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News ArchiveHeathrow Terminal 5 OpensThe inevitable débâcle occurred when BA moved a large number of short haul routes to its new terminal at Heathrow airport. Inadequate load testing and poor workforce relations, followed by the transfer of a lot of BA's routes in one go instead of building up gradually led to the failure of the baggage handling system. Earlier, staff arriving for work had been delayed by problems with the security system in the car parks. Heathrow Express is now operating into T5 after calling at T1-2-3. HEx passengers for T4 must change at T1-2-3 onto the Heathrow Connect service, and vice-versa. The Connect service is supposed to be operating a shuttle trip between T4 and T1-2-3 between its half-hourly runs to Paddington, though there was no sign of this on Thursday. Surely a shuttle to Hayes & Harlington would have been a lot more useful? Some bus services have been altered to serve the new terminal:
A new timetable booklet for Slough and Windsor, also covering Maidenhead, Bracknell, Staines, Uxbridge, High Wycombe
and Heathrow, is available from First, Coldborough House, Market Street, Bracknell RG12 1JA.
More Pendolinos for West Coast Mail LineThe Department for Transport proposes to increase capacity on the West Coast Mainline by enabling the procurement of
additional Class 390 vehicles, including a replacement of the set damaged in the Grayrigg accident. The number of
additional vehicles has not been given.
Adelantes not Quite GoneFGW has retained three Class 180 Adelante units pending the delivery of an additional refurbished High Speed Train which is expected in December 2008. Kelly Announces Remedial Plan for FGWTransport Secretary, Ruth Kelly, has announced measures to address unacceptably high levels of train cancellations on the First Great Western (FGW) franchise. FGW is being issued with a Remedial Plan Notice for exceeding the threshold on cancellations in the second half of last year. The Remedial Plan sets out a plan for reducing cancellations. This includes milestones which the Department for Transport will monitor and review. It also outlines additional rolling stock and employment of more drivers, guards and technicians to secure a more reliable service and drastically reduce the number of cancellations. The company is also being issued with a Breach Notice for misreporting its cancellations. This stipulates the steps FGW must take to rectify the problem. In addition a £29m package of passenger benefits, fully funded by FGW, has been agreed. This will address areas of passenger concern and tackle the high level of train cancellations. These include:
Failure to deliver these new commitments would be a default of the franchise agreement which could lead to the Government
terminating FGW’s franchise.
Adelantes GoingThe remaining Class 180 Adelante units are due to be phased out by the end of February 2008. They have been kept on while the HST refresh programme completes. Maidenhead Stat ion UpdateWe understand that the work on Maidenhead station, including the subways and platforms 1 and 4/5, will commence by the end of May with "no further derogations". On platform 4/5 the coffee kiosk will be replaced by a larger structure and the waiting room will be extended backwards into the building to provide more space. Platform 1 is to be reinstated to allow HSTs to call. New Timetable Started 9th DecemberMore fast trains in the morning but longer journeys off-peakThe new timetables start this Sunday, 9th December, and booklets are available from staffed stations. Timetable booklets have been delivered to all MMPA members with the Winter Newsletter. Fast trains to Paddington depart Maidenhead at 0643*, 0702, 0704, 0712*, 0719, 0731, 0742*, 0800, 0804, 0834, 0842* and 0902. Trains marked * call at Slough. Passengers returning from Paddington to the Marlow Branch on Mondays to Fridays off-peak will have to leave 15 minutes earlier. The xx.00 off-peak departure from Paddington will arrive at Maidenhead as the branch train is departing, so passengers will need to catch the xx.45 departure instead. MMPA has made representations to FGW to get the branch timetable adjusted to make the later connection. Pantomime Season at CrossrailIt's going to Reading. Oh no it isn't! Oh yes it is! Whom do you believe? We think there is no committment by the Government or Crossrail to go into Reading, to tie in with the redevelopment of Reading station. The main reason seems to be the cost of resignalling between Maidenhead and Reading. Crossrail Bill completes Third ReadingThe Crossrail Bill completed its Report/Third Reading stage in the House of Commons on Thursday 13 December, and was
introduced into the House of Lords on Friday 14 December. On introduction in the House of Lords a fresh petitioning period
will be triggered, and those directly affected by the Crossrail proposals will have the opportunity to petition against
them. The petitioning period set by the House of Lords will start on 8 January 2008 and end on 30 January 2008.
Member of Staff hit by train at Reading EastThe RAIB is investigating a fatality on the up relief line at 04:55 on 29th November. Train 5W01, a Class 165 unit running empty from Reading to Slough struck the person responsible for removing an engineering possession which ended at 04:52. Neitehr the condition or driving of the train, nor the condiotion or operation of the signalling system is suspected. Chiltern Christmas ServicesChiltern Railways have announced the following service information for the Christmas period: ALL LINES Tuesday 25 and Wednesday 26 December (Christmas Day and Boxing Day): * No service. Monday 31 December (New Year's Eve): * An amended Saturday service will operate.
Tuesday 01 January (New Year's Day): * A reduced Sunday service will operate. MARYLEBONE - HIGH WYCOMBE - BANBURY - BIRMINGHAM / STRATFORD UPON AVON Monday 24 December (Christmas Eve): * A near-normal Monday-Friday service will operate until approximately 16.00.
Thursday 27 and Friday 28 December: * An amended Saturday service will operate - some early morning trains will not operate.
Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 December: * A near-normal Saturday/Sunday service will operate.
MARYLEBONE - AMERSHAM - AYLESBURY Monday 24 December (Christmas Eve): * A near-normal Monday-Friday service will operate, with an earlier-than-usual closedown.
Thursday 27 and Friday 28 December: * One train per hour will operate between Aylesbury and Amersham.
Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 December: * A normal service will operate. Mark Hopwood to join FGW as High Speed Services Route DirectorMark Hopwood is moving from c2c to First Great Western in November as Route Director for High Speed Services.
MMPA Chairman, Nigel Hunt said: “Mark was once a member of MMPA (lived in Marlow) and has a good railway brain.
He has sorted out a number of operational problems around the country over the past 10+ years.”
We wish him luck with this new challenge.
Crossrail to Go AheadThe Prime Minister has given Crossrail the go-ahead with a £16bn funding deal to secure construction. The cost will be split between the government, farepayers and the private sector. It is expected that the parliamentary bill to provide the ecessary construction powers will receive the royal assent in
Summer, 2008. Construction proper will start in 2010, with the first services running in 2017. The total length of Crossrail
is 118.5km, including 41.5km in tunnels. 38 stations will be served by the line and 24 trains an hour will run through the
central section in each direction at peak times.
Arriva Revamps Bus ServicesArriva has completely revised it's bus services including route numbers, and the new timetables can be downloaded
from our Timetables Index. Route 317 between Maidenhead and High Wycombe is now route 37.
Eton Parkway?It appears that the Royal Borough has been hatching up a plan for a park and ride station for Windsor which
will entail the construction of a new station on the Slough - Windsor branch. It involves the lease of land from
Eton College to provide parking for 1,800 cars. The station would also provide access to the Dorney Lake Rowing
Centre, and could be ready in time for the 2012 Olympics.
National Express awarded East Coast FranchiseNXEC Trains Ltd., a subsidiary of National Express, has been awarded the franchise for the East Coast route
currently operated by GNER. The franchise was relet following financial troubles within GNER and its parent company,
Sea Containers. The current timetable will remain broadly unchanged until 2010 when additional trains will be run.
Unregulated fares are expected to increase by 2.1% above RPI.
Timetable Changes from 13th AugustChanges to two evening peak services from London Paddington between Monday 13 August and Friday 7 December have been notified by First Great Western: 1829 London Paddington to Oxford (Mondays to Fridays) will depart earlier at 1825 and will run as follows: London Paddington dep 1825 Ealing Broadway dep 1833 Southall dep 1838 Hayes & Harlington dep 1842 West Drayton dep 1847 Iver dep 1850 Langley dep 1853 Slough arr 1858 Slough dep 1900 Burnham dep 1904 Maidenhead dep 1909 Twyford dep 1917 Reading arr 1924 Reading dep 1928 This service will then run as previously advertised from Reading to Oxford. 1825 London Paddington to Greenford (Mondays to Fridays) will depart later at 1827 and will then run as follows: London Paddington dep 1827 Acton Main Line dep 1833 Ealing Broadway dep 1836 West Ealing dep 1839 Drayton Green dep 1841 Castle Bar Park dep 1843 South Greenford dep 1846 Greenford arr 1850[20070809] Chiltern Railways for SaleJohn Laing plc has confirmed that it has appointed KPMG to be the lead advisor for the sale of its rail
interests which include Chiltern Railways, M40 Trains, and the Laing Rail shares of the London Overground concession and
WSMR. Laing's also said that they had reached a settlement with Tesco over compensation for the Gerrards Cross tunnel
collapse, but the amount is undisclosed.
Reuters reported earlier (July 6th) that bids were expected to exceed £80M and could approach £100M. An auction could take place as soon as late August or early September. John Laing was recently acquired by fund managers, Henderson Group plc for £950M. Maidenhead Platform 1 to be RebuiltAccording to FGW, platform 1 at Maidenhead will be rebuilt in time for the December 2007 timetable change, so that HSTs can call in the down direction without having to cross over to platform 3. The December timetable will see the introduction of more fast trains to and from London in the peaks, but holders of cheap day return, off-peak travelcards and railcard discounted tickets will not be able to travel on evening peak HST services from London. These tickets will still be valid on Networker Turbo (class 165/6) trains. FGW's position is still that the Adelantes will go in December. London TravelWatch calls for Review of First Group’s Franchise.Transport watchdog, London TravelWatch (LTW) has asked the Government to examine the First Great Western (FGW) operation, and to consider termination of the franchise if there have been any breaches of the franchise agreement. LTW has expressed concern about the performance and standard of service of FGW, and in particular it's London and Thames Valley network including services to reading and Oxford. For more details see here. We understand that FGW has responded robustly, stating that it is roughly meeting its performance targets whilst
Network Rail has fallen significantly short of its.
Southern to Take Over Gatwick ExpressAs previously announced the Gatwick Express franchise will be incorporated into the Southern franchise in May 2008. It will retain the same branding and frequency, but from December 2008 some trains will run through to Brighton during the busiest hours. Class 442 (5-Wes) units which are currently in store at Eastleigh will be used to provide the additional capacity. New Station for ReadingThe DfT has approved plans for a new station at Reading Green Park on the Basingstoke line, which could be open in time for the December, 2008 timetable. The station will link to the Green Park Park and Ride bus station, and in the longer term, possibly connect to a new mass transit system. The scheme is part of Reading Council's Reading Transport Strategy and is being developed in partnership with Prudential Property Investment. It will serve an area of existing and proposed employment and residential communities. The capital cost is put at £7 million. Services on the line could be strengthened to a 20 minute or 15 minute interval as demand increases. this requires additional trains which are included in the privately funded scheme. The station is designed so that it can be extended in future, and it is conveniently located to serve the Madejski Stadium. New Timnetables PublishedThe new FGW timetables starting on 20th May can now be downloaded in PDF from the FGW web site. These have changed since the Provisional timetable (see below). Details to follow soon. CrossRail to Serve Reading?According to Modern Railways the Government is understood to be committed to extending the CrossRail project to Reading, in conjunction with a large scale redevelopment of Reading station and the surrounding area area which starts in 2008. There will be a new depot on the site of Scours Lane sidings on the north side of the line, which will service both CrossRail electric trains and First Great Western's Networker Turbos. This will replace Reading West Depot part of which will be demolished to make way for a new flyover to separate east-west and north-south traffic. This would be good news for Maidenhead, Twyford and the branch lines, and hopefully would mean an end to the proposal for a new platform at Maidenhead for the Marlow Line that would make changing trains highly inconvenient. Patrick Thomson of CrossRail told us: The Crossrail route is not planned to be extended to Reading. Extending Crossrail to Reading would have increased the size and cost of the project. We anticipate that there would also be a lack of demand at Reading - passengers would be more likely to use the fast non-stop services into Paddington than slower Crossrail trains. New 'Provisional' Timetable Booklet PublishedThe new FGW timetable commences on 20th May, and provisional booklets are rumoured to be available at some stations. They have been in very short supply, are marked “Provisional” and are printed in monochrome blue. There are no structural changes to the timetable at this point but some adjustments have been made, and we'll be updating our timetables on this site shortly. Timetable Changes from 26th MarchThe 0555 Oxford to Paddington is retimed to depart at 0551 will be formed of two Class 180 Adelantes from Monday 26th March. The train will call additionally at Pangbourne and the rear unit will be out of service until Twyford (0632) owing to short platforms. The train is fast from Maidenhead (0639) to Paddington (0700). The 0733 Oxford to Paddington will be an HST in place of the Adelante used to strengthen the earlier departure.. 0554 Reading to Henley-on-Thames will not call at Wargrave and Shipley. The 0620 Henley-on-Thames to Twyford runs 2 minutes earlier throughout. This is to give a better connection at Twyford. 1836 Paddington to Oxford departs at 1833, original timings from Slough. This is to improve timekeeping. HST Power Car Fire at BurnhamServices were badly disrupted on the afternoon of Wednesday 7th March when the leading power car of a High Speed Train caught fire near Burnham. All lines were closed between Maidenhead and Slough, and we understand that one train had to be reversed from near Burnham to Slough. A replacement bus service was arranged, with a shuttle service between London and Slough. The stricken HST was reversed to Maidenhead where passengers were detrained, and it then proceeded to Old Oak Common. This is apparently the third fire on a re-engined HST power car, two previous fires having occurred on the same engine. Other MTU-engined HSTs are being kept under close surveillance. 40-Point Recovery Plan Agreed by DfT, FGW and NR2nd March: In a meeting with Thames Valley MPs the Secretary of State for Transport confirmed that there is now a 40-point recovery plan agreed by First Great Western, Network Rail and the Department for Transport following his meetings with them. This should improve the running of the trains and mean fewer delays. There will also be a new timetable in May 2007*. Maidenhead's MP Theresa May says that she understands that services will be added and capacity will be increased across the network. "The Secretary of State also made clear that if any train operating company were to show that it could not maintain its franchise requirements he would have no hesitation in using the powers available to him to remove all of or part of their franchise." Mrs. May asks passengers to keep her informed of their journeys and experiences with FGW, and keep writing to them to let them know how you think they're doing. Please also copy your reports and complaints to MMPA for our records. * We believe that only minor adjustments will be made in the May timetable, but we are pressing for significant changes in the December 2007 timetable including a reversion to a 15 minute regular interval off-peak service between Maidenhead and Reading. FGW Called to Appear Before Borough CabinetRepresentatives of First Great Western have been asked to attend the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead's (RBWM's) cabinet on Thursday 22nd February to give an account of the operator's poor performance. Inundated with complaints from frustrated commuters in the wake of the December timetable changes, lead cabinet member for travel and transport, Cllr. Antony Wood called on them to explain how they are planning to sort out the ongoing commuter problems between Maidenhead and Paddington. According to RBWM's web site*, Cllr. Wood, who previously described the recently-announced timetable amendments as 'tinkering round the edges which would leave commuters no better off' said: "As the weeks go by the storm of complaints keeps raging as rail passengers, particularly on the Maidenhead to Paddington line, continue to suffer overcrowding on a peak-time service that is simply not capable of meeting the needs of the travelling public. Only rarely does cabinet ask outside organisations to come to our meetings to explain their services and our invitation to FGW demonstrates our very grave concerns about their poor performance." * See Cabinet Invitation.
FGW To Make Timetable ChangesFirst Great Western is to make further changes to its new timetable following a review of the performance of train services and seating capacity in some parts of the region. The review was carried out in response to customer and stakeholder feedback received following the introduction of the new timetable on 10 December 2006. Alison Forster, Managing Director of First Great Western, explains: "We recognise that some elements of the timetable have not met all our customers' needs and we apologise to those customers who have experienced crowding and train cancellations on some key services. "As a result of the review, I'm today announcing a number of changes, including additional morning peak time services and extra seats, to alleviate the problems experienced by some of our customers." The following changes to services will be introduced on Monday 15 January: Oxford, Didcot and Thames ValleyThe current 05:52 Oxford to London Paddington service will be faster with fewer stops, departing later at 05:55, calling Radley at 06:02, Didcot Parkway at 06:11, Reading at 06:25 and London Paddington at 07:00. This service will no longer call at Cholsey, Goring & Streatley, Pangbourne and Tilehurst. The 06:02 from Oxford will continue to serve these stations. An additional early morning high speed service will be introduced from Oxford and Didcot Parkway to London Paddington every weekday. It leaves Oxford at 07:33, calls Didcot Parkway at 07:48, Reading at 08:04 and arrives London Paddington at 08:30. An additional Oxford to London Paddington fast train service will be introduced at 06:45. This service runs non-stop to Twyford, calling there at 07:26; Maidenhead at 07:35; and arriving London Paddington at 07:58. The current 06:45 Oxford to London Paddington stopping service will therefore depart earlier at 06:33 and run as advertised from Didcot Parkway. Didcot receives a new morning peak high speed train service with more seats — the 06:30 Bristol Temple Meads to London Paddington service will call at Didcot Parkway at 07:30, calling Reading at 07:46 and arriving London Paddington at 08.15. This replaces the 05:34 Great Malvern to London Paddington service which will no longer call at Didcot Parkway (07:17). More capacity will be provided for Twyford and Maidenhead customers on two morning high speed services due to changes in stopping patterns. Both the 05:55 Oxford to London Paddington (now calling Twyford at 06:32 and Maidenhead at 06:39) and the 06:51 Oxford to London Paddington will call at fewer stations prior to calling at Twyford and Maidenhead. Timings on some branch lines will change to ensure connections with main line services: The 06:19 Marlow to Bourne End service departs earlier at 06:17, arriving Bourne End at 06:24. The 06:20 Henley-on-Thames to Twyford service departs earlier at 06:19, calling Shiplake at 06:23, Wargrave at 06:26 and Twyford at 06:31. The 06:29 Bourne End to Maidenhead service departs earlier at 06:27, calls Cookham at 06:32, Furze Platt at 06:35, arriving Maidenhead at 06:38 West CountryCapacity on the 06.47 Frome to Cardiff Central service will be doubled with two additional coaches providing more than 100 extra seats for customers travelling between Frome, West Wiltshire, Bath and Bristol. An additional train service will run between Exeter St. Davids and Highbridge, departing 06:52 and calling Tiverton Parkway at 07:06 and Taunton at 07:22. This service continues to London Paddington, leaving Highbridge at 07:40. Alison Forster continues: "We will have the opportunity to make changes to the timetable in December 2007. Also, our current review is continuing and we will consider making further changes, in particular for customers using Bedwyn/Newbury to Reading services, over the next few months. We will announce these changes as soon as possible. "Recent capacity problems in the Bristol and Bath commuter areas have been caused by a backlog of maintenance work required on our fleet of local trains. We are pulling out all the stops and have recruited additional staff at our Bristol maintenance depot to get this work completed as soon as possible. I'm confident that this will improve the reliability of our services and therefore seating capacity over the next couple of weeks." Early Day Motion on FGW OvercrowdingMaidenhead's MP, Theresa May, Ed Vaizey whose constituency includes Didcot, and oter MPs have signed an Early Day Motion worded as follows: "That this House notes the travel chaos caused by the new timetable introduced by First Great Western on 10th December 2006; condemns the resulting overcrowding caused by the reduction in services and the use of the smaller capacity Adelante trains instead of the usual high speed trains; further notes that this reduction in service comes at a time when fare rises have again risen far above the rate of inflation; and calls upon First Great Western and the Department for Transport to take urgent steps to reintroduce sufficient capacity as soon as possible into the network to enable as many commuters as possible to travel safely on regular, reliable services." Mrs May has also asked for a debate in the House on the subject of Maidenhead's services. Government Pulls Plug on Ailing GNER15th December: It came as no surprise to observers when the DfT announced it was inviting Expressions of Interest to operate services on the East Coast Main Line. It is expected that the operator for the new franchise will be in place in 12 to 18 months. Under the agreement, Great North Eastern Railway (GNER) will continue to deliver train services to the existing timetable and performance targets, and will help ensure a smooth transition to the holder of the new franchise. Most of the net worth of the company passes to the Government and GNER has agreed to cover the Department's costs of re-letting the franchise early. A performance bond will remain in place to ensure GNER's continued performance against the new agreement. Proposals for the new franchise include maintenance of the existing services plus a regular half-hourly service between London and Leeds. The winner will be expected to introduce a smart ticketing system across the franchise area.
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| trains | <=30min | 30-40min | >40min | Min. | Max. | Avg. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec.'05 DN | 88 | 11 | 66 | 11 | 21 | 45 | 36.9 |
| Dec.'06 DN | 85 | 4 | 41 | 40 | 23 | 45 | 38.1 |
| Dec.'05 UP | 88 | 10 | 55 | 23 | 20 | 49 | 38.4 |
| Dec.'06 UP | 83 | 5 | 61 | 17 | 21 | 56 | 38.4 |
It can be seen that the number of trains is reduced, there are fewer fast trains and in the down direction there are more slower trains leading to an increase of over one minute on the average journey time.
Branch Lines
| Marlow | Henley | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| trains | first | last | trains | first | last | |
| Dec.'05 DN | 23 | 0600 | 2347 | 24 | 0615 | 2343 |
| Dec.'06 DN | 23 | 0549 | 2348 | 25 | 0603 | 2334 |
| Dec.'05 UP | 24 | 0610 | 0013 | 24 | 0628 | 2347 |
| Dec.'06 UP | 23 | 0620 | 0013 | 25 | 0620 | 0011 |
Connections
The following table shows the average, minimum and maximum journey times, the average wait time for connections and the average miss time (the time by which the previous train to London/Reading or the following train from London/Reading missed the branch line service). The minimum connection time allowed is 1 minute, which may not constitute an advertised connection. All times are in minutes, and "dir." is the number of through trains.
| Paddington | to/from Bourne End | to/from Henley | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| avg. | min. | max. | wait | miss | dir. | avg. | min. | max. | wait | miss | dir. | |
| Dec.'05 DN | 57.5 | 44 | 154 | 12.0 | 2 | 3 | ||||||
| Dec.'06 DN | 56.5 | 42 | 140 | 11.2 | 15.1 | 2 | 66.6 | 56 | 154 | 12.3 | 12.4 | 3 |
| Dec.'05 UP | 50.3 | 38 | 57 | 6.3 | 2 | 2 | ||||||
| Dec.'06 UP | 56.1 | 44 | 112 | 8.0 | 14.0 | 2 | 69.6 | 52 | 94 | 10.1 | 9.4 | 2 |
| Reading | to/from Bourne End | to/from Henley | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| avg. | min. | max. | wait | miss | dir. | avg. | min. | max. | wait | miss | dir. | |
| Dec.'05 DN | 35.9 | 29 | 68 | 10.9 | 2 | 0 | ||||||
| Dec.'06 DN | 35.6 | 29 | 46 | 9.5 | 9.7 | 0 | 25.6 | 20 | 38 | 7.3 | 10.1 | 3 |
| Dec.'05 UP | 35.4 | 27 | 52 | 10.1 | 0 | 2 | ||||||
| Dec.'06 UP | 33.3 | 25 | 45 | 8.3 | 14.9 | 0 | 28.7 | 22 | 42 | 9.6 | 14.3 | 1 |
In all cases "UP" and "DN" refer to the branch line part of journeys i.e. UP is away from Bourne End and Henley.
The wait and miss times indicate how well the branch line services connect with the main line. A short wait time and a long miss time is good. The figures shown above are extremely bad because there are a lot of long waits and near misses.
FGW December 2006 Timetables Published
First Great Western published its "final" December 2006 weekday timetables on July 28th. They may be downloaded in PDF from here. Branch line timetables with London and Reading connections are available on this site.
FGW has performed a partial volte-face and abandoned its alternate fast-slow timetable for up (towards London) services in favour of 15 minute interval departures from Reading, Twyford and Maidenhead. All trains call at Slough, Hayes and Harlington and Ealing Broadway. Trains alternately call either at Taplow, Burnham and Southall or at Langley, Iver and West Drayton. For other stations it is necessary to change at Hayes or Ealing Broadway.
In the down (away from London) direction there are regular 15 minute interval departures from Paddington but with an alternating fast-slow pattern which results in intervals of alternately 4 minutes and 26 minutes between Maidenhead and Reading.
Branch line connections appear to be either very tight or near misses and long waits. There are discrepancies between
the Henley-on-Thames timetable and the Inner Thames Valley timetable regarding through trains between the branch and
Reading, and we are awaiting clarification from FGW.
[20060803]
FGW Responds to Timetable Consultation
"Final" December 2006 Timetable To be published
More that 9,500 people contacted First Great Western in response to its December 2006 timetable consultation.
According to FGW the timetable is now "in its final format" and will be available on the company's web site
from 28th July 2006. The revised timetable will be reviewed on this site as soon as we see it.
[20060721]
FGW Announces Changes to December 2006 Draft Timetable
First Great Western has issued a press release (download in PDF 13kB) outlining a number of changes it is making to the draft timetable following the public consultation in February, to which over 9,000 responses have been received. Lesley Coleman, FGW's Customer Liaison Manager based in Swindon, said "we are still committed to responding in detail to all customers who participated in the consultation. This is a major undertaking though and could take time.". The changes affecting the Thames Valley services are as follows:
- An additional service with six carriages (around 500 seats) will operate from Twyford to London Paddington arriving at around 0730, calling only at Maidenhead.
- The journey time between Slough and London Paddington will be reduced by removing some Ealing Broadway calls, compared with the draft. The number of calls at Ealing Broadway will remain similar to the current timetable.
- A High Speed Train from Bristol Temple Meads will call additionally at Slough providing a fast early morning service at around 0655.
- Services on the Thames Valley branchlines will be retimed to call at all stations, except the 0556 Maidenhead to Marlow, which will not call at Furze Platt or Bourne End.
- Services on the Henley branch will be retimed, including additional calls at Wargrave and Shiplake, to better cater for schoolchildren.
- An earlier first train to London will be provided from Iver, Langley and West Drayton.
These changes have yet to be agreed with Network Rail, and it is not expected that the revised timetable will be available before July. Maidenhead's MP, Theresa May, said "even with these changes the December 2006 timetable provides a demonstrably inferior service to that provided at the moment. The current service is significantly worse than that we received just two years ago and I therefore am determined to ensure that we receive improvements over and above the current service!
"I am pleased that FGW do appear to be listening hard to local feedback and seem willing to amend their
timetable where possible. Alison Forster has said that further announcements will be made over the coming couple of
weeks and I intend to step up our campaign for better rail services." Mrs May's campaign web site,
We wait to see how the 0556 gets to Marlow without calling at Bourne End!
[20060404]
Adelantes to go
It has been reported in the railway press that First Great Western is expected to release its 5-car Class 180
Adelante units in December 2006 and use only HSTs on 125mph services. Additional HSTs are available following
their displacement from Midland Mainline. Our contacts at FGW were unable to confirm this officially.
[20060222]
MP Launches Campaign Site
Maidenhead MP, Theresa May, has launched a new web site, SaveOurTrains.com
to campaign against the reduction in fast peak hour services in the proposed December 2006 FGW timetable (see below).
[20060220]
0727 Maidenhead - Paddington Retimed
It has now been agreed that 1F10 0645 Mon-Fri Oxford - Paddington will be retimed to depart Maidenhead two minutes
earlier at 0725 from Monday 27th February 2006. FGW's marketing department is preparing posters, flyers, etc. to
publicise the change, and announcements will be made where applicable.
[20060215]
Consultation on December 2006 Timetable Changes
First Great Western has published it's draft timetable due to come into force in December, and is seeking feedback from customers and stakeholders. The changes affecting our area are:
Reading
- More peak trains to/from Paddington (trains that used to run non-stop through the station all now call).
- Clockface pattern changed to some destinations.
- Revised pattern of local services to/from Oxford.
- Paddington/Reading local service revised throughout the day.
- Semi-fast (Twyford/Maidenhead/Slough/Hayes) peak trains call additionally at Ealing Broadway.
Twyford and the Henley Branch
- Branch trains connect with faster off-peak Paddington/Reading trains.
- Number of peak fast trains at Twyford reduced (as specified by DfT): Morning from 6 to 5, Evening from 9 to 6.
- Morning through trains from Henley re-timed to 0651 and 0751.
- Additional evening through train to Henley (increased from 2 to 3) with trains leaving Paddington at 1713, 1813, 1913.
Maidenhead and the Marlow Branch
- Branch trains connect with faster off-peak Paddington/Reading trains.
- Number of peak fast trains at Maidenhead reduced (as specified by DfT): Morning from 11 to 7, Evening from 9 to 8.
- Morning through trains from Bourne End re-timed to 0730 and 0830.
- Evening through trains to Bourne End re-timed to depart Paddington 1743 and 1843.
Taplow and Burnham
- Taplow retains a train every half hour.
- Burnham retains half-hourly off-peak service, with 4 trains per hour in the peaks.
Slough and the Windsor branch
- The DfT specified that Slough calls be withdrawn from the fast London/Oxford trains. First negotiated successfully for these calls to be retained.
- The DfT also specified that the Windsor branch should operate at 20-minute intervals throughout the day. This has been revised to half-hourly off-peak (as current) to connect with the re-instated fast trains.
- Additional half-hourly peak service between Paddington and Slough, calling all stations except Acton Main Line.
- Number of peak fast trains at Slough reduced: Morning from 6 to 4, Evening from 7 to 5.
Heathrow Connect Service
- Heathrow Connect local trains between Paddington and Heathrow have been revised to improve the operation of this service. The revision also improves connections to/from stations west of Hayes & Harlington.
- Half-hourly all day frequency maintained.
Responses should be sent to Timetable Consultation, First Great Western, Milford House, Swindon SN1 1HL,
or via e-mail.
[20060213]
St.Pancras Thameslink Go-Ahead
Transport Secretary Alastair Darling today announced that the fitting out of the new Thameslink station at St.Pancras
will go ahead at a cost of £50m at 2003 prices, plus £10-15m for signalling alterations. It is envisaged that the new
station will take over from the existing Kings Cross Thameslink station at the end of 2007. The station box was constructed
during an eight-month blockade of the line in 2005.
[20060208]
Timetable Change Mooted to Improve Reliability
FGWL is proposing, subject to consultation, to correct a timetabling error which affects the running of the 0727 Monday to Friday service from Maidenhead to Paddington.
The current situation is that the train arrives early at Maidenhead, waits for time and then has 3½ minutes to pass Slough, which is clearly unachievable. In consequence it loses its path from Airport Junction and has to follow a Heathrow Express train into Paddington, arriving five minutes late at 0750.
The proposal is to bring the Maidenhead departure back to 0725 which should then allow the present timings to be achieved from Slough to the terminus. Although this makes the journey two minutes longer in the timetable, it will in practice be three minutes shorter and arrival will be five minutes earlier (on time) at 0745.
FGWL would like to hear the views of customers using this service, particularly any who might be adversely affected
by the earlier departure (having to get up two minutes earlier doesn't count!). MMPA will be pleased to pass on your
comments - just e-mail info@mmpa.org.uk. Notices will also be appearing at Maidenhead station and in the local press.
If approved, the adjustment can be made before the next timetable update in June 2006. Marlow branch passengers will
not be affected as there is no connecting service.
[060125]
Bus 317 Timetable and Route Revamp
Arriva route 317 from Maidenhead to High Wycombe gets a new timetable from Monday 30th January. Buses will leave High Wycombe bus Station at 0615NS and 0645 to Maidenhead, 0710SD to Bourne End, then xx45 to Maidenhead and xx15 to Bourne End Station until 1815. (NS = not Saturday, SD = school days only)
Buses will leave Maidenhead Bridge Avenue at 0715NS, 0745 and then xx45 until 1845. Buses will leave Bourne End Station for High Wycombe at 0630NS, 0711, 0741, then xx11 and xx41 until 1911. There is no Sunday service.
After leaving Bridge Avenue the bus will run via Grenfell Road and Frascati Way. The return journey will be as previously.
All One Name
First Group has dropped its proposal (see below) to brand the London Surburban (Link), Main Line and Wessex services separately. Although the distinctions may be retained internally for marketing purposes, all services under the new Greater Western franchise starting on 1st April will be branded "First Great Western". It may of course be some time before the new branding percolates down to all rolling stock and signage.
MPs Vote on Crossrail Terminus
Maidenhead MP Theresa May has welcomed a vote by MPs urging CrossRail to consider moving the western terminus from Maidenhead to Reading. This would provide better journey opportunities and avoid adverse effects for Twyford.
Did You Know ...
There are no help points at Cookham and Furze Platt. However if you are in difficulty you can contact the control centre using the telephones provided at the level crossing to enable drivers of long vehicles to obtain permission to cross the railway. It is expected that more obvious information points will be provided in due course. The help points at other stations are intended to be used for general enquiries about services and are covered by CCTV.
MMPA Chairman is
"Passenger Champion"
Our chairman, Nigel Hunt, has been appointed to First Great Western's Customer Panel which has been set up to provide customer feedback to the train operator. The panel has eighteen members representing different areas and routes across the region. The poster greets passengers arriving at Furze Platt.
First Group Wins Greater Western Franchise
Improvements promised for Thames Valley
The Department for Transport has awarded both the Greater Western and Thameslink/Great Northern franchises to First Group which currently operates our local services. The new franchises start on 1st April 2006, but service changes will not come into effect until the December 2006 timetable change.
The First Great Western services will be rebranded First Great Western Express but the Link branding will remain unchanged. Wessex trains will become First Great Western Local.
The promised changes affecting our area are (extracted from First Group's press release):
- Introduction of additional peak stopping train between Paddington and Slough, running every half hour
- Reinstatement of off peak calls at Slough in fast London/Oxford/North Cotswolds services
- Half hourly off peak services on the Windsor branch line to provide good connections with non-stop trains to and from London
- Additional morning and evening peak services for Twyford, Maidenhead and Slough
- Faster off peak journeys between London and Twyford/Maidenhead
- Additional morning through service from Henley to London, returning in the evening
- A new waiting facility at Slough including new toilets, waiting areas and refreshment facilities. Additionally, covered cycle storage, upgraded ticket office and booking hall and refurbishment of the subway
- New toilets and improved disabled access and facilities at Burnham
- Improved waiting areas including toilets and refreshment kiosks at Maidenhead along with refurbishment of the subways and ticket office with a new ticket counter and information points and improved lift access
- Refurbishment of footbridge at Twyford with additional CCTV and new help points.
Other highlights include:
- Re-engining and interior refurbishment of HST sets.
- Improvements to Turbo units including installation of CCTV and air conditioning in cabs.
- Improvements to station facilities including car park spaces, cycle stands, CCTV and help points.
- New ticket issuing technology.
- Retention of overnight sleeper services between London Paddington and Plymouth/Penzance.
- All day half hourly services between Paddington, Bristol and Cardiff maintained.
- Reading-Gatwick service increased from hourly to half-hourly off peak.
- Network Rail to upgrade the line between Reading and London in order to improve the line speed creating greater capacity, reliability and improved journey times.
- Improved connections; greater emphasis on integrated travel.
We look forward to seeing these improvements come to fruition.
[20051213]
Christmas and New Year Alterations
First Great Western Link
On Christmas Eve the last trains serving our stations will be the 2130 from Reading to Paddington (Twyford 2136, Maidenhead 2144, Taplow 2137, Burnham 2148) and the 2203 from Paddington to Reading (Burnham 2232, Taplow 2235, Maidenhead 2239, Twyford 2247). The last branch trains are the 2142 from Twyford to Henley-on-Thames and 2220 return, and the 2143 from Maidenhead to Marlow and 2209 return.
A Saturday service will operate on FGWL from December 27th to 31st and on Bank Holiday Monday, January 2nd.
On Sunday 1st January there will be additional trains from Paddington to Reading at 0200, 0300, 0400, 0430 and 0500 serving Burnham, Maidenhead and Twyford. A normal Sunday train service will then follow.
Chiltern Railways
On Christmas Eve the last trains from High Wycombe are 1950 to Birmingham Snow Hill, 2022 to Marylebone and 2131 to Aylesbury (2050 from Marylebone). Last arrivals are 1910 from Snow Hill (arr. 2101) and 1950 from Stratford (arr. 2133).
There will be no service on Boxing Day. A reduced weekday service will operate on December 27th and a slightly reduced weekday service from December 28th to 30th.
A normal Saturday service will operate on December 31st up to 2140 from Marylebone to Birmingham Snow Hill (High Wycombe 2214), then 2150 and 2218 to Aylesbury (2231, 2306), 2245 to Banbury (2320), 2310 to Bicester North (2348), 2314 to Aylesbury (0001), 2345 to Banbury (0020), 0030 to Aylesbury (0120), 0100 to Banbury (0135), 0135 and 0245 to Aylesbury (0225 and 0335).
On New Year's Day there will be early departures from Marylebone as shown above, followed by a normal Sunday service.
A Saturday service will operate on Monday January 2nd. Full timetables are available on the Chiltern Railways web site.
[20051212]
Stagecoach Out
We understand that Stagecoach is now out of the running for the new Greater Western Franchise. [20051209]
New Timetables
The new timetables start on 11th December 2005. The basic service pattern remains the same but many timings have been altered by between one and four minutes. In the mornings branch trains have been retimed one or two minutes earlier, and in the evenings they run between zero and four minutes later. The 0746 Maidenhead to Bourne End is replaced by the 0722 Reading to Bourne End calling at Twyford (0729), Maidenhead 0737-0739 and thence 7 minutes earlier to Bourne End. The daytime off-peak and Saturday service runs one minute earlier than before, but the Sunday service is unchanged. Some connecting times at Reading and Paddington have changed. (further analysis)
On the Henley branch early morning weekday trains have been retimed and some connecting times are different. Otherwise the branch service is unchanged.
Timetable booklets and pocket timetables are available from manned stations, and there is now a pocket
timetable covering both the Marlow and Henley-on-Thames branch lines.
[20051206]
DfT Extends FGW Franchise
The Department for Transport has extended First Great Western's (FGW's) franchise agreement from 4th February until 31st
March, 2006. This will take them up to the start of the new Greater Western Franchise. This brings FGW into line with the
Wessex Trains and First Great Western Link which will also be subsumed into the new franchise.
[20051025]
Foxall Confirmed as RPC Chairman
The Secretary of State for Transport, Alistair Darling, today announced the appointment of Colin Foxall CBE as Chairman of the new Rail Passengers Council (RPC). His appointment commenced on 23rd September and is for a period of 4 years.
Colin Foxall is currently Acting Chair of the Rail Passengers Council and a Member of the British Transport Police
Authority. He is a non-executive director of Radian Asset Assurance Ltd and was Chairman of the Regional Rail Passengers
Committee for Wales from 2004 to 14,000 pa. He has previously held posts as deputy chairman of the former NCM Group in
Amsterdam, as CEO of its Cardiff based UK Company and as under-Secretary at the Export Credits Guarantee Department
(ECGD). He is a former Dutch Consul in Wales and in 1995 was appointed a CBE.
[20050927]
FGWL Announces Additional Capacity
First Great Western Link has announced that some rush hour trains between Twyford, Maidenhead and Paddington are to be strengthened as from 19th September. The extra units became available when the Class 360 electric units took over the Heathrow Connect service in June. The details are as follows:
| Mondays-Fridays from 19th September 2005 | |||||
| Reading | Twyford | Maidenhead | Paddington | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0656 | 0702 | 0710 | 0740 | 3 car | 5 car |
| ---- OXF | ---- | 0727 | 0745 | Cl. 180 | HST |
| 0730 | 0736 | 0744 | 0824 | 3 car | 5 car |
| 0736 | 0742 | 0750 | 0837 | 3 car | 5 car |
| 0755 BED | 0801 | 0809 | 0842 | 5 car | 6 car |
| Bourne End 0803 | 0815 | 0858 | 3 car | 4 car | |
| 0825 NEW | 0831 | 0839 | 0912 | 3 car | 5 car |
| Paddington | Maidenhead | Twyford | Reading | From | To |
| 1633 | 1711 | 1719 | 1727 | 3 car | 5 car |
| 1655 | 1738 | 1746 | 1753 | 3 car | 5 car |
| 1755 | 1837 | 1845 | 1853 | 3 car | 6 car |
| 1825 | 1908 | 1916 | 1824 | 3 car | 5 car |
| 1855 | 1937 | 1945 | 1953 | 3 car | 5 car |
| 1906 | 1927 | ---- | 1938 OXF | 3 car | 5 car |
BED = from Bedwyn, NEW = from Newbury, OXF = to/from Oxford
All services on the Windsor branch will be operated by a 3-car unit. [2005-08-24]
Chiltern Line Re-opens
The Chiltern Railways service via Gerrard's Cross in now back in operation. [2005-08-22]
MMPA Responds to SRA Franchise Consultation Document
The MMPA's response the the Greater Western Franchise Consultation Document can be found here (since deleted). [2005-07-26]
FGW Grandparents' Day £10 Ticket Offer
First Great Western and First Great Western Link are celebrating National Grandparents' Day with a two-day ticket promotion, offering tens of thousands of seats for just £10 return. The £10 fare is valid on all of the TOCs' services on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 September. They allow customers return travel anywhere on the lines in South West England, South Wales, the Thames Valley, London, the North Downs and the Cotswolds for the same flat fare. With each £10 adult fare, up to four children aged between five and 15 can travel for just £1 each. As usual, under-fives travel free. At least two adults or one adult and one child must travel together. The offer allows grandparents who live in the same area as their grandchildren to spend a day out together while for families who live some distance apart, the £10 flat fare makes it easy and cheap to pay a visit for the special weekend. The £10 tickets are only on sale at stations in the First Great Western and First Great Western Link region. Reservations, which are compulsory, can be made until 18.00 on the day before travel and customers must travel on the services on which they have made reservations. The £10 flat fare covers Standard Class return travel, but families wishing to treat themselves can take advantage of the companies' normal Weekend First upgrade to First Class for just £10 each way per person, subject to availability. Please note some engineering work is taking place over the weekend, and customers are advised to check their journey arrangements before taking advantage of the offer. more information
Engineering Work July 23rd - 29th
Maidenhead - Slough
From 2000 Saturday to 0535 Monday, there will be engineering work between Slough and Maidenhead, with only one of the four running lines being in use from 2130 Saturday to 0930 Sunday. During this time, there will be a reduction in the number of services over the affected route, with many services not operating their full journey. On Saturday night and throughout Sunday, trains will not stop at Burnham and Taplow, which will be served by replacement buses.
There will be a replacement bus service between Hayes & Harlington and Reading on Sunday morning. From 2210 Monday to Thursday to 0535 Tuesday to Friday, engineering work between Slough and Reading will result in two of the four running lines being closed. As a result, trains will not serve Burnham and Taplow stations, which will be served by a replacement bus service operating between Slough and Maidenhead.
Twyford Henley-on-Thames
From Tuesday to Friday, the 0011 service from Henley-on-Thames to Reading will terminate at Twyford due to engineering work between Slough and Reading. Customers will need to change at Twyford for a connecting service to Reading. [FGWL]
Engineering Work: Slough-Reading
From 20:00 on Saturdays 6th and 13th August, and Sundays 7th, 14th and 21st August 2005
First Great Western Link train services will not call at Burnham and Taplow, with road replacement transport calling between Burnham and Slough. First Great Western train services between London Paddington and the West of England will be diverted via an alternative route not calling at Newbury and Pewsey. Journey times will be extended by up to 25 minutes (Alternative timetable).
Nice Touch!
Within hours of the IOC's announcement Eurostar has named one of its power cars London 2012 during a ceremony at Waterloo International. The power car, with its train, was immediately dispatched on a service to Paris. Nothing like rubbing it in!
One must assume that another power car and name plates, plus appropriate dignitaries, were ready at Gare du Nord in case the decision went the other way. Of course Eurostar would benefit either way. [2005-07-21]
Crossrail Bill Gets Second Reading
The Crossrail Bill received its Second Reading in the House of Commons on 19th July, signifying the House's approval of the project in principle. The Bill will now go before a Select Committee that will consider any petitions against it. During the second reading debate Maidenhead MP, Theresa May, made strong representations about the deterioration of services from Maidenhead and Twyford, and in particular the loss of fast services.
Petitions must be delivered by hand to the House of Commons Private Bill Office in Portcullis House by 16th September 2005. During the Summer Recess the Private Bill Office will be open from 1100 until 1500 on weekdays. The telephone number is 020 7219 3250. Information about how to petition can be found here. [2005-07-20]
FGWL Station Refurbishment
First Great Western Link has announced a £240k station refurbishment programme. Stations affected in our area are Bourne End, Cookham, Henley-on-Thames, Maidenhead, Taplow and Twyford. More information. [2005-07-15]
"Tesco Tunnel" Collapse Closes Chiltern
The partial collapse of a "tunnel" being constructed over the Chiltern line at Gerrards Cross closed the line to all services yesterday (Thursday). The line is being roofed over to provide space for a Tesco supermarket above the tracks. [2005-07-01]
Photo by Dennis Troughton for Oxford-Chiltern Bus Page.
Link on photo displays a larger image.
Latest: An emergency timetable is operating from 4th July. 400 extra parking spaces have been provided at Denham. A half hourly shuttle is being operating between Denham and Marylebone, and hourly between Beaconsfield and Princes Risborough. Birmingham services diverted via Amersham and Aylesbury to Princes Risborough. Various relief bus services have been arranged. Chiltern tickets are no longer being accepted by other operators. More information. [2005-07-04,31]
29 concrete arch units (about 30 metres) of the 320m tunnel collapsed onto the track around 80m from the southern end, allowing some 5,000 tonnes of spoil up to 6m deep to fall onto the track. The collapse was noticed by the driver of the 1740 Stratford-upon-Avon to Marylebone on Thursday 30th June, and fortunately no-one was hurt. No timescale has been given for the resumption of services, but it is likely that they will be disrupted for several weeks. Obviously it will be necessary to determine the cause of the failure and to make sure that what remains of the tunnel is safe. [2005-07-05]
More Photos
You can see some impressive photos of the collapse and subsequent recovery of the railway on Guy Gorton's Website.
The Reinforced Earth Company site shows the same type of precast cut-and-cover used in Australia.
Paddington Open Day - July 15th
FGW is holding a customer open day at Paddington Station on Friday 15th July, including tours behind the scenes at half-hourly intervals from 0930. You can find more information here. To book on one of the tours you need to e-mail First Group as soon as possible. [2005-07-07]
WiSPA Meeting
The Windsor & Slough Passenger Association (WiSPA) held its second meeting on 4th July at the Windsor Leisure Centre. It was well attended and three representatives of First Great Western were on hand, as well as local councillors and press. The main concern expressed was the deterioration of te service since 12th December and the likely further deterioration which could result from the Strategic Rail Authority's (SRA's) service specification in the Invitation to Tender for the Greater Western franchise.
The bidders are required to quote against a defined Monday to Saturday daytime service based on specified departure times from Paddington. Although they can put forward alternative timetables and service levels, bidders expect that the new franchise will be awarded on the basis of lowest cost for the baseline service.
The main stipulations which concern WiSPA are:
- Segregation in Mon-Fri peak hours of the two pairs of tracks between Paddington and Reading with exclusive use of the main lines by trains running at 125 mph to improve performance and minimise the consequences of delay.
- Withdrawal of Slough stops from main line services in order to achieve performance improvements for the majority of users.
In other words Slough customers are being sacreficed for minimal gains for longer distance passengers. Despite the deterioration already experienced Slough passengers still have to pay disproportionately higher fares on the basis of the former better service. The FGW representatives saw no justification for the premium to continue.
Because First Group is in the process of bidding for the Greater Western franchise it is not in a strong position to pressure the SRA over customers' concerns. It is therefore imperative that customers put presure on the government via their MPs to improve the base specification. The functions of the SRA are being transferred to the Department for Transport in stages from the end of this month. [2005-07-05]
First Names HST Power Cars
First Great Western held a naming ceremony at Swindon on Thursday 30th June for it's first re-engined High Speed Train (HST) power car, 43009, which was accepted into service on June 7th. The power car is one of two which have recently been fitted with new MTU 16V 4000 engines at a cost of £1.5 million. It is the first time engines of this type have powered vehicles in the UK, offering greater efficiency and reliability, plus lower sound levels and emissions. The second re-engined power car, 43004, will be named at Cardiff in July and others are planned to follow.
First Group leases the HST sets from Angel Trains who worked with Brush Traction, Loughborough and MTU, Friedrichshafen to replace the engines as part of the project to extend the life of the trains until 2012 or beyond. Angel is also believed to be re-equipping 43179 with the latest Paxman Valenta engine for direct comparison.
Meanwhile the Transport Secretary Alastair Darling has told the Railway Forun that he expected tenders for the HST Replacement Programme, HST2, to be going out by mid-2006. He also called for new research into double-deck coaches, which is about the most gnat-brained idea we've heard for a long time. Some of us can still remember the 4-DDs :-(
The names are so completely naff that we haven't included them here. [2005-06-30]
Acting Chair for RPC
Colin Foxall CBE has been appointed Acting Chairman of both the existing Rail Passengers Council (RPC) and the new RPC, which is due to come into existence at the end of July. He is Chairman of the Rail Passengers Committee in Wales and a non-executive director of Radian Asset Assurance Ltd.
Colin Foxall replaces Stewart Francis, who resigned recently as the Chairman of the existing and new RPC due to ill health. The recruitment campaign to identify a new Chair for the new organisation began earlier this month and an appointment is expected by the end of the summer.
The DfT Press Release can be found here. [2005-06-28]
New Chairman for Commission for Integrated Transport
Alistair Darling has appointed Peter Hendy as the new chairman of the Commission for Integrated Transport, succeeding Prof. David Begg. You can see the DfT news release here.
Bus Quality Indicators Published
DfT has published its quarterly statistics on passenger satisfaction, bus reliability and age of fleets for 2005 Q1. You can view the press release here. In brief, one bus journey in five is thought unsatisfactory and 30% are poor value for money.
ATOC Publishes 10-year Startegy View
The Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) has published a rail strategy discussion document which can be downloaded from the ATOC Communications web site: PDF (950 kbytes). The associated Press Release can be found here (html). The document discusses the projected growth of transport usage over the next ten years and ways of dealing with the capacity shortfall. This includes "congestion charging" by increasing fares for the busiest trains, possibly using smart card technology. ATOC wants to remove the franchise requirement to run underused services and to keep open underused stations where they impact capacity. [2005-06-21]
Greater Western Franchise
The SRA has published its consultation document for the new Greater Western franchise which integrates the present Great Western, Great Western Link and Wessex areas. It can be downloaded in PDF (336 kbytes). Responses are required by 2nd August. This and other SRA documents can also be found on the SRA web site.
WiSPA It Not ...
A meeting to inaugurate the Windsor-Slough Passenger Association (WiSPA) is being held at Windsor Leisure Centre 4 on Monday July 4th at 20:00 hrs. The association will represent FGWL customers on the Slough to Windsor & Eton Central branch. For more details please contact Elizabeth Bowden.
Heathrow Connect Started on 12th June
The electric Heathrow Connect service between Paddington and the Heathrow Central Terminal Area (CTA) started with the new timetable on 12th June, replacing the current Paddington - Hayes - empty to Slough diesel service. Normal tickets including railcards can be used between Paddington and Hayes & Harlington. There is a premium fare for the airport branch and railcards are not valid for this part. Some passengers may prefer to continue to use the existing 140 bus between Hayes and the CTA. [20050527]
Postscript: There were some teething problems with the buffers in the headshunt at Heathrow during the first week, which resulted in trains being turned round at Hayes. We understand that the service is now running smoothly.
SRA Backs Down on Community Railway Status
Local MP Theresa May met the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) in Westminster on Monday to discuss its plans for the future of the Maidenhead-Marlow and Twyford-Henley branch lines. She explained: "Following a successful campaign by myself and the local community the SRA has decided not to designate either of our branch lines as Community Railways. This is excellent news which I welcome.
"I believe that both the Maidenhead-Marlow and Twyford-Henley lines are unsuitable for such designation - indeed they don't even meet the SRA's own criteria for community railways! Having met the Transport Minister earlier this year and presented a petition in Parliament I am decided that the SRA has backed down on this issue.
"However I am concerned that both of these lines remain of the list of routes which are believed to be potentially suitable for designation as "Community Railways." Essentially there has been no change in their status. Moreover in a slap in the face for local residents the SRA is putting these lines on the back-burner with no plans for any improvements.
"I am determined to ensure that these lines are seen as what they are: integral parts of the mainline network, well-used by local people but in need of improvement. It is unacceptable that local people be presented with a choice between accepting Community Rail Status or accepting no changes whatsoever. Local people deserve neither re-designation nor inaction; they deserve real improvements. This is what I shall campaign for." [20050523]
Borough Bus Routes Revised
The Borough Bus routes 6 to 9 operated by Courtney Coaches on behalf of the Royal Borough have been revised and new timetables are in force as of 23rd May. Route 8 is abolished. Route 6 now runs to Cranbrook Drive instead of Woodlands Park, and there are expanded services on routes 7A amd 7B between Woodlands Park and Halifax Road. [20050523]
Crossrail Bill Reintroduced
On April 7th motions were passed in both Houses of Parliament allowing the Crossrail Bill to be carried over to the new Parliament following the general election. As a result, the Bill was reintroduced into the House of Commons on 18th May 2005. No date has yet been set for Second Reading of the Crossrail Bill, but the current expectation is that it would take place in mid to late June. More information is available on the Crossrail and DfT sites. [20050518]
Thameslink now relinked
Through Thameslink services have now been reinstated following engineering work on St. Pancras Midland Road station which will eventually replace Kings Cross Thameslink. [20050516]
Annual General Meeting
The Association's AGM was held on Friday 18th March at Bourne End. A report can be found here (since deleted). [20050320]
Spring Newsletter
The Spring Newsletter, no 128, has been posted to members and its can be viewed here. Readers looking for the Cookham Society's proforma letter can find it here. This is a text file which you can drop into any word processor or DTP program. Note that the file will open in your browser window so please use the "save target as" or equivalent menu option on the above link to save the file to disc.
Timetable Change
The 0727 Bourne End to Paddington has been retimed to arrive at Paddington at 0814 instead of 0808 as shown in FGWL's public timetable. The change was made because of platform scheduling problems at Paddington in the December 2004 timetable. We understand that this service calls at Acton Main Line and routinely arrives at 0812.
It appears that the 2344 Maidenhead-Marlow and return has been put back to 2346 (Monday-Thursday) so that it now connects with the 2330 from Reading and 2257 from Paddington. Our Branch Timetable reflects these and the changes made on January 31st (see below).
Crossrail Could Mean Worse Service for Branch
A team from Crossrail provided an information display
about the proposals in the Nicholson Centre in Maidenhead on Friday 11th February. The plans include significant
changes to the layout, with six stabling sidings in the former goods yard and two reversing sidings between the
relief lines. The up relief will be realigned to run into platform 5. There will be a new bay platform (6) for
the Marlow branch which will mean that all passengers will have to change platforms via the subway.
The service pattern will be four trains an hour on Crossrail plus two trains an hour to and from Reading
or beyond. This means a worse service for passengers heading west. At most there could be one through train
from Bourne End to Paddington in the morning, but none back in the evening. Crossrail trains will comprise two
two five-car units and will run through to Shenfield or Abbey Wood.
Combined Bus and Train Ticket for Slough Area
First Group has announced a Bus & Rail Card which allows unlimited travel on First bus services in the Maidenhead, Slough, Windsor and Eton areas, and on FGWL train services between Maidenhead and Langley, and on the Windsor branch. The price is £6 for one day and £24 for a seven day ticket.
The ticket is available from bus drivers and station ticket offices in the area. It does not cover the Marlow branch and is not available with an add-on fare from branch stations. It is not valid on Arriva, Carousel or Courtney Coaches routes.
the full text of the FGWL press release can be found here
SRA Man Defends Community Rail Strategy
Chris Austin, the executive director in charge of Community Rail Development at the Strategic Rail Authority has defended the plans for the Maidenhead-Marlow line. In a letter to the Maidenhead Advertriser he writes: "The purpose of the community Rail Development Strategy is to put these lines on a sustainable basis for the long-term future by increasing the number of passengers using these lines, reducing the costs of the railway and greater involvement of the local community. ...
"It may mean improving the traditional signalling arrangements on the line which are simple and reliable but slow and prevent Marlow passengers having a through peak service to Maidenhead and beyond. ...
"None of this will happen without local support and we will consult before designating the line."
This did not cut any ice with local politicians. Cllr Cathy Newbound, prospective Lib-Dem parliamentary candidate, said: "Whilst in some areas the concept of community railways may be a very attractive and plausible option, here our local branch lines play a key rôle in travel. I believe that community involvement is an excellent thing but not for this type of railway line. Commuter lines need to remain part of the main rail structure."
Meanwhile Maidenhead's MP, Theresa May (Con.) is continuing to press for action on overcrowding on trains since the introduction of the new timetables in December.
Comment: The lack of a through peak service is not just down to the vintage signalling. It is necessitated by the layout at Bourne End and the fact that platform 1 and the Marlow platform could not take more than a three-car unit. In fact the platform equipment is positioned for a single two-car unit. Longer trains are needed to provide the peak capacity between Bourne End and Maidenhead. As there are no passing loops on the line the service must be operated in two parts in order to provide a half-hourly service.
FGWL Announces Timetable Changes
First Great Western Link has announced minimal changes to services from Monday 31st January in response to numerous complaints. The only difference for Maidenhead passengers is an additional stop on the 1906 Mon-Fri London Paddington to Oxford at 1926.
Twyford passengers will get additional seats on the 0727 to Paddington which is increased to a 10-car Adelante. In addition for the duration of the current timetable passengers for Twyford and the Henley branch can travel via Reading at times of disruption.
The full text of FGWL's press release can be found here
Borough Experts Reject Community Rail Plan
A Royal Borough report published in January recommends that the Cabinet does not back the scheme to downgrade the area's busiest lines. The report stresses that the Marlow and Henley branches are an integral part of the main line service, acting as feeder services to the wider network.
Speaking in a parliamentary debate on the community railways policy, Maidenhead MP Theresa May said: "The lines are heavily used in peak hours and it would not be appropriate to designate them as community railways.
"The Strategic Rail Authority.s consultation paper on the proposals suggested that a community rail partnership would not be suitable for high-frequency railways; in fact, it designated as suitable low-frequency railways with hourly or less frequent services."
The cabinet member for transport and traffic management, Cllr. John Iles, said: "The two rail links are lifelines for thousands of commuters and travellers. To put them on the hit list for withdrawal of funding and downgrading to community lines shows a worrying disregard for the travelling public."
Bank Holiday Engineering Work
The lines between Twyford and Slough will be closed over the May Day bank holiday weekend, 30th April to 2nd May, for engineering work, and a replacement bus service will operate. There will be a shuttle service between Slough and Paddington. Oxford services will run to and from Twyford whilst Newbury and Bedwyn services will start and finish at Reading. Branch line services will operate but will be retimed to connect with the replacement bus or amended train services. For full details please see the FGWL Site.
Easter Travel
A Saturday service will operate on the Marlow and Henley branches on both Good Friday and Easter monday.
Urgent Timetable Review Sought
Maidenhead MP, Theresa May has received hundreds of complaints about longer journey times, shorter trains and overcrowding since the introduction of new timetables in December. As a result of a meeting with Mrs May, First Great Western's Managing Director, Alison Forster promised to look into the issues raised and to come up with specific proposals to improve the situation.
Community Rail Meeting
The Association is planning an open meeting during April or May to discuss the implications of the Community Railways Scheme with the Strategic Rail Authority and interested parties. Details will appear here and on our home page when firmed up.
Annual General Meeting
The Association's AGM will be held on Friday 18th March in the small hall of the Bourne End Community Centre (see map), starting at 8pm. This is a chance to air your views and meet local transport managers. The meeting is open to both members and non-members. Please come along and make it a success.
Trains arrive at Bourne End at 19:32 from Maidenhead (19:21) and 19:33 from Marlow (19:26), giving you plenty of time to walk to the Community Centre and have a chat before the meeting.
"Misery and Mayhem"
That seems to be the general consensus about the new timetables which started on December 12th. Passengers have complained about longer journeys, overcrowded trains and mix-ups. On Monday morning the 0727 Bourne End to Paddington failed to pick up passengers at Cookham and Furze Platt. Maidenhead's MP Theresa May has been inundated with complaints about the new service.
Crossrail - New Spanner in the Works
A new cross-London rail scheme has been put forward by former Inter-City boss John Prideaux. Superlink is an enhanced version of the Crossrail scheme which will extend further at the extremities, serving Reading in the west and Stansted and Cambridge in the east. The cost of such a scheme would be higher but the long term funding requirement would be lower. However as no funding has yet been committed for the existing Crossrail scheme which has been stalled at the buffers for a decade, consideration of the new plan could further delay implementation.
Rural Railways Strategy - Borough Under Fire
The Conservative transport spokesman, Cllr. Derek Wilson has criticised the Borough for not lodging its objections to the government's Rural Railways Strategy and for delays in addressing the problems created by the new timetables. Although the Royal Borough is not listed among the respondents to the consultation document, Deputy Leader Simon Werner (Lib-Dem) said that John Iles, cabinet member for transport, had attended a meeting with the Strategic Rail Authority and had put the Council's views at that meeting.
MMPA Newsletter Now Online
Our Winter 2004 Newsletter is now available on the web site in html and Microsoft Word formats. We hope to provide future newsletters shortly after publication. Association members will continue to receive printed Newsletters by post, accompanied by timetable booklets and other useful material as available.
Heathrow Connect Update
"Heathrow Connect" is the branding for the new local service between Paddington and Heathrow. The service is a joint venture between First Great Western and BAA. The trains for the service have been built by Siemens at their Krefeld-Ürdingen plant and commissioned at the Wildenrath test track in Germany. The initial order was for four 4-car Desiro 25kv AC electric multiple units which are designated Class 360/2. However an additional 5-car unit has now been ordered and the existing units will be strengthened to five cars. The units are similar to the Great Eastern Class 360/1 units. Travellers via Reading will be familiar with South West Trains's Class 444 and 450 DC versions.
The Heathrow Connect service takes over the paths previously occupied by the Slough local trains, the disappearance of which is partly responsible for the longer journey times from Maidenhead to the capital. Pending the introduction of the new service FGWL is operating a diesel service between Paddington and Hayes & Harlington. Quite why this service does not operate to Slough in lieu of Heathrow is anyone's guess, but I put it down to total inertia. The Heathrow service was intially planned to start in December 2004 so the interim service is just running in the planned paths.
Trains will not be advertised at Paddington as going to Heathrow. This sort of deliberate misinformation will be familiar to passengers looking for Reading and Oxford trains, eventually working out that they are advertised as terminating at Twyford or Radley. It is expected that a premium fare will be charged between Hayes and the airport, and that Travelcards will not be available over this section. Between Hayes and Paddington the trains will provide a normal local service.
Prior to the opening of Terminal 5, the Heathrow Connect (HCon) service will operate to Heathrow Central (T1-2-3) only and passengers for Terminal 4 can transfer to Heathrow Express (HEx) for the remainder of the journey. Eventually the HEx service will serve Central and T5, while (HCon) will continue to T4. In between the half hourly London service there will be a shuttle service between T4 and Central. Passengers from Maidenhead will have a cross-platform change at Hayes & Harlington.
Various dates between March and July 2006 have been quoted for the start of the new service. We expect to see trial running imminently, and the full service to be introduced with the summer timetable in June. The new trains will be based at the Heathrow Express depôt at Old Oak Common and will be maintained by Siemens.
Piccadilly Line Changes
To facilitate construction of the Piccadilly Line extension to Heathrow Terminal 5, the station at Terminal 4 will close from 7th January for about 20 months. Trains will then operate to termianls 1-3 only. passengers for Terminal 4 can use a bus shuttle service from Hatton Cross or the Heathrow Express from T1-3, both at no extra cost. Passengers should allow an additional 10 to 15 minutes for the journey to T4, but those going to T1-3 will save five minutes. When T5 opens three trains in four will operate to T1-3 and T5 whilst the fourth will go round the T4 loop as previously. The trains serving T4 will lay over at T4 rather than at T1-3.
Fare Increases
First Great Western Link has announced fare increases that will apply from Sunday 2nd January 2005. Regulated fares such as season tickets, day returns and saver fares will rise by 4%, with cheap day and first class fares up by at least 4%. FGW fares will increase by between 1% for First Class Apex and Super Advance tickets, and 4% for regulated fares.
"Misery and Mayhem"
That seems to be the general consensus about the new timetables which started on December 12th. Passengers have complained about longer journeys, overcrowded trains and mix-ups. On Monday morning the 0727 Bourne End to Paddington failed to pick up passengers at Cookham and Furze Platt. Maidenhead's MP Theresa May has been inundated with complaints about the new service.
Crossrail - New Spanner in the Works
A new cross-London rail scheme has been put forward by former BR manager John Prideaux. Superlink is an enhanced version of the Crossrail scheme which will extend further at the extremities, serving Reading in the west and Stansted and Cambridge in the east. The cost of such a scheme would be higher but the long term funding requirement would be lower. However as no funding has yet been committed for the existing Crossrail scheme which has been stalled at the buffers for a decade, consideration of the new plan could further delay implementation.
Rural Railways Strategy - Borough Under Fire
The Conservative transport spokesman, Cllr. Derek Wilson has criticised the Borough for not lodging its objections to the government's Rural Railways Strategy and for delays in addressing the problems created by the new timetables. Although the Royal Borough is not listed among the respondents to the consultation document, Deputy Leader Simon Werner (Lib-Dem) said that John Iles, cabinet member for transport, had attended a meeting with the Strategic Rail Authority and had put the Council's views at that meeting.
Winter Timetables Now Available
The FGWL winter timetables, valid from 12th December 2004 until 11th June 2005, can now be downloaded in PDF from the FGWL Web Site.
The branch timetable is as in the draft timetable except that the first train is now shown as in service from Maidenhead, but setting down only at Furze Platt, Cookham and Bourne End. Some main line trains have been retimed, leading to some narrowly missed connections and longer journeys. For example the 2320FX Reading - Paddington has been put back to 2330, arriving at Maidenhead at 2344. The branch train leaves at 2344 so the last advertised connection is now the 2300 Reading - Paddington, with a 30 minute wait at Maidenhead.
These documents seem to have been put together rather hastily as some contain crop marks and the Maidenhead - Marlow Weekdays document had the weekend return service instead of the weekday one. This was seiftly corrected after we pointed out the error. A useful innovation is showing Monday-Thursday and Friday evening services separately (as on our branch line timetable) rather than having lots of FO and FX annotations. The MO and MX headnotes are retained but the MO and MX columns are now grouped together.
The London - Reading timetable shows a headnote "G" for Greenford trains (although that is not explained anywhere) but there is no indication of the destination of through trains to Bourne End, Henley or beyond Reading.
See out Timetables page for more information.
Maidenhead Advertiser Joins the Fray
3rd December, 2004
The Maidenhead Advertiser this week launched its "Save Our Branch Lines" campaign. The paper interviewed branch line users, politicians, the business community and other interested parties including MMPA President, Maurice Oram. Mr Oram is concerned that the revenue from the Marlow branch doesn't accurately reflect the usage of the line because the booking offices aren't open long enough and fare collection on the trains is inadequate if not impossible at busy times.
The current issue contains a form which you can return to indicate your support for the campaign and indicate whether you support or oppose the community railway plan. Please send it in!
Passengers Concerned at Booking Delays
1st December, 2004
Delays by Network Rail in confirming plans for engineering work over the Christmas period have prevented some operators including First Great Western and Virgin Railways from taking holiday bookings. Passengers are worried that they won't be able to book the cheapest APEX fares as they have limited availability and need to be booked well in advance.
Speaking on the Today programme this morning, a spokesman for the Association of Train Operating Companies said that APEX fares would be bookable with a "seven day horizon". Nevertheless demand is expected to be heavy over the holiday period and the cheapest tickets will soon go once booking is resumed. A draft winter timetable is available for download from FGW's web site.
"Deep Concern" Over Community Railways
The Cookham Society, a registered charity with nearly 1,500 members, has contacted the MMPA regarding the Government's pilots for the community railway. Vice-chairman Georgina Wood expressed deep concern about the ramifications for our line. The Society made representations to Maidenhead's MP, Theresa May this summer.
Government Announces Pilot Rural Railways Scheme
The Strategic Rail Authority today announced plans for a pilot scheme involving seven rural railways in a bid to increase usage and revenue by involving the community in supporting and developing the lines. Details can be found on the DfT web site and on the BBC News pages.
Download the SRA's Community Rail Development Strategy document in PDF.
The Marlow line is not included in the pilot scheme. The MMPA has strongly argued that the line should remain an integral part of the national network and should be considered part of the London commuter area. The Windsor, Marlow and Henley-on-Thames branches are listed as candidates. Local commuters are concerned that conversion of the line to community railway status would spell the end for through rush hour trains to the capital. [2004-11-22]
Last updated 20th September, 2008