TweetHere is the reply from Alison Forster, Managing Director of First Great Western to my letter of concern regarding the decimation of the services provided on the TransWilts line. The reply is dated 17 May 2007. A superb bit of verbal engineering in the second paragraph. And also note that although my concern was for [...]
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Wiltshire County Council (local transport authority) responds
TweetHere is the response to my letter of concern regarding the decimation of services on the TransWilts line from a representative of Wiltshire County Council, dated 15 May 2007. At least two other campaigners received the same reply (word for word) though from different people in the council. Dear Tehmina George Batten has asked me [...]
Campaigning for the TransWilts Line
TweetIn December 2006, many First Great Western services in the South West were cut. This was, of course, due to franchise agreements that passenger provision would be cut by well over 7000 seats by December 2007. The new May 2007 timetable does not re-instate the decimated services on the TransWilts line that connects north and [...]
Network Rail using prisoners as cheap labour
TweetNetwork Rail are using convicts who are still serving time to help fix the railways. Apparently they are not involved in any safety-critical work and helps rehabilitate prisoners. Union bosses say this is at the expense of industry workers as prisoners are paid less. I’m not sure what I think about this. On the one [...]
"Real benefits"
TweetFGW boss Alison Forster said in an announcement on 20 April that: Customers will see real benefits soon I dread to think of the reality of the benefits FGW will offer. Not to travel by train perhaps? She also said that last year was an “enormous challenge” for the rail company. How hard is it [...]
Ask a silly question… about the railways
TweetHere are parliamentary written answers to questions about the 1000 extra carriages promised by the government (at some point), posed by my MP Robert Key. Published on 24 April 2007. Q: Robert Key (Salisbury, Conservative) To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how the additional 1,000 new railway carriages recently announced will be allocated [...]
Our FGW consumer champion
TweetThis is what our First Great Western ‘consumer champion’ Charles Howeson had to say about the company: The company has recognised the problems experienced by its customers and is working hard to address those within its control, however, unfortunately, many are not of its making, and in addition it has to cope with some unique [...]
Wiltshire needs to put pressure on FGW
TweetThis article discusses the problems with transport links within Wiltshire and the reduction in services (7387 fewer passengers to be served by 2008 – and this is written into the franchise). In addition there will be no future support for services linking Westbury and Salisbury and this, in addition to the already severely cut, almost [...]
Government response to train petition
TweetI am most disappointed at the tone and essence of the response received to the petition made to 10 Downing Street regarding the drastic cuts made by First Great Western to services in the Wessex region. It was empty of even hypothetical commitment to this regional service. The response was received 30 March.
Response to FGW bad service from Department for Transport
TweetI wrote to my MP Robert Key (Salisbury) about my concerns and complaints about First Great Western’s service in my area. He on my behalf wrote to Tom Harris MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport, from the Department for Transport. Here is a summary of the reply. It seems to me that the [...]
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