"We have altered the trains from Monday". "Please check for changes to your trains". "First - Transforming travel". Theses are the messages writ loud in the publicity surrounding the current train timetable changes. And they read positive, don't they?

I was very disappointed on yesterday evening's train from Swindon to Southampton - the very last commuter service on that route - to find that many travellers were unaware that 60% of the already-few trains running south of Chippenham from Sunday are WITHDRAWN, and that commuters from Westbury, Trowbridge and Melksham into Swindon face an extra 90 minutes on their day. Disappointed by, alas, not surprised. Although we've tried, via the "save the train" web site, to reach people, let them know, and have them join us in a campaign for an appropriate service, we're a David v their Goliath.

First have made themselves look like arrogant fools in their casting of an excessively positive light on the new timetable changes - sweeping as far as they can any bad news under the carpet, treating (over the past few weeks especially) passengers on the TransWilts service with contempt as they cancelled the busiest train of the day - the 17:43 from Swindon - time and time again (official target - 98.5% to run. Achieved - around 70% to 80% depending on the time period you take).

As a result of the lack of balanced information, Andrew Griffiths who's their supremo for the line got a tremendous earful from at least one very angry traveller last night. Of course, he's a company man and blames the negatives on the Department for Transport, but at times I do believe that their's a degree of complicity (and perhaps a fair degree) between the DfT and the francishee. And it's all about maximising profits, minimising delays, reducing subsidy. Nothing about the customer. The customers who were in the know on this line asked, long and hard, for amendments to the draft timetable to make their working day a little shorter than what was proposed. Yet First amended the draft into a final timetable that's made the day yet, yet longer. Because, it appears, it lets them run in what's called "marginal time" - time when there's more trains available because, frankly, that's a time when no-one actually wants to travel by train, and alas, that applies to travel via Melksham too.

What will people do as from Monday?

Sxxx will extend his journey time by 25 minutes each way and make a bus-train journey where he currently takes train-train. A crossplatform connection is transformed into a much more awkward one. Fare changes for the new route mean he'll be paying more for the service that will be worse for him.

Wxxx was on the 17:02 from Melksham yesterday, returning to London. It's a very occasional journey for him personally, but various colleagues of his make the journey and use this service from time to time. Next time one of them travels? Well - they're our customers and we'll probably give them a lift to Chippenham station, or have them get a taxi; the evening buses from Melkham don't to to Chippenham station and I am not suggesting to my customers that they drag suitcases the half mile transfer that recommended new route would involve.

Rxxx will set off earlier (06:47 from Frome, as against 07:20) and have to change at Westbury for Swindon. In the evening, the new train is just too late and the new journey home will involve a dogleg via Bath, with 6 flights of stairs and a poor connection.

Gxxx heard of the withdrawal for the first time on yesterday's train. An infrequent (but repeated) traveller from Chippenham to Westbury, with child and heavy baggage, she was too shocked to have any ide at all what she will do in the future. She DOES know the "Bath change" option and doesn't consider it practical.

Axxxxx is one of the Great Western staff. He won't be inconveninced by the change, as he won't need to be in the area when there's no train.

Txxx can't drive. His wife will be driving up to collect him from work each day as there's no viable alternative in his case. He doesn't expect his new situation to remain like that for very long though ....

Illustration - the very last Monday-Friday train to Swindon under the old service pulls out of Melksham
(written 2006-12-09 07:08:05)

 Z501 - Extras - Public Transport - Rail

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