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Introduction.
What is the CLPG?
Officers.
Activities.
Successes.
The Future.
Membership.
Events
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Appraisal
Study Report
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MEETING WITH FIRST GREAT
WESTERN.
Committee members of Cotswold Line Promotion
Group attended a meeting in Swindon on Tuesday 12th February 2008 with Andrew
Haines, Chief Operating Officer and Mark Hopwood, the newly appointed Performance
Director, of First Great Western to discuss the appalling train performance on the
Cotswold line from London-Oxford, Worcester and Hereford.
The FGW Directors gave a frank and open
assessment of the managerial and organisational improvements that were necessary to
improve performance on the whole franchise, and the Cotswold Line in particular. They are
implementing a new management structure which will increase management numbers and
authority at key locations around the franchise to reduce the problems in the past of
centralisation at the Swindon Headquarters. They are also developing several timetable
adjustments for early implementation to make the service on the Cotswold Line more robust,
and some infrastructure improvements at Oxford station which should also improve performance on the
Cotswold Line are being taken forward by Network Rail.
The CLPG highlighted the severe problems
faced by passengers on the line due to failure to make connections and terminating trains
short of scheduled destination, particularly at Worcester and on to Hereford, the lack of information to passengers and local staff,
and the inadequacy of arrangements for alternative transport when delays and cancellations
occur. They also highlighted the inadequacy and appalling unreliability of the service
between Great Malvern, Worcester, Gloucester and Bristol since the timetable changes in December 2007.
The CLPG provided the FGW Directors with
several suggestions to improve the quality and reliability of the timetable, and FGW
undertook to examine these as a matter of urgency.
It was accepted that performance in the past
few weeks had shown some signs of improvement, but was still too erratic. However liaison
with Network Rail had been improved, and Network Rail is now more focussed on improving
standards of maintenance to reduce infrastructure failures. There is also now better
liaison with Network Rail on signalling and regulation of trains running on the Cotswold
line. Cooperation with the new London Midland franchise, which manages stations from Worcester towards Hereford, have also been improved.
Item added on 13th February 2008.
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