 'casual passenger' care about or need this information?
 

transmanche

Established Member
Joined
27 Feb 2011
Messages
6,018
But why would "the ordinary passenger" care about this? What relevance does it have to how they make their journey?
I'm not sure what point you're trying to make. Are you suggesting that PPM statistics have no relevance to passengers?

If I were an ordinary passenger commuting on a Heathrow Connect service from Southall, it's unlikely that I'd know the service was technically operated by FGW. And if I wanted to know if I were due a season ticket discount, naturally I might look at the Heathrow Connect website. So I don't think it's totally unreasonable to expect Heathrow Connect to provide a link to the PPM information on the FGW website.
 

Mojo

Forum Staff
Staff Member
Administrator
Joined
7 Aug 2005
Messages
20,382
Location
0035
I'm not sure what point you're trying to make. Are you suggesting that PPM statistics have no relevance to passengers?

If I were an ordinary passenger commuting on a Heathrow Connect service from Southall, it's unlikely that I'd know the service was technically operated by FGW. And if I wanted to know if I were due a season ticket discount, naturally I might look at the Heathrow Connect website. So I don't think it's totally unreasonable to expect Heathrow Connect to provide a link to the PPM information on the FGW website.

But a Charter discount would not be given to only customers of Heathrow Connect; it applies to FGW's "London - Thames Valley services" group.
 

transmanche

Established Member
Joined
27 Feb 2011
Messages
6,018
But a Charter discount would not be given to only customers of Heathrow Connect; it applies to FGW's "London - Thames Valley services" group.
Aaaaand back we go to the beginning! :roll:

The ordinary passenger wouldn't know that. Hence why I said "I don't think it's totally unreasonable to expect Heathrow Connect to provide a link to the PPM information on the FGW website".
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Top