Greater Reading Lib Dems

Reading Lib Dems have put First Great Western's poor performance at the top of the political agenda this week. The Lib Dems have tabled a motion to this Tuesday’s full Council meeting highlighting widespread public concerns about the poor performance of First Great Western trains (FGW trains), and demanding that the Council organises a public meeting to invite FGW to listen to the concerns of Reading’s commuters.

The Lib Dem motion seeks cross-party support on this pressing issue and asks for the Council to take the argument to FGW.

Lib Transport Spokesman Cllr Ricky Duveen will say (on Tuesday evening):

"I have a personal interest in this as I am one of those commuters who travel daily in and out of London on First Great Western trains, and have done so for many years."

"What we are proposing tonight is that not only do we make First Great Western aware of our concerns over the misery they heap on the travelling public but that we ask them to come out and publicly defend their record in a public meeting where passengers will be able to have their say and question First Great Western directly."

The Lib Dem motion calls on Reading Borough Council:

a) To direct the Chief Executive to write to the Chairman and Managing Director of First Great Western expressing the Council’s dismay at the poor service and overpriced fares and asking what improvements can be expected following the disastrous year of 2007 and

b) To organise a public meeting in Reading and invite First Great Western to meet the long suffering commuters face to face

Editors Note

The Lib Dem motion will be debated on Tuesday evening,19 February at the Civic Centre.

a) The 9.5% increase in fares from Reading to London in January 2008 took the cost per mile of commuting to 38p, twice the cost of the cheapest costs in to London and even the cheap routs are hugely expensive compared to rail travel in Europe;
b) First Great Western also run the most overcrowded trains into London, running at 8.2* over capacity in 2006 (the year for which we have records);
c) First Great Western has a very poor record of customer satisfaction, despite the Ł200m of investment, slumping further in last year’s National Passenger Survey to a customer satisfaction rating of only 74%, against 90% plus for the best companies;
d) First Group made an annual profit of Ł108.8 million on its rail services in 2006 (up 36.7%) and increased its overall revenue from its operations to Ł3.7 billion (up to 22.4%).
e) Chancellor of the Exchequer, Alasdair Darling (also a former Transport Minister), has also made comments on First Great Western’s poor performance whilst on a visit to Bristol last Friday.

Follow this link for further details and also for details of FGW’s limp response Limp Darling
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Greater Reading Lib Dems

News

Lib Dems call on poor performing First Great Western to face Reading’s commuters ‘face to face’
18 February 2008