Great Western Coffee Shop

Letter from the DfT, which MTLS claim means that FGW are under 'special measures' (link below.)
http://mtls.org.uk/node/49

The Department For Transport has confirmed FGW is a failing company and is being monitored regularly . In a letter to MTLS they have written "On the basis of the information we have available, there is cause for concern about FGW^s performance and we are discussing this with FGW currently. The Department for Transport (DfT) continues to look for further improvements to FGW^s performance to match the significant improvements seen elsewhere in the rail industry.Nowt on the Department of Transport website re this

" In line with all other train Operating Companies, FGW has a Joint Improvement Plan in place, progress against which is monitored four-weekly through the Performance Delivery Group (^PDG^), which is regularly attended by Transport Ministers. FGW is currently developing a detailed recovery plan addressing cancellation issues specifically.Like it says ALL Train Operating Companies called up monthly

"Ministers and senior officials continue to emphasise the importance of improved performance to FGW at a senior level. FGW have assured Ministers that they are working hard to improve the performance of train services. The department will, of course, continue to monitor performance of the FGW franchise to ensure that commitments given to Ministers and the public are met and that further improvement to the service is provided to passengers in future."

Thanks to pressure from the public, the DfT at last understand that they must pay closer attention to the FGW franchise. Now more than ever, it is vital to continue to report cancellations and other service failures to MP's and the DfT. If First continues to fail to provide an acceptable service at a fair price they must go. The time for excuses, and apologies is long over.

Figures from a national passenger survey recently released by Passenger Focus indicated that FGW has the lowest satisfaction ratings of any train company in the UK. FGW punctuallity dropped to an all time low on 64% of some of their routes in December.
A recent survey by the Bristol Evening Post that compared fares into London from similar distances as Bristol found FGW fares to be between two and three times those of comparable companies.Nothing new here also Train fares have been the highest in europe for 20 years or more

The MTLS group are now starting to clutch at the preverbal straws. Heard hardly nothing from any of them in the weeks since the failed fare strike and more confirmed news like this http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=1670.0 (http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=1670.0) is bound to silence them further. R.I.P MTLS! :D