Commuting daily between Bath and Bristol for the last one year has given me a deep insight into how First Great Western (FGW) manage and operate a busy intercity link.
The regular signal faults, jam packed trains, 'late running' services and just plain bad luck always seem to add that extra twist to my daily commute. The unpredictable and expensive FGW buses are almost boring in comparison.
If that was not enough, FGW have no way of monitoring how many cycles are brought on board. The cycle rack allows for 3 cycles on the Portsmouth harbour train for example. But more often than not one can find up to 5 cycles blocking the passage (see photo).
Not only can the extra cycles hurt someone in case of emergency breaking but they can also get dislodged and block the exit.
Keeping all this in mind I am curious to see what FGW can do with the Great Western Line and with the massive upgrade being planned in the Bristol-Bath area.
I guess the only thing they can do is increase the fare and enjoy hefty bonuses.
