Andrew Haines - First Group / First Great Western (merged topics)

[whole diary]

[Chris2]

In the year that Andrew Haines has been in charge, my opinion of the company has improved significantly. With the announcements of improved services on branch lines in Cornwall. I would like to say thanks as my commute has become a lot more punctual, they still have bad days and delayed trains but they are no where near as severe as they were twelve months ago.

If the improvement continues the way it has in the last twelve months where will we be in twelve months time? Yes there are still some anomalies in service like a gap of over an hour from the 1555 to the 1725 from Plymouth into Cornwall west of Liskeard and other stations that deserve a better service (transwilts). But to be honest I would rate them at least 20 to 30 percent better than they were last year judged on my recent experiences.

I don't know what will happen when crosscountry and first great western update there timetables in December on the Cornish Main Line but hopefully it is another step in the right direction.

[ila700]

Er flamingo. I said that. The networkrail chap cold not have been more complimentary about FGW^▸ (First Great Western). What I did not like before was the blame everyone else. With that attitude we were never going to get a decent service. You look as if you are part of that school. Sad   

[The SprinterMeister]

We finished the period with a PPM^‡(resolve) of 91.2%.

FGWs^▸ (First Great Western) target PPM is 86.2%.

Things are improving day-by-day.

Although this weeks PPM will be shot (through no fault of FGW!!) because of yesterday evenings rush-hour Severn Tunnel farce.

Tunnel shut again due to some kind of problem yesterday (28-09-08). 1L17 & 2U20 in some kind of contretempt I gather.

[johoare]

I think Andrew Haines has done a marvellous job.. I've gone from arriving in Paddington late (sometimes very late) practically every single day, to arriving on time nearly all the time.. The timetable is also a lot better than it was when FGW^▸ (First Great Western) first changed it..  Although there are still a couple of gaps in the timetable for Maidenhead, I'd much rather it is left as it is as we know that it works!! 

[grahame]

I think Andrew Haines has done a marvellous job.. I've gone from arriving in Paddington late (sometimes very late) practically every single day, to arriving on time nearly all the time.. The timetable is also a lot better than it was when FGW^▸ (First Great Western) first changed it..  Although there are still a couple of gaps in the timetable for Maidenhead, I'd much rather it is left as it is as we know that it works!! 

Jo, I agree with you over the vast majority of the area.

Just one service that he has NOT yet sorted out - the TransWilts - which connects the five largest towns in Wiltshire with a service that remains not fit for purpose (if you believe that the purpose is carrying passengers when they want to travel rather than meeting the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about)'s daft specification).

2 years on, and a service that had been growing dramatically and where the trains were "nesting" (Nearly Every Seat Taken) in the peaks remains reduced to a "marginal time only" service - marginal time being the provision of trains when they're not needed on other lines (and, frankly, there's not much call for them in Wiltshire either).

Pilning too still remains 80% cut (a fifth of its former train service) but it's a small village compared to the TransWilts towns of Swindon, Chippenham, Melksham, Trowbridge, Westbury, Warminster and Salisbury ... which are set to grow 50% in the next 20 years and goodness only knows how the roads will cope.  I flew back into Heathrow on Friday, and found myself using National Express (actually a First group coach with every seat taken, heaters jammed on, windows sealed, no aircon!) to Chippenham and a Taxi - pretty horrid after an 8 hour flight.  We know that in these parts at least, between 8 and 10 people will use the train for every ione who uses the bus.

So - congratulations so far Andrew.   You've shown us what you can do in so many places - now please do it for us in Wiltshire where we have the area that's projected to grow the fastest in the whole South West

[johoare]

I think Andrew Haines has done a marvellous job.. I've gone from arriving in Paddington late (sometimes very late) practically every single day, to arriving on time nearly all the time.. The timetable is also a lot better than it was when FGW^▸ (First Great Western) first changed it..  Although there are still a couple of gaps in the timetable for Maidenhead, I'd much rather it is left as it is as we know that it works!! 

Jo, I agree with you over the vast majority of the area.

Just one service that he has NOT yet sorted out - the TransWilts - which connects the five largest towns in Wiltshire with a service that remains not fit for purpose (if you believe that the purpose is carrying passengers when they want to travel rather than meeting the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about)'s daft specification).

2 years on, and a service that had been growing dramatically and where the trains were "nesting" (Nearly Every Seat Taken) in the peaks remains reduced to a "marginal time only" service - marginal time being the provision of trains when they're not needed on other lines (and, frankly, there's not much call for them in Wiltshire either).

Pilning too still remains 80% cut (a fifth of its former train service) but it's a small village compared to the TransWilts towns of Swindon, Chippenham, Melksham, Trowbridge, Westbury, Warminster and Salisbury ... which are set to grow 50% in the next 20 years and goodness only knows how the roads will cope.  I flew back into Heathrow on Friday, and found myself using National Express (actually a First group coach with every seat taken, heaters jammed on, windows sealed, no aircon!) to Chippenham and a Taxi - pretty horrid after an 8 hour flight.  We know that in these parts at least, between 8 and 10 people will use the train for every ione who uses the bus.

So - congratulations so far Andrew.   You've shown us what you can do in so many places - now please do it for us in Wiltshire where we have the area that's projected to grow the fastest in the whole South West

Oops.. Yes sorry I did mean to write he'd done a marvellous job for Maidenhead to Paddington, as that is the only experience of FGW I have.. I do hope he'll improve the TransWilts service significantly too...

[grahame]

Oops.. Yes sorry I did mean to write he'd done a marvellous job for Maidenhead to Paddington, as that is the only experience of FGW^▸ (First Great Western) I have.. I do hope he'll improve the TransWilts service significantly too...

Jo, I'm delighted with the improvements you've seen and so have many others, and congratulations on these improvements are in order.  And I'm doubly delighted because it shows us that here is someone who CAN make things happen  

[grahame]

From: http://www.railnews.co.uk/

Top level switch at First Group due to MD illness

FIRST ScotRail managing director Mary Grant has become acting MD of FirstGroup's UK^▸ (United Kingdom) rail division due to the ill health of Andrew Haines.

I have no background on this ... if anyone can fill in or tell us more, it would be great - at the moment with just a single source I'm just saying "uncomfirmed quote".

[Timmer]

May I take this opportunity to wish Andrew a speedy recovery. Get Well Soon.

[John R]

I second that motion. Get well soon Andrew.

[grahame]

If I get a confirmation / second source of this story, I'll be coming right back on to this thread to say some very positive things about Andrew too.   Come to think of it - I'll say some very positive things even if it turns out to be an erroneous report - Andrew has done a great deal [all around], achieved a great deal [notable exception - TransWilts] and sometimes we're far too scant in our priase.

[smithy]

i can confirm he is off sick as someone is covering him at FGW^▸ (First Great Western) think his name is mike dont know surname though,not sure what is wrong with him but it seems like he has been off a while now.

i agree he has done a good job at fgw but a lot still needs doing so wish him all the best for a speedy recovery

[Ollie]

Can confirm he is off sick.
At FGW^▸ (First Great Western) Mark Hopwood is currently Acting Managing Director.

[Chris from Nailsea]

Further details, from Railnews, at http://www.railnews.co.uk/news/business/2008/11/14-first-change.html:

First ScotRail managing director Mary Grant has become acting MD of FirstGroup^s UK^▸ (United Kingdom) rail division due to the ill health of Andrew Haines.

Mr Haines is also chief executive officer of First Great Western, taking over from Alison Forster in September last year at a time when the franchise was beset by performance problems.

During the temporary situation the day-to-day running of FGW^▸ (First Great Western) has been taken over by acting managing director Mark Hopwood, the performance director for FGW who joined the company after being MD of London Lines.

Steve Montgomery, director of operations and safety for ScotRail, has assumed the position of acting managing director.

Mary Grant has been MD of ScotRail for four years, during which she has won a number of major rail and Scottish business awards.

A spokeswoman for FGW said: ^Andrew is on sick leave at the moment so there have been some changes for the time being.^

I'd like to add my own very best wishes to Andrew for a speedy recovery.  Chris. 

[Super Guard]

I read about these changes a couple of weeks ago, and it also said that Andrew Haines would be off for a bit longer, so I don't think this is anything long-term.