Off on holiday , how many reviews might I get in!!
Off on holiday , how many reviews might I get in!!
Member since:03.12.2002
Reviews:207
Members who trust:117
I had to attend a meeting in London on Saturday. I thought “well I drive so much, lets use the train, surely there will be no problems!!”
I went from my local station, Taunton in Somerset to Paddington in London.
** Who are they? **
First Great Western are one of the train operating companies. They run trains from London (Paddington) to the West Country and Wales, and I think up to Worcester.
** Getting a Ticket **
Yes I needed one of those!! I decided to get my ticket on the Thursday before I travelled, so off I went to the ticket office. The staff there were really helpful in working out the best option for me, to include a journey on the underground (only going to one place, and coming back from the same place, RussellSquare – The School of Oriental and African Studies) I needed to be there by 10:00 at the latest.
The person who served me was quite a comic, so we had a good laugh too, It was really nice to get that kind of service.
Anyway, the ticket (A supersaver) cost me £42.20, which when you take into account the petrol I would use, the time I would take, and the parking fees I would have to pay, I thought it was quite good. If I had booked more than 7 days in advance I could have saved another £19 on the ticket (I’ll not make that mistake again!)
The ticket books you a certain train, and a seat on that train!
So they found me a train, leaves the station at 07:10, gets to London at 09:18, We’ll see I thought to myself.
I was given a timetable, or “Guide to services” as it is now called, a “Saturday Supplement to the guide to services” (which is nearly as think as the guide – oh well another rain forest
comes crashing down!) and a leaflet with different scales of fares in. I found them both very well laid out, and easy to understand. The guide is really useful, as it has a map of the Underground on the back page. Also include in the guide, is a section on "waht to do in an emergency" it's a bit like those that you get on a plane, it is very comprehensive, and easy to follow. I'm sure i'll never need it, but it is worth reading.
** Timing? **
My Train was scheduled to leave at 07:10 on Saturday morning, I got to the station early, about 6:40 (just in case) 2 minutes before the scheduled departure time the train pulled into the station. It left at 07:10 on the dot – This was starting to look promising!
So my ticket said coach A, this turns out to be the one at the end of the train furthest from London. The coach was a “Quiet coach” this means you cannot use a mobile or personal stereo in the coach. The actual coach wasn’t that full, and nobody tried to use a phone.
My seat was in a block of 4 with a table between the 2 rows. I was on my own for the whole journey (2 of the other seats had tickets in where they had been reserved, but nobody showed up) The seat was a facing seat, so you could see where you were going rather than where you’ve been!
The upholstery was a bit dated to say the least, it was clean and tidy, but needed to be tarted up a bit, certain places looked a bit worn. Then again I suppose these trains get a fair bit of use.
The toilet was functional. It was clean and tidy, and did what it was meant to do, although I do wonder what use frosted glass is at 125 mile per hour
I did notice that if someone was standing waiting for the loo, the automatic doors kept opening to the compartment, I wasn’t too concerned, but I’m sure some could find it really distracting.
** Journey ** The first announcement that the whole train was no-smoking. I don’t smoke, but was surprised, I always thought people could smoke by the doors.
There was one slight hold up, just outside Castle Cary, probably only for a couple of minutes. It got a bit lumpy and bumpy in places (I guess that was Railtrack – or whatever they call themselves now!) Unfortunately it was while I was coming back from the buffet with a cup of tea, but I find it a nice way of meeting people, when you suddenly end up in their lap ;-)
I was writing and preparing for talk I will be giving, re-reading it now, I can see the bits I was editing when the track was at it’s lumpiest! I can just about read them!!
The announcements were very good on the train, you could hear every word “The next stop is Readin’ change ‘ere for a coach to ‘eafrow”
Into Reading, boasting signs Reading – Home of ING (I haven’t the faintest Idea who or what ING are!)
The ticket collector (or is it Guard?) was really friendly, and seemed to have time to talk to people, more so than the usual “tickets please”
From Reading, it was non-stop to Paddington
It was really nice to be able to watch the countryside fly by. You certainly seem to see much more travelling this way. The stretch around Pewsey was very nice, crossing canals, seeing the boats, very quaint.
One thing did strike me though – there were masses of factories, and depots along side the line, they all had masses of lorries parked up in the loading bays – why don’t they link them up to the railway, and transport the goods by rail, and save all those lorry journeys? Maybe one day!
Something else I did notice, was that all the stations we went past looked immaculate. There was no litter, the painting had been done, and all the lights were working!
** Catering **
Yes there is a buffet car (or is it carriage? ) They had reasonable selection of things, and was quite well stocked. The prices seemed to be about average for this type of facility. I had a cup of tea it was £1.20, sandwiches were from £2.80, bacon rolls £2.20. The only thing was Twix were 55p
One thing really made me take note – The bar was open! This was 8:20. Sitting near the buffet were a load of Spurs fans on their way to the game (I guess) the smell of alcohol was overpowering. I know the football authorities are trying to stamp out drunkenness in the terraces, but when a train company is selling beer at 8:20 in the morning, it doesn’t really make their job very easy does it!
** The end of the Line ? **
The train promptly pulled into Paddington at the allotted time of 09:18. I was really impressed with that, as I’ve heard all the media going on about the state of “our railways” There was no mad rush to get out, all really orderly. There seemed to be a lot of platform staff about. I did notice that there was a cleaning crew on the train almost straight away, cleaning up the various coaches.
Then I got on the underground !!!!!!
** The return **
I got to Paddington at 17:20 , but I’d booked the 18:35 train, so I had time to kill. I was walking along the concourse, when I noticed a train that was going my way!! It left in 10 minutes. “Hmm” I thought. “Wait here an hour, or get on this?” I wasn’t sure if the ticket was fixed for the booked journey, but was quite pleased when I asked on of the platform staff if I could use the early train, “No Problem” was the reply.
The journey home was faultless, so nothing to mention there, The announcements were good, and clear. The ticket collector was even more cheerful then the one in the morning (maybe she was going home!)
** Home again **
So the train pulls in, and I am now 45 minutes earlier than I was meant to be, so I walked home. I did notice that they have a ramp, to allow disabled people to exit the trains, but if you are in a wheelchair, I would suggest you get your brakes checked, as it looked quite steep.
Just to end the day, and show how far we have come in terms of transportation, I had to walk down a road alongside the railway line, my train had gone, imagine my surprise as a Steam train roared round the corner and through the station (it was named Tangmere if anyone is interested!)
** Summary **
I was really impressed with the way First Great Western operated on my travel day. The level of comfort on the trains was good, the space I had was good. Ok I appreciate it was a Saturday and I’m sure it gets really busy during the week, and mine was a single journey.
The staff really seemed to care about their customers, and at the stations there were plenty of staff to ask if you had a problem.
I got to where I wanted to go on time, I felt relaxed didn’t have the hassle of driving and trying to park. So for me the cost was justified.
Will I use them again – yes I will, and I would recommend anyone to try them out, they might be surprised.
** Post Script 3/11/03 **
I have subsequently been on this journey again, and am happy to report that I had exactly the same positive journey. So 2 out 2 aint bad!!
I was actually so impressed that I rang customer services to compliment them. They actually seemed surprised that I didn't want to complain!!
...oh and the Spurs fans were drinking again at 8am !!
** Post Script 15/1/04 **
I to do this journey again last Saturday, and this is really to balance things up. Some people said there were problems, so here are mine!
The first thing my train was 22 minutes late getting to Taunton. The good thing was that the station announcer kept updating everyone with what was going on, so we all knew. (Fault on the buffet car)
On the journey to London, the Train Manager announced that "As the buffet car lights had failed, it was a Health and Safety issue, but they had set up temporary facilities in First class if you wanted a complementary tea or coffee. Now that I thought was customer service.
We eventually go into Paddington about 16 minutes late, which I didn't mind.
The journey back had some problems, in that there was a faulty set of points at Reading, and the train had to be diverted. Again we were kept totally informed about what was going on. Eventually got in about 25 minutes late, which I didn't see as a problem.
So hats off to First Great Western I say.
Contact www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk
Customer Service 0845 600 5604
www.nationalrail.co.uk
Thanks for reading this, and travel safely
Larry
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V good review Larry, well done! It's nice to see that I'm not the only one who's written something positive about trains on Ciao. Ian
salem_witch 26.01.2005 10:22
They sound good. I'm off to London soon and debating whether to go via train or National Express still. I think the journey from Swindon would be more pleasant on train (and faster!)
adamuk1 02.09.2004 22:50
Hi Larry!
Nice to read the positive review.
Dare i say it i'm responsible for getting those spurs fans p*ssed as i work on the buffets for FGW. Maybe i've even served ya, not that i recognise the pic though.
Good place to live mate. Prob my fave place in the westcountry for a pub crawl,Taunton!
adam :-)
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Advantages: Gorgeous Scenery/Wildlife, Beautiful Convenient Journey Breaks,!st Class Disadvantages: Old Trains, Possibly Overcrowded,Unreliability not confined to this carrier
queenmaebh 13.07.2007 (13.07.2007)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of First Great Western
Advantages: Fast & Efficient, Plenty of Seats, Buffet's Good, Children's Activities Disadvantages: Maybe a tad expensive - though deals can be found (but not on my route!)
evesham1988la 23.08.2005 (24.08.2005)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of First Great Western
Advantages: Pleasent Staff, always there to help! Disadvantages: No leg room, very dated, uncomfortable seating, and not enough space to put your luggage.
Copie1990 23.11.2009 ·
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful
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