...well I'm certainly not feeling lucky if Dirty Harry asked me that question. FGW have managed to deliver me late to my destination on at least one of my 2 daily journeys towards Paddington and then home again for 7 consecutive days.
Tonight as I stood in the rain at Ealing Broadway the mis-information board told me my service was 5 minutes late, whilst the tannoy said approximately 6 minutes. Doesn't sound much, however I left my home station bang on time on the journey into work and got to Ealing Broadway 5 minutes late. Tonight we actually left 10 minutes late (approximately 6 if you are FGW.) allowing for the 5 minutes minimum we will lose on the homeward journey I will get home 15 minutes late, and may now once again miss putting my sons to bed, as number one's internal clock has him conk out at 7, whilst number 2 now likes to go at the same time (albeit I will be in time to then fight the sleep battle with him as he doesn't drift off like his older brother.)
It's not what I pay around £450 per month for. i accept that on occassions delays are unavoidable, like when some poor soul chooses to end their life.
However that's not been the case on any of the delays I've suffered. It seems to me that ineptness can be the only reason, and if I was delivering such a poor service then I think I'd find there were 6 bullets in figurative the chamber, and I'd join the list of the unemployed having been fired (following appropriate due process obviously, have to say that as an HR professional.)
So what are the consequences within FGW then? None that I can see as a beleaguered passenger, stuck in the trenches with my fellow commuting foot soldiers. We continue to battle to get to work on time, and to return home punctually too, however the enemy bombards us with tardiness. Maybe I should just give up, and rejoin the motorists of Britain. Maybe I should get a cupboard in London, the rent would match my train fare, and only see my family at the weekend.Or maybe I should lead a full frontal assault on Fortress Paddington, and gain access to the FGW boardroom. Once there I'a would force the CEO, who seems like a nice chap when he writes, to join me on one of the cattle trucks and see what he thinks of the journey. Now that's an idea...or I could just write to him and invite him to join me on a typical commute, though if I do that I bet that's one train that runs to time, has enough space and maybe even has air con that works.
On a positive note the delayed tran did have 2 extra carriages tonight...still a squeeze to Slough but at least the effort was made. Credit where credit is due.
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