‘Remedial Period’ for First Great Western finishes

In March 2008 First Great Western (FGW) had to agree a remedial plan with the Department for Transport (DfT), as the train operating company had breached the franchise agreement by exceeding the limits on cancellations and also by misreporting those cancellations. The DfT has now confirmed that the criteria in the remedial plan were achieved by FGW in the four weeks ended 27 June 2009 and therefore the remedial period had finished. First Great Western offered a package of passenger benefits totalling twenty-nine million pounds, when the remedial plan was agreed - the delivery of the passenger benefits is contractually separate and is unaffected by the termination of the remedial plan.

Bath Transportation Package decision deferred again

The development control committee of Bath and North East Somerset Council has deferred, for a second time, a decision on planning applications required to implement certain elements of the Bath Transportation Package, including the new bus rapid transit scheme and the extension of the Newbridge park-and-ride site.

New eco-town for Cornwall

The Department for Communities and Local Government has announced that the planned eco-town for St Austell (China Clay) has been selected as one of four locations to proceed to the next phase of full public consultation and application for local planning approval – the Cornish location was selected as the site is strongly supported by Cornwall Council and ‘links well into existing development’. The developers of the St Austell eco-town are now eligible to bid for a share of a sixty million pound fund to improve local infrastructure.

Devon response to concessionary fare consultation

Devon County Council has supported a proposal from the Department for Transport (DfT) that concessionary fare reimbursement should be transferred from district to county councils, but only if the higher tier authority is properly funded. Devon has opposed the DfT proposal to replace the existing mix of formula and specific grants with a ‘pure’ formula grant from April 2011 – the council considers that any formula-based allocation of funding will not match the costs incurred on a consistent basis, resulting in ‘winners and losers’. Devon supports distributing all funding for concessionary fare reimbursement by specific grant which would ensure transparency.

First Great Western ‘micro-buffet’ enters service

The first of nineteen micro-buffets for First Great Western high speed trains has entered service – the micro-buffet is located in a standard class carriage, with a resultant reduction in capacity to seventy seats. First Great Western currently operates fifty-four high speed train sets – thirty-five trains will have full refurbished buffet facilities (including ten carriages which have yet to be ‘refreshed’) and nineteen sets will have the new micro-buffet facility. The project to provide the new on-board catering facilities is due to be completed by January 2010.

Gloucester station renovation delayed

A dispute between Gloucestershire County Council and Network Rail has delayed the start of the renovation of the subway at Gloucester railway station – this renovation project, which will cost three hundred thousand pounds, was originally proposed six years ago.

And finally,

The most recent item posted on the ‘News’ page on the First Great Western website is dated 18 February 2009!