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Over the coming months, we’ll be making a number of changes at Bath Spa station designed to create more space, deliver greater accessibility and improve facilities for customers.
You may notice some restrictions on the station and the car parks while the work is carried out.

The work will include:
·     New lifts to both platforms
·     New entrances to the west and south of the station
·     Improved station drop-off and pick up points
·     Improved parking facilities dedicated to rail users in the new Southgate centre
·     New pedestrian-only link between the rear and front of station
·     New facilities for cyclists

For car park users – On 15th August 2011, the Lower South Car Park will be closed and on 28th August 2011, the North Ramp Car Park will be closed.

Customers wishing to use car-parking facilities on a Pay & Display basis at Bath Spa Station will need to use SouthGate Car Park, which is situated at the end of St. James Parade. (Sat Nav car park reference: BA1 1TP).

If you are an APCOA Connect user, the Upper South Car Park will be the only facility available to you; the entrance to this car park however, will be subject to delays as there will be traffic-management systems in place to flow the traffic accordingly, so please allow extra time.

The current Tariff will remain the same, with ticket validator machines available on both platforms at Bath Spa station.

Please note that APCOA Connect will NOT be available at SouthGate Car Park.There are no changes to existing Pay & Display, APCOA Connect or Season Ticket tariffs.

For cyclists – from Friday 19 August 2011 there will be no cycle parking available on Platform 2. All cycle storage is being relocated to the area behind Platform 1.

Please ensure that your bicycle is removed from these hoops before this date. After this time, all remaining cycles will be removed by First Great Western staff and securely stored.

Only take bikes on to Platform 2 if you are intending to take them onto your train. Customers are requested to use the lifts to convey bikes to and from the platform. Please do not attempt to carry bikes up and down the stairs.

For all station users – From 28 August 2011 changes you’ll see include a new gated exit to the front of the station and a new lift to the London platform, located off this new exit.

There is a new, gated entrance to the rear leading to the new lift to the Bristol platform accessed within the subway   Both gated exit and entrances have ticket machine facilities and staff will be available to assist when the gates are in operation.

First Great Western Managing Director Mark Hopwood said: “The current station layout has served customers at Bath very well since it was built 160 years ago. The growth in passenger numbers in recent years means we’ve had to look carefully at what our customer need for the next 160.”

“We will have tripled the number of exits to the station, installed new stairways and lifts to both sides of the station, and moved secure cycle storage off the platforms to create more space and reduce congestion. The work to the station, as well as the wider regeneration the Southgate Partnership are doing around it around it, will be a fitting gateway to the city for a very long time to come.”

Cllr Paul Crossley, Leader of Bath&NES Council welcomed the improvements. He said: “The Council has been committed to the completion of the Bath Spa Station as part of the wider transport facilities to create a modern bus and rail interchange at Southgate. The opening of the initial stage of the station moves the project one step closer to the achievement of a modern, welcoming arrival point for the city.”

If you have any further questions, please contact our customer service team on             08457 000 125       or speak to a member of staff at Bath Spa Station.

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mprovement Works at Bath Spa

From Monday 15 until Friday 19 August 2011 First Great Western will not be able to run trains between West Ealing and Greenford due to Chiltern Railways services being diverted on this route into London Paddington.
Alternative trains will run between London Paddington, Acton Main Line, Ealing Broadway and West Ealing. No alternative services will operate from Drayton Green, Castle Bar Park or South Greenford.

Customers travelling to / from these stations should use local bus services. Your First Great Western tickets will be valid. Customers travelling to / from Greenford should use the Central Line on the London Underground system. First Great Western tickets will be valid via North Acton and Ealing Broadway.

Customers are advised to check their journey plans before travelling.

For more information and detailed train times, please pick up a timetable leaflet at staffed stations or call National Rail Enquiries on 08457 484 950 (24 hours a day, calls may be recorded)

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London Paddington to Greenford services 15-19 August

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First Great Western statement on ten most overcrowded train services arriving at or departing from London, spring 2010.

Since the beginning of our franchise, through working closely with the Department for Transport, we’ve significantly increased capacity on many of our routes. However, with more and more customers choosing to use our trains into and out of London Paddington it is difficult for us to keep up with demand. Six out of the 10 train operators in the London and South East area have had injections of rolling stock recently, so it is not surprising that they have seen improvements.

On 10th August, the Department for Transport approved our request for additional carriages to add capacity in the Bristol area, and last year we secured the future of 30 vehicles in the west of England to improve services there.

Clearly these latest figures demonstrate that our customers travelling into and out of London Paddington also need strengthened services. We are continuing our discussions with the Department for Transport about the clear need for strengthened services into and out of London Paddington, which would considerably improve peak time journeys for our customers.

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Comment on overcrowding on services

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First Great Western has today welcomed the Department for Transport’s announcement confirming provision of additional train carriages for the Bristol area. The news will see more than 900 additional seats at peak times across the city, and is great news for customers in the area.

First Great Western Deputy Managing Director, Andy Mellors said: “This is great news for our customers in the Bristol Area and a step forward to helping address the capacity issues created by the popularity of our services across the south west.

“With support from Members of Parliament, local authorities and other key partners we have been in discussions with the Department for Transport for some time about the need for this capacity, and we are delighted these have come to fruition.”

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Additional Carriages for Bristol

First Great Western is working in partnership with Wiltshire Council and Wessex Chamber of Commerce this Summer to run a trial of extra Sunday services between Westbury and Swindon via Melksham.

Commencing Sunday July 3, the extra services will run through July* and August.

There will be a morning service from Westbury to Swindon. Leaving Westbury at 07.30, it will call at Trowbridge (07.36), Melksham (07.45), then Chippenham (07.56), arriving at Swindon at 08.13, for connections to London.

The train then returns from Swindon at 08.20, calling at Chippenham, (08.37), Melksham (08.46), Trowbridge (08.56) and Westbury, where it forms the 09.12 departure to Weymouth, offering a day out at the sea.

Mark Hopwood, Managing Director for First Great Western said:

“This is something we’ve been keen to achieve for some time, and I’m very pleased the Council and Chamber of Commerce have given us the support to make it happen. We very much hope the service will generate sufficient custom to ensure we can continue to run these services.”

Graham Ellis, of the TransWilts Community Rail Partnership said:

“This is an excellent example of everyone working together to provide a service, and we’re hoping that the trial will be a great success leading towards further arrangements.”

*Does not run July 10 due to rail improvement works

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First Great Western trials Wiltshire Summer Services

The 24 bank and building society members of the UK Domestic Cheque Guarantee Card Scheme have announced that the Scheme will close on 30th June 2011, meaning that it will no longer be possible to guarantee a cheque under the Scheme after this date.

The 24 bank and building society members of the UK Domestic Cheque Guarantee Card Scheme have announced that the Scheme will close on 30th June 2011, meaning that it will no longer be possible to guarantee a cheque under the Scheme after this date.

The decision to close the Scheme was taken by the Payments Council in June 2008 as guaranteed cheque use is in terminal decline.

Please be advised that, in line with other retailers, First Great Western will no longer accept any personal cheques for the payment of rail travel or rail travel-related products from 1st July 2011.

Additionally, acceptance of Company Cheques from this date will be restricted to the purchase of Annual Season Tickets only. Customers wishing to make high value purchases using a debit or credit card are advised to inform their card issuer in advance, as authorisation may be required.

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Cheque Payments with First Great Western

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Minister of State for Transport, Theresa Villiers, officially launched First Great Western’s fleet of refreshed Thames Valley turbo services this Tuesday (29 March) at Paddington Station.

Theresa was joined by MP’s Richard Benson (Newbury), Alok Sharma (Reading West), Robert Wilson (Reading East) and Fiona Mactaggart (Slough).

Originally budgeted at £2 million, First Great Western invested £8.3 million in works to improve the comfort and cleanliness of the trains, including new flooring and seat coverings, as well as improving heating and air conditioning.

A new Passenger Information System, using GPS signals for greater accuracy, has also been installed.  The train company wholly financed the work.

It will take another 18 months to complete all the trains, however refreshed units are entering service across London Thames Valley every two weeks.

Rail Minister Theresa Villiers said: “The Government is investing in a range of projects that will benefit passengers on the Great Western Main Line – we are electrifying the line to Cardiff, providing a fleet of new intercity express trains and funding the transformation of Reading station. On top of that we are investing in increasing capacity on the wider rail network by introducing 2,100 new carriages by 2019.

“I am delighted First Great Western are contributing to these wider improvements by carrying out this refurbishment work on their trains.”

First Great Western Managing Director Mark Hopwood said:

“The work began on the units last year and the trains have been well received by our customers.  This is part of our on going plans to improve our customers’ rail journeys and comes at a time when performance is improving and when stations throughout the London Thames Valley are being fitted with brand new customer information systems.”

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First Great Western launch fleet of refreshed trains

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Train operator First Great Western has been named official travel partner for the 2011 Reading Festival.

First Great Western are delighted to be supporting the Reading festival as official transport provider and support concert goers with the great value fares available via our website firstgreatwestern.co.uk.

Train operator First Great Western has been named official travel partner for the 2011 Reading Festival.   First Great Western are delighted to be supporting the Reading festival as official transport provider and support concert goers with the great value fares available via our website firstgreatwestern.co.uk.

The Reading Festival takes place during the August bank holiday weekend (26 –28 August) and this year plays home to some of the biggest names in including Weezer, Dizzee Rascal and Arcade Fire.

Tickets for the Reading Festival go on sale March 21. Customers are advised to also book their train tickets in advance to avoid disappointment. To reserve tickets call the booking line 08457 000 125

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ALL ABOARD FOR READING FESTIVAL WITH FIRST GREAT WESTERN

Passenger Focus has welcomed today’s announcement of investment in new trains, electrification of the railway line to Cardiff and plans to study electrification of the railway in the Valleys.

Ashwin Kumar, Passenger Focus rail director, said: “Many of the inter-city trains running on the East Coast and Great Western main lines are over 30-years-old and more modern trains will be desperately needed in the near future as passenger numbers continue to rise.

“Passenger Focus has been working with the Department for Transport (DfT) and the bidders to ensure the internal layout brings extra benefit and facilities for passengers. We would encourage the DfT and the Agility Consortium to build mock-ups of these trains as soon as possible so we can further test the layouts and help deliver a train which sets new high standards for passengers.”

The watchdog also welcomed electrification plans between London and Wales.

“After much speculation and uncertainty, passengers using services between London and Cardiff are set to benefit from an electrified network which will improve reliability, cut passengers’ journey times and reduce costs. If the plans come to fruition, passengers travelling in Wales could also benefit from the electrification of Valley lines. However, this announcement will be disappointing for those passengers campaigning for further electrification of the line to Swansea and we hope that as the economy recovers, further electrification of the network will be put back onto the table.”

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PASSENGER FOCUS RESPONDS TO GOVERNMENT’S GREEN LIGHT FOR NEW TRAINS AND RAIL ELECTRIFICATION

Seven First Great Western routes have been named in a report of the top 10 branchlines to see the most significant passenger growth over the past year.

All six lines to seaside resorts in Devon and Cornwall as well as the Severn Beach Line featured, with the Atlantic Coast Line from Par to Newquay topping the bill, with a 55 per cent increase in passenger footfall.

This surge, which was revealed in the research gathered by the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC), has been put down to recession-hit Brits opting for beach holidays over flights abroad as well as investment to increase the frequency and capacity of local services.

The figures are better than those recorded during the days of steam, when the Cornish Riviera as a holiday destination was in its prime, which is great news for us.

First Great Western Regional Manager for the West of England, Julian Crow, said: “All the signs are that this summer is going to be even busier than last year when we saw significant increases.

“It is great news for everyone. In many local seaside resorts the growth means more visitors than ever are arriving by rail rather than adding to road congestion.”

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Brits do like to be beside the seaside with First Great Western