First Great Western welcomes Network Rail apology for signalling failures
First Great Western has welcomed an apology from Network Rail after signalling problems spilled into a third day in what has been a frustrating week for passengers.
Network Rail first reported problems with signalling and safety equipment in the Slough area early on Monday (6 October) morning, blocking all of the lines into and out of London Paddington, and forcing First Great Western to run only one in four trains throughout the day.
Another problem occurred on Thursday, which again meant we couldn’t run a full timetable, and our services were delayed as Network Rail teams worked to fix the problem. This was eventually fixed at 0700 on Friday, but not before it had a significant impact on customer’s journeys into work.
First Great Western lifted ticket restrictions and offered refunds for customers who were affected by the disruption caused.
Network Rail is still investigating exactly what caused the problem so they can avoid similar incidents in future.
A Network Rail spokesperson, said:
“We are sorry for the problems that have affected train services on the Great Western Main Line this week. Performance has been well below the standards passengers deserve and expect.
“We are acutely aware of the frustration and inconvenience felt by passengers when things go wrong. We are working constantly across the rail network to improve the reliability of train services, investing billions over the next five years across the West's rail network to improve signalling, replace old equipment and bring in new modern technology and new trains to provide more reliable train services.
“This week we have not been able to provide the reliability passengers expect for which we apologise. We are wholly focused on delivering a new, modern, reliable rail network for London and the West. “
Another problem occurred on Thursday, which again meant we couldn’t run a full timetable, and our services were delayed as Network Rail teams worked to fix the problem. This was eventually fixed at 0700 on Friday, but not before it had a significant impact on customer’s journeys into work.
First Great Western lifted ticket restrictions and offered refunds for customers who were affected by the disruption caused.
Network Rail is still investigating exactly what caused the problem so they can avoid similar incidents in future.
A Network Rail spokesperson, said:
“We are sorry for the problems that have affected train services on the Great Western Main Line this week. Performance has been well below the standards passengers deserve and expect.
“We are acutely aware of the frustration and inconvenience felt by passengers when things go wrong. We are working constantly across the rail network to improve the reliability of train services, investing billions over the next five years across the West's rail network to improve signalling, replace old equipment and bring in new modern technology and new trains to provide more reliable train services.
“This week we have not been able to provide the reliability passengers expect for which we apologise. We are wholly focused on delivering a new, modern, reliable rail network for London and the West. “