Train disruption (again)

Fri 21 Dec 2018, 11:27

GWR are meant to be introducing the "Delay Repay" scheme that almost all train operators now use (though not Chiltern either!), but, rather fittingly, its introduction has been delayed to an unspecified date...

Fri 21 Dec 2018, 06:47 (last edited on Fri 21 Dec 2018, 06:50)

I too made the mistake of attempting to catch the 4.50 from Oxford home on Wednesday. The train was apparently running on time 8 minutes before hand when I did my usual check on the National Railway app before leaving work. But when I got to the station, that heart sinking Cancelled was showing upon the board. If only they'd tell us sooner that our train is to be sacrificed because of 'constipation'!
As to compensation, as the delay was under at an hour, none. The only compensation I had was a good chat with a fellow traveller about food and beer.
I have heard, however, a Charlbury platform rumour of changes to the compensation rules in January - that we will be able to claim for shorter delays.
Does anyone know anything more certain about this?

Thu 20 Dec 2018, 23:21

Stephen (Andrews): Surely you can claim some compensation (50%) for a delay of 30 min - 60 min?

Thu 20 Dec 2018, 11:54

Stephen (from Stephen) Made that decision based on my experience of my first Oxford Parkway journey some two years ago.

Thu 20 Dec 2018, 09:00 (last edited on Thu 20 Dec 2018, 09:40)

Made the mistake of travelling into London from Charlbury, yesterday rather than drive to Oxford Parkway. With Railcard paid £30.55 for the return Cotswold off peak fare and caught the 15:50 return from Paddington. As regular users will painfully know this was terminated (due to 'congestion') at Oxford and we had to wait 40 minutes for the following train (delay under an hour so no compensation due). This particular service has apparently been cancelled 41 times this year. I am afraid that I am now no longer prepared to chance this route into London, even though I favour not using the car to drive to Oxford Parkway. The reliable and frequent Oxford Parkway Marylebone return with a Railcard is £19.05, with no peak return constraints, day parking is £2. I understand from another forum that passenger numbers are substantially falling on the Cotswold route in favour of increasing numbers at Oxford Parkway. Is it any wonder? The only upside is that maybe we will not need the extended parking at Charlbury station after all?

Fri 7 Dec 2018, 19:49 (last edited on Fri 7 Dec 2018, 19:51)

@ Christine. Don't worry - I had a lot of time on my hands waiting for the train to turn up last night and made best use of it! Then to add insult to injury the 07:49 was also 32 minutes late this morning.

Somehow GWR think they can justify putting up the fayres again in the New Year! If they had competition would GWR still be around?

Fri 7 Dec 2018, 10:48

Alex, Make sure you claim compensation.

For over an hour's delay you are due back the full value of that journey (i.e. 50% of the return). If it's over 2 hours you can claim for the the complete cost of the ticket. In my experience it's easier to claim online, sending a jpg of your ticket.

GWR obviously decided that to pay back the cost of the 1 hr delay was cheaper than paying for a taxi -- & in fact so many trains are delayed for more than an hour they are obviously well used to these calculations.

Thu 6 Dec 2018, 22:28 (last edited on Thu 6 Dec 2018, 22:30)

20:23 from Oxford to Charlbury over an hour late this evening - did not get home until 10pm. Oxford station management refused to lay on taxis. Unacceptable! I'm fuming!

Mon 3 Dec 2018, 13:01

My former boss (as Chief Planning Inspector) has written an often funny but biting column in a professional magazine for the last 5 years. Accompanying his last one this month are a few quotes from over the years. You need to know that the Inspectorate HQ is in Bristol. "I spend some time waiting for trains. So would you if you used Great Western Railways."

Would it were a simple question of nationalisation v privatisation. Personally, i'm not against the latter in principle. How they started, after all. What I object to, as with the utilities, is the sucking out of money - our money - by often foreign owned companies while failing to meet the needs of consumers, to protect the environment etc.

Hardly an exclusively Charlbury issue - but as the quote demonstrates, we are not alone!

Sun 2 Dec 2018, 19:29

Michael, if British Rail had been subsidised by the government of the day as much as today's railway companies are, then no doubt none of what you complain about would have happened. And as for Network Rail, who was running it when it had to be re-nationalised? Oh yes ... another privatised railway company, Railtrack ... who *also* failed!!

Sat 1 Dec 2018, 08:29

"GWR must now be re-nationalised"

Wonderful idea. How many trains a day did Charlbury have when the railway WAS nationalised? Who operated the system when the railway decided to uproot half the tracks between Oxford and Moreton?

Why do we have a choice of train routes to London? Because we abolished the monopoly State control of our rail system.

Come to think of it: who owns the main organisation (Network Rail) behind most current rail problems?

Tue 27 Nov 2018, 16:59

For many years I have been referring to "First Great Western" as "LAST Great Western". I am sure that I was not the first person to do so.
"Improve shareholder value"??? How about "Improving *Passenger* value"?
GWR must now be re-nationalised, just as what is now LNER was. And while we are at it, let's have all the other railway companies combined back into British Rail.
But of course we have this ridiculous dogmatic excuse for a government that does not believe in such things, and an MP of the same party but who is primarily subservient to his ERG allies, with not a care for the opinions of his constituents.
Time to get rid of the lot of them, methinks.

Mon 26 Nov 2018, 19:43

Remember that the line was originally opened by the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway - and not for nothing was it known as the "Old Worse and Worse". So what's new, eh?

Mon 26 Nov 2018, 17:12

IKB must be turning in his grave.

Mon 26 Nov 2018, 07:05

Maybe GWR's version of 'the scenic route'

Sun 25 Nov 2018, 19:49

It's been a chaotic day even by current standards. Apparently a train sat down and wept at Moreton, which GWR used as a pretext to cancel all trains between Oxford and Moreton (and there was I thinking that the platforms at Charlbury had been made bi-directional at some expense...). So it was rail replacement buses through Charlbury; we almost got mowed down by one which was driving along the pavement in Market Street, and I strongly suspect from GWR's statements that they were carrying on over the river bridge.

I guess at least we can admire their determination to revive the tradition of the "Great Way Round", although it does seem to be more "Goes Wrong Regularly"...

Sun 25 Nov 2018, 17:29 (last edited on Mon 26 Nov 2018, 09:35)

Ah well, First Group's new boss was quoted recently (ES 13/11) as saying: "We ran the maths and we looked at what we could do but at the moment we want to drive profitability in each of the individual businesses. Our prime objective is to improve shareholder value."

So that's all right then.

PS I also read that said gentleman has a 'basic' salary of over £600K - which 'could be quadrupled' with bonuses. So reassuring....

Sun 25 Nov 2018, 12:33

I too have given up on GWR and now use Chiltern from Oxford Parkway: reliable, cheaper, more frequent services, fewer restrictions. One day last week, however, unable to get into Oxford, I used GWR and, no surprise, found my train back was cancelled. Today I tried to get the 9.34 into London but the train had broken down at Moreton in Marsh and after two hours I gave up waiting for GWR to be able to say when the service would be running again. I agree with Helen - it seems absurd to drive to Oxford Parkway to use the station there but GWR are too hopeless to be relied upon.

Wed 21 Nov 2018, 22:38

Every train I've got this week has been late. The thing I can't understand is that there are fewer stops owing to the engineering work being carried out so how can it STILL be late? This evening they blamed waiting for train crew!

Wed 21 Nov 2018, 21:25

We have given up using it and use the Chiltern Line from Oxford Parkway - it seems crazy but is so much more reliable and frequent. I got two advance single tickets to Marylebone for a return trip to London for the total price of £10.80 earlier this month....

Mon 19 Nov 2018, 18:20

I've lost all faith in GWR. I only use it if I'm going to London (about once a year). I go to Oxford 2 or 3 times a month. I either drive to Pear Tree P & R, and take the 300 which is always reliable and quick or take the S3.
I appreciate that maintenance work has to be carried out from time to time, to keep everyone safe, but I do think we should be given plenty of advance warning and accurate information.

Mon 19 Nov 2018, 17:21

Worth noting that GWR have managed to foul up the timetable this week without really telling anyone!

If you look on the GWR page for the engineering works, it says simply that "Moreton-in-Marsh to Oxford and London Paddington - trains continue to run, but at slightly different times to normal" - see www.gwr.com/travel-updates/planned-engineering/cotswolds2018 .

"Slightly different" is understating it - the 07.12 to London is not running at all, nor is the 16.43 (but there seems to be an additional 17.51). In the other direction, the last train from Oxford is replaced by a bus.

I haven't seen a printed timetable for these works - it looks like the only way of finding out what's running is to use a website or app.

Mon 19 Nov 2018, 15:49

National Rail reports that engineering work will be taking place between London Paddington and Slough: all lines to / from London Paddington will be closed on 23, 24 and 30 December and 2 out of 4 lines will be closed on 27, 28, 29 and 31 December. On 25th & 26th there are no trains at all on the GWR network.

Passengers are advised to travel via Chiltern & Oxford to Marylebone. The Heathrow Express is also affected. See engineering work pages on National Rail Enquiries.

In addition, between Saturday 17 November and Sunday 25 November inclusive there are major changes & cancellations to trains running in the Moreton, Worcester & Hereford area. There are also minor timetable changes to trains at Charlbury.