COMPLAINTS from frustrated commuters "humbled" First Great Western's managing director at a meeting examining the train company's performance.
Many train passengers gathering at last night's meeting, organised as part of an investigation by the Rail Passengers Committee (RPC) into the first five years of the company's franchise, complained services were shoddy.
And Mike Carroll, First Great Western's managing director, admitted that the company had become too introverted and had not "lifted its game" when it was required.
Mobile phones, grubby toilets, delays, confusing prices, platform changes and poor infrastructure were just some of the issues raised by the weary commuters who travel on the service.
South Swindon MP Julia Drown joined train travellers in giving First Great Western representatives a talking to during the meeting at the Thistle Hotel in Swindon attended by around 80 people.
She said: "People are still feeling that the basic services are not being done well enough. The company should really understand the real frustrations of Swindon passengers."
Commuter, Sian May, from central Swindon, travels to Oxford every day where she works as a graphic designer.
She said: "The meeting was useful it is good to know that you are not alone and that others are having the same experiences as yourself. When you are all together you feel you are being listened to."
Civil servant, Richard Canovan, commutes to London every day.
He said he was on the whole satisfied with the meeting, but added: "There were some fundamental issues that weren't discussed, such as the terrible parking at most stations, such as Swindon for example.
"Also the state of the tracks means they are in no fit state to maintain the freight and passenger services that were expected to run on it."
Mike Carroll listened to the long list of complaints.
Admitting that FGW had become too introverted and had not "lifted its game" when it was required, he said: "I have found this evening quite a humbling experience. It has been about 99 per cent criticism and one per cent positive comments.
"It was particularly difficult for me as a life long railway person."
He also admitted that First Great Western needed to implement a recovery strategy that would include programmes to revise customer service, train refurbishment, timetabling and communications between staff and customers.
n First Great Western is believed to be one of several train companies that will be called before the Rail Regulator Tom Winsor to explain the constant delays and cancellations.
Today, the company was set to continue operating an emergency timetable with a reduced number of trains to and from London Paddington following the weekend's landslip between Swindon and Didcot Parkway.
Two instead of the usual four trains are running per hour in each direction and services to and from the Cotswolds will continue to terminate and start from Swindon.
Services are likely to be affected until Wednesday at the earliest and customers are advised to check journey arrangements before they travel.
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