Passengers fight back over rail fare rises

[whole diary]

[ruthg]

FGW^▸ (First Great Western) are unlikely to enforce the law, I'm sure they will let the strike happen as to do anything else will create yet more bad publicity for them. MTLS^▸ (More Train Less Strain) are not militant, they are using the media to get this subject into the public arena and should be congratulated for that!

[Shazz]

FGW^▸ (First Great Western) are unlikely to enforce the law, I'm sure they will let the strike happen as to do anything else will create yet more bad publicity for them. MTLS^▸ (More Train Less Strain) are not militant, they are using the media to get this subject into the public arena and should be congratulated for that!

In my view breaking the law to get people to see there way = millitant. I for one will not be congratulating any organisation that breaks the law repeatedly to try and get there way.

Last time FGW were going to, and they said they would take action if it happened again. So im fairly sure it's going to happen.

[12hoursunday]

FGW^▸ (First Great Western) are unlikely to enforce the law, I'm sure they will let the strike happen as to do anything else will create yet more bad publicity for them. MTLS^▸ (More Train Less Strain) are not militant, they are using the media to get this subject into the public arena and should be congratulated for that!

and while were  at it let's ask the Kenyan government to turn a blind eye to all the shootings, killings,looting and pillaging thats going on. After all they are only doing this to use the media to get the suject of a suspected fraudulent election into the world arena and should be congratulated for that.

Don't you understand that breaking the law is er let me think Oh yes UNLAWFUL. Prehaps a good thing would be that the British Transport Police go knocking on the doors of the main organisers of this UNLAWFUL ACT and remind them of the consequences of encouraging or inciting others to break the law!

[ruthg]

Last year, the vast majority of people I knew who had fare strike tickets also had valid tickets and therefore were not breaking the law.

The point of this campaign is to raise publicity and that's what it's doing quite successfully with all the media interest it has been receiving! Their tactics may not be to your liking but if letter writing etc. has got them nowhere, you can't blame them for using the media in this way to draw attention to the awful service and extortionate fares.

[Shazz]

Last year, the vast majority of people I knew who had fare strike tickets also had valid tickets and therefore were not breaking the law.

The point of this campaign is to raise publicity and that's what it's doing quite successfully with all the media interest it has been receiving! Their tactics may not be to your liking but if letter writing etc. has got them nowhere, you can't blame them for using the media in this way to draw attention to the awful service and extortionate fares.

The Awful service the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) tell FGW^▸ (First Great Western) to provide
The Awful fare increase the DfT set
The Awful pacers working in devon provided by the DfT

See where this is going?

[dog box]

 NO NO NO surely the Daft are whiter than white in all this!!!!!!!!

[devon_metro]

The DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) have also ruined:

AXC^» (Arriva Cross Country - about) - direct South West - North West services removed

Basically AXC is now:
 Bournemouth - Manc
 Reading - Newcastle (I think)
 Bristol - Manchester
 Plymouth - Edinburgh

Pretty basic with the odd extension to Paignton, Penzance and Glasgow

Also...

EMT^» (East Midlands Trains - about) who are removing long distance HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) from the Sheffield - London services and putting them on Nottingham services, with more stops. Hmm last time i checked, Meridians has acceleration more suited to stopping services.

They also have plans to remove the buffet car, got rid of free coffee and tea in standard and the units shared for more local services between London Midland, AXC and EMT are a mess.

[Timmer]

EMT^» (East Midlands Trains - about) who are removing long distance HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) from the Sheffield - London services and putting them on Nottingham services, with more stops. Hmm last time i checked, Meridians has acceleration more suited to stopping services.

I couldn't believe it when I heard they were swapping HSTs onto the shorter London-Nottingham service from London-Sheffield. How stupid is that??? Unless you happen to live in Nottingham of course so would be delighted to swap noisy underfloor engined trains for HSTs

[Timmer]

NO NO NO surely the Daft are whiter than white in all this!!!!!!!!

Being a government department thats what they would have you believe yes.

[Timmer]

Old Pal is a tongue in cheek friendly welcome in Cornwall, wasn't refering to your age but if it offended then my appologies  ,

No offense taken Vacman and I probably could have worded that in a more friendly way. My lame excuse would be that it was early in the morning on my first day back to work. When my grandad was alive I used to visit Cornwall two or three times a year as a child and have many happy memories. Sad to say I don't get down there much these days.

The "unregulated fares" which I believe Cheap Day Returns are one? Cheap days were dramaticly reduced by FGW^▸ (First Great Western) in 2006 in most areas, by as much as 60% and in this fare rise most cheap days haven't risen, I do accept that part of the blame is on FGW's doorstep but the DFT^▸ (Department for Transport) are the real villians in this, and the DFT are succeeding in their plan as it is the TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company)'s that are getting the public criticism, FGW did hold their hands up and say they got it wrong, hence why they have fare more units than specified in the franchise, WHY WON^▸ (Weekly Operating Notice )'T THE DFT HOLD THEIR HANDS UP AND SAY THAT THEY GOT IT WRONG ASWEL!

Totally agree that DFT are allowing the TOCs, not just FGW, to take the flack for decisions that have been taken BY THEM. Basically DFT are micro-managing all the recently renewed franchises now which IMHO^▸ (in my humble opinion) is worse than nationalisation. Whereas in the days of BR^▸ (British Rail(ways)) the government of the day threw money at the management and told them to get on with it; now they are telling them what trains to run and when.

I applauded FGW for coming out and saying 'we got it wrong' but remember feeling at the time that they were being made to take all the blame because of course they can't say its the DFT fault as well because that would strongly jeopadise First ever winning a franchise for many years to come if they did.

Some would say that it comes with the territory of running the franchise but it takes a lot for a government department to admit 'we got it wrong too' which is sad.

[Lee]

I remember writing a post on In Defence Of First Great Western on this, with Insider agreeing (pretty much) with my view :

The SLC^▸ (Service Level Commitment) (Service Level Commitment) for December 2006 on which tenders were invited specified how many services ran between which stations , and where they called at in between (although the bidder was allowed to add extra stops "provided the other requirements of the SLC were met") but did not specify the size of the train fleet or how many carriages / units were to be deployed.

In fact , the size of the train fleet formed part of the franchise agreement reached between the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) and FGW^▸ (First Great Western).

However , in the ITT^▸ (Invitation to Tender) (invitation to tender) the SRA^» (Strategic Rail Authority - about) did set out "the basis on which the Authority developed SLC2 in terms of the assumed class of vehicles, their journey time capability and the diagrammed requirements."

Rolling stock reduction , and the associated subsidy reduction benefits , had been the focus of several SRA - commisioned Jacobs Consultancy reports , on which the SLC was based.

I am also sure that FGW , and the other bidders , were left in no doubt that the size of the train fleet had to be reduced. After all , the "surplus" units had already been promised to other train operating companies.

Where I think that even FGW would admit they got it wrong , was when they underestimated demand in their bid. Having done so , the DfT effectively locked them in to their contractual obligations. It was very telling that when FGW appealed the decision to send the Class 158's north , the DfT turned a distinctly deaf ear to their protests.

I do , however , think that FGW's decision to ask for a change to the Westbury - Swindon section of the SLC (granted by the DfT) , in order to allow them to please Stroud Valley commuters (who already had an hourly service) at the expense of Melksham / TransWilts commuters (who had virtually no service) , while saving themselves having to use an extra unit , was not their finest hour and has earned them the mistrust of quite a few people on the ground.

Here is a further MTLS^▸ (More Train Less Strain) article link.
http://thisissomerset.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=147472&command=displayContent&sourceNode=242195&contentPK=19432727&folderPk=113662&pNodeId=251478