But not mine - which was that nothing sells like a conveniently timed bit of good news. Like I said, the drive for redoubling came from within the rail industry two years earlier - not because some politician ordered it, which is quite clearly your implication. Mr Cameron was in opposition at the time all this was happening, so not in a position to order anything to happen!
They've tried pick up and set down restrictions in the past, but apparently passengers just ignore them. The new station layout does now allow for an increased number of trains to pass Reading non-stop though. We might see more of that in the future...
One or two trains might, but not very many, given that, after Birmingham New Street, Reading is just about the most important interchange station outside London these days, never mind the people who commute
into Reading to work - not everyone is going to London, you know.
I've just seen this thread. I have not had a briefing, so I don't know anything "official" on the subject.
I think all the main points have been covered in the thread already. In my opinion, this will not solve the perception of overcrowding on the Reading trains as enough Reading commuters will still be too lazy to walk down the train, and a logjam will still develop at the buffet car - making the area alongside the buffet a no-standing area and engaging in some crowd management would have a better result.
The main advantage of this will be seen on the Sunday afternoon and "shoulder" trains (which are the ones that experience the worst overcrowding). An extra carriage will not solve this problem, but may help a bit.
I still maintain, (despite arguments from Jimm to the contrary) that there is not an overcrowding issue on a majority of trains, especially the two first / six Std class trains. The extra 70 odd seats made the difference, and while having 1 1/2 First Class will probably be adequate, reducing to one first class on the sets with a mini-buffet will cause problems IMHO.
It is a perception problem, and FGW have always been afraid of upsetting the Thames Valley commuters, hence the total absence of Revenue Inspectors on this line - we can't be seen to PF somebody who might complain to their MP or press, and enforcing the "off-peak restrictions on the evening trains will only force passengers onto the already busy stopping services.
The perception is best illustrated by a complaint that was made against a colleague - he attempted to charge a season-ticket holder who was travelling in First (littering a vestibule), was roundly abused by this passenger and another for daring to check tickets, and a complaint came in alleging the guard had moved the passenger into a "dangerously overcrowded Standard Class". There were 116 empty seats on that train, in every carriage, which had been announced at least four times before a ticket check was carried out in First Class.
Will there be enough seats in First Class after this? Probably not, as if one is paying a full First Class fare, one is not paying to share the table with four other people.
Will this satisfy the Thames Valley commuters? Probably not, if we let them travel for free and chucked in breakfast they wouldn't like the sausages.
While you may be new to this thread, even a cursory glance would show what the 'official line' is, as it's there right in the press release posted at the start. And you would also have discovered by reading it that there will be one-and-a-half first class coaches on every HST, with a composite coach G to be provided in the mini-buffet sets, which was discussed in another thread last autumn.
And I am not the only person who has made comment in this thread about heavy loadings in standard on some services well beyond Reading, while first class coaches are near-empty.
You then treat us to the now standard diatribe about how it's all the fault of the mysterious tribe know as the Reading commuter. They are probably closely related to the Oxford cyclist, who ignores red lights, rides on pavements, etc. Except that in both cases, just because there are a few bone-headed individuals, does not mean that everyone behaves like that.
If there are not going to be enough seats in first class after this, then perhaps you could tell us which FGW trains are carrying 90 to 100 first class passengers, paying full whack for their tickets, day in, day out? If there are lots of them, then a first class passenger is most assuredly paying to share a table with three other people.
Instead of anyone saying which trains these supposedly are, most people posting here opposing the change seem more concerned about retaining their 'right' to travel on first advances, knocked down by up to 60 per cent off a walk-up fare, on trips to the West Country.