An MP wants your views: How would you rate your experience of using Great Western Railway?

Greetings RailUK Forums community. This is the Digital Engagement Team at the House of Commons. We work to engage online audiences with the work happening in the House of Commons, and wanted to let you know about an upcoming debate:

On Tuesday, Stephen Doughty MP will be leading a debate in Westminster Hall on the performance of the Great Western Railway network. We are gathering the views and experiences of the public which we'll pass onto Stephen to help him inform his speech and remarks.

Specifically, we'd like to know:

How would you rate your experience of using GWR?
Have you experienced delays or other performance issues on GWR trains? How have these affected you?

Tell us your thoughts and experiences on this thread for your chance to feed into the debate.

We are also running the thread on Facebook if you’d prefer to submit your comments here. Do send the link on to anyone you know who isn't a member of the RailUK Forum and would be interested in taking part.

Please submit your responses by midday on Monday 4 February for your chance to be included.
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Your username, and any information or opinions you provide, may be shared with Stephen Doughty MP and used in a parliamentary debate which will be on the record and available on Parliament TV and Hansard. Please ensure that you are happy with your comment before sharing.

Really disappointed by the poor bicycle provision in GWR's new trains. Previous trains used on our line (the Class 180 'Adelantes' and the HSTs) had six bike spaces per train. The new five-coach Class 800 trains have just two.

Exasperatingly, they were built with four bike spaces, but GWR has decided to reallocate two of them for baggage. There's also nigh-on half a carriage wasted on a kitchen that is never used on our line (the North Cotswolds).

We (our local Town Council) raised this repeatedly with GWR during the commissioning of the new trains and were told there'd be more spaces. There aren't.

Not being local to the GWR network, I don't use it regularly, but last Friday (25/1) my wife and I did have cause to travel on first class advance tickets from Slough to Bristol (so changing at Reading from a local train to the fast - in both cases new electric stock). We travelled in the middle of the day, and last Friday was cold (although nothing like as cold as this week!)

What was good? I was impressed with the trains - they ran to time and were comfortable. I know there are people here who will argue that the new IETs have hard seats, but we found them fine - firm enough to be supportive, but soft enough to be comfortable. The fact that we are rather heavier than most people (I'm 20 and a half stone...) may mean that others' experience varies. Compared to WCML Pendolinos the carriage is spacious (luggage space and so on) and in diesel operation the train is quieter than XC Voyagers, so I think there's progress over the earlier generation of intercity trains

What was less good? The operations seemed to struggle. So at Reading, someone had rightly mopped the footbridge/concourse, but management didn't seem to appreciate that water wouldn't evaporate when it was that cold. So the surface was a little slippy. In fairness, eventually one man with a quite small wiper did start in on trying to wipe the water off.

And on the Reading - Bristol train, we struggled with finding first class. Our tickets told us to look for carriage A - and the train was labelled with a carriage A. But the station signs and announcements at Reading told us that first class was in carriages 4, 5, 6 and 7. Giving carriages letters is fine. So is giving them numbers. But use one system or the other.

On the train, it turned out that one toilet had been locked out - and the other two were not flushing, leaving them unusable. This says to me that either the water tanks had not been replenished, or the sewage tanks hadn't been emptied (or both). This suggests that something isn't right in operating the new trains. Maybe the train was late to Paddington on its previous trip and a scheduled resupply wasn't done. Maybe the diagram is too tight. Maybe it's something else. But the train was not really ready for use when it reached Reading.

On balance, the new kit (trains, stations) seems to be good. But I'm not convinced that management have yet got a grip on how to best use it.

You may find that the following forum, which has a far greater emphasis on the GWR 'area', useful for getting responses.

http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/

The membership there has a history of responding to consultations about GWR.

The new trains are very good. I frequently travel to Devon & Cornwall and whilst the high back seats are not that comfortable for some, I find them perfectly acceptable. Staff are polite sometimes under difficult circumstances. Frequency is good. The only criticism I have based on my own experiences are those of the pacers still in use up & down the branch lines around Exeter, Exmouth & Torquay. They really do need to be replaced.

I prefer the wheelchair space provision in the new IETs as compared to the HST (I travel regularly between Oxford and Worcester). Because the spaces are in first class, they are less likely to be occupied by people's luggage or by people with buggies, both of which have refused to move in the past. It's also good because multiple staff will ask where you're getting off etc, so potentially less chance of getting carried on, and the height of the train is lower than the HSTs (particularly important at Foregate Street).

Just to confirm the @HouseOfCommons is genuine, in case anyone is wondering. I have added 'Verified Rep' status to this account to indicate this.

HouseOfCommons said:

How would you rate your experience of using GWR?
Have you experienced delays or other performance issues on GWR trains?

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The only issues that I've been directly made aware of myself recently are relating to errors by GWR in their ticketing data, which resulted in the staff of GWR and other companies penalising passengers for GWR's errors.

I'm even aware of a rogue company called Transport Investigations threatening to prosecute a passenger under the rail industry's draconian criminal legislation, who used a ticket on their booked services and occupying their reserved seat, due to GWR's errors.

Poor timekeeping performance is sometimes inevitable, especially when a company is required to take delivery of new rolling stock and is at the mercy of other providers such as Network Rail, but I see ticketing matters that impact on passengers as rather less excusable.

I'm not sure if ticketing matters are within the scope of what you had in mind or not, but if it is I can provide more detail if this is of interest.

I would certainly agree with the performance and timekeeping elements. Although my local line (the line I use to get into work) manages to settle down to a fairly reliable service during the day, the early and weekend service timekeeping and remain fairly average. I would also like to make a mention of cleanliness - This is something that seems to be very hit and miss at the moment - the IETs are of course looked after by Hitachi, however the Turbo, West Fleet and HSTs have all been lacking in this respect. In fact, the last HST set had a leak in what I presume was the toilet tank and courteously showered those closest or who walked underneath it. The Turbo fleet based out of Reading does seem to be finally getting some TLC, but the Bristol fleet is looking shabby.

I won't go into the well documented issues with the IETs as those are easily found on here and other places, however I do still very much lament the issue of on board catering and luggage provision. The 9 cars should have been built with some form of buffet / shop (similar to the mini buffets provided on the current HSTs or the East Coast IETs) and there should have been more of them - On my recent trip to Penzance, in the middle of a January and on a Saturday, the 5 car was very busy and could have done with an extra coach or two. On the journey back, the trolley only passed through once - while similar trips back from the west country have had very lightly (and poorly loaded trollies). I'm also aware that there has been luggage issues with these in the build up to Christmas - the previous HSTs had much larger luggage racks and better cycle space, and managed this far better. What they need is either a larger luggage rack (and not the silly 1 or the other cycle or luggage space) or another one located in the coach - similar to the Midland HST sets.

All in all, I would describe them as average. They were excellent about 5 years ago, one of the top intercity operators, but through a combination of timekeeping and performance, a painfully slow rebrand and the quality provided by the IET new fleet / running down of the HST has taken the edge off the franchise.

From my experience living in Penzance, it's the DFT that are running GWR now and must take a good share (if not all) of the blame for the recent deterioration in the GWR Inter-City service.
The commuter style IETs are not very pleasant for 5+ hr journeys, especially without a buffet car.
GWR just fulfils the DFT's commands

I voted bad. Saying that, things have been ‘OK’ the last few months, but were ‘bad’/‘very bad’ looking at the last few years as a whole. Not all solely GWR’s fault but a chunk of it is.

It’s the communication that has been diabolical. As an example, at Bath, the evening train to Warminster was running late, and everyone piled on to it. It then got pulled over in the Bathampton loop and the Portsmouth service (as well as the Paddington service) went in front. We eventually got on the move running about 30 minutes late, and then it was decided to terminate the train at Westbury. Warminster commuters had to wait nearly another hour at Westbury for the next Portsmouth train. Why couldn’t station staff tell passengers the Portsmouth train would be faster - it was only a few minutes behind!

Another was when I got off a late running Portsmouth service at Westbury, and the Penzance train was despatched 2 minutes early, which meant a large group of passengers had to wait 2 hours for the next service. Yes, they did apologise and upgrade everyone affected to first class but said that it was at the rear of the HST. Turns out it was at the front. Then on the train, the guard had no idea of this agreement but let everyone stay anyway.

The shortage of trains/carriages and the timekeeping of services that run between Bristol and Westbury is also questionable. Nearly every day one of my trains to/from work is short formed (I.e 3 vice 5) which usually means everyone is rammed in. A handful of times it’s 2 vice 5 which means there is a good chance you’re left on the platform for half an hour. I once kept a record of my trains’ timekeeping and at one point, I didn’t have an on time train for over three weeks.

Before the refurbs, the Bristol area trains were in a really grotty condition. Most have been refurbished now though which is better.

Also, not exclusive to GWR and maybe not their fault, but their air conditioning must be one of the least reliable on the network, not only so they have the 158s but also the 166s. I always try and carry water around with me but the situation is very bad in summer and I will try to catch a 150 where possible.

Nothing against the front line staff as they’re usually helpful but the impression I get is GWR aren’t overly bothered about their passengers. I’m also not convinced the rebrand did what it intended to do.

That said I do enjoy using GWR in Devon and Cornwall but that may be due to the scenery than the services themselves.

This one is for the DfT - Turbos with 3+2 seating is planned to take over the Portsmouth to Cardiff route. I’d argue these trains are not as suitable as the current stock, despite the capacity increase. A lot of business travellers from Southampton, Bristol and Cardiff use the service. Turbos have no tables to rest laptops or to put down drinks etc. The seating will make them claustrophobic and bad from a customer comfort point of view for longer distance passengers. Please allow GWR to put passengers first and refurbish them with 2+2 seating!

I completely agree with the above point about the rolling stock on the Cardiff to Portsmouth route. I won’t repeat what has been said but it is spot on.

The IET stock is a great disappointment. It’s been designed for short distance commuter traffic. First class is particularly poor, not worth the extra any more not even a weekend first fare. The lack of buffets is inappropriate for the longer distance journeys, the reduction in choice and quality, and you have to wait up to 90 mins for it to come past you. Leg room is improved and the mix of airline and table seating is better, but the seats are so so hard.

I would have said that it is very good. Comfortable new longer 387s on the commuter routes are a great improvement. My only problem now is the poor specification of the IETs. I know this mostly isn't GWR's fault so voted 'good'.

I do a short commute from Chippenham to Bath every day which is very busy. Performance has been terrible but recently since the electrification to Swindon has been completed and the new IETs have settled down it's improved dramatically, trains are on time or early. Short formed trains are much rarer and better than no train. Always seems professional compared to other operators. There can be lack of information when things do go wrong.

class387 said:

I would have said that it is very good. Comfortable new longer 387s on the commuter routes are a great improvement. My only problem now is the poor specification of the IETs. I know this mostly isn't GWR's fault so voted 'good'.

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Yes, I agree,I was on a Class 387 today between Theale and Reading and it kept running ,even in the awful weather conditions in the area. It was also on time and there was a seat available for everybody on a 4 car Electrostar. Despite my previous bias against First Group, I think they've really turned it around from the old First Great Western operation,which had rude customer service and trains were constantly late.

I’d rate my experience of using GWR as good overall, however there needs to be some improvements to be made to a handful of services, as some of the more long distance stoppers seem to perform badly especially when they are departing Westbury as it often clashes with other departures usually heading towards Bristol. This in turn forces all over services to be delayed too, which has made me miss my northbound connection at Temple Meads. Slightly off topic but worth a mention, CrossCountry could do with introducing some services from Bradford, West Yorkshire to Weymouth which in turn could free up a GWR unit or two that could be used elsewhere on the GWR network such as increasing capacity from Frome to Swindon via Melksham on the Transwilts Line which currently uses a single coach class 153 DMU.

The improvements that GWR badly need, for example the current Great Malvern / Worcester to Weymouth and the Cardiff Central to Portsmouth Harbour services, could do with being split at Bristol Temple Meads and instead the northern section of the Great Malvern / Worcester to Weymouth service should be sent to run to Cardiff Central instead as a Great Malvern / Worcester to Cardiff service. The southern section of the GMV / WOR to WEY service could then be interworked with the existing Cardiff Central to Portsmouth service which too would be split at Bristol Temple Meads to try and alleviate the chronic overcrowding that takes place (take the 1022 to Portsmouth Harbour via Southampton Central service during the week and on a Saturday to see how bad it gets) on the existing hybrid three car class 158/9 Diesel Multiple Units. So a new service could run as Weymouth to Bristol > Bristol to Portsmouth > Portsmouth to Bristol > Bristol to Weymouth, nice and self contained and in effect it would speed up the services by skipping some stations en-route on one service but not the other and in the case with the Weymouth services made to run to a clockface timetable of every two hours instead of the current infrequent mess.

The introduction of the class 165 and 166 in the Bristol area at first seemed all well and good but I do feel that the two car units are unsuitable for services between Cardiff and Portsmouth which were only brought in to replace the knackered class 150/1’s that have been sent to the experts at the semi-retired / heritage rolling stock operator called Northern. The two car 165's should be sent to work on the many GWR branchlines that would allow some of the class 150/2's to run as four coaches on the Devon Metro, and others deployed elsewhere on the GWR network.

The Network railcard, which is valid in the former Network South East (in which GWR serve a part of), could do with being extended from the classic boundary stations of Bedwyn, Salisbury, Yeovil and Didcot to Yeovil (via Westbury) and Bath Spa (via Bradford on Avon and also via Chippenham). This would allow those who live in Wiltshire and Somerset the same railcard benefits to those who live in and / or work in the Home Counties e.g. Berkshire.

It would also be nice to see more of GWR's Devon to Paddington services call at Westbury and the class 185's currently used on TransPennine Express services to be transfered to the Cardiff to Portsmouth services.

[Edited to add additional information.]

I think it should be acknowledged that the DfT has a very significant impact on GWR operations.

As a daily user, (as far as I understand) my main gripes are all as a result of DfT instruction. E.g. Cutting short of electrification, passenger comfort and usability of new IETs, downgrading of many services to 5 car IETs, cascade of turbos with 3+2 seating which on paper provides more seats but in reality is uncomfortable.

Yes, the service mid last year was 'bad' but overall I would rate GWR good. It appears DfT are often a problem in which case nationalisation doesn't help!

Phil G said:

I do a short commute from Chippenham to Bath every day which is very busy. Performance has been terrible but recently since the electrification to Swindon has been completed and the new IETs have settled down it's improved dramatically, trains are on time or early. Short formed trains are much rarer and better than no train. Always seems professional compared to other operators. There can be lack of information when things do go wrong.

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I commuted for 12 months from Chippenham to Bath in 2006/07 and it was a nightmare. Trains were delayed every day Monday to Friday. I only kept my job in Bath because I could do flexi hours, so turning up half an later than I had planned didn't really matter.

Overcrowding was also a big issue. I paid for a monthly season ticket and never got a seat in the mornings.

Weekends were no better. There seemed to be engineering work every weekend. Most of the time they would lay on buses, but sometimes they didn't, meaning I would be stranded in Chippenham at the weekend, and you don't want to be stranded there (horrible town).

I also used to regularly go from Bath to Bristol and Newport and the trains were nearly always crowded. Often you couldn't even get on the train at Newport to get to Bristol, especially at the weekend.

Several journeys between London and Bath/Chippenham also saw me standing all the way due to overcrowding.

I now live back up north and have to put up with the shambles that is Northern, but I'd forgotten just how bad GWR (or First Great Western) were!

P.S. I didn't cast a vote in the poll.

The Thames Valley services operate by class 387s are outstanding, a huge improvement on the previous service operated by Turbos. The only issue is the lack of wires to Oxford.

The Inter-city services operated by class 800/802s are overall great, an improvement from a passenger perspective to the HSTs. Once the troubleshooting of various issues is completed and the wires are all finished the only issue will be the hard seats with very poor dirty covers in standard class. The first class seats do not rate first class fares, they are very poor compared to the first class HST seats.

The Gatwick / Redhill service is appalling, always late and over-crowded. The proposed class 769s will help, but severe platform over-crowding at Reading is a big issue. Perhaps they should be extended to Didcot / Oxford via the southern tunnel to resolve this.

GWR staff are friendly except the gateline staff at Paddington who are often rude. GWR are also poor at ticket accuracy.

I live in Bristol and commute to London on a weekly basis. I voted ‘Good’ on the following basis: Since November every train I have taken has been on time - reliability is very important to me given I live and work in different cities - however, there have been too many occasions where only a 5 coach train has been provided and this has resulted in severe overcrowding. Getting a refund from GWR for an affected journey has proved impossible thus far - the refund process is a circuitous hoop-jumping exercise. GWR need to be held to account for this.

As regards the design of the new class 800 trains, I’d say it’s a 7/10. The topic of the seats has been discussed ad nauseum, but nevertheless I must reiterate: they are too hard and too upright to be comfortable for intercity journeys. The new seat covers have improved the situation only marginally, but do look smarter. As with all modern trains, the lighting is far too bright but, other than that, the cabin is reasonable.

I lament the removal of the buffet; in my view a trolley should supplement, not replace a buffet service. I would even go further and argue that all intercity trains should have proper restaurant cars. The success of GWR’s pullman dining shows it can be done.

Given that these trains were designed by committee in Whitehall and procured at huge expense, the outcome ought to have been the highest standard of intercity train in the world. Unfortunately what we have ended up with is some way short of that, but still not bad, and definitely an improvement on the previous iteration of HSTs which had had their soul destroyed by ‘First Great Western’.

I realise that the introduction of a new fleet of trains, failure by Network Rail to deliver electrification to schedule and various other factors are contributing to make GWR’s life difficult. It seems to me they are doing a reasonable job in difficult circumstances.

My local station is on the North Downs line which often suffers from delays and cancellations. The turbos are in a pretty rough state with frayed and torn upholstery and, from the build up of dirt on the floors, do not appear to be cleaned very often. My station has no ticket facilities, so it would be helpful if all the guards came down the train to sell tickets - a lot do, but several just stay in the end cab all the time. I quite like the 800/802s apart from the usual complaint about the painfully uncomfortable seats and lack of space for my feet at a window seat.

I think that GWR offer a good service for 99% of the time, but when it goes wrong, it can properly go wrong for them. For example, the platforms along the Cotswold Line are currently being lengthened. This meant that, at Moreton-in-Marsh station (MIM), the trains were all terminating in the days around the 18th of November 2018. This caused a lot of issues as everyone was then crowding in one part of the platform as the new platforms and longer trains, even though there is enough platform at every major station, can't be used.
Also, the trains almost always, in my experience, get severely crowded around Reading and the First Class is never declassified to make more room. I know that this could be impractical, but on the old HSTs, it could work.
Additionally, the Turbostars (Class 165 and 166s) are, as RichT54 said, in a pretty poor state. They are in some serious need of modernisation! The interiors of all FGW units feel a bit old and unloved, and there is no legroom on the Turbos!

reddragon said:

The Thames Valley services operate by class 387s are outstanding, a huge improvement on the previous service operated by Turbos. The only issue is the lack of wires to Oxford.

The Inter-city services operated by class 800/802s are overall great, an improvement from a passenger perspective to the HSTs. Once the troubleshooting of various issues is completed and the wires are all finished the only issue will be the hard seats with very poor dirty covers in standard class. The first class seats do not rate first class fares, they are very poor compared to the first class HST seats.

The Gatwick / Redhill service is appalling, always late and over-crowded. The proposed class 769s will help, but severe platform over-crowding at Reading is a big issue. Perhaps they should be extended to Didcot / Oxford via the southern tunnel to resolve this.

GWR staff are friendly except the gateline staff at Paddington who are often rude. GWR are also poor at ticket accuracy.

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I think that we'll be waiting a while for wires to Oxford! If you think about it it's not part of the GWML; it's a branch - it connects with the mainline at Didcot Parkway. I think that the introduction of the Class 800/3 units on the Cotswold Line could speed up electrification by showing whoever does it that the small line has potential, but the fact that Oxford and the area around it just isn't what it was (if you consider that back in the "golden age" of travel Oxford/Banbury/Charlbury/Kingham were all major stations).

Also, the GWR gateline staff at PAD are now fairly "famous" for being rude; did you hear the news story about the woman with her autistic child who were essentially mocked and bullied by the gateline staff?

I quite like the new Intercity Express Trains except for the usual gripe about the hard seats and the lack of luggage space. Surely, the seats at the ends of carriages with no windows should have been areas for luggage? Anyway, all of the above are not the fault of GWR but that of the Government - Dept.of Transport specifications.

I recently had the misfortune to be on a class 150 sprinter - meant to be on branch lines - but this one was operating on the Portsmouth to Cardiff route and the 3 coaches were rammed with people. It really is taking too long to get the Class 165/166’s transferred from the Thames valley to the Cardiff > Portsmouth route as well as other services that pass through Temple Meads. Having said that, the Class 165/166’s are really commuter stock rather than long distance express trains and with their mainly 2+3 seating and doors at thirds are a bit of a downgrade from the 158’s that currently operate these services. (The 158’s do however, nearly always have failed air-conditioning). Another factor against having 3 coach + 2 coach Thames turbos (165/166’s) is that they can’t have a through corridor connection. I think that the Government need to look at a new fleet of trains being ordered for the Cardiff to Portsmouth route as well as other services that pass thought Temple Meads that are not London trains. Preferably, these new trains should be bi-mode in order to get greater value for money from the electrification that is taking place between Cardiff and Bath. (It would also reduce fumes in the Severn Tunnel and air pollution in hot spots such as Bath).

I note that they think it will take until the end of the year to have the electrification through to Cardiff. This is very disappointing as it means that the proposed speeded up timetable for the GWR on the London route is further delayed. It is also disappointing that the new trains will be going at a top speed of 125mph - which is no different to the HST’s. However, the faster acceleration under electric mode is welcome.

The way fares are set is not customer friendly. You can get cheaper tickets if you pre-book specific trains ideally around 11 weeks ahead. Suppose you are flying into Heathrow and take the bus link to Reading for onward travel westward. To get a lower price, you have to pre-book a specific train. You arrive at Reading say at 10.30am and have to sit and watch trains with empty seats heading for your destination as you have ‘played safe’ and booked a later train that you are sure you could catch. These trains in the middle of the day are off peak. Goodness knows why we can’t have an off-peak ticket that would be at a reasonable price yet not tied to a specific train? It also leads to people hanging around stations who could be on their way. Bonkers!
Bristol Temple Meads to Paddington will soon be 4 trains an hour - so a virtually turn up and go service but without reasonably priced turn up and go tickets!

I also note that split ticketing - especially for pay on the day returns - works out much cheaper than buying through tickets. I note that Stephen Doughty is the MP for Cardiff south & Penarth. May I suggest that he checks out the price of a pay on the day ticket from Cardiff to Oxford? Then, check out the same journey but this time by splitting the ticket at Swindon. On some routes, three tickets works out cheaper than one through ticket. As an example, if a train is passing through Swindon from somewhere out west, try a split and then a further split at Didcot (as long as it stops at Didcot - another bone of contention in the stupid ‘rules’ - which the Government should abolish). So, on GWR the further you travel, the more you pay per mile - how crazy is that? I also note that by doing the ‘splits’ on pay on the day, that you are freed from being forced to use specific trains - as you would be with ‘Advance’ tickets. It also means that for leisure travellers, by not having pre-booked Advance tickets, that if the weather is bad or someone is ill, then they don’t have to travel. The way the train ticketing system works in this country, it tends to induce people to travel by car. I also note that returns that are not the same day are often charged at a higher price. Why?

I voted good, as I found their services good. They weren't excellent, because their main line services were a bit crowded (although with my rail enthusiast hat on, they were both HST's, so I was glad to get them.

Their local services in Cornwall were excellent, as I've come to expect over the past ten years.

I voted very bad because the new trains are absolutely awful, the worst I've used in fact.

When I travel on GWR it's a pretty full journey i.e. Penzance to Paddington and return. Even with railcard, it's debatable whether it's cheaper than using my car, without a passenger, given my true destination is Streatham in South London. The last time I used the service in May 2018 we had to go via Bristol, adding to the journey time in both directions, considerably so in the Up direction. At least HSTs with a buffet operated in both directions: if the only trains available in future are the new ones, then despite my advanced age I shall probably drive.

superalbs said:

I voted very bad because the new trains are absolutely awful, the worst I've used in fact.

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I voted good because the new trains are not the fault of GWR but Her Majesties Tories otherwise known as 'DaFT' The Department For Transport - Not GWR's fault

Thanks for taking the time to find us and for getting our opinion on these matters. I didn't think anything else was happening in Westminster due to some vote an important person can't get through.

I find the service OK and the new trains are great but you didn't order enough of them. They have 4 carriage trains on at peak times!! Then we see loads of trains stabled up at West Ealing.

I get the feeling the Reading to Paddington line has been on a shutdown/ don't care anymore due to TFL taking it over. Scheduling is crap why stop at Southall when there is a Crossrail train 2 minutes behind? The train is full by Southall and I don't see any getting off.

I think GWR are ok but to be honest I can't wait until TFL take over so that 9 carriage trains will be on service 24 hrs a day! and we will get more services at peak times.

What do people want? A comfortable seat, a bit of air con or heater and for it to show up on time. If you do that right you won't get many complaints.

GWR staff have been very cheerful and helpful on my line (Weymouth to Bristol). The trains need to be less bus-like over such a long distance. Rail travel needs to be very comfortable to make up for its shortcomings.

Geoff DC said:

I voted good because the new trains are not the fault of GWR but Her Majesties Tories otherwise known as 'DaFT' The Department For Transport - Not GWR's fault

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The survey asks what my experience is of them, not whose fault it is...