F**kin First Capital Connect !

I have no doubt, that running a train service is no easy task and can be riddled with problems. But still find it utterly, utterly shameful that even despite having run the Thameslink service since 2006 F*ckin First Capital Connect (to use their proper name) have thoroughly failed to deliver anything other than a disgrace of a train service.

My issues with the service can be listed thus:

1.        Reliability.  

2.        Cramped trains

3.        Expensive tickets and the audacity to raise price well above inflation

So let’s start with my first grievance. FFCC always put posters up about 98.121257864352345% of their trains were on time last year and they were the best service in or around London. Anyone with an ounce of intelligence will immediately know that the figure is just impossible. I know because every day I am delayed. I concede that 4 times out of 5 it is usually for somewhere between 2 – 8 minutes. But FFCC allow for “acceptable delays” into their definition of when a train is on time. Indeed, I believe the figure is something around about 30mins before they will classify a train as late. If you waited for 28mins for a train, you’d be somewhat annoyed, no? On average a train that stops at Cricklewood is due to arrive every 15mins. So if it was say 2mins late, that’s 13%. In the real world, if I delivered work that was 13% late I would have to explain exactly why and take ownership of the issue. But not FFCC !

Moving on, surely FFCC would compensate you by at least refunding your ticket when you are delayed? As you may have guessed from my tone, thats a big fat no! You have to be delayed for 30mins or more to be entitled to a refund. Hold on a minute, unless you live in Elstree/Borehwood, Radlett or somewhere that is solely serviced by the thameslink route to get home you would seek alternative routes home rather than wait half an hour so you can then claim your £6 or so back. So if my train is supposed to come every 15mins, that means I have to wait till the 2nd possible train I could catch is also late before I could claim for a refund. Normally when I see that FFCC is running late, do you think I hang about hoping to hit the 30min barrier so I can get a "free" journey? No of course I don't. I seek alternative ways home because I know that when my train does eventually arrive there is absolutely no way I will be able to get on it because it is so rammed ! I would have more chance of explaining and understanding the meaning of life, the universe and everything (42 by the way) than I would of getting on FFCC train that is 30mins+ late!

A sorry excuse of a train service! With £6billion being pumped into the service, you would think that they would have sorted out reliability as their primary issue? Yet even last week, twice defected trains causes havoc on the service, with many cancelled trains and many trains severely delayed. That seems to be £6billion well spent!

Issue 2, cramped trains. When I take the train into work, my usual train from Cricklewood is the 7.33. This train consists of 4 sodding carriages. By the time the train has reached Cricklewood it is positively mobbed. It feels as if I enter a cattle train. Why when every platform on the service can hold at least 8 carriages if not 12, FFCC still insist on providing a sodding 4 carriage train? One of the goals of the “thameslink programme” (http://www.thameslinkprogramme.co.uk) is to ensure that every train has at least 8 carriages. That goal has clearly failed so far.

Also, when FFCC cancel a train, I have to wait 15mins at least for the next train. Naturally by the time it arrives, I simply cannot get on, no one can. By the time it reaches Cricklewood it is more rammed than a tin of sardines. It must be illegal to carry that many people in that way. Imagine if the train crashed? Would it be so inconvenient to turn one of the fast trains into a slow train and stop at other stops and pick up passengers? Surely that can be done?

My 7.33 train is just one example. Several trains that I could catch on my home are also 4 carriages and yep, you’ve guessed it, they’re also positively and implausibly rammed. One of the key giveaways that 4 carriages aren’t enough is that an 8 carriage train is also pretty bl**dy busy and trying to squeeze that number of passengers onto half the number of carriages seems to be inconceivable, yet FFCC seem to try!

Let’s add into the mix, the expensive of it all. I have no issue with the pricing if the service provided, warranted it. A return ticket for me would be a wapping £5.80. This figure is the same if I use oyster pre pay. I’m sure if took the service daily I would get some sort of season ticket and my weekly travel would probably work out to be around about £27. That’s £1269 a year (assuming 47 working weeks). That’s £1269 I have paid FFCC to shaft me, delay me, stick me on cramped trains and generally irritate me. Like I said, if the service was indeed reliable, and I did not feel like cattle, I would have no issue. The expensive of this service frustrates me, especially when every January FFCC raise their prices 8% or so. The astute amongst you would have noticed that this is well above inflation. So currently, most people aren’t getting pay rises, the cost of living has gone up and a public service has decided to shaft their customers even harder by raising their tickets prices twice that of inflation. Given just how bad the service is, given the frustration of most of their customers, do you not think that it would be a welcome gesture to freeze their prices until they can deliver a service where you don’t want to insert the word “F*ckin” as you utter their name?

I think we can all agree that it is not just me who has issues with FFCC. I know because every week I also see various people’s facebook statuses moaning about FFCC. Indeed, there is someone who has reached such levels of hatred for FFCC they saw fit to open a website listing FFCC’s failings. Please visit this site, where you can find a plethora of examples of just how bad FFCC truly are http://www.ihatethameslink.co.uk/.

Rant over