Train GraphicClick on the map to explore geographics
 
I need help
FAQ
Emergency
About .
Travel & transport from BBC stories as at 14:55 29 Mar 2024
* Delays at Dover as millions begin Easter getaway
- Attempted murder charge after man stabbed on train
* A view from inside ship that hit Baltimore bridge
Read about the forum [here].
Register [here] - it's free.
What do I gain from registering? [here]
 02/06/24 - Summer Timetable starts
17/08/24 - Bus to Imber
27/09/25 - 200 years of passenger trains

On this day
29th Mar (1913)
Foundation of National Union or Railwaymen (*)

Train RunningCancelled
13:15 London Paddington to Cardiff Central
14:19 Westbury to Swindon
14:57 Bedwyn to Newbury
15:14 Swindon to Westbury
15:22 Newbury to Bedwyn
15:28 Weston-Super-Mare to London Paddington
15:50 Bedwyn to Newbury
15:54 Cardiff Central to London Paddington
16:15 Newbury to Bedwyn
16:23 Westbury to Swindon
16:55 Bedwyn to Newbury
17:36 Swindon to Westbury
18:37 Westbury to Swindon
19:02 London Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads
20:13 Swindon to Westbury
21:16 Westbury to Swindon
22:30 Swindon to Westbury
Short Run
12:35 London Paddington to Exeter St Davids
13:10 Gloucester to Weymouth
13:42 Exeter St Davids to London Paddington
13:55 Paignton to London Paddington
14:36 London Paddington to Paignton
15:28 London Paddington to Weston-Super-Mare
15:42 Exeter St Davids to London Paddington
16:35 London Paddington to Plymouth
16:50 Plymouth to London Paddington
17:03 London Paddington to Penzance
17:36 London Paddington to Plymouth
18:03 London Paddington to Penzance
18:29 Weston-Super-Mare to London Paddington
18:36 London Paddington to Plymouth
19:04 Paignton to London Paddington
20:03 London Paddington to Plymouth
21:04 London Paddington to Plymouth
Delayed
10:04 London Paddington to Penzance
10:20 Penzance to London Paddington
12:03 London Paddington to Penzance
12:15 Penzance to London Paddington
13:03 London Paddington to Plymouth
13:15 Plymouth to London Paddington
13:50 London Paddington to Great Malvern
14:03 London Paddington to Penzance
14:15 Penzance to London Paddington
15:03 London Paddington to Penzance
15:15 Plymouth to London Paddington
16:03 London Paddington to Penzance
16:15 Penzance to London Paddington
19:04 London Paddington to Penzance
PollsOpen and recent polls
Closed 2024-03-25 Easter Escape - to where?
Abbreviation pageAcronymns and abbreviations
Stn ComparatorStation Comparator
Rail newsNews Now - live rail news feed
Site Style 1 2 3 4
Next departures • Bristol Temple MeadsBath SpaChippenhamSwindonDidcot ParkwayReadingLondon PaddingtonMelksham
Exeter St DavidsTauntonWestburyTrowbridgeBristol ParkwayCardiff CentralOxfordCheltenham SpaBirmingham New Street
March 29, 2024, 15:06:21 *
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Forgotten your username or password? - get a reminder
Most recently liked subjects
[127] 2024 - Service update and amendment log, Swindon <-> Westbury...
[80] Infrastructure problems in Thames Valley causing disruption el...
[59] Who needs a travel agent these days?
[44] Travel for free on the m2 metrobus - Bristol - 4,5,6 April 202...
[34] would you like your own LIVE train station departure board?
[32] West Wiltshire Bus Changes April 2024
 
News: the Great Western Coffee Shop ... keeping you up to date with travel around the South West
 
   Home   Help Search Calendar Login Register  
Linked Events
  • TWSW AGM: November 25, 2015
Pages: [1]
  Print  
Author Topic: TravelWatch SouthWest  (Read 6437 times)
grahame
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 40692



View Profile WWW Email
« on: October 22, 2015, 18:12:25 »

Another thread has mentioned "TravelWatch SouthWest" and - looking around - I find that most (all?) mentions on "The Coffee Shop" are in member-only boards, such as "Frequent Posters".    So here is a brief intro.

TravelWatch SouthWest meets twice a year - 1st Saturday in March and October - and it's a meeting of representatives of transport user and campaign groups, special interest groups with significant transport involvement, local and indeed central government, pubic transport operators, infrastructure providers, and other industry bodies.   That list may not be complete - if someone represents a group or has an individual reason why TWSW» (TravelWatch SouthWest - website) meetings are of interest, then their input / view is - in all probability - welcome.

I was invited initially to attend TravelWatch SouthWest in around 2007 or 2008 - and it's been (and remains) a very useful education in terms of helping me (as a transport advocate within the community) learn what's what and who's who - how things work, why things are as they are, why some things are issues - operational, cost, logistical, safety, commercial and more.  And it's a huge opportunity to meet people, exchange experiences, talk through options, fly kites, find out what makes people tick, gather experiences which are willingly shared because we're rarely competing with each other and can gain so much.

In addition to its twice-annual meetings, TravelWatch SouthWest has an AGM (Annual General Meeting) (annually, of course!) which is a much lower-key affair, and the directors meet from time to time, specialist papers are written, consultation inputs sought and made. And there are some extra meetings - for example, there was a consolation / consolidation meeting held before the (F)GW (Great Western)(R) direct award was put into place - that was last summer, with the various group inputs advising TWSW board, who put in their consolidated reply to the DfT» (Department for Transport - about).   Now only was this a useful way of getting "our" inputs into a well respected and carefully read general response, but also an educational day where we were able to learn what others were saying / thinking for their own inputs, be briefed on what may or may not be possible, and so fine-tune our own responses in order to have them pushing on open doors and being constructive, rather that bashing our heads against locked doors or brick walls.

Presentations from the most recent two meetings of TWSW may be found at http://travelwatchsouthwest.org/meetings/

The AGM is on 25th November this year (2015) - I'll add that to the diary; note that it's a Wednesday rather than the Saturdays that are used for the general meetings.

Finally, as a reference here's the official signature 'block' from the organisation's secretary - posted here to complete this intro.

Quote
TravelWatch SouthWest was established in 2001 as The South West Public Transport Users' Forum (SWPTUF (South West Passenger Transport User's Forum (now TWSW - Travel Watch South West))) to promote the interests of public transport users in the South West of England (comprising the counties of Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire and Somerset and the unitary authorities of Bath and North East Somerset, Bournemouth, Bristol, Cornwall, North Somerset, Plymouth, Poole, South Gloucestershire, Swindon, Torbay and Wiltshire) - the Forum became a Community Interest Company, limited by guarantee, in August 2005. SWPTUF adopted the trading name of TravelWatch SouthWest in June 2006 and the Community Interest Company changed name to TravelWatch SouthWest CIC (Community Interest Company ) in November 2008.
 
Membership of the TravelWatch SouthWest CIC is open to every 'not-for-profit' organisation in the South West of England whose sole or principal purpose is to represent the users of any public transport service or to promote the development of public transport services - membership is also open to other 'not-for-profit' organisations' in the South West England who represent the interests of particular groups of public transport users e.g. the disabled or the elderly. TWSW currently has over one hundred affiliated organisations.
 
TWSW, which is a social enterprise company, acts as an advocate for passengers to lobby for the improvement of public transport in the region and works closely with local authorities, local enterprise partnerships, business organisations and other stakeholder groups - with the dissolution of the former Rail Passengers Committee for Western England in July 2005, TWSW is the representative body for public transport users throughout the South West of England.

It's probably fair to say that without the wisdom of many people met at TWSW, much of what we've achieved on the TransWilts would not have been achieved.   Names too many to mention - you'll note I have not given you any names at all here (though there are many that spring to mind) as I'm looking to place the organisation in "Who's who" rather than the people.
« Last Edit: October 24, 2015, 13:16:16 by grahame » Logged

Coffee Shop Admin, Acting Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, Option 24/7 Melksham Rep
grahame
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 40692



View Profile WWW Email
« Reply #1 on: November 24, 2015, 08:20:11 »

Tomorrow, Taunton.

CrossCountry meeting followed by AGM (Annual General Meeting) / For Stakeholders.  From http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=16330.30 , I'm taking a summary:
* Concern at capacity of trains - need for more
* Fare system issues
* Connectivity (especially early morning) from ^Wessex^ (Swindon, etc) to the north
* Having to pay for WiFi is something people dislike now that it^s free on some other operator
and those headlines are already shared.    Any other "extra"s - please follow up on that thread or here by midnight; I need to catch the 06:38 train in the morning.

Logged

Coffee Shop Admin, Acting Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, Option 24/7 Melksham Rep
ChrisB
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 12334


View Profile Email
« Reply #2 on: November 24, 2015, 08:47:09 »

Bear in mind its a shortish Direct Award...I doubt it can address stock shortage issues (especually as there is no spares)
Logged
grahame
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 40692



View Profile WWW Email
« Reply #3 on: November 24, 2015, 09:20:47 »

Bear in mind its a shortish Direct Award...I doubt it can address stock shortage issues (especually as there is no spares)

Indeed, but neither should that shortish award period be a period where everything's stopped in terms of getting things in place for the future.
Logged

Coffee Shop Admin, Acting Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, Option 24/7 Melksham Rep
JayMac
Data Manager
Hero Member
******
Posts: 18897



View Profile
« Reply #4 on: November 24, 2015, 09:28:54 »

More utilisisation of their HSTs (High Speed Train) might address some capacity issues. Although with one set on long term hire to Virgin East Coast that might not be possible.

Rather against the grain, I'd like to see CrossCountry applauded for their excellent on board staff, their introduction of hot food, and their 10 minute reservation system.
Logged

"Build a man a fire and he'll be warm for the rest of the day. Set a man on fire and he'll be warm for the rest of his life."

- Sir Terry Pratchett.
ChrisB
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 12334


View Profile Email
« Reply #5 on: November 24, 2015, 09:45:20 »

A lot of folk hate that reservation system - usually all those who are sitting in those seats that can be reserved in that window....
Logged
Do you have something you would like to add to this thread, or would you like to raise a new question at the Coffee Shop? Please [register] (it is free) if you have not done so before, or login (at the top of this page) if you already have an account - we would love to read what you have to say!

You can find out more about how this forum works [here] - that will link you to a copy of the forum agreement that you can read before you join, and tell you very much more about how we operate. We are an independent forum, provided and run by customers of Great Western Railway, for customers of Great Western Railway and we welcome railway professionals as members too, in either a personal or official capacity. Views expressed in posts are not necessarily the views of the operators of the forum.

As well as posting messages onto existing threads, and starting new subjects, members can communicate with each other through personal messages if they wish. And once members have made a certain number of posts, they will automatically be admitted to the "frequent posters club", where subjects not-for-public-domain are discussed; anything from the occasional rant to meetups we may be having ...

 
Pages: [1]
  Print  
 
Jump to:  

Powered by MySQL Powered by PHP Powered by SMF 1.1.2 | SMF © 2006-2007, Simple Machines LLC Valid XHTML 1.0! Valid CSS!
This forum is provided by customers of Great Western Railway (formerly First Great Western), and the views expressed are those of the individual posters concerned. Visit www.gwr.com for the official Great Western Railway website. Please contact the administrators of this site if you feel that the content provided by one of our posters contravenes our posting rules (email link to report). Forum hosted by Well House Consultants

Jump to top of pageJump to Forum Home Page