• 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!

3 Days to go

Status
Not open for further replies.
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R

RailUK Forums

Techniquest

Veteran Member
Joined
19 Jun 2005
Messages
21,674
Location
Nowhere Heath
That's something that was puzzling me last night too, all services to Cheltenham from Worcester and Stonehouse were listed as 'First Great Western' on the various TOC sites offering ticket prices and train times. I find it a tad hard to believe I'll be able to get a HST from Worcester on Saturday to Cheltenham, although I'll be over the moon if I do! I would have thought the WSX services would be listed as FGW Local though, even some of the tourist leaflets in the South West have managed to understand that much! We shall see what I am treated to on Saturday, right now I'd happily settle for a WSX DMU on Saturday. It'll be mighty strange not to hear Wessex Trains any more. Although Hereford STILL haven't got the FGWL name in the announcements for the FGWL 180s off HFD, it's gone back to BR-style announcements there, with no TOC name mentioned. I daresay it'll still be the same come April 1st, 2 years after FGWL started, and the same in many places WSX serve.

All of a sudden I'm not looking forward to First taking over...
 

Andrew

Member
Joined
7 Jun 2005
Messages
175
I thought Greater Western were now using First Great Western for all trains and weren't going to bother with Local/Link/Express unless it's necessary (eg performance statistics?).

nationalrail.co.uk is showing FGW for the FGWLink stuff I've looked up from Apr1. I'd guess station announcements will go to "... First Great Western service..." if the applicable station has that speech loaded (eg at OXF). We'll soon find out in any case.

As to the HST/DMU I'd guess you'll whatever's "meant to happen" currently. Ie if it's an ex WSX service it'll be DMU, if FGW HST(/180).

Incidentally at OXF, Thames Trains still apologise for the boards not working, while Virgin Trains have been cut altogether - we've never had "... Virgin Voyager service..." but they've now abandoned even "... Virgin Trains service...", simply stating "...xxxx service...". So I'm not suprised that HFD haven't got FGWL announcements.
 

Tom B

Established Member
Joined
27 Jul 2005
Messages
4,602
At least they say "bookmark" rather than "put in your favourites"...
 

heart-of-wessex

Established Member
Joined
11 Jun 2005
Messages
3,008
Location
Trowbridge
hmm lucky for me Ive had more problems on Wessex than FGW, and they've done more on improvements than wessex, so well done First I say

Ill be at Westbury to see what the announcements are, well since FGW runs HSTs through they can add '..First Great Western serivce to Weymouth' theough sounds odd!
 

Dennis

Established Member
Joined
8 Aug 2005
Messages
2,676
Location
Trowbridge
re Memo from head office

H-o-W, you must be Firsticated.....

HOW.JPG

All Wessex branding must be removed by 1st April or we will make your life a misery.

;) ;)
 

Techniquest

Veteran Member
Joined
19 Jun 2005
Messages
21,674
Location
Nowhere Heath
ROFL, no chance of me changing back to FGWFan for a long time, if ever! Get used to WSXFan I say, he's here to stay on a pretty much permanent basis.
 

joeholmes

Member
Joined
4 Jul 2005
Messages
367
meh, i could never loose the passion i have for fgw!! Dispite my little problem with a ticket conductor on the marlow train being rude..

apart from that, fgw i wish the best of luck in 2006 who knows what'll happen, dont judge them yet... lets see what happens!!

Joe
 

Jim

Established Member
Joined
11 Jun 2005
Messages
3,398
Location
Wick
joeholmes said:
Dispite my little problem with a ticket conductor on the marlow train being rude..


Joe

You get used to it from First Bus Drivers, as well as some of the First CS personal
 

Sprinter

Member
Joined
14 Jun 2005
Messages
321
Location
Walthamstow, London
Under the new franchise all services will be called plain "First Great Western" be it a HST or a Pacer!! The only time the FGW Express/Link/Local names would be used would be for internal purposes.

Indeed, the announcements have been changed at Ealing Broadway already because yesterday I overheard the announcement saying "..1237 First Great Western service to Greenford...." as 165134 rolled into the platform!

In addition, I noticed the FGW timetable supplement booklets for the Castle Cary works next week include details of the Heart of Wessex trains as the usual HST services!
 

Techniquest

Veteran Member
Joined
19 Jun 2005
Messages
21,674
Location
Nowhere Heath
Jim said:
You get used to it from First Bus Drivers, as well as some of the First CS personal

Yep, although I've had a nice driver up here once with First Wyvern. A rarity admittedly! At least WSX staff are going out with a smile on their faces, even though they finish tomorrow as Wessex Trains and branded with the flying F from here on in.
 

HSTfan!!!

Established Member
Joined
11 Jun 2005
Messages
1,967
Well as WSXFan would normally say.... Bring it on! I'm counting down lol! can't wait for FGW to operate it all, I've never had a problem with FGW, they've never delayed my majorly, let me miss a connection, and are always happy to admit to their failures, in one case I've heard an apology from a FGW guard on a train I joined at Bristol Parkway, when I was going home to Newport, and he apologised before entering the severn tunnel for how busy the train was to become at Cardiff. FGW always let you know what is going on.
Wessex trains..... well cut out the first s, change the second e to u and you have what I think of them.....
 
Joined
27 Jan 2006
Messages
565
First (fsr) is sending down a 158 741 in FSR livery for the launch of the New franchise presumably for use with Wessex for a short period, this info from Yahoo Groups First Rail and Scot-Rail (about the unit moving), fsr possibly may be next to get first new 'neon' livery as a 158 is due out of Glasgow works this weekend and the first re-furbished 322 is due out next week. In 'neon' ? i hope so... I wish FGW Family the best of luck.
 

joeholmes

Member
Joined
4 Jul 2005
Messages
367
Here Here, Good luck First Group, if they get it together and work with people like network rail etc. They could turn First Great Western around, which all know, the figures of her performance are quite poor... Lets see what happens, I've got faith in the company however!

Joe
--- edited ---
New Franchise Starts Tomorrow

The new Greater Western franchise starts tomorrow, Saturday 1 April. From tomorrow First Great Western will operate high speed, commuter, regional and branch line services across the South and West of England, the Cotswolds and South Wales.

New website
There will be one new website covering the new franchise area, and this will be online tomorrow.

www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk will be the one website for the new First Great Western company.

The new website will have a brand new look and is easy to use, with new features to make planning your journey with us easier.

Please bookmark www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk today.
--- edited ---
The buy tickets section has changed into the new look!!

AND WOW!!

AWESOME.. looks great!!

Joe
--- edited ---
joeholmes said:
Here Here, Good luck First Group, if they get it together and work with people like network rail etc. They could turn First Great Western around, which all know, the figures of her performance are quite poor... Lets see what happens, I've got faith in the company however!

Joe
--- edited ---
 

voyagerdude220

Established Member
Joined
13 Oct 2005
Messages
3,264
Well I'll be a HUGE fan if they will exterminate ex Wessex 143s from all services (especially the Bristol to Taunton/Exeter line) very soon, because I'll have a massive smile on my face if they do. Even when I got a 153 vice 143 a little while ago, It kept to timings, everyone had a seat, it was perfectly fine.

Obviously, I don't want to see 153s on their own at peak times at all, but they aren't bumpy compared to 143s, especially going up towards Bedminster from Bristol Temple M.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Top