FGW PAs Changed

[joeholmes]

At Maidenhead Station (FGWlink Station) its werid to hear now not the original...

"The Next train from platform 3 is the xx.xx First Great Western link service to Reading, Calling at Twyford and Reading. Platform 3 For the First Great Western link service to Reading"

now since the ol franchise, it simply says (and its not even 1st April)

"The Next train from platform 3 is the xx.xx First Great Western service to Reading, Calling at Twyford and Reading. Platform 3 For the First Great Western service to Reading"

Pretty Cool I have a recording is anyone wants!

Joe

 

[devon_metro]

I noticed they have changed the NR enquires site, so now i will not know which working is an HST as they are all "First Great Western" services. I noticed also that at Paignton that "Wessex Trains" was cut out of one of the announcements.

 

[Sprog]

Hmm, i should imagine tht this is only a temporary thing. I think after April 1st, the PAs on stations will name the differant sub-catagories. Otherwise, to the Passengers (aka, Customers/Pax/Punters/Lemmings :roll, it could get abit confusing.

"the train now approaching platform 2 is the 1503 First Great Western Express service to..........."

"the train now approaching platform 3 is the 2101 First Great Western Local service to..........."

"the train now approaching platform 4 is the 0834 First Great Western Link service to..........."

 

[voyagerdude220]

I noticed they have changed the NR enquires site, so now i will not know which working is an HST as they are all "First Great Western" services. I noticed also that at Paignton that "Wessex Trains" was cut out of one of the announcements.

O great, loads of HSTs doing Bristol to Highbridge at peak times

"Platform x for the xx:xx First Great Western to Taunton/Exeter".. And then comes along a 143

Why don't they just stick with FGW & FGWL for all services in the new franchise from April, so customers get an idea of whether an express or bloody awful 143 is coming.

All I care from the new franchise is: That 143s are removed/destroyed from ALL services in the SW, even routes i've not done before, because I don't want other passengers to suffer them.

 

[Mojo]

It seems all of the stations have dropped their Wessex branding. Cheltenham Spa has been removed, revealing the old Regional Railways branding, whereas stations with signs brought in by Wessex have the logos removed so just showing a pink stripe at the bottom.

I wonder what'll happen to the line logos?

 

[Coxster]

The trains are being changed two - http://www.picture-rail.co.uk/gallery/150/150234WessexTrains.jpg

 

[devon_metro]

It seems all of the stations have dropped their Wessex branding. Cheltenham Spa has been removed, revealing the old Regional Railways branding, whereas stations with signs brought in by Wessex have the logos removed so just showing a pink stripe at the bottom.

I wonder what'll happen to the line logos?

Not all of the stations have been debranded, the Torbay branch for example. Ill dig out a photo.

Edit: A 150 working Paignton shuttles was carrying a Headboard saying "Wessex TRains 2001-2006" Today.

 

[Max]

It's very sad that First are going to have a complete monopoly on the south west. When I went down in February, Wessex seemed like a really customer friendly company. I asked some of the staff about the switch, and they seemed unsure of what to expect. They all appeared to like working for Wessex though.

 

[Lewisham2221]

It's very sad that First are going to have a complete monopoly on the south west.

Aren't First the major bus operator in that area as well (except for the Exeter and Torbay areas where Stagecoach run the buses)? In which case it's pretty much a monopoly on all accessible, convenient* public transport.

* - As opposed to the more infrequent, less convenient services provided by smaller bus and coach companies.

 

[devon_metro]

Aren't First the major bus operator in that area as well (except for the Exeter and Torbay areas where Stagecoach run the buses)? In which case it's pretty much a monopoly on all accessible, convenient* public transport.

* - As opposed to the more infrequent, less convenient services provided by smaller bus and coach companies.

Yes, true. First operate Plymouth along with Plymouth City Bus, and Cornwall and most parts of Devon, with the exeptions of Torbay and Exeter. Where there are IIRC 2 irst services in Torbay. The rest being with Stagecoach. Thank god First don't run the 12/12a which was considered to be one of the 10 busiest bus routes in the country! Meaning double decker buses running past my house :@

 

[Tom B]

Aren't First the major bus operator in that area as well (except for the Exeter and Torbay areas where Stagecoach run the buses)? In which case it's pretty much a monopoly on all accessible, convenient* public transport.

* - As opposed to the more infrequent, less convenient services provided by smaller bus and coach companies.

Yes, First have the monopoly in many areas. And they use illegal practices to get rid of competitors. Yet the MMC are blind to it...

 

[Jim]

The new 'Flying F' uniforms still haven't reached Westbury - due in tommorow morning

 

[Tom C]

We have just got our new First uniform.

Not very nice, very cheaply made.

Farewell to Thameslink Rail Ltd

 

[joeholmes]

Back On topic!!

http://www.bloogrape.co.uk/rail/newclip.wav

(kinda got a HST at the end of it)

and also

http://www.bloogrape.co.uk/rail/soundclip.wav

One can hear that "link" should still be in there! Sounds odd!

Joe

 

[Sprinter]

Ealing Broadway also have the amended announcements now as well, as yesterday I heard the tannoy say "...1237 First Great Western service to Greenford..." as 165134 rolled into the platform.

 

[joeholmes]

lol, where you expecting 43002 or what!!

Joe

 

[Techniquest]

Strange how I've never noticed how nice the Wessex staff actually were! Mind, that's probably due to more often going via Parkway to Temple Meads from Newport rather than on a Wessex Trains service. Bad decision in hindsight.

I'll wager the staff under First won't be half as friendly.

 

[voyagerdude220]

Just under 2 hours to go..

 

[joeholmes]

Guys CHEER UP,

Its not like there stopping... HSTs still running!!

FGW Still running - GIVE EM A CHANCE!!





Joe

 

[devon_metro]

:cry: The woman has taken over at Torquay :cry:

Every service is First great western!! Every GW service today was late

 

[Techniquest]

A sign of things to come...At least it doesn't just happen to South Wales-bound services.

I'll say it again I think:

RIP Wessex Trains. At least not every single Wessex Trains service ran late in a day. Sometimes a lot of delays, but it would be due to idiots on the line, extreme weather, stuff like that. The new timetable due in December looks horrific too.

EDIT: Joe, I've given FGW absolutely tons of chances to improve their running. It gets worse more than it gets better. I've been let down badly by FGW a good few times, resulting in big delays once too often. TOCs like CT, WSX, ATF, Northern, even 'one' are performing far better, with a bigger customer satisfaction level than FGW. All those TOCs are usually seen as bad TOCs for some reason by most people, although CT, WSX and 'one' improved dramatically in 2005. Even Silverlink's running of the NLL vastly improved. What did FGW do? The exact opposite and sink to an all time low. I supported them all the time, with the exception of a couple of weeks in the last 2.5 years, but I have had enough of the pathetic excuses given, the mis-leading information given out, the fact one crew will tell you one thing, the next train crew something else completely different for the delay. Which is stupid. A train being delayed by signalling problems in the Reading area is one thing, but to told 15 minutes or so later on the next service back to Newport that the delay was caused by that other train breaking down, hence the getting of another train, well that's ridiculous. Signal problems and train failures are two seperate things! Plus the set that we were told had broken down came out just under an hour later on its way back to London! Yeah, REALLY broken! :roll:

Maybe it's just me, but I certainly feel I made a mistake supporting First in its bid for Greater Western 2006. Not that my support made any difference, but I can now at least see what everyone was telling me before, that First suck. Still, we're stuck with them until the next decade at the least now. Same as we're stuck with ATF for 12 and a half years here. Makes you wonder if NatEx is really all that bad. I'm certainly missing their influence in the West! With exception to CT of course, we've got them for a couple more years yet.

The weekly Sunday rant, also delivered a day early, brought to you by WSXFan.

 

[Jim]

Yesterday there was an "1846 Wessex Trains service to Frome (etc)" & had WESSEX branding on it
--- edited ---

A sign of things to come...At least it doesn't just happen to South Wales-bound services.

I'll say it again I think:

RIP Wessex Trains. At least not every single Wessex Trains service ran late in a day. Sometimes a lot of delays, but it would be due to idiots on the line, extreme weather, stuff like that. The new timetable due in December looks horrific too.

EDIT: Joe, I've given FGW absolutely tons of chances to improve their running. It gets worse more than it gets better. I've been let down badly by FGW a good few times, resulting in big delays once too often. TOCs like CT, WSX, ATF, Northern, even 'one' are performing far better, with a bigger customer satisfaction level than FGW. All those TOCs are usually seen as bad TOCs for some reason by most people, although CT, WSX and 'one' improved dramatically in 2005. Even Silverlink's running of the NLL vastly improved. What did FGW do? The exact opposite and sink to an all time low. I supported them all the time, with the exception of a couple of weeks in the last 2.5 years, but I have had enough of the pathetic excuses given, the mis-leading information given out, the fact one crew will tell you one thing, the next train crew something else completely different for the delay. Which is stupid. A train being delayed by signalling problems in the Reading area is one thing, but to told 15 minutes or so later on the next service back to Newport that the delay was caused by that other train breaking down, hence the getting of another train, well that's ridiculous. Signal problems and train failures are two seperate things! Plus the set that we were told had broken down came out just under an hour later on its way back to London! Yeah, REALLY broken! :roll:

Maybe it's just me, but I certainly feel I made a mistake supporting First in its bid for Greater Western 2006. Not that my support made any difference, but I can now at least see what everyone was telling me before, that First suck. Still, we're stuck with them until the next decade at the least now. Same as we're stuck with ATF for 12 and a half years here. Makes you wonder if NatEx is really all that bad. I'm certainly missing their influence in the West! With exception to CT of course, we've got them for a couple more years yet.

*Claps* You have noticed at last

 

[trc666]

I'm back everybody!!

Looks like Gloucester/Cheltenham is going to retain its 2-hourly service from London Paddington when the new timetable kicks in from September, though most services will have a revised stopping pattern, calling at Reading, Swindon, then all stations to Cheltenham Spa, knocking a few minutes off the running time by no longer calling at Didcot Parkway. Also noticed the Wessex Trains labels have been removed from station signage at Stroud and Kemble, reverting to the Regional Railways ones under them, only a few remain intact.

 

[LucaZone]

Yes the announcements certainly had me confused. Dont think they handled the change over very well.

Previous announcements being

• First Great Western - for high speed trains
• First Great Western Link - for commuter trains

yet seeing as the Link name wont be dropped under Greater Western, why have the announcements been changed. It only goes to confuse passengers.

• First Great Western High Speed Service - for high speed trains
• First Great Western - for Commuter trains

 

[Andrew]

... yet seeing as the Link name wont be dropped under Greater Western, why have the announcements been changed.[/list]

"Link" will, or indeed has, been dropped. It's all First Great Western now (except any remaining station branding, train branding, timetable branding, depot branding etc that still exists - obviously :roll

 

[Tom]

First Great Western (orig) is now FGW High Speed though.

 

[voyagerdude220]

First Great Western (orig) is now FGW High Speed though.

Yes, I personally smiled at the announcements at Taunton last Thursday which said "FGW High Speed", because it just sounds silly/stupid.

I personally would have liked FGWL to remain, with all Wessex Trains routes/trains being called FGWL, and all other ordinary FGW HSTs/180s just left as FGW.

Passengers don't really care what TOC is providing the service in general, as long as the train just goes to where they want it to.

 

[Techniquest]

Not able to comment on the new PAs still, as it was not announced whilst I popped into Stroud yesterday. Looks mighty odd to see the new FGW colours on the running-in boards though! We did find something of interest at Stonehouse in its shelter too! Not sure how he managed to get there to do it mind! I'll put the photo up this weekend. The information thing could not give us train information yesterday though, so we couldn't get the announcement there either!