Sorry for my rambling answer. As we have often said there are a lot of really good people within the FGW▸ world and I thing it would be good to find a way of helping them to help us
Great links, many thanks
Your post was - in my view - raising something hugely important - but a very difficult subject. The sentiment of the passenger is something which can do so much for the success or otherwise of the transport system and the effective harnessing of the positive sentiment in an effective way is something that has come forward leaps and bounds over the last 10 years. Forgive me talking in what will sound like riddles; there's so much width in the generality that I find it hard to be clear in the specifics.
Something to address further ... though I'm exhausted this afternoon, after an illustration of the changes I have seen over the years. Contrast 10 years ago this month when I first personally got involved, hitting my fists against a door I had been told had been locked closed for 10 years because few knew it existed and used it, to today travelling on an 8 carriage train passing that door with a loading of up to 350 passengers. Good for them, good for us because we have a service, good for the railway because it helps their finances and good for the future because (I estimate) around 80 of those passengers were essentially on their first train trip in many a long while or ever. But this requires pragmatism, co-operation, customer care, trust and respect between the groups and is just a tiny cog in the wheel.
