ReHi - a rollcall of (re)introductions

[whole diary]

[grahame]

My member ID is a single digit number ... I set up and signed up over three years ago, and since that time 800 members have joined and there have been over 60,000 posts in 6,000 topics.  So perhaps it's time for me to post a "re-Hi" so that newcomers know who I am.

I'm Graham Ellis, I live and work in Melksham in Wiltshire, running training courses in various IT subjects [course details]. In the five years up to 2006, we saw a dramatic rise in the number of our delegates coming to courses by train, and the enhanced service that had been introduced in 2001 with very little publicity could be visibly seen to be succeeding - becoming a service on which at times nearly every seat was taken.

Imagine my shock, then, to read in my local paper that a consultation had taken place (not with the users it hadn't) and that we were to loose the service under the new franchise.  I think the letter in the paper said "you're too late to object", but I felt that I wouldn't forgive myself if I didn't at least put a few hours into finding out what was going on.   I'm not a natural protester - I'm one of the silent majority - but this made me so angry that I wanted to rattle a few cages!

So in my turn I registered a web site - [save the train] - wrote to the local paper, set up a meeting and found some like minded people.  And to my never ending astonishment, all the way from Swindon to Southampton, everyone I spoke to agreed with me that it seemed crazy for the service to be cut - in a way they did NOT agree if I spoke to them about other local subjects from canals to cancer charity balls.


I had better cut a long story short(er)

We set ourselves three objectives:
1. To raise awareness of the train service about to be lost
2. To get a proper idea of what WAS an appropriate service
3. To work towards saving / restoring that service.

A lot of water has flowed under the bridge. From being "just a passenger" who knew nothing about trains, I have learned somewhat more. I have learned, for example, that there are a huge number of people who want to help and really know their stuff, but are hamstrung by a system which passes the buck around in circles and doesn't always work for the good of the passengers and wannabe passengers for whom - surely - the passenger railway exists.

From a service that was regarded (largely by those who had scant knowledge of it) as something of a laughing stock, the line has moved forward and it's now commonly accepted that there is severe underprovision; services were indeed cut to a very unfit-for-purpose setup that we currently have. Indeed - it's no longer the laughing stock as in the recent GWRUS^▸ (Great Western Route Utilisation Strategy) it came out as just about the top candidate / best business case for enhancement, and right up to an extra hourly service each way.  I'll admit - that's more than I would have even guessed to be an appropriate service when I first got involved.

With the case being largely made and accepted, there's no longer quite the same need to be the "angry customer" (thank goodness - it's not a role I enjoy!) - but rather to work within the system, sometimes making innovative use of that system, to get us back to a situation where there IS that sensible service linking the major population centres of Wiltshire to each other and to surrounding counties.

So - two weeks ago - we held an inaugural meeting of the "TransWilts Community Rail Partnership".  It has mainstream support - it's encouraged - by the key players, and it's looking to make best use of current services, to improve stations and information, and also to help work out and work towards something even better.  In places where communities feel an ownership for their railway, the railways do so much better, and that's where we're headed.


I have ... drifted ... as I've written this from a personal "re-Hi" to an update on the TransWilts.  But then the TransWilts has become very much a part of my out-of-work activities - I've made a number of very good friends, enjoyed some excellent journeys, and long may that continue - even when I can pick up the local bus to Melksham station, get my ticket at the station and catch the 07:17 to Swindon, the 07:37 to Oxford, the 08:17, 09:17 ... or the other way the Salisbury service at 07:57, 08:57 ... or the Weymouth train at 09:37.   For it's not only about regaining, but also retaining the appropriate service.

I still live in Melksham. It's a friendly place, and I wouldn't want to move.  We took on an old wreck of a house in 2000, and restored it (a listed building, so that was no easy task). And in 2006, triggered by a changing market, we also took on another building as a training centre and hotel for our delegates - see [here].  Once again, the building was in need of some t.l.c.; a further major project, and it continues to keep up more that busy.  Last night, I was on duty until just after midnight, then back again to do Sunday breakfast (and that starts at 7, even on Sunday).

And - yes - I do have a personal life.  A wife, three children, a wider family and famility-n-law, a dog, a cat (no budgie);  I respect their privacy so you'll find little written here on them.  And a great interest in non-rail topics.  I'm involved with Melksham Chamber of Commerce, for example, and I'm always having great fun with internet technlogy ...

My Avatar changed this morning - from to - and that's significant.  It signifies the move away from the niggling cage rattling about sillynesses such as the fact that the "powers that be" can't even get the Melksham sign right, to the much more positive bridge forward.  And that's the Pack Horse Bridge in Melksham - it's been there for many years, it's underused at present, but it's actually really attractive. And it can get you somewhere.  But it can also carry a lot more people.  In the last couple of week, when I've been busy, "P" and "E" and "L" and "M" and "C" and others have all been working for the TransWilts and I look forward to working with a much expanded team, with a shared load rather than the crusade that it has (incorrectly) appeared to be at times.



Finally - a word of encouragement to YOU, dear well-established member - to add your "reHi" onto the end of here.  Lest we forget - none of us knew who the other members were when we first came here. 

[IndustryInsider]

I work for FGW^▸ (First Great Western) as many of you probably realise.  Without wishing to appear too mysterious, I'm sure most of us on here who work within the industry won't want to give too much away about our identities, as we might feel we lose the ability to be impartial and honest when discussing things on here.

But, I have worked within the railway industry since the late 80's and have pretty much covered all 'customer focussed' areas of the railway, from information and sales, through to driving trains and middle management.  In a stint at Red Star Parcels I've even had the dubious pleasure of listening to 300 live chicks chirping away for an hour before I put them on a train next to a motorbike in the guards van - that shows how the railway has changed in a relatively short time!

My different experiences in my profession, and a lifelong interest in railways given to me by my father, allows me to give some insights into some of the topics on here that hopefully add to the debate?  The nickname 'Industry Insider' was originally chosen for the 'Save The Train' site as there was little input from within the industry on that site, and I carried it over to the Coffee Shop - although I appreciate that there are many other 'insiders' on here - each with their own broad or specialist knowledge base.  It's fascinating to see their opinions on things, as well as the opinions of the 'normal members'.

For me, the Coffee Shop is a wonderfully friendly place which gives me a platform to give my opinions on where the railway industry is and should be heading and where it is currently going wrong.  Also it gives me (and other workers within the industry) the opportunity to explain why certain things are the way they are, even though they may appear barmy to the outside world!

Oh, and the nickname I use has nothing to do with the Industry Insider who is a columnist at RAIL magazine - his knowledge and influence is rather broader than mine!

[Electric train]

I work for a large UK^▸ (United Kingdom) railway employer.  I started with British Rail Western Region as an electrical apprentice in 1975; first year at Swindon and then the next 3 at Old Oak Common, Reading and Paddington with collage in Bristol.  I was a maintenance supervisor at Paddington but then got involved in electrification 20 years ago both AC and DC^▸ (Direct Current) working all over the UK although now based in the SE.

I am a FGW^▸ (First Great Western) season ticket holder (my BR^▸ (British Rail(ways)) travel is retired status so I have to pay to get to work    )

[devon_metro]

I work for FGW^▸ (First Great Western) as many of you probably realise.  Without wishing to appear too mysterious, I'm sure most of us on here who work within the industry won't want to give too much away about our identities, as we might feel we lose the ability to be impartial and honest when discussing things on here.

I must say, I thought you worked for Network Rail!

[Ollie]

I work for FGW^▸ (First Great Western) as many of you probably realise.  Without wishing to appear too mysterious, I'm sure most of us on here who work within the industry won't want to give too much away about our identities, as we might feel we lose the ability to be impartial and honest when discussing things on here.

I must say, I thought you worked for Network Rail!

Yep I thought that too!

[Mookiemoo]

Well I'm just a passenger

I used to travel regularly and daily from worcester to reading/london however have recently been working from home.

I am a champion for for first class and also for common sense rather than letter of the law as long as the law is as grey as it is. 

In the furture you may see me on the cotswolds line or on the lines from bristol - not sure at the moment - jury is out

I'm a short fat scouser

[Chris from Nailsea]

My formal 'profile' is included in Who we are - the people behind firstgreatwestern.info

However, perhaps less formally: I'm also just a passenger (although I've been accused, in the past, of being more pro-FGW^▸ (First Great Western) than some of their staff! ).  For the record, I am not, and never have been, employed by First Great Western or Network Rail.  However, I have met a considerable number of their staff, over the years, and I've generally found them to be very good people - working hard to get things done.  That's why I support them whenever I can.

However, I will still 'rail' against what I see as 'silliness' on the railways - Elfin Safety, without logical reasons, for example.

On the other hand, I do have strong views about people doing criminally stupid things, such as misusing level crossings and trespassing on the railways.  I make no apologies for posting examples of such incidents on this forum: if anyone is offended, that's much better than someone being injured or killed, if a lesson is learned.

If anyone would like to discuss anything with me, please do contact me - by PM (personal message) here on the forum, if you're a member, or by e-mail (all my details are in my profile )

Chris. 

[matt473]

May as well follow the trend 

I'm a regular traveller from South Wales to Bristol due to being in University but despite that fact I am quite knowledgable  One of the many people here that are just normal passengers but still have a large amount of knowledge gained from experience of regular travel and will happily offer any assistance on South Wales, travelling or any other query just like many other members on the forum will.

Btw for all new people reading, when booking tickets to travel on FGW^▸ (First Great Western), always check price of 1st class tickets as they can sometimes be cheaper or only a few quid more so are worth looking at  No doubt useful to new members who are yet to find this bit of info out

[gaf71]

I am a driver for FGW^▸ (First Great Western), and was formerly a guard.

[Phil]

No real secret about who I am, as a simple Google search will usually reveal

In railway terms I too am but a humble passenger, and am if I'm honest not even that interested in trains as such. I am though a great believer in the benefits railways can deliver to communities, and have an abiding interest - some would say passion - in railway buldings, engineering and architecture and the way it interacts with the environment. My earliest memories as a child include travelling on the last regular passenger train out of Wells Tucker Street (Somerset) to visit an auntie in Salisbury; this would have been in September 1963. A few years later my family moved to Winscombe, further along the same (Strawberry) line, where in 1969 I witnessed the withdrawal of goods traffic as well, and the line and the buildings at the end of my garden being ripped up, pulled down and destroyed. I was devastated. The moment still defines the end of childhood for me.

A family move to Melksham followed a few years later. Fired up by the hurt and anger (in teenager terms!) of having twice experienced the devastation wrought by Beeching's policies, I helped my father, at the time a local council candidate, campaign for the reopening of Melksham station, which we, and a lot of other local worthies, were eventually successful in achieving during 1985. At the time I remember the local news announcing it was the first station in England post-Beeching to be reopened, though I understand now that that's not strictly true.

Fast forward twenty years and I'm trying hard to use what little is left of Melksham's rail service since, for what are now hopefully more obvious reasons, I desperately want to see it continue. I travel to Reading and London twice a week most weeks. My son catches the train to Bristol every day and my daughter to Bath. We'd all use Melksham station if we could, but as things stand at the moment I'm the only one of us who does, and only occasionally at that - if the timings happen to suit. I am in the fortunate position of often being able to travel First Class (so you'll hear my opinions on that from time to time) and though I usually travel by FGW^▸ (First Great Western), I fairly regularly treat myself to a trip on the "slow train" to London as well - the South West Trains service from Westbury to Waterloo.

I drive a beat up old Land Rover so rather than drive, if I'm faced with any leisure journey of over 30 miles or so I'll usually get the train for that as well, or sometimes a combination of trains and buses - as Graham memorably commented elsewhere, us TransWilts types tend to get used to looking up alternative forms of public transport.

Today I wouldn't exactly claim to be directly helping Graham's admirable campaign for an improved service for Melksham, as there's far more qualified people than I am who are much much more knowledgable and involved. Graham knows I'm there to help if he needs a loose cannon occasionally though  

[Tim]

I live in Bath and I am just a customer although also a bit of an enthusiast (not for particular locos or routes or anything - although I do have a soft spot for the Class 37 and the HST^▸ (High Speed Train) and for the Dawlish Seawall route - more a supporter of the idea of the railway and what it can achieve for society).  I am particularly intrested in timetables and tickets.  I can drive and I own a car, but I think that cars are dangerous and unlovely and therefore try and avoid them when possible.  The best thing about travelling by train is being able to work and/or relax at the same time and the best trains are those that also provide a bed and meals.  I dislike time wasted by timetable slack, poor connections and the removal of the option to buy on board, and I hate the Voyagers which are so badly designed one wonders if RIchard Branson did it deliberately.  

Although originally a Northerner I have lived Bath for ten year and I am a partner in a legal services firm with offices in Bath, London, Cardiff and Munich (where I get to sample DB^» (Deutsche Bahn - German State Railway - about)'s offering).  As a firm we used to do much travelling between offices and when I started there were at least two trips each a week (and about ^40,000 annual spend with FGW^▸ (First Great Western)/Wessex).  Rising ticket costs, loss of tables to work at and timetable slack, and general anger and annoyance with FGW dating back to the appalingly bad start of the current franchise have caused us to invest in more Communications IT as an alternative to travelling and we have reduced our travelling and usage of the railway dramatically in the last couple of years (spending perhaps ^10,000 with FGW last year).  I view this as an own-goal by the rail industry-if they had managed to maintain their service level we would be travelling and spending more.

Outside of work, I am a leisure traveller to Manchester, Glossop, London, Swansea and Scotland.  Until the arrival of children made this more difficult, I used to be a regular user of the Calidonian Sleeper and have climed many of the rail-accessible Munros.  Abroad, I have caught the train in Norway, France, Sweden and Germany and have tickets booked for NI railways and Amtrak.

I see that the main advantage of rail as the fact that a single person can drive for hundred of passengers and that the land-take is very low.  IMHO^▸ (in my humble opinion), rail only has a economically viable future when those advantage are maximised.  This means if you are going to keep a route open, you need to run a frequent service on it and if you are going to use a valuable train path you should run a long train on it and carry as many passengers as possible.  Short units and singling of lines might cut the total operating cost but they kill capacity and throw away the advantage of rail over buses and cars.  In our crowded little island rail only has a future as a mass-tranport system (and it only has a legitimate claim to public money if loads of the public use it).  I also believe that there is a huge pent up demand for services and that appropriate fares, decent services and publicity are all that is needed to unlock this (the TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company) have succeeded it ramping up demand with what I consider to be some rather poor efforts on things like publicity - It they did this bettter the results would be even more impressive).  The flows to London ought to be supporting 12 carriage trains and the likes of Melksham can justify an hourly service.  And on a crowded island we have to move towards ambitous goals like that.  If you could double rail use in the next 20 years and yet only increase spending by 80% you would have put the industy on a much more vialble footing.  That is what I would aim for if I was elected on 6 May.

This is a great forum - Thanks Graham.


 

[IanL]

Looking back, I never did an introduction, so here goes.

Living in the Cotswolds and working in central Oxford since 2001 and commuting regularly by train
as my employment actively discourages commuting by car and anyway driving takes longer than train/walking from the stations.
As a passenger watching the split Thames/FGW^▸ (First Great Western) franchise get merged with all sorts of promises, the debacle of the start of the current FGW franchise
where reliability and punctuality problems hit the cotswold line particularly badly. I can remember weeks when I wouldnt catch a single train less than 10min late (if they all ran).

Most of the early promises have been broken, waiting to see what happens with the dualling of the line, rolling stock situation is worse and no obvious route to improvement. But train punctuality and reliability has improved dramatically at the cost of longer and less conveniently timed trains.

I dont post so often these days, but still check in regularly to keep up with railway news.

best regards

IanL

[Brucey]

I'm just a passenger too.

I was born and lived all my childhood in Portsmouth and the surrounding area.  Originally living in Fratton where my dad had a season ticket to Eastleigh, I was well travelled under British Rail.  I remember taking day trips to Fareham, Southampton and Eastleigh at the weekends when I was at the age of travelling free.  Just as we moved away from Fratton, the route was privatised with South West Trains providing the services.  All my travelling was made on Class 421 and the like; so I was very sad a few years ago when the last of these were taken out of service as I'd grown up with them.

As I got older, we moved outside Portsmouth and most of my train travel stopped.  We lived in an area that was poorly connected to the railway and local buses were very expensive.  During this time, I lost touch with travelling by rail, which I really regret.  Trips to London were always made by coach, as National Express called in our town and their fares were much cheaper than train fares (at the time I didn't know about Advance tickets).  Once I passed my driving test, the car became my second home and I wouldn't have even thought about using the railways.

Two years ago, I started at Bristol University.  Suddenly, I was thrown in a world where I had no car and had to rely on public transport.  In my first year, I was making regular trips between Bristol Temple Meads and Cosham.  People who use services on this line will understand when I say this is probably one of FGW^▸ (First Great Western)'s busiest services, in terms of passenger to seat ratio (if such a thing exists).

Although I knew about the SVB line, I rarely used it as I lived equidistant from Temple Meads and Clifton Down, so much quicker to use Temple Meads.  In my second and current year, I moved about 3 minutes from Redland station.  As I'm using this often (as a connection into longer journeys and for local trips), I've come to understand how important local stations are to the community.  You'll regularly see a theme in my posts asking for better revenue protection on this line, as users (including myself) regularly and unintentionally travel for free, at the cost of the taxpayer's subsidy.  And at the end of the day, we need usage figures to keep going up before we can justify having extra services.

Before starting at the university, I had never needed to use a First Great Western train but had seen the news reports about fare strikes and other bad press.  The service I received was better than expected, but not brilliant.  However in the past two years, I have seen a huge increase in reliability, customer service and

One of my main gripes is that the British fare system in general is too complicated.  Simplification has simply resulted in more complex fares: tickets with different restrictions that now all have the same name.  I am a believer that split ticketing shouldn't be possible as the direct fare should always be the cheapest.  I also believe that if the ticket's restrictions won't fit onto the ticket itself, then the restrictions shouldn't be allowed.

[signalandtelegraph]

Hello again from me.

I have worked in the S&T^▸ (Signalling and Telegraph) Department on the Western Region since 1978 firstly for BR^▸ (British Rail(ways)) and now for a 'contractor'. Was  heavily involved in testing and commissioning of the Westbury and Exeter re-signalling schemes in the mid 80's and, despite a foray back into maintenance for a while, am again involved in testing and commissioning of signalling schemes/projects/renewals/enhancements all over the Great Western zone.

[grahame]

A  big "Thank you" to everyone who's re-introduced themselves here.  Exceptionally, I'm not going to quote individually / start conversations which would dilute a useful thread and reference. As a general comment, though - what a wide ranging and impressive group of people we have who post here, and thoughtfullness and knowledge shine through.

Following up from the "Thank you" - a please.   Please - anyone else - add your (re)Hi!