10th April 2008

Greens called for a public meeting to discuss service provider First Great Western's dismal performance and hear from rail users. 

Mayor John Marjoram has received numerous complaints about the rails service: trains being delayed or canceled and poor connecting services. He has also experienced poor service on many occasions: last year he was delayed over 2 hours in getting to Reading for the Green party's conference and missed giving a speech and this week he had to take a taxi to Gloucester for a dental appointment due to train delays. 

John Marjoram, who called for the meeting said: "It's accepted that trains are going to be late now and that's not right. As we're trying to get people out of cars, this is the last thing we want. We've got 14 private companies running our trains and there's poor communication. They need to hear from the public: many people don't have time to complete a complaint form. We are hoping those who come will be able to suggest improvements such as preferred train times."

FGW spokesperson commented in the Stroud News and Journal yesterday : "We've accepted that we've not delivered a good level of service. We're happy to listen, take on board constructive criticism and take part in the discussions." David Drew MP has been invited. 

The meeting will be held in The Shambles, Stroud, on Tuesday 15th April at 7.30pm.