GWR fucks over Swindon again

[Combe Down]

First Great Western turns into GWR with a swanky new livery & a new website. Check out their recommended destinations. Not a whiff of Swindon. Great for the local economy, pah!

https://www.gwr.com/explore-the-west/top-destinations

Let's have a negativity fast. What could they have promoted? STEAM, the museum of the Great Western Railway maybe?

[bigbobjoylove]

It features in the Wiltshire bit, but like you say, no mention of Steam.

[Combe Down]

Ah yes, they've added those bits since earlier today. Even STFC gets a mention. I apologise GWR.

[Ells]

Why would GWR have a vendetta against Swindon?

[Combe Down]

Exactly. Let's consider the evidence:
Cutting the town in half. A kind of Berlin Wall.
Neglected station. Why not decent facilities on the North Star side. Image the strain taken off the road system on the town side if there were a taxi rank on each side.
Sticking Swindon on the border of the fares system so a trip to Reading is prohibitive.
Stopping group rail fares when STFC are at Wembley, or stopping the trains all together!
The plethora of ex-railway clerks who have not stepped up to the mark to keep this town great.

[Ells]

I don't live in the area so I can't really comment on some of those points but in regards to the group fare thing that happens everywhere. I'm in Wales and whenever there's a big game on at the Millenium, cheap offers to Cardiff miraculously become invalid..

[Paolo69]

They always take away the group fares for major (usually sporting events). They claim its to prevent overcrowding when it's actually to make as much money as possible but they don't make any secret about it. There was a list of dates when group fares aren't available up on a board when I was at Reading Saturday. I suspect a similar list is on the website too.

[Paolo69]

Agree that Swindon to Reading is too bloody expensive though.

[Combe Down]

There is a list available in advance of major sporting events where the group fare scheme is suspended. However, the short notice given for a P.O. Final is obviously a problem there. I wonder if FGW (GWR) would have suspended it if PNE had played Sheff Utd in the PO Final. That is of course if the trains had been running at all.

The fact we have to do the stupid split tickets business at Didcot shows that invisible barrier somewhere in South Oxfordshire penalises those starting at Swindon & travelling east by train.

[Paolo69]

There is a list available in advance of major sporting events where the group fare scheme is suspended. However, the short notice given for a P.O. Final is obviously a problem there. I wonder if FGW (GWR) would have suspended it if PNE had played Sheff Utd in the PO Final. That is of course if the trains had been running at all.

The fact we have to do the stupid split tickets business at Didcot shows that invisible barrier somewhere in South Oxfordshire penalises those starting at Swindon & travelling east by train.

If Sheff Utd had played Preston there would have been no need. No "risk of overcrowding". I don't agree with it but that's what they claim to base it on.

Couldn't agree more about the Swindon to Reading farce, especially as I live in bloody Reading.

[horlock07]

Exactly. Let's consider the evidence:
Cutting the town in half. A kind of Berlin Wall.

I don't live in Swindon and never have done so so cannot comment on most of this, however would point out that the railway was here before most of the town and in fact the town would possibly not even be here without the railway and specifically Gooch and Brunel.

[Reg Smeeton]

 Jeremy will fix it.....hopefully not like Jim.

[theakston2k]

Jeremy will fix it.....hopefully not like Jim.

The biggest irony is and what people don't seem to realise is that the rail infrastructure is already publicly owned, Network Rail is now funded by the tax payer and it's Network Rail and the old school Civil Service type mentality that causes most of the problems. Their staff are only on 35 hour weeks for fucks sake, lets get the train operators on that as well then shall we.... It'll be an utter shambles if it goes back into public ownership just like it was towards the end of BR days....

[Reg Smeeton]

The biggest irony is and what people don't seem to realise is that the rail infrastructure is already publicly owned, Network Rail is now funded by the tax payer and it's Network Rail and the old school Civil Service type mentality that causes most of the problems. Their staff are only on 35 hour weeks for fucks sake, lets get the train operators on that as well then shall we.... It'll be an utter shambles if it goes back into public ownership just like it was towards the end of BR days....

Tories intend to flog off Network Rail to their mates....you may favour crony capitalism, but there are many who think it stinks.  The Tories starved BR of investment, to soften it up for privatisation. Look across the Channel at a highly successful state owned operator like SNCF as an example

[@mwooly63]

Fuck all wrong with a 35hr week