Great Western Railway (Train Operating Company) - Great Western Railway Overcrowding - H

Great Western Railway (Train Operating Company) - H

Great Western Railway Overcrowding

First Great Western has been criticised for overcrowded trains, and in January 2007 commuters on the Bath-Bristol service staged a protest against overcrowding. Participants were issued with imitation tickets printed with "Ticket type: standing only", "Class: cattle truck", "Route: hell and back", "Price: up 12%". The company threatened protestors with criminal prosecution and fines of £5,000, but staff failed to enforce ticket requirements. Alison Forster, First Great Western's Managing Director at that time, apologised to customers.

In January 2008, another fare strike was held as a passenger group said that not enough improvements had been made, despite First Great Western announcing that 2008 season tickets and car-parking charges would be frozen until the end of the year.
In August 2010, First Great Western was shown to have operated all the top ten most overcrowded trains in England and Wales, mostly between Reading and London Paddington. By December 2011, this had reduced to two.
In 2011, First Great Western was revealed to be the train company with the highest levels of overcrowding: an average of 16.6% of passengers were shown to be standing during the morning and evening peak times.
In 2012, it held the record for the most overcrowded train, carrying nearly twice its capacity, the 07:44 Henley-on-Thames to London Paddington. Paddington, the London terminus for many FGW services, was identified as the most overcrowded station. The company was also listed as the operator with the most passengers in excess of capacity in the south east region in 2012.

Great Western Railway Disabled Passengers

In July 2018, a disabled woman was threatened by Great Western Railway staff with police action and removal from the train she was travelling in, for using a disabled space for her mobility scooter. Canadian-born comedian Tanyalee Davis, who has a form of dwarfism, said she was humiliated when a Great Western Railway conductor made an announcement that she was "causing problems" which had delayed the train.

The incident occurred after a woman travelling with a young child demanded that Davis make way for her pram. GWR said the incident should not have happened and "No one travelling with us should be left feeling like this".

Great Western Railway Overview

Great Western Railway Franchise(s):

InterCity Great Western 4 February 1996 – 31 March 2006

Greater Western 1 April 2006 – 25 June 2028

Main Region(s): Greater London, South East England, South West England, Wales

Great Western Railway Other Region(s): East MidlandsWest Midlands

Great Western Railway Fleet Size:

12 Class 43 HST Castle sets

5 Class 57 diesel locomotives for 2 Night Riviera sleeper sets

19 Class 150 Sprinter units

18 Class 158 Express Sprinter units

36 Class 165 Networker Turbo units

21 Class 166 Networker Turbo units

30 Class 387 Electrostar units

57 Class 800 IET units

36 Class 802 IET units

Great Western Railway Stations Called At: over 270

Great Western Railway Stations Operated: 198

Great Western Railway Parent Company: FirstGroup

Reporting Mark: GW

Great Western Railway Predecessor:

First Great Western Link

Wessex Trains

Great Western Railway Technical Track Gauge: 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge

Great Western Railway Electrification:

25 kV 50 Hz AC OHLE

Great Western Railway Length: 1,323.0 mi (2,129.2 km)

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