Guardian: Welcome to Britain's worst train service: Reading to London Paddington

[whole diary]

[chineseJohn]

Quite a few Theale passengers interviewed in this article

http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2011/dec/30/worst-train-reading-london-paddington?newsfeed=true

[eightf48544]

What is so interesting is that the train is the 06:37 off Reading just shows you poor people who have to work now have to be in before 08:00 rather than 09:00.

Gerry Fiennes has a funny bit about commuters from Reading when he was GM WR.

He was standing on old 5 with an express to London waitnig while passengers from a Newbury train were ambling across to join it. As it was now past departure time he urged the staion Inspector to blow his whistle only to get the rejoiner "Sir, we don't blow whistles at gentlemen from Newbury!".

[IndustryInsider]

What is so interesting is that the train is the 06:37 off Reading just shows you poor people who have to work now have to be in before 08:00 rather than 09:00.

Not really the case as the 06:37 from Reading to Paddington is a stopping service which starts at Reading.  Sloppy journalism led to that train being picked up in the article as it made the top ten list and starts at Reading.  A case of adding 1 and 1 and making 3 though as any commuter wanting to get the 06:37 at Reading would be guaranteed a seat every day - the journey time of 67 minutes probably puts everyone off though!  That train is of course extremely busy as of West Drayton and is one of the trains confirmed as strengthened from some point next year when the additional capacity arrives.  The 06:37 will then have twice the capacity becoming a 6-car Turbo.

[Electric train]

I find it amazing that every Reading commuter works at a "Trading Desk in the City" obviously no other work is done in London, the article jumps from the 06:37 to the 08:02

I gave up reading it, it is just a moan that trying to sell papers to the Reading commuters by being on their side