Eleven questions from passengers at Reading

[whole diary]

[grahame]

"I don't know - I'll get back to you" or "Thank you for your comment - I'll let someone know".

Most of the discussions / questions that came up on our Community Rail in the City booth at Reading were well known ones, already answered on the forum and within the encyclopaedic knowledge of our members there.  However, we had enquiry forms to hand for those that required a separate follow up.  I have been through and grouped those ... eleven comments / questions / groups.

Please post initial thoughts on any of them here ... separate posts please for each question as I'll split off any that get busy into separate threads.

1. Why are tickets so expensive - with particular reference to Oxford to Reading commutes
(is that a particualrly expensive run in pence per mile terms?)

2. Could something be done about the automatic doors at the end of passenger compartments that seem at times to keep opening and closing for little apparent reason
(wonder which train types this relates to?)

3. How do I get my paper (season) ticket which keeps wearing out replaced by an electronic one
(is this possible now for all journeys?)

4. The South Western Railway service on Sunday - Reading to Salisbury.  Could it stop at Reading West?
(While we're talking SWR^» (South Western Railway - about)'s new timetable - whatever happened to the promised extra stops at Dilton Marsh?)

5. Cycle spaces for season ticket holders who regularly take their bykes are an infernal nuisance to book, and many's the time that don't know when I'll finish work so which train I need to book.  Could the system be made more cyclist customer friendly?

6. Why is there still fist class on the trains and why is (it?) so expensive?

7. Historic question. At one time, one of the early morning trains from Hereford to London started back at Abergavenny (diagram was an HST^▸ (High Speed Train) that came up from Bristol). When did the passenger start at Abergavenny happen (end date especially sought; start date would be welcome)

8. The Moreton in Marsh ticket vending machine seems to be out of service a lot ("I have only found it fucntioning twice"). Are there plans to increase its availability?  [Corolloary after discussion] Does the ticket machine at Moreton in Marsh offer the most appropiate tickets from its "quick select" menu - i.e. on a Saturday morning, does it suggest a £56.50 off peak or a £42.60 super off peak for Paddington?

9. Can (more) steps be taken when trains are crowded to make all seats available for people rather than have lots of the occupied by designer bags that people feel are too precious to put on the luggage rack.  Reading to Paddington question.

10. Ticket Vending Machines seem very slow / longwinded in selling tickets. Question - how long does a typical sale take and could it be speeded up?

11. Comments / questions about READING station ...
a) The scrolling signs (3 pages of menu) seem to take an awful long time to go around
b) The toilets and waiting room are inadequate
c) There is a lack of seating in many places where it's 'wanted'
d) Why is the electronic next departure board on the Transfer Deck masked / hidden by the information booth?
e) Why is there no clock easily visible on the transfer deck so [you] can put how long you have into context?
(on (e), some of the electronic displays do have the time on their bottom line, but hardly easy to spot!)

[jamestheredengine]

1. Why are tickets so expensive - with particular reference to Oxford to Reading commutes
(is that a particualrly expensive run in pence per mile terms?)

Not exceptionally:

Reading to Oxford: SDS £15.10, 28m43c, 53ppm

Outrageously more expensive:
Reading to Heathrow T123 (route Not London): SDS £21.20, 27m7c, 78ppm

Slightly more expensive:
Reading to Southall: SDS £16.10, 27m48c, 58ppm

Slightly cheaper:
Reading to Shalford: SDS £14.30, 27m50c, 52ppm
Reading to Whitchurch (Hants): SDS £14.10, 27m70c, 51ppm

Much cheaper:
Reading to Feltham: SDS £13.80, 28m43c, 48ppm
Reading to Walton-on-Thames: SDS £12.00, 27m75c, 43ppm
Reading to West Byfleet: SDS £12.10, 27m39c, 44ppm
Reading to Farncombe: SDS £13.20, 28m70c, 46ppm
Reading to Bentley: SDS £13.00, 26m66c, 48ppm
Reading to Micheldever: SDS £11.80, 26m66c, 44ppm
Reading to Hungerford: SDS £11.90, 26m55c, 45ppm

Anomalously cheaper:
Reading to Winchfield: SDS £8.20, 24m38c, 34ppm

[Richard Fairhurst]

7. Historic question. At one time, one of the early morning trains from Hereford to London started back at Abergavenny (diagram was an HST^▸ (High Speed Train) that came up from Bristol). When did the passenger start at Abergavenny happen (end date especially sought; start date would be welcome)

It started in May 2007. Both of the two up HSTs on the Cotswold Line started back at Abergavenny - the equivalent of today's 05.28 and 06.42 from Hereford, so a very early start. Not sure when it ceased, I'm afraid. It was a shame there weren't any corresponding down trains.

Edit: haven't found a definite end date but it wasn't running by the summer 2009 timetable.

[Richard Fairhurst]

5. Cycle spaces for season ticket holders who regularly take their bykes are an infernal nuisance to book, and many's the time that don't know when I'll finish work so which train I need to book.  Could the system be made more cyclist customer friendly?

I've heard a suggestion that GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway)'s online bike-booking app is finally nearing launch.

(I do wonder what the "Available" with green light above an unoccupied IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train) bike compartment means. In what sense is it "available"?)

[IndustryInsider]

It hasn't been reserved for a bike.

[grahame]

6. Why is there still fist class on the trains and why is (it?) so expensive?

It has been pointed out to me that I meant "fiRst" class ... there are no separate fares for "fist class" which is what you get on the Saturday 20:21 from Weymouth if you ask the party of blokes dressed as Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White, Lady Gaga and Xena the warrior princess if them would mind moving up in the set of 6 seats in a 3+2 so that you can sit down.

[Richard Fairhurst]

It hasn't been reserved for a bike.

Sure, yes. It's not actually "available" though.

If you have a bike reservation, it would show amber (i.e. your reservation starts at an upcoming stop) or red (your reservation has started). It might show green if you don't have a reservation, but then GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) policy says you can't take your bike on the train.

So there aren't (officially) any circumstances in which the space is actually "available". We could call it Catch-99/00...

[jamestheredengine]

6. Why is there still fi(r)st class on the trains and why is (it?) so expensive?

I suspect this one's highly location dependent. I love my £5.90 return (Neath to Cardiff) excess to First Class, especially on a Wednesday (wine on the way back). It covers all manner of my bad habits, from being too tired to have breakfast to skipping lunch by being too busy to just being a bit stressed.

[Surrey 455]

2. Could something be done about the automatic doors at the end of passenger compartments that seem at times to keep opening and closing for little apparent reason

Used to happen a lot on the turbos. Perhaps it still does but I can't recall any recent journeys where it has occurred.

[eightonedee]

3. How do I get my paper (season) ticket which keeps wearing out replaced by an electronic one
(is this possible now for all journeys?)

Stay paper and buy your ticket at Goring! The machine that Ollie has inherited from Colin has served me up a long lasting one for some years. The last one that faded on me I think I got at Reading. It might also be that your wee plastic wallet has "sticky" clear plastic - my last problematic one left all the information on inside of the clear pocket in the wallet, which was changed when I replaced the ticket.

[eightf48544]

Not an answer but another observation about train information screens at Reading.

Looking for the 21:18 from Platform 14  i saw Taplow up on the Platform 13 (didn't check [platform number) board and went down to the platform to find it was the train after the 21:18 back up the escalator to 14 luckily i had a few minutes to spare but if i'd been closer to departure time then it would would have been upsetting to see the train pulling out of 14.

My mistake but why advertise a later train before the earlier one departs?

[eightonedee]

9. Can (more) steps be taken when trains are crowded to make all seats available for people rather than have lots of the occupied by designer bags that people feel are too precious to put on the luggage rack.  Reading to Paddington question.

I usually find that that smiling nicely and asking if the bag's owner minds if I put in the rack for them works. To be fair, most are lost in their electronic world on their smartphone/laptop and haven't noticed that they are hogging the last remaining seat. You do get the odd grumpy response, but no-one seems to have the gall to resist giving up that extra seat they didn't pay for!

[eightonedee]

a) The scrolling signs (3 pages of menu) seem to take an awful long time to go around

and

d) Why is the electronic next departure board on the Transfer Deck masked / hidden by the information booth?

Because the signage (fixed and electronic) is generally hopelessly inadequate - a Network Rail problem I have been told by GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) folk. There are more (totally inadequate) signs on each face of the lift shafts behind the retail units on the over bridge too if you want to go find them.

A "lets redesign the station signage at Reading" thread might keep me on my keyboard for hours - move over ITE buffets!

[eightonedee]

b) The toilets and waiting room are inadequate
c) There is a lack of seating in many places where it's 'wanted'

I agree with that, and earlier posts on other threads commenting on the bleak open nature of the rebuilt station.

The waiting rooms on the higher number platforms are particularly poor - for example the one for 12B has just 7 seats in a building the size of a full sized single deck bus. This for a platform that frequently has over 70 passengers waiting for stopping trains for Didcot and Oxford as late as 7-30 pm. Someone with a politically incorrect sense of humour painted wheelchair symbols at the far end of most of these platforms too, well beyond any shelter, or where any suitable accommodation is (as far as I know) available on any regularly used rolling stock.

The seats are sparse - and those on platforms 4,5 and 6 benches only, which do not start until a long way up the platform.
I know I've corresponded with others in this forum who have tried to persuade me that simply lengthening platforms and providing a narrow extra one has transformed the experience of travelers. But we used to have a roof that gave shelter between our two old platforms and some "proper" seats where our trains stopped!

A thought (no doubt to be shot down by knowledgeable industry insiders!). Why do through trains have to use just the A or B ends of most platforms? If they used the central part of the platform, passengers might use the waiting rooms at both ends, benefit from the limited additional shelter of the over bridge and avoid what happened this morning when two busy trains disgorged their passengers at the B ends on 12 and 13 jamming up the B side up escalator, as they would use the escalators/stairs both sides of the over bridge?

I can see the benefits of A and B ends for services that terminate, start or reverse at Reading, but not for through services.

I'll go and lie down now....... 

PS - any room for a few redundant Pacers for additional platform shelters?

[stuving]

Someone with a politically incorrect sense of humour painted wheelchair symbols at the far end of most of these platforms too, well beyond any shelter, or where any suitable accommodation is (as far as I know) available on any regularly used rolling stock.

That's the emergency "refuge point" for wheelchair users. There's one at each end of those platforms that have downwards evacuation stairs - you'll need to consult the emergency plans to find out how they are used.