FGW Brighton services

[samogers]

I often use the first great western Brighton to Bristol/great malvern/Cardiff services and have found them to be very popular and fast. Also, you can travel direct between one of the big cities on the south coast and key places in the west such as Bath, Gloucester, Bristol and Salisbury.

My question is this. Do the department for transport and the ORR regard these services (and the Portsmouth ones) as successful or are they threatening to withdraw them like they did to all the other successful long distance services?

And also, if this route no longer became part of the franchise requirement, do you think that FGW (or the equivalent franchisee) would keep the services to/from Brighton or would they can them and use the rolling stock for lengthening other services? (Whilst cutting one of Sussex and Hampshire's important long distance services)

But then, five hours on a 150 (yes, it does happen) is often unattractive.

Btw, 1O98 1050 GMV-BTN arrived BTN ON TIME (1612) for the first time in ages!!

 

[swt_passenger]

My question is this. Do the department for transport and the ORR regard these services (and the Portsmouth ones) as successful or are they threatening to withdraw them like they did to all the other successful long distance services?

The ORR have no part in the decision making process to the best of my knowledge, it is purely a DfT decision. Following the previous franchise consultation (for the abandoned award that was due in 2013), the DfT made a positive decision to maintain the Brighton service:

In response to Q18, respondents were generally in favour of retaining the Portsmouth to Brighton service but only 8 respondents thought it was a good use of diesel rolling stock, compared to three times as many (24) who thought it was not a good use of diesel stock.

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploa...ent_data/file/3602/f-stakeholder-briefing.pdf

Personally, I think that the GW franchise should have higher priorities for its limited DMU fleet, others disagree, but whatever our opinions DfT seem to consider it safe for now, it isn't up for discussion in the latest GW franchise consultation.

 

[anthony263]

The Cardiff - Porrtsmouth Hbr services are certainly very sucessful one reason why the class 158's had to be reformed into 3 carriage sets.

Before all the major electrifcation was given the go ahead the DFT were planning an order for new 4 carriage dmu's for FGW for this route

 

[samogers]

Ok cheers, I'm happy the DFT decided to keep it

 

[NX]

Keep a look out for the SWT 159 hire in on the Brighton service.

NX

 

[samogers]

I didn't know SWT were lending FGW a 159 (presumably), I'll have to get my camera out again then! Will bring back happy memories

 

[NX]

It's confirmed now, yes. There as a diagram floating round in work but I didn't take much notice of it.

NX