40 mins late into work this morning from Twyford as my usual, fast train was half size and couldn't get on. Apparently due to rolling stock being cascaded around although no mention on the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) website about this. Again if GWR provided full information other than just saying it affects Hayes then I could make alternative plans rather than standing in the rain wondering if I'll get on the next train. 

What I don't really understand is why GWR are providing rolling stock for Heathrow Express which is so far as I know a completely separate company and even a rival on the Heathrow route. Presumably a commercial arrangement has been agreed to switch the rolling stock and GWR are being compensated? I would have hoped their own customers should take priority?

Perhaps next time there's a major incident I'll be allowed to use my ticket on the HEX as that does provide an alternative way home (if friends are still working out that way).

Ah that's useful to know so it really comes down to faulty, lost or stolen tickets and do the nectar points outweigh the inconvenience.

thanks,

Saw my first rebranded train with the new seats this week at Twyford. Caused a slight murmur on the platform which was almost entirely negative from "will they make it run on time" to "why change the seats I never get one".

I don't think the rebrand is winning over my fellow early morning commuters although we do seem to be taking a lot more interest in the rolling stock.

Hopefully this is the right place...

My partner is about to buy an annual season ticket after a couple of years of not needing one. If she buys it online we can get a lot of Nectar points, however, discounts for poor performance aren't available online. This doesn't matter for the first year but I suspect it will for renewal. If she buys online this year will the local station have a record off it and be able to process the 5/10% refund? The station staff said they had no record off online purchases and didn't really answer the question. Similarly if (or more likely when) it stops working can it be replaced at the station which is convenient or does it have to be done online which is likely to take some time. And same question again should it be lost or stolen - the station said they wouldn't be able to help. Do people have any experience of buying seasons online?

This is a considerable purchase (^4K+) and it all seems very opaque.

Is it really the case that FGW^▸ (First Great Western) can't create a central database of season tickets?

I'd also wonder how many people can't be bothered to complain anymore as nothing really changes and all promises about being better in the future?

I've had a few surveys on trains (obviously none in rush hour as they can't move along to hand them out) and its quite difficult to complain in general terms about the service.

My job allows me to be fairly flexible about what hours I work but the trains do mean I tend to end up in the 9-5 routine (well more 7.30-5 but never mind).

Travelling from Twyford to London the last fast train in the morning use to be about 8.55am but was always too crowded and ditto the one 30 mins before it. I tend to travel between 6-7am so I can get a seat or fast travel. I wouldn't mind working something like 11-8 but that adds quite a lot of extra travel time (probably an extra 60-90 mins each day) and doesn't save me money. Even with the additional fast train to Twyford in the evening its still not really practical.

I actually turned a job down because the 8-8 shifts meant I probably wasn't going to get enough sleep especially at weekends.

Going back to the original point I suspect at the moment the problem is capacity full stop but if there was more then a better spread of services I'd hope would even out the curves in Grahame's diagram. The flexible ticketing I keep hearing rumours of would help as well. I'd think about the slower of peak trains occasionally if it delivered a significant saving but they don't. Or I could work at home more but financially that doesn't make any different but I do get a lie in 

So for the time being I continue with my annual season travelling with everyone else.

My regular train in the morning is the 06.53 from Twyford to Paddington. Normally pretty reliable if the Henley train gets out the way in time. All this week though its been either delayed or cancelled. It also now seems to start in Oxford rather than Didcot.

Is it just co-incidence that the problems started with the new timetable? Is this set until the next set of timetable changes or are the train companies allowed to tinker around the edges?

Sadly the 17 06 from Paddington to Twyford (well it goes on somewhere else but never gone any further) seems to have become a 3 car turbo as opposed to the Intercity 125 it use to be. Initially this was suppose to be because of the engineering works over the summer but tried to catch it today and was pretty crowded. Considering I had to stand sometimes when this was 7/8 carriages it seems a bit of a strange move.

It's quite a long thread but as both Network Rail and FGW^▸ (First Great Western) seem to accept that its been particularly poor service has there been any mention of compensation? In particular for annual season ticket holders?

Looking at the figures it seems I might get a 5% discount when I renew in November but this assumes I want to renew (I really don't but may not have a choice) and doesn't seem to represent the additional level of delays and disruptions we've had this year. If I do find another job without the same commute presumably I get nothing?

I'd probably start with if you can't provide accurate information then don't provide it all. I am so fed up at checking my trains on the web page to see they're on time only to discover that they've not even arrived at the previous station and were never going to be on time.

The web page also seems to be a 8-6 type operation which is poor. This was a problem particularly during the floods when the days information was updated until well past my travel time.

I resent to having to sign up with a 3rd party i.e. Twitter, give them my personal data just to get travel information that's vaguely accurate. The information should be available without needing that.

Going back to the original question I'd settle for no.3 unless its a major incident and going to have a wider impact on my day. No crew available will probably only affect that one train whereas as say, a signal failure perhaps?, could affect subsequent trains.

As the other's have said its not too bad in the morning but gets a bit cosy in the evening.

The 06.53 is probably the most civilized and you generally get a seat before the free for all at Maidenhead. The 07.23 (or about then anyway) is probably the most crowded as it starts in Henley and I'd avoid that one. The 07.05 is a semi-fast (haha 40 minutes) and pretty quiet. The fast trains after 8am are pretty crowded as they've gone back to 3 carriages but sounds like that's changing again which might make them worth trying again.

The other factor for me is the tube which I try and avoid between 8 and 9 but depends where you're travelling. When I worked in west London the 08.18 stopping service to Ealing Broadway was not a bad commute and quicker than now I'm in central London.

Coming home the 17.06 wasn't too bad if you got there before it was announced but the 8 car HST^▸ (High Speed Train) has been reduced to a 3 car turbo last couple of times I caught it and you'll be lucky to get on. The 17.35 use to be pretty quiet until timetable changes elsewhere but is probably less fraught than the 18.06 (or is it 5?) and 18.18.

A bit later I've found the 18.47 not too bad and the 19.18 pretty comfortable.

Edit: typos

So being a couple of hours late, lots of uncertainty, a missed appointment and the cost of a taxi from High Wycombe to Twyford isn't enough of an impact? And judging by the number of people at Paddington and Marylebone I don't think I was alone in this.

Never mind the inability to provide accurate information about an incident - actually its more false information as according to Journey check on the day my train was on time until not long before its departure.

Deep breaths...
 

Had one rebranded coach at Twyford on Wednesday but just seemed to annoy people going by the reactions of commuters stood next to me. I suspect many are still remembering last weeks delays and probably not in the mood for rebranding.

Been a long time lurker and thought I should get that first post out the way and introduce myself even if I probably won't post much.

Not really a train person but I am a long time commuter from Twyford so probably learnt more than I expected to about engineering works and timetables.

I came here a while ago looking for information on the latest delay/overrun/cancellation/void days and found it a really useful source of information - much more so than FGW^▸ (First Great Western) themselves. That's probably my biggest personal bugbear with FGW - the lack of information for customers and poor (or complete lack of) planning during an incident.
 
It has also been interesting seeing 'behind the scenes' from some members as to why some things happen as they do although I still don't think that excuses much of the behaviour of FGW. As you may gather I'm not a fan although it has been useful (depressing?) to read about leasing companies, Network rail, Department for Transport and how it doesn't really all fit together. Reminds me of work and how difficult it for us to manage out sourced/3rd Party contracts and not doing anything like as complicated as run a railway.