Can someone explain something to me? Why did a train journey that usually lasts 1 hour 45 mins take almost 3 hours today? I left Newport at 17:39 (or thereabouts) and arrived in London Paddington at 20:23. The time on my ticket says I should have arrived at 19:25. So what happened?
Well, apparently, it was scheduled! It was meant to leave at 17:39 and arrive at 20:23! This happened two weekends ago as well. Another thing, the normal route is Newport, Bristol Parkway, Swindon, Didcot Parkway, Reading and London Paddington. Today and the last time I got the train to Paddington, it was Newport, Bristol Parkway, Swindon, Chippenham, Reading and London Paddington. CHIPPENHAM?! Chippenham is in the wrong bloody direction! It’s nearer to Bristol than Swindon!
According to the FGW www, on Sunday 23 January 2005, South Wales services will be diverted via an alternative route NOT calling at Didcot Parkway.
It doesn’t mention being diverted to Chippenham. Perhaps it was announced on the tannoy, but hello! Deaf??
My logic tells me that: the line between Swindon and Didcot Parkway is being subject to engineering work, which means that the trains need to go from Swindon and Reading via a different route, and because of the complexities and general crapness of the national railway infrastructure, the only way FGW were able to achieve this was to divert the train to Chippenham after Swindon, bypassing the Didcot Parkway section of the line completely. I’ve had to work that out myself, FGW certainly haven’t gone to any great lengths to explain this to me.
As a matter of course, I don’t bother asking staff at stations or on the trains because they are generally unhelpful, or respond with a grunt and a squeak.
This comes after a Christmas and New Year fiasco with seat reservations. The whole rail network has been undergoing a transfer to a new national seating reservation system, which has meant that between Christmas and now, it has been impossible to reserve seats, even on the busy trains, which include the two trains that I catch between Newport and London Paddington. I have literally had to run onto trains to be sure of obtaining a seat. There’s no way I’m standing up for two hours. It seems to have abated now, thank goodness, but myself and my mum have made numerous phone calls to Trainline.com asking to reserve seats, with operators giving vague impressions of the problems, so that customers are just left bewildered and confused.
The irony is, I pay ?31.20 for every return ticket I purchase, but I get such a crap service. The rail network needs some SERIOUS investment, and the sooner the better.