| Archived Save the Train forum articles - 2005 to 2010. See below
FirstGroup Profit Doubles on Rail , Bus Ticket Sales - 4661/8508 Written by Lee on Thursday, 8th November 2007 FirstGroup said fiscal first-half profit more than doubled as sales of bus and rail tickets helped offset higher fuel costs (link below.) http://www.rmtbristol.org.uk/2007/11/firstgroup_profit_doubles_on_r.html#more Re: FirstGroup Profit Doubles on Rail , Bus Ticket Sales - 4661/8544 Written by tonya on Friday, 9th November 2007 So much for any future excuses about not being able to afford more rolling stock. There is no excuse for any 2 coach trains with this amount of profit passing into their coffers. Re: FirstGroup Profit Doubles on Rail , Bus Ticket Sales - 4661/8548 Written by Lee on Saturday, 10th November 2007 [quote author=tonya link=topic=4661.msg8544#msg8544 date=1194624321] So much for any future excuses about not being able to afford more rolling stock. There is no excuse for any 2 coach trains with this amount of profit passing into their coffers. [/quote] I am afraid that its not likely to get any better , tonya. See First Great Western Coffee Shop Forum quote below : [quote author=Lee Fletcher link=topic=937.msg4347#msg4347 date=1194361758] [quote author=martyjon link=topic=937.msg4343#msg4343 date=1194347179]In a previous post on this forum it was quoted that there are diagrammed 2 158's for peak hour strengthening on the Cardiff - Portsmouth services. Where do you put those 2 158's as the peak hours occur at Cardiff, Newport, Bristol, Bath, Trowbridge, Warminster, Salisbury, Southampton and Portsmouth and elsewhere that I omitted all at the same time. Do you attach an extra 158 to a service at Westbury so that it provides the extra passenger accomodation from Salisbury to Romsey, Southampton and Portsmouth and return to Westbury in the peak hour and then the second 158 to a service in the other direction at Westbury to provide the extra passenger accomodation from Bath to Bristol, from Bristol to Newport and Cardiff, from Newport to Cardiff. What about the Portsmouth and Southampton passengers at the beginning of the peaks, likewise passengers from Cardiff and Newport to Bristol, passengers from Bristol to Bath, from Bath to Trowbridge and Westbury.[/quote] Here is a list of services from the "Cross - Bristol" area that are due to be strengthened from December 2007. A couple of caveats : 1) The list is taken from the original draft December 2007 Timetable. As a result , the timings shown may differ slightly from the "final" version. 2) As martyjon rightly points out , sometimes extra carriages are added or taken off en route. Where this is due to be the case , I have noted it in brackets. SERVICES DUE TO BE STRENGTHENED WITH A 2 - COACH CLASS 158 UNIT 0640 Frome - Cardiff Central (detached at Bristol Temple Meads.) 0723 Warminster - Great Malvern (attached at Westbury , detached at Bristol Temple Meads.) 0600 Portsmouth Harbour - Cardiff Central (detached at Bristol Temple Meads.) 1222 Portsmouth Harbour - Cardiff Central (attached at Bristol Temple Meads.) 1622 Portsmouth Harbour - Cardiff Central. 2038 Westbury - Bristol Temple Meads. 0625 Westbury - Frome. 0545 Bristol Temple Meads - Weymouth / Portsmouth Harbour (split at Westbury.) 1230 Cardiff Central - Portsmouth Harbour (attached at Bristol Temple Meads.) 1630 Cardiff Central - Portsmouth Harbour. SERVICES DUE TO BE STRENGTHENED WITH A 1 - COACH CLASS 153 UNIT 0540 Weymouth - Bristol Parkway (attached at Westbury.) 1704 Bristol Temple Meads - Bristol Parkway. 2130 Southampton Central - Bristol Temple Meads (Class 150 / 153 combo from Westbury onwards.) 0845 Bristol Parkway - Westbury (detached at Bristol Temple Meads.) 1648 Bristol Parkway - Westbury (attached at Bristol Temple Meads.) 1748 Bristol Parkway - Westbury (attached at Bristol Temple Meads.) SERVICES DUE TO BE OPERATED BY A 3 - COACH CLASS 158 UNIT 0554 Bristol Temple Meads - Cardiff Central. 1122 Portsmouth Harbour - Cardiff Central. 1922 Portsmouth Harbour - Cardiff Central. 0730 Cardiff Central - Portsmouth Harbour. 1530 Cardiff Central - Portsmouth Harbour. Finally , although I made the point that I did about the DfT and the Class 180 leases , I do actually agree with martyjon that FGW should be allowed to deploy them. See quote below : [quote author=Lee Fletcher link=topic=661.msg2399#msg2399 date=1190631606] [quote author=grahame link=topic=661.msg2331#msg2331 date=1190394464]He wasn't asked (and didn't offer comment as far as I could tell) what will be happeneing to the 200andsummat seat trains when replaced by the 500andsummat seat ones. I had a dream that they could in turn replace the 150orso seat trains that are full to bursting point on Cardiff - Portsmouth, and then those 150orso seat trains could strengthen other services, provide appropriate extras and help Andrew deliver that improved reliabiity by having just 1% more slack in the system. I expect there's no substance in my dream - are the Adalentes off to some other pastures in the North of England, by any chance? [/quote] Here is a link to the probable forthcoming rolling stock deployment , based on the unit number codes used by FGW in the Draft December 2007 Timetable. http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=660.msg2347#msg2347 How about this instead? Class 143/1 - Bristol - Avonmouth / Severn Beach services. Class 143/2 - Bristol - Avonmouth / Severn Beach services. Class 143/3 - Weston - Bristol Parkway services. Class 143/4 - Southampton - Cheltenham group services. Class 143/5 - Peak Westbury - Gloucester group services. Class 143/6 - Bristol - Avonmouth / Severn Beach services. Class 143/7 - Weston - Bristol Parkway services. Class 150/1 - Southampton - Cheltenham group services. Class 150/2 - Southampton - Cheltenham group services. Class 150/3 - Peak Westbury - Gloucester group services. Class 150/13 - Westbury - Gloucester group services. Class 150/14 - Westbury - Gloucester group services. Class 153/8 - Southampton - Cheltenham group services. Class 153/9 - Westbury - Gloucester group services. Class 158/1 - Westbury - Gloucester group services. Class 158/2 - Westbury - Gloucester group services. Class 158/4 - Westbury - Gloucester group services. Class 158/5 - Westbury - Gloucester group services. Class 158/6 - Westbury - Gloucester group services. Class 158/7 - Westbury - Gloucester group services. Class 158/9 - Westbury - Gloucester group services. Class 158/10 - Westbury - Gloucester group services. Class 158/11 - Westbury - Gloucester group services. Class 158/12 - Westbury - Gloucester group services. Class 158/13 - Westbury - Gloucester group services. Class 158/14 - Westbury - Gloucester group services. Class 158/15 - Taunton - Cardiff services. Class 158/16 - Taunton - Cardiff services. Class 158/17 - Taunton - Cardiff services. Class 158/18 - Taunton - Cardiff services. Class 158/19 - Marked as "not used." Class 158/20 - Taunton - Cardiff services. Class 158 (3 - coach) - Westbury - Gloucester group services. Class 180/1 - Portsmouth - Cardiff services. Class 180/2 - Portsmouth - Cardiff services. Class 180/3 - Portsmouth - Cardiff services. Class 180/4 - Portsmouth - Cardiff services. Class 180/5 - Portsmouth - Cardiff services. Class 180/6 - Portsmouth - Cardiff services. Class 180/7 - Portsmouth - Cardiff services. Class 180/8 - Portsmouth - Cardiff services. This could provide the following benefits : SERVICE IMPROVEMENTS - 2 - hourly off - peak (rising to near - hourly peak) Westbury - Swindon services , with early morning , evening and optimally - timed peak trains restored. - Half - hourly Bristol - Severn Beach services. - Half - hourly Bedminster , Parson Street , Severn Tunnel Junction and Weston Milton services. - Same number of Dilton Marsh services as now , but pattern revised to more closely match traffic flows , especially at the peaks. - Through services between Dean and Mottisfont & Dunbridge - Warminster , Dilton Marsh and Westbury retained , along with easier northbound connections. ROLIING STOCK PROVISION IMPROVEMENTS - 5 - coach (including first class) Portsmouth - Cardiff services. - 4 - coach Westbury - Gloucester group services. - All Taunton - Cardiff services operated by Class 158 units. [/quote] [/quote] Re: FirstGroup Profit Doubles on Rail , Bus Ticket Sales - 4661/8550 Written by admin (Graham Ellis) on Saturday, 10th November 2007 [quote author=tonya link=topic=4661.msg8544#msg8544 date=1194624321] So much for any future excuses about not being able to afford more rolling stock. There is no excuse for any 2 coach trains with this amount of profit passing into their coffers. [/quote] The problem is, Tony, that FirstGroup is committed to "at least 10 percent annual dividend growth for at least the next three years,'' the company said in the statement., that they're committed to paying over a billion pounds - 32% of their current market valuation - to the DfT for the current FGW franchise alone, mostly in the latter years so they need to be saving, and that the current lease cost of an old 2 coach train that originally cost 100,000 to build is 300,000 per annum Re: FirstGroup Profit Doubles on Rail , Bus Ticket Sales - 4661/8698 Written by tonya on Monday, 19th November 2007 I am trying to understand - not very successfully- from the list which trains will lose coaches, rather than remain the same or have an extra coach or two. Can that be predicted? Are we going to be back to leaving people standing at Oldfield Park and Keynsham again? Re: FirstGroup Profit Doubles on Rail , Bus Ticket Sales - 4661/8715 Written by Lee on Tuesday, 20th November 2007 [quote author=tonya link=topic=4661.msg8698#msg8698 date=1195498604] I am trying to understand - not very successfully- from the list which trains will lose coaches, rather than remain the same or have an extra coach or two. Can that be predicted? Are we going to be back to leaving people standing at Oldfield Park and Keynsham again? [/quote] Its funny you should ask , tonya , because Andrew Griffiths was "interviewed" on related issues recently (see First Great Western Coffee Shop forum quote below.) [quote author=Lee Fletcher link=topic=1038.msg5158#msg5158 date=1195567666] Q) I have now obtained the printed Dec 07 timetables & the errors on the on-line version which I identified were perpetuated there. According to the XC timetable, the 0800 from Temple Meads starts Cardiff 0700, dep Newport 0715. Although FGW timetable E omits this, the equivalent XC evening return arr Cardiff 20.19 is correctly shown. AG) This will have to be added to the addenda for Book E - poor proof reading I'm afraid. Q) On 28 NOVEMBER 2006, Tom Harris the Minister for rail transport detailed (to the Western Partnership) the improvements required to address reliability problems with the ex Wessex "local fleet" (including Cardiff -Portsmouth) which included modifications to the electrical systems, doors, underframes, engines, transmissions, couplings, air systems, engine cooling systems and brakes. At that time the new maintenance depot at St Phillips Marsh for the local fleet was (at least publicly) expected to be imminently open. Re: FirstGroup Profit Doubles on Rail , Bus Ticket Sales - 4661/8785 Written by tonya on Saturday, 24th November 2007 Thanks Lee. Not much grounds for optimism there then. More Train less Strain was never just two or three people, but a movement by commuters to get things moving again. It was a reaction by the travelling public to a chronic service. I am sure all travellers will be watching the new changes with a mixture of anxiety and trepidation. If it is a replay of last December, there will, I am sure, be a demand from local commuters for organised action once again, as this seemed to produce results last time around. I am not too optimistic that things will go smoothly, but am willing to give them a chance and see what happens. They have after all, had a year to get it right this time.Wont hold my breath though. link to index of articles |
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Save the Train was the campaign to bring an approriate train service back to and through Melksham. Most big contributors are still around writing at the Coffee shop forum where new members are very welcome. The train has been saved - sort of - we have stepped back up from an unusable service to a poorish one but it's doing very well. We did that through setting up the TransWilts Community Rail Partnership. That fulfilled its early objectives; it has been taken over by local and regional government types who are now doing medium and long term work. The team from this forun can also be found at the Melksham Rail User Group (which was the Melksham Rail Development Group at the time these articles were written and we had no users. We mustn't loose sight, though, that the train service remains poor and needs our community support in marketing and campaigning to keep it going in a positive direction ... and all the more so when we're expecting to find a different normallity once we get out of the Coronavirus Pandemic and head for zero carbon via the climate crisis. Yes, it's saved ... it's now a key community facility ... the need for enhancement and the strong and near-universal local support remain, and the rail industry and goverment remain slow to move and provide the enhancements even to level us up with other towns. Please support the Melksham Rail User Group - now very much in partnership rather than protest with the rail industry and local government, including GWR, TransWilts and unitary and town councils. And please use the trains and buses, and cycle and walk when you can. -- Graham Ellis, (webmaster), February 2021 | |||
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