The details
9 January 2007Following on from the brilliant news broken below, we have now had chance to ‘look at the small print’. The seat availability on the new timetable will be:
- 0638 – Adelante; 282 seats; approx 150 empty on arrival at Oxford
- 0645 – 6 car Turbo; 550 seats; starts in Oxford
- 0705 – 3 car Turbo; 275 seats; approx 13 empty on arrival at Oxford
- 0733 – Adelante; 282 seats; starts in Oxford
- 0744 – HST; 472 seats; approx 100 empty on arrival at Oxford
Giving a total of 1015 seats. Not back to the 1379 we had before 10 December, but a huge improvement on the 270 we have had since (our previous analysis of the timetable changes is still available).
9 January 2007 at 8:38 pm
Well done - but spare a thought for your fellow travellers just one stop down the line at Hanborough who still suffer from poor service.
10 January 2007 at 9:30 am
Well done! You have achieved a great deal.
Don’t end your campaign though: the original cuts were politically driven by DfT and I’m sure they will still be looking for cuts somewhere. We need to be vigilant.
While this has resolved the most severe problem, there are still a number of other areas that need to be improved:
1. The ongoing appalling punctuality and reliability, which makes the overcrowding worse.
2. Cuts in the evening peak that are still causing overcrowding on Didcot services.
3. Poor connections at Didcot between Oxford services and Swindon and Bristol services.
4. The poor service on the Cotswold line, including the gap in morning services between Worcester and Hereford.
11 January 2007 at 11:15 pm
This is a really good result BUT as a peak hour user who needs to get into London by 8 because I have a long journey then across London, my options are still worse than before.
Previously (and for the last 2 years, broadly) I have been able to get the 6.30, 6.45 or 6.58, all of which got me into Paddington in 60 mins, and all of which I could sit down on.
Now I have a reasonable chance of a seat on the 6.38; I should definitely get a seat on the 6.45 but it takes 1 hour 15; the 7.05 I will almost certainly have to stand and the others are too late for me. Basically I have to get the 6.38 to minimise the actual time on the train and get a seat and get to work in time. I am still paying 3400 for this reduction in service.
The amazingly well organised campaign (big thanks!) shows that results can be obtained; we need to continue to register demand for restoration of FAST service between 6 and 7 rather than 7 and 8 for regular commuters otherwise I fear even what has been clawed back will be taken away again.
Many thanks again to organisers
Fiona