There were an awful lot of people complaining and raising problems, but few viable solutions.
I was at Ireland/Canada in the Millennium Stadium yesterday, with my mum. As GWR had chosen to block reservations and advance fares on trains to/from Cardiff at all relevant times, we were using Super Off-Peak return tickets.
Paddington was a farce. We arrived around 09:20. There was little information forthcoming and occasional announcements were limited to "all passengers travelling to the Rugby World Cup please go to the holding area on platforms 8 and 9". It was a similar approach to Glastonbury which simply did not scale to the volume of travellers. Passengers were being directed to one of 2-3 trains per hour – but when the trains were ready to board, the ticket gates for platforms 2-5 were admitting passengers normally, including those who chose not to queue in the holding area. A "special" service was scheduled to be overtaken en route by the normal trains.
We managed to board the 0945 and get seats in the split standard/1st coach. More and more passengers were packed on and the train was full and standing leaving Paddington 10 minutes late. There were 5-10 minute dwell times at each station stop as further passengers tried, and mostly failed, to squeeze on. I had sympathy for the guard, because as quickly as he and the staff were slamming the doors, further fans were reopening them and trying to get on, and invariably not reclosing them properly.
We were held for a good 10 minutes outside Cardiff Central station awaiting platfform clearance. It was unclear why none of the numerous other platfformau were made available – although I'm not sure what access the pointwork allows. I remarked that the 31-60 minute delay was enough to get 50% compensation on most other TOCs, but not GWR.
The usual ATW nonsense was in effect at Cardiff Central with passengers prohibited from taking the usual exit out to the front of the station and needing to go around the back.
A substantial number of people were left on the platforms at each calling point and I do not know how many of them were unable to make the match that they paid up to £250 for tickets for.
No issues at the match itself other than the stewards unilaterally declaring items prohibited that were not so listed on the Rugby World Cup website.
We left promptly at the final whistle and headed directly, if not with a great deal of celerity, to the station. By this stage the London/Bristol/Newport queues, which were not properly separated, were backed up to Wood Street. Every ten or fifteen minutes, an ATW person yelled "Newport" or "Bristol Parkway" etc. and people pushed and shoved to get through. I saw two passengers get pushed over in the mess, a kid on crutches and an elderly man. I am not sure who will be taking accountability for that, but ATW and security staff were thin on the ground until around 50m from the station entrance.
My mum and I eventually made our way into a train. We had decided to board 1st class as weekend first is offered. The train was in a disgusting state with bags, bottles, and cans all over the tables and seats presumably from passengers who had travelled out on that train earlier. GWR had not seen fit to have it cleaned. We got seats at the front of the train. We were joined by two pleasantly inebriated fellow Irish fans. I doubt more than a half dozen in the carriage had first class tickets or would have paid the £15 supplement – but the guard was unwilling or unable to venture out and collect it.
On a service with so many passengers having had substantial amounts of drink taken, a sensible approach would have been not to serve any more. This was not, rather inevitably, the approach taken, and to make matters worse, coffee and other hot drinks, which would have helped to de-escalate things, were not available owing to a defective machine.
Dwell times were not quite as bad on the way back, but the train left CDF 25 minutes late and was around 45 down on arrival at Paddington station.
As a postscript, I offered to pay the £30 for our Weekend First tickets at the excess fares window at PAD, but it was refused.
I realise I have painted a dim picture. There was room for improvement, but only around the edges. Realistic changes:
- Fix the queueing system at Paddington – either prevent access to the train other than through the queue or make it a free-for-all
- Fix the queueing system at Cardiff Central, by which I mean make them longer so the division by destination is clearer, sooner
- Hire more security staff and have them on trains and at stations as a visible presence, and to charge up people wanting first class upgrades
- Declare the trains dry under Railway Byelaw 4
- Clean the trains properly during the match
Unrealistic suggestions
- Put on more trains – last time I checked the magic rolling stock fairy was on strike, and I doubt there are paths either
- Make trains reservation only throughout, no access without a reservation – there would have been anarchy and people need to travel somehow
- "You had 1/2/4 years to prepare"
