Can't Please Everybody

[whole diary]

[12hoursunday]

http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/news/wales-news/2008/02/27/anger-as-valleys-rail-coaches-moved-to-england-91466-20528207/

That over the bridge are not a happy bunch. Bloody Firstgroup!

[Lee]

See also link below.
http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=1862.msg13679#msg13679

[devon_metro]

Get over it 

[vacman]

Is that a violin I hear??

[mada]

I think the Welsh forget that the Cardiff to Portsmouth service is important to their economy!

[welshman]

Tell me how one meandering two car train an hour wandering through rural Somerset/Wiltshire/Hampshire is important to the Welsh economy.  I don't see much freight on it.

Especially as compared to the 12 or so Valleys Lines trains per hour which travel each way through Cardiff Central.

Nor do I see how confiscating 5 ATW^▸ (Arriva Trains Wales (former TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company))) Sprinters is fairly spreading the load.   If you think services are crowded in Bristol, try a rush hour train to or from Treherbert.

[Jez]

And also the Maesteg-Cheltenham train can be overcrowded at rush hour too especially the 17.21 from Cardiff-Maesteg. This service is usually 2 carriage 158.

[DanielP]

People are upset because 42 station platform extensions have taken place, new signalling installed and additional passing loops built and then half the stock to run it has been subleased to FGW^▸ (First Great Western): for a year so the investment (i.e. our taxes) is partially unused. See if you can imagine that applying to your local service without feeling the tiniest tingle of annoyance.

It is possible to please everybody, but that includes having governements invest in appropriate levels of rolling stock.

I'm genuinely glad that the Cardiff - Portsmouth service has got extra stock and that the ex Wessex services are being sorted out, it was a total disgrace- but please avoid getting in an "us and them" type debate. We all live in the United Kingdom and we all deserve a decent rail service.

Daniel

PS...please note the 150s are "subleased", not "confiscated". I wouldn't be at all suprised if first group is having to cough up an AWFUL lot for this deal.

[Conner]

DanielP,
You have good points but imagine what we felt when Wessex had done so much work getting 3-Car Class 158 units on the Portsmouth-Cardiff services then for FGW^▸ (First Great Western) to reduce them to 2.
What about when overcorwding had actually been limited on the network and then we gave you some of our 150 units in brilliant condition.(You are giving us a lot worse)
And when we had to give 12 brilliant 158 units to be replaced by 142's meaning many long distance services have 150 units when ATW^▸ (Arriva Trains Wales (former TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company))) have 158's on pretty much everything over an 1 1/2.
We have it bad aswell.

[Jez]

DanielP,
You have good points but imagine what we felt when Wessex had done so much work getting 3-Car Class 158 units on the Portsmouth-Cardiff services then for FGW^▸ (First Great Western) to reduce them to 2.
What about when overcorwding had actually been limited on the network and then we gave you some of our 150 units in brilliant condition.(You are giving us a lot worse)
And when we had to give 12 brilliant 158 units to be replaced by 142's meaning many long distance services have 150 units when ATW^▸ (Arriva Trains Wales (former TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company))) have 158's on pretty much everything over an 1 1/2.
We have it bad aswell.

In fairness though that was FGW fault for reducing the Portsmouth-Cardiff service down to 2 Car not ATW! 

ATW do use 158's or 175 on all long distance journeys but thats how it should be IMO^▸ (in my opinion).

[Conner]

DanielP,
You have good points but imagine what we felt when Wessex had done so much work getting 3-Car Class 158 units on the Portsmouth-Cardiff services then for FGW^▸ (First Great Western) to reduce them to 2.
What about when overcorwding had actually been limited on the network and then we gave you some of our 150 units in brilliant condition.(You are giving us a lot worse)
And when we had to give 12 brilliant 158 units to be replaced by 142's meaning many long distance services have 150 units when ATW^▸ (Arriva Trains Wales (former TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company))) have 158's on pretty much everything over an 1 1/2.
We have it bad aswell.

In fairness though that was FGW fault for reducing the Portsmouth-Cardiff service down to 2 Car not ATW! 

I actually wasn't complaining about ATW just saying that we have had services downgraded also.
Alos, ATW wll not have downgraded services, they just won't be upgraded, what we had was worse, just trains removed.

[DanielP]

Yeah, I can remember initial comments suggested that Card to Soton would be 4 car 158s just before FGW^▸ (First Great Western) started (har har!). That should still happen IMHO^▸ (in my humble opinion), it should have the same kind of capacity as the Salisbury - Exeter route, even.

The Wessex franchise was calously stripped of its rolling stock in a way that I hope is never seen again! I kind of like 142s in a funny sort of way (like marmite!), though I couldn't live with them if they didn't have chapman seats (like ATW^▸ (Arriva Trains Wales (former TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company)))'s)- that will be the only component worth saving when they do (eventually) scrap the little tikes. What really depresses me is that my three year old son is likely to be 15 when that happens!!!!! Please someone pull their finger out before then!!!!

The thing about the Arriva transfer is that new infrastucture is in place, there's just not enought trains to use it properly.

[dog box]

dont you mean qprrule 11 brilliant units and 1 crap one as i seem to recall 865 was a pile of poo

[Conner]

dont you mean qprrule 11 brilliant units and 1 crap one as i seem to recall 865 was a pile of poo

IMO^▸ (in my opinion) All 158's are better than any other west fleet train.
Even 865.
Giv them a proper refurb, major techincal attention, new seats and you have got a brilliant train.
IIRC^▸ (if I recall/remember/read correctly) most Wessex 158's had working Air Conditioning, better than any other 15x or 14x other than 159.

[vacman]

Tell me how one meandering two car train an hour wandering through rural Somerset/Wiltshire/Hampshire is important to the Welsh economy.  I don't see much freight on it.

Especially as compared to the 12 or so Valleys Lines trains per hour which travel each way through Cardiff Central.

Nor do I see how confiscating 5 ATW^▸ (Arriva Trains Wales (former TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company))) Sprinters is fairly spreading the load.   If you think services are crowded in Bristol, try a rush hour train to or from Treherbert.

Correction, soon to be 3 car trains wandering through England to Wales, English taxpayers pay enough towards Wales and Scotland improvements, are we forgetting the 150's that went to Arriva shames wales 18 months ago???