First Capital Connect

Entries Tagged as 'First Capital Connect'

A new vision for our railway

March 17th, 2010 · No Comments · Sandy's blog

It was rather an irony that we had to slightly delay the start of last night’s public meeting on FCC’s lamentable performance and what steps can be taken to hold them to account or even remove their franchise. This was because main speaker Norman Baker’s northbound train was delayed. You couldn’t make it up.

The picture [...]

“Should FCC lose its franchise?” – Public Meeting 16th March

March 9th, 2010 · No Comments · Sandy's blog

I am still being inundated daily with e-mails and telephone calls about continued erratic performance from First Capital Connect. And their mean and overly complex compensation offer is leaving people frustrated and angry.
The mechanism exists for rail franchises to be handed back if franchisees fail to deliver the promised service. FCC seems to have had [...]

Would our trains always run on time if radio, television and the FCC top brass came to St Albans station every evening?

February 5th, 2010 · 3 Comments · Sandy's blog

It’s just a thought.
The arrival and departure boards at St Albans City gleamed with on-time trains tonight. How different from recent months. And what a coincidence that the FCC top management were doing their Meet the Managers (or “Face the Music”) session, not to mention more radio and television crews as well as local media [...]

“FIRST – Transforming Travel”

February 2nd, 2010 · No Comments · Sandy's blog

I had not consciously logged First Group’s strapline until I was sitting this afternoon in a Palace of Westminster committee room seeing a set of slides produced by Mary Grant, chair of First Capital Connect and managing director of all First Group’s rail operations.
FCC certainly has “transformed” travel but not perhaps in the way that [...]

We apologise to passengers for late-running and niggardly compensation

February 1st, 2010 · No Comments · Sandy's blog

First Capital Connect is making a dog’s breakfast of its compensation offer for the months of hopeless service. Why am I not surprised? I am joining Liberal Democrat transport spokesman Norman Baker MP in a meeting tomorrow with Neal Lawson, the new occupant of the FCC managing director’s office, and I will be saying that [...]

“First Crapital Connect”? – heads they win, tails we lose

December 17th, 2009 · No Comments · Sandy's blog

I have just received the latest newsletter from our local Association of Passenger Transport Users (APTU). It makes fairly dismal reading.
The 14 December temporary timetable still shows a reduction of 30% in the advertised train service – hardly an improvement on the previous timetable which was a reduction of 38%.
Apparently drivers at two of the [...]

Light at end of tunnel for FCC commuters and for once it’s an oncoming train – but now the fight is for proper compensation

December 7th, 2009 · No Comments · Sandy's blog

It is good news that it now looks like there may be a settlement of the “dispute” between FCC and its drivers. This has been a nightmare for local commuters who have been caught between a rock and a hard place through no fault of their own.
It was not an act of god. It was [...]

FCC Rail Agony Continues

November 23rd, 2009 · 8 Comments · Sandy's blog

The rail service just does not get any better. I think we are rapidly moving to the stage of asking whether First Capital Connect should be stripped of its franchise if it cannot run its advertised service.
Equally the drivers should be ashamed of wreaking disruption on a scale which far outweighs any strength of grievance [...]

More rail misery for FCC commuters

October 30th, 2009 · 1 Comment · Uncategorized

There are times when I am so relieved not to be a daily commuter any more. I have just heard of the other side of the coin from this morning’s optimistic announcement about the Abbey Flyer service, which is of course part of the London Midland franchise.
Back in the topsy turvy world of the First [...]