GWR patronage: Sunday 2 July 2023

[railfan99]

A friend who is travelling today reports (very pleasingly to me: perhaps not to those who have had to stand):


The 0813 hours from Paddington (to Bath Spa) was busy in Standard but empty in First.


1031 from Bath Spa to Weston Super Mare was standing only on arrival into Bath Spa in Standard, but quiet in First.


1131 from Weston Super Mare quiet to Bristol TM but then filled very quickly - standing in Standard and almost full seating in First.


Many, many people travelling is what he said to me.

 

[Andy Pacer]

I think this goes for Sundays across the network, it's certainly now my least favourite day for travelling, especially long distance.

 

[railfan99]

I think this goes for Sundays across the network, it's certainly now my least favourite day for travelling, especially long distance.

A week later, my friend reports (9 July 2023):

Currently on the 1013 Bath Spa to London - standing only in Standard on arrival and I would say 300 - 400 on Bath Spa platform - train delayed leaving and now cheek by jowl in Standard - impossible to move through the train. Just announced no trolley service in Standard as impossible to move through the train. (This train originates at Bristol TM at 1000 hours).

A few people paying £20 for weekend First upgrade.

 

[Snow1964]

Not uncommon to be very crowded trains at Bath Spa

Not helped by Bath-Bristol service often alternating between 2 or 3 car trains, and 9 car trains, with timings almost encouraging use of shorter ones.

One thing that everyone seems to have worked out is if they say trolley not going through, then ticket inspectors don't bother either.

They seem to be unable to price people off busy trains, and have insufficient rolling stock in west to sort it.

 

[railfan99]

Not uncommon to be very crowded trains at Bath Spa

Not helped by Bath-Bristol service often alternating between 2 or 3 car trains, and 9 car trains, with timings almost encouraging use of shorter ones.

One thing that everyone seems to have worked out is if they say trolley not going through, then ticket inspectors don't bother either.

Wouldn't passengers without tickets have difficulty getting through ticket barriers on arrival at Reading or London Paddington, or do some just jump over them?

 

[Wilts Wanderer]

They seem to be unable to price people off busy trains, and have insufficient rolling stock in west to sort it.

Currently there is no peak pricing structure for weekends.

 

[GoneSouth]

Currently there is no peak pricing structure for weekends.

And nor do we want one thank you

 

[Wilts Wanderer]

And nor do we want one thank you

I was merely stating the fact

The thing is though, for any business where demand massively outpaces supply, to be in a position where you can’t raise prices to suit (the most basic economic relationship) means that you’re experiencing scarcity - i.e. in this case overcrowding - without even being able to benefit from the high demand financially - by increasing revenue per unit sold. In a way this basically comes to the heart of the question of whether the railway is a business or a public service, but at the moment the government is treating it as a business for cost purposes without allowing it to grow revenue as a business would, to balance. That is not a healthy situation for any industry to be in.

 

[JonathanH]

Currently there is no peak pricing structure for weekends.

...other than through advance purchase quotas. Clearly there is a cap on what can be charged based on the levels of the walk-up fares, that don't have a 'peak pricing structure'.

 

[islandmonkey]

I was merely stating the fact

The thing is though, for any business where demand massively outpaces supply, to be in a position where you can’t raise prices to suit (the most basic economic relationship) means that you’re experiencing scarcity - i.e. in this case overcrowding - without even being able to benefit from the high demand financially - by increasing revenue per unit sold. In a way this basically comes to the heart of the question of whether the railway is a business or a public service, but at the moment the government is treating it as a business for cost purposes without allowing it to grow revenue as a business would, to balance. That is not a healthy situation for any industry to be in.

That's because the only thing that is realised is cost.

 

[Horizon22]

Wouldn't passengers without tickets have difficulty getting through ticket barriers on arrival at Reading or London Paddington, or do some just jump over them?

If it's that crush loaded they normally pop open the gates to prevent dangerous platform crowding, especially when the next service(s) are ready to be boarded.

 

[Horizon22]

And nor do we want one thank you

There is an argument that even though people (i.e the general public) keep saying ticket prices are too expensive yet trains are constantly full and standing (yes, lets assume there's no cancellations which is a BIG assumption for GWR on a Sunday) that they really aren't "too expensive" as demand cannot match supply.

 

[Wilts Wanderer]

There is an argument that even though people (i.e the general public) keep saying ticket prices are too expensive yet trains are constantly full and standing (yes, lets assume there's no cancellations which is a BIG assumption for GWR on a Sunday) that they really aren't "too expensive" as demand cannot match supply.

The ticket prices that most customers experience at the ticket window / machine at weekends are not generally those headline fares that get bandied about by the press and RMT when it’s time for the regular round of rail industry bashing.