FGW - Buffet car row continues

[AJR]

Ref.: thisisbath - 17 August 2006

Link to online source

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Rotten service from un-Great Western

Disgusting double talk is offered by the smiling manager director of Bath's First Great Western rail service as she informs us that they are eliminating the buffet car and packing seats closer.

She knows, and we know, that a little trolley crawling through a seven carriage train will not give passengers a better service. Firstly the trolley will not offer nearly the same range of food and drink. Secondly, with the buffet car, passengers can go and obtain refreshments when they want them, and not when the trolley comes by.

Also these trolleys have an annoying tendency to be off duty most of the time.

Ah, but in reducing the cost of carrying that buffet car, the rail company also plans to pack seats closer together and, with its new 'airline seating' most likely reduce or eliminate those tables seating four passengers.

Altogether rotten service in more cramped conditions. More money for First (unGreat) Western whose research will also have told it that this virtually monopolistic travel system means we are stuck with whatever it does, or doesn't, give us.

But, of course, the research also probably tells it that with petrol prices so high their passengers are unlikely to switch to car travel no matter how rotten its service.

Can Great Western just do this without some form of Government approval as part of its rail licence?

Are B &NES councillors lodging an objection, seeing that it will make tourist travel to Bath less amenable and pleasant?

KARL JAEGER

Bath Environment Campaign

[tugboatcharly2]

It took a lot of effort to make the inter city service as good as we could with the limited investment and what did the private sector do MESS it up in two easy strokes. Madam who is running the show ought to know better as she once worked for a proper company but money buys anyone and it is so sad to see the dead western region dying just to make money for the share holders QUESTION ; Can any one out there tell me what the the tories have not messed up and done any good for the transport system of this country?

[mow]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0, ... 22,00.html

fuel to the fire - or a flash in the pan...

Almost as bad as having an automatic tea or coffee machine in the workplace.

Airline seats + no buffet car = purgatory.

http://michael527.fotopic.net/

[tugboatcharly2]

It is easy to break a a system like inter city just give it to the so called private sector and let loose the lunatics who have all got money inside their heads and nothing else so what you voted for you got! If you read history you will find the tories are experts in ruining every thing that made this country great just to start ,shipbuiding,, mining,, road transport the (buses) the air ports all sold off in the name of mamon there are literally hundreds of what used to be good companies and now they go the wall or the rest of europe buys them up and we are all going down the pan SHAME

[stationcat]

As a train planner with considerable experience in working with this squalid little outfit. if they can't improve puctuality with all the "fiddle time" in the schedules, removing the buffet car will make minimal difference. After all, going from 2+7 to 2+8 made little difference. The real reason is purely down to leasing costs, a buffet car is very limited in its capacity for "bums on seats".

[tugboatcharly2]

If the piddling little company cant afford the leasing of one coach in the train then why don't they give it back to people who knew at least how to give it ago with nowhere near the subsidy they are getting now nothing but a gang of failed supermarket managers? running the show .End of subject for me because First Great Western is never going to be any good except as a money making machine.

[mow]

more fuel to the flames...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/wilt ... 291242.stm

[stationcat]

What can I say except, lies, damn lies and statistics. If 1 in 8 passengers said thier fares are a complete rip-off would they put drop the prices. I think not.

[horace]

I have added my comment added to evening post see link below.

http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/displayN ... 3726#views

Basically i am concerned that once the buffet car goes, next will be the seats then next we will have the japanese type underground station attendant that pushes us through the carriage doors. just imaging how many you can pack in a train like that. now that will really help get more of us in!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!