Dear Dom,
Thank you for your emails and my apologies for all the delays.
On Thursday there was a very unfortunate incident at Tilehurst. We are always grateful for our customers understanding during these type of situations but I know that the disruption which follows is no less frustrating. Events like these can be very difficult to manage but I recognise we need to offer a better service.
On Friday an earlier signal problem caused delays throughout the afternoon and evening. On Monday a different signal problem delayed the 08:06 service's arrival into Oxford and despite our best efforts, we could not catch up. On Tuesday, a combination of a late opening signal box and a problem with a train at the depot meant we fell significantly behind schedule.
I am very aware of how many contacts we've had from you recently and there have been too many problems. Not all, but in the main these have been down to the infrastructure. Network Rail have been working hard to address these but more needs to be done. The Office of Rail Regulation have in fact recently issued a formal warning to NR. We are keen to discuss with them their plans to recover their performance across our Network and we'll of course work with them in support.
Kind regards
Mark
A friend recommended me to your blog after my ranting on Facebook about the appalling experience I had of FGW trains last Thursday, Nov 24th ... Here was my own rant (which I also sent to the Oxford Times)
ReplyDeleteFirst Great Western Trains - what a complete and utter shambles you are. How people who have no option but to use your 'service' daily manage not to gun people down in the street with frustration, I shall never know.
Trains taken:4
Trains late: 4
Trains over half an hour late: 2
Trains with 100+ people standing all down the carriages: 2 (the ones with the longest journeys)
Trains with 50+ 1st class seats empty, yet not enough seats for ordinary mortals: 2 (yes, the same two)
People who refused to let me sit in my reserved seat (I booked it as I was recovering from a back injury): 1
Really bad back, much exacerbated by having to stand for over an hour on barely-moving train, next to empty first-class seats: 1 (mine) Homicidal fantasies: too many to document Episodes of bursting into tears with the sheer awfulness of it all: 1