Chancellor Alastair Darling told one of the country's least popular rail companies to "get a grip" - or risk putting its franchise in danger.

Mr Darling criticised First Great Western - recently embarrassed by fare strikers handing over home-made tickets - while on a ministerial visit to Bristol.

His words lent support to the campaign group More Train Less Strain, which staged protests against the service, covering large stations like Bristol, last month.

Visiting a media centre in the city, the Chancellor said: "I know there have been very great problems with this particular franchise that have gone on far too long.

"Frankly, the travelling public using the line are entitled to expect far better reliability and punctuality in a far better service.

"First Great Western need to get a grip of it. But I know that the Transport Secretary is very focused on this."

Overcrowding, cancelled services, late trains and rising ticket prices have sparked no-payment action from angry passengers for two years running.

Bristol South Labour MP Dawn Primarolo, who was also attending the open-day at the Knowle West Media Centre, said: "I share the rage of thousands of passengers regularly when I'm on a service where I can't get a seat, I'm tired, and I can't get home.

"I think they (First Great Western) have got to be given a clear ultimatum to improve the service. If they don't, we need to reconsider (renewing their franchise)."

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Chancellor warns rail firm

Oxford Mail: 16 February 2008
By Andrew Ffrench

Chancellor Alastair Darling has told rail operator First Great Western to "get a grip" or risk putting its franchise in danger.

Mr Darling criticised the company while on a ministerial visit to Bristol yesterday.

The Chancellor said: "I know there have been very great problems with this particular franchise that have gone on far too long.
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"Frankly, the travelling public using the line are entitled to expect far better reliability and punctuality in a far better service."

Zahra Akkerhuys, a spokesman for passenger group Ox Rail Action, said: "FGW should be extremely concerned by the Chancellor's comments.

"Poor time-keeping continues to be the primary problem from Oxford now."

A spokesman for the rail company said: "First Great Western is investing £200m in its franchise and is the only train operator refreshing all its fleet.

"We have doubled our compensation offer in recognition that there have been performance issues and are working hard to improve our services.

"The benefits of our investments are beginning to show and First Great Western's latest performance figure is a punctuality rate of 85 per cent."

The Chancellor's comments came after it emerged that 300 passengers were forced to squeeze into a two-carriage train instead of an eight-carriage train last weekend due to a scheduling error.

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TRAIN FIRM MUST 'GET A GRIP'

The Cornishman: 16 February 2008
MATT CHORLEY LONDON EDITOR

Chancellor Alistair Darling has ordered beleaguered rail firm First Great Western to "get a grip" - or its franchise will be at risk.

Mr Darling said passengers were right to expect better services after months of delays, cancellations and overcrowding.

Last night the company hit back, saying millions of pounds were being spent on refreshing its entire fleet of carriages and efforts to improve punctuality were already seeing results.

On a ministerial visit to the West, Mr Darling - a former Transport Secretary - told reporters FGW needed to raise its game to meet passengers' expectations.

Visiting a new media centre, the Chancellor said: "I know there have been very great problems with this particular franchise that have gone on far too long.

"Frankly, the travelling public using the line are entitled to expect far better reliability and punctuality in a far better service. First Great Western need to get a grip of it. But I know that the Transport Secretary is very focused on this."

Overcrowding, cancelled services, late trains and rising ticket prices have sparked no-payment action from angry passengers for two years running.

Health minister Dawn Primarolo said: "I share the rage of thousands of passengers regularly when I'm on a service where I can't get a seat, I'm tired and I can't get home.

"I think they have got to be given a clear ultimatum to improve the service." If FGW failed to improve, the Government would need to "reconsider" renewing its franchise.

But last night, FGW chairman Charles Howeson said Mr Darling should remember that as Transport Secretary he was responsible for many of the restrictions placed on the firm. He admitted, however, that the company was failing to meet passengers' expectations.

He told the WMN: "As the Chancellor of the Exchequer will recall from when he was Minister for Transport, this franchise involved private sector investment of £200 million on the complete refurbishment of all of the train fleet and payment of a premium of £1.3 billion to the Government over the full life of the franchise.

"However, he is right in that we have been undeniably under-performing because despite the best will in the world and along with a huge amount of resources and energy, we still don't have enough train crews or enough of the right sort of train sets to deliver the service that we certainly aspire to and that our customers would want.

"The Government is responsible for the allocation of rolling stock these days and as deep as any company's chequebook might be, it is not frankly possible to obtain the rolling stock and locomotives that we need and would wish to put into service as soon as possible."

A spokesman for FGW said that the company was "urgently seeking extra rolling stock to address our capacity needs".

The investment has already seen results, with latest figures showing a punctuality rate of 85 per cent, six per cent higher year-on- year.

Mr Darling's comments came as a study found FGW had imposed the highest fare increases of any operator since privatisation, more than doubling the price of open tickets.

A standard single fare since 1995 had gone up 145 per cent, well above inflation over the period of 41 per cent. In January, FGW fares went up ten per cent for many tickets. A standard open return from Exeter to London rose from £163 to £179.

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Train troubles

Malvern Gazette: 15th February 2008

THE problems with our Cotswold Line London train service will not vanish as long as First Great Western is responsible for it.

This company is seemingly incapable of understanding the simple requirement that running a public service requires a desire to serve the public, not itself.

Timetables have been lengthened so that some trains are now booked to take three hours to cover the distance between Great Malvern and Paddington, much longer than in recent times, with long halts at passing loops such as Evesham. This is not to assist the travelling public to reach its destination, but to ensure that by weakening punctuality targets, the company is better able to meet them and avoid penalties. Even so, I recall few trains that have ever arrived on time in either direction.
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Many of the endless on-board announcements (always repeated at least twice and sometimes thrice) tell us that we are held waiting for a late running train in the opposite direction. But whose trains are these? FGW's of course. Apart from the Heathrow Express which has dedicated platforms, FGW run all services into and out of Paddington. Yet they cannot announce a departure platform until just before the service is scheduled to leave, which often results in a late departure.

I can buy tickets on-line for trains in Germany which will tell me up to a year ahead precisely which platforms to use at the starting point and at any interchange stations. If you get ten minutes notice from FGW, you're lucky!

Not all the problems can be laid at the door of that government which starved the railways of investment funding and then botched the privatisation. FGW has had this franchise long enough to prove itself, but we have to face the fact that it has not a clue how to run a railway. It now claims to be aware of its shortcomings and to be recruiting drivers and putting in more rail-experienced managers, but of course this is all too late. Time to get off the line!

SIMON PAYTON, Peachfield Road, Malvern.