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News ArchiveAirtrack PostponedThe public enquiry into the Airtrack scheme to connect Heathrow Terminal 5 to Reading via Staines has been postoned again because of objections by Wokingham Borough Council relating to increased barrier down time at level crossings. Chiltern Announces Evergreen 3 PlansChiltern Railways has formally announced its plans for the Evergreen 3 upgrade which will bring about major enhancements to the London-Birmingham route as well as the new route to Oxford via Bicester Town, Islip and Water Eaton Parkway. The latter will mean additional services from High Wycombe. We have of course known about these plans for some time because of Chiltern’s effective stakeholder consultation process. Bourne End Viaduct RepaintingWe understand that funding has now been approved and Network Rail plans to implement the repainting of the viaduct (including the river crossing) from February to April 2009. This photo showing the current condition of the bridge was taken on 1st August.
Government starts consultation on Crossrail to ReadingThe DfT has started a consultation on the protection of the route for the extension Crossrail to Reading.
In essence, this means that anything that would compromise the electrification of the line between Maidenhead and Reading
West Junction would not be allowed. It is anticipated that the route from Airport Junction to Reading or Oxford could
in fact be electrified in advance of the start of Crossrail operation.
Crossrail Given The Go-ahead by ParliamentThe Crossrail Bill has received Royal Assent. The main construction work could begin in 2010, with trains
running between Maidenhead and Shenfield in 2017.
Graffiti Attack at Bourne End - Suspect ArrestedWe understand that British Transport Police have made an arrest following the recent graffiti attack at Bourne End station. FGW Appoints Route Director for Thames ValleyFirst Great Western has appointed three new Route Directors for London and Thames Valley, High Speed Services and West, reporting to Mark Hopwood. Ian Smith is the Route director for Thames Valley. Cycle Rental Scheme at ReadingA new cycle rental system has been introduced at Reading Station. Registered users pay £10 per year to obtain release and lock codes from operating partner company OYBike. The first 30 minutes are free, after which a rental charge is incurred. Better Parking at TwyfordThe car park markings at Taplow station have been redrawn to increase capacity. ORR Warns Network Rail on Great Western DelaysThe Office of Rail Regulation has warned Network Rail that there must be an improvement in punctuality and reliability on the Great Western route, or else it could face action for a breach of its licence. Trains run by First Great Western have been experiencing high levels of delays and cancellations for some time, and the company currently trails the PPM (public performance measure) figures. The ORR is overseeing a joint performance improvement plan developed by Network Rail and First Great Western (see below). FGW languishes at the bottom of the PPM table with 79.7%, in stark contrast to Chiltern Trains’ 95.6%.
Heathrow 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.
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Last updated 24th March, 2010