He could probably save himself some time and cut and paste the email he sent the last time and the time before etc.....

Let's hope the focus is on fixing the underlying issue rather than simply managing the fallout from this by giving staff iPads!  That said better information flows to employees would help a lot.

The point that is often missed is that the promised improvements to signalling etc. have been in the works for many years.  Passengers, who pay a large proportion of our salaried to use this service, need some convincing that the service will improve given that we have been promised these fixes and they are yet to materialise and our experience is that things are getting worse not better.  Crossrail is still a few years away, are we to expect that the service will continue at the current level or deteriorate until that comes on-line?

I said yesterday that in my experience we have, on average, a major incident every week.  Well yesterday we had two separate incidences one in the morning and the other in the evening which rather proves that point.  Whilst I would never support passengers abusing staff etc. I understand the many years of pent-up frustration can result in this happening.  It is never acceptable but FGW^▸ (First Great Western) need to understand why this happens and take some accountability by both ensuring the underlying issue is addressed and staff receive information and training to be able to deal with problems. 

I was late for both morning and evening appointments yesterday as is frequently the case, I get no compensation as a season ticket holder as thresholds for discounts seem to magically just be achieved no matter how bad the service is on the ground.  I now arrange my diary based on the expecting to be late e.g. the first direct train from Henley should get me to my desk for 8.30, but if I know I need to be at my desk for 8.30 I get an earlier train and normally drive to Twyford and pay to park as the connection can be a bit flaky.  If I have an evening appointment that I need to be at I arrange to work from home or leave mid-afternoon, yesterday I didn't do either and I was late - fortunately this was only a social catch-up.

Let's hope she isn't travelling by train from Windsor as the signals through the Thames valley are not robust enough to ensure that she will arrive on time.....

It's great having a re-vamped station, just sad that the infrastructure to get passengers there is currently not fit-for-purpose as evidenced by the signalling fiascos on both Monday morning and evening along the mainline into London.

Yep got kicked off the 6.05 Frome on p10 and moved to another train on p5. Running late into Twy now.

Nope, it is normally the Train Times ap on iPhone/Android or similar that I see them using and several have told me is far more accurate/timely than the information they receive from their employers.

If FGW are trying to address this behind the scenes I suggest they need to re-think how they are doing this as the problem is not new and is getting worse not better....

The signalling between London and Reading, especially around Maidenhead and Twyford, appears to be totally unfit for purpose with, I would estimate, at least one significant issue per week along with many minor delays.  I am left pondering if the planned upgrades (Crossrail and electrification) have meant that focus has been moved from BAU maintenance and replacement (I'm not suggesting that safety is compromised here, just that these issues regular may have been resolved if there were not bigger plans to upgrade the infrastructure in the future).  Very few evening peak trains reach Reading on time, I have heard stories of commuters being delayed for 5 of 5 weekly journeys on a semi regular basis, I am usually on the 6.05 Frome service and get off at Twyford, this rarely arrives/departs Twyford on time and the connection to the Henley service is usually only made by the platform staff at Twyford going against company policy and delaying the Henley train.

I understand that FGW^▸ (First Great Western) get compensation from Network Rail when infrastructure issues create significant delays.  I also wonder if the compensation received is greater than the cost of such delays (overtime and customer compensation) to the extent that FGW are not unhappy with the situation, especially as they approach the end of their franchise?  If this is not the case why don't FGW demand that the issue be resolved, obviously, that could be happening behind the scenes but I have seen no public comment by FGW that would suggest this is happening?

Don't get me started on how FGW manage the fallout and passenger communications when this happens.  Staff at Paddington seem to rely on the public aps on their smart phones for information rather have confidence in what they are being told by FGW and train managers either hide from passengers or make the "I don't know why" announcements regarding delays.

The Henley service broke completely last night.  I got the 18.05 from Paddington, having left work in the city at 17.15, eventually got home to Wargrave at 20.20 having been rescued from Twyford by my wife, picking my car up from Wargrave then driving stuck passengers from Wargrave to Twyford, then others from Twyford to Shiplake.  FGW^▸ (First Great Western) were mumbling about getting a bus but I'm sure that would have taken a good couple of hours to organise and then move everyone to where they needed to be.

The Henley service has been a complete shambles for the past three weeks.  We have set-up a car pool in the village with people taking it in turns to drive into London so we can avoid using the train and having 3+ hour journeys each way. We had hoped that we wouldn't need this anymore but so far this week things haven't been good.  Our season tickets are not looking good value at the moment given that we have paid for these but are now having to pay for petrol and parking in London on top.  I hear "compensation" letters have started to go out to season ticket holders but these do not say what the compensation will be.

I know nothing about the engineering infrastructure but to a layman the lack of resilience in the signalling on the Paddington to London line seems to be completely unacceptable.  I know the recent problems have been largely due to flooding but we do seem to get a random signal failure or similar about twice per week as a rule and it has got worse not better in the seven years I have been using the service.

Personally I think it is a crazy system that would encourage me to get a train that leaves 6 minutes later and arrives at the destination some 30 minutes after the earlier train.  Granted, like last night, I often end up on the 18.12 when it gets to Twyford at 18.58 due to the 18.06 being delayed and missing the 18.31 Henley connection at Twyford.  However, I would rather try and spend the 30 minutes at home than on a train - that's 2.5 hours a week or over 100 hours in a year... 

The 18.12 (and 17.12) are only run so that FGW^▸ (First Great Western) can claim they run direct services to Henley.  No regular traveller would ever catch them when there is, on paper at least, a much faster alternative.

The same restrictions were in place again last night for the 18.06.  Many of the regular travellers, including me, got to the platform before the stairs were sealed-off so the train was almost as busy as usual pre-announcement.

I understand what FGW^▸ (First Great Western) are trying to do but given the choice of getting early to the platform and guaranteeing a seat versus waiting at the top of the stairs with hundreds of others and then being in scrum to try and get a seat there is only one choice I will make.  Given the ^4K+ a year I give FGW for the privilege of travelling on this service I think a seat should be the least of my expectations, I already given up on assuming it will get to Twyford on time for the 18.31 Henley connection and see it as a bonus when it does.

Last night (13 Nov) on the 18.06 Pad to Frome train boarding was delayed at Paddington to allow for preparation of the train before any passengers got on.  The main platform gates to plt 10 were set to exit only and the top of the stairs at the Hammersmith & City end of the platform was manned and cordoned off to stop passengers getting on to the platform until it was announced as ready for boarding.  The staff member at the top of the stairs said this was because too many passengers were using phone apps to find out the platforms before they were announced and it was making it difficult for staff to clean the train and put reserved seating cards out.  He also said there are plans to remove platforms from phone apps to stop this problem.  I'm not sure this would help them as most regular passengers know which incoming train makes up the outgoing service.

The 18.06 service is probably the most busy of the HST^▸ (High Speed Train) commuter services out of Pad as it has the Twyford stop on it to coincide with the Henley service, I would estimate over half the passengers get off at Twyford.  Maybe FGW^▸ (First Great Western) should just add more fast capacity on this route......

I'm not sure if the managed boarding was a one-off or if it will become regular and used on other busy peak services out of Paddington.  It did seem to move the problem from on the train to the bridge over the platform as there was a lot of puzzled and disgruntled passengers waiting and a bit of chaotic scrum once boarding was allowed.  It is also going to require more platform staff if it is made a regular feature.

I watch with interest.....

Newbie here, I thought this would be a good place to have my annual rant about FGWs^▸ (First Great Western) treatment of regular commuters during the Henley Regatta last week. 
 
As per previous years, FGW have upset regular commuters on the Henley branch by running a time table to suit the ^3 Regatta commuters and, in doing so, ignoring the needs of those who pay over ^4,000 a year to use the service.

The 17.06 and the 18.06 from Paddington are designed to meet the Henley connection at Twyford and are packed every day. The number of times I heard other passengers asking if the HST^▸ (High Speed Train) is being evacuated at Twyford due to the number of passengers getting off is very high. A large percentage of those passengers then get on the Henley train that is due to leave 3 minutes after the HST arrival.

Not so in Regatta week. The next Henley train is 50 minutes after the HST arrives (at 19.18 rather than 18.31) and then does not stop on route to Henley at, for example, Wargrave. This leaves Wargrave customers with the following options:

- Wait 50 minutes, travel to Henley wait for the train to turn round and then got off at Wargrave on the way back
- Get a taxi or relative to drive them from Twyford to Wargrave
- Drive to Twyford in the morning and pay ^6.10 to park.
- Walk the 30+ minutes to Wargrave.

Given the commuter service is not "fit for purpose" during the Regatta it would be good if FGW made a gesture on our ticket prices at renewal (now over ^4,000 per annum).
 
Every year I and many others complain to FGW, every year we are ignored.