Maidenhead & Windsor

Dear Commuters,

The First Great Western service has improved this year so I have not felt the need to send so many emails out but I thought it would be helpful to send an update in advance of the December timetable change.

On Monday 11 November I held one of my regular meetings with Sue Evans, Director of Communications and Richard Rowland, Regional Manager-East at FGW to pass on the concerns raised by constituents and discuss the proposed changes to the December timetable.

I have been pleased to see a dramatically improved service over the last year and FGW explained that the last four weeks has seen their highest Public Performance Measure ever – 95% of trains ran and were on time and their overall PPM has improved 12 – 13% since they won the franchise in 2004. The changes put in place last year were a direct result of continued pressure from me and others, particularly commuters who contacted FGW directly, and has made a huge difference to all rail passengers using the service, from commuters going to London to tourists using the branch lines.

After such a successful timetable, the changes being brought in to the 2009 timetable are limited:

Changes:

1. I am very pleased to see the introduction of a fast service from Paddington arriving at Maidenhead at 0832 which will make a huge difference for commuters coming into Maidenhead.
2. Regrettably, the 0603 from Bedwyn which calls at Maidenhead at 0702 on its way to Paddington will be lost due to refurbishment of the Turbo fleet. This is a temporary situation and FGW hope to have finished the £6 million refurbishment by next year. In the meantime the 0703 High Speed Train from Maidenhead will have the capacity to take the passengers who this year travelled on the 0702 and the 0704.
3. Many of the services are changing by a couple of minutes to reflect the amount of tine the trains have to ‘dwell’ in the station as passengers board and alight so please DO LOOK CAREFULLY AT THE NEW TIMETABLE.
4. The Twyford–Henley-on-Thames service will run every 45 minutes rather than every hour.
5. The 0545 Oxford – Paddington (currently 0550) will now stop at Maidenhead at 0631 and the current Slough stop at 0640 will be removed. This will provide another early morning commuter service for passengers.

I raised a number of other concerns with FGW regarding overcrowding and their long-term strategy to combat this. I was told that they have put in a bid for extra carriages and trains as part of the Government plans and are awaiting the outcome. I will continue to monitor this situation as I am fully aware of the rush that many people face during peak hours.

In September I opened the newly refurbished Maidenhead station which cost £1 million. I was very impressed with the results which included a 150-metre extension to platform one, new ticket machines, toilets, vending machines, better disabled parking, and improvements to the subways for platform access and expect that this will ensure a better service for passengers. However, the display board that used to be at the Shoppenhangers Road entrance has been removed and I raised this at the meeting. I understand that this can be incredibly useful for people who are being dropped off and FGW have promised to look at replacing it.

The lack of fast return services from Paddington to Maidenhead in the evening continues to be a problem. This has not been addressed in the December timetable due to a lack of trains but is something I will continue to press FGW on.

I am very hopeful that this timetable will further improve the service and that it will ensure we retain a good service for Maidenhead and Twyford.

I would like to thank you for writing with your observations and suggestions and continue to welcome any comments you might wish to send.

Kind Regards,

Theresa May MP