2014, and 2013’s carriage temperature urgency has paid dividends! Look how few complaints 2014 brings! First, we’d like to delve into 2013’s air conditioning catastrophe and try to understand what went right.
So, let’s recap on the air conditioning scenario. It’s very simple. Some trains have windows, some have windows and air conditioning. In 2013, the air conditioned trains had window handles removed. Those trains without air conditioning, well, it’s anybody’s guess! Either way, passengers got more than they bargained for!
Train too hot? Train too cold?
Here’s a summary of the air conditioning nightmare, and what First Great Western has been doing to address it and prevent a repeat in 2014!
Window Handles Removed for Safety!
@Bevmeister78 12/2 The reason is a safety aspect as some passengers feel it is ok to throw things from a train travelling at 100 mph. John
— First Great Western (@FGW) July 23, 2013
@NewburyCustomer 2/2 The other reason is a safety aspect as some passengers feel it is ok to throw things from a moving train. John R
— First Great Western (@FGW) July 18, 2013
@jmwhittaker Some passengers feel it is ok to throw bottles etc out of a moving train at 100 mph, hence the locked windows. John R
— First Great Western (@FGW) July 14, 2013
@NewburyCustomer Sorry you feel that way, but someone stood by a level crossing getting hit by debris from a train is not an excuse.
— First Great Western (@FGW) July 18, 2013
Who says @fgw doesn't have a sense of humour? Locked windows on hot days with printed lies. Haha! pic.twitter.com/DqVVbumCRL
— JP (@HelloJP) July 12, 2013
@SarahF1978 @pacer142 1/2 Its more of a Health and Safety hazard when passengers throw things out of the windows.
— First Great Western (@FGW) July 30, 2013
This makes sense. If bad boys are throwing things from windows, something needs to be done. Presumably the several CCTV cameras in each carriage would have been sufficient, but let’s continue!
@FGW @LittleEmilyMon Well ok but have windows on other trains. CCTV on is train; prosecute them. Don't punish the many 4 crimes of the few.
— Stephen Norton (@NortonioX) July 30, 2013
Yes, Stephen, that’s what we thought too!
It’s definitely for safety
@jmwhittaker Hi James. Apologies for the uncomfortable travel conditions. The windows are locked as we have had some safety issues recently.
— First Great Western (@FGW) July 14, 2013
OK, it may be uncomfortable, but passengers will probably understand. What about emergency ventilation, if, for example, the air conditioning doesn’t work, and it’s the height of summer?
@FGW "pull handles down for emergency ventilation" this is an emergency! Aircon on the train it said- I'm sitting in a sauna!!!
— Nikki (@_NikkiN_) July 5, 2013
And It’s Officially First Great Western Policy!
We asked, as we thought it unfair that all windows be locked due to one (or a handful of) incidents. We were categorically told that window handles were to be removed for safety reasons. Clarity is great!
@fgwkmc I think you should favourite the reason they are locked as well. John R
— First Great Western (@FGW) July 14, 2013
@FGW understood – is this now policy across all trains with passenger-opening windows?
— FGW Kicked My Cat (@fgwkmc) July 14, 2013
@fgwkmc It is on all high speed trains. Not sure about branch lines but will find out for you. John R
— First Great Western (@FGW) July 14, 2013
And It’s Not Officially First Great Western Policy!
Except, it wasn’t policy at all. It all gets very confusing!
@FGW @laura_scfc please can you check that Reg. We understand you've officially changed policy and will now be locking windows on HSTs.
— FGW Kicked My Cat (@fgwkmc) July 15, 2013
@FGW please check again? sorry to labour the point but yesterday was all about "safety" and we'd like some consistency in these explanations
— FGW Kicked My Cat (@fgwkmc) July 15, 2013
But, that’s a different reason! Who’s right? Who’s wrong? Reg or John? There’s only one way to find out! And it’s unlikely you’ll find out from FGW!
Enabling Window Is A Tricky Business!
Adults on trains, some bright, some dim. Most capable of operating a handle! But, you can never take a risk! Adults!
@JoRammers We do use the windows where possible – but opening them isn't as straightforward an issue as would initially be thought. Eli.
— First Great Western (@FGW) July 19, 2013
You’re Not Giving It Long Enough!
Air moves, so it can take a moment or two for an air conditioning system to condition some air. That probably explains over 1000 complaints at last count!
@eventmanuk Hi. Not sure why you didn't receive a reply last night. The air conditioning should be on. It can take time to circulate. Sorry
— First Great Western (@FGW) July 7, 2013
It May Not Be A Safety Issue! You’ll Damage The Air Con!
We probably misunderstood the situation, and the window handles were instead removed to make the air conditioning system better work!
@xSarahHayleyx There's no opening windows as this causes the air con to react to the wrong temperatures and effectively damage the equipment
— First Great Western (@FGW) July 6, 2013
@tonybrett There's no opening windows as this causes the air con to react to the wrong temperatures and effectively damage the equipment.
— First Great Western (@FGW) July 6, 2013
(Nice use of copy and paste!)
@FGW it's the 17:57 to twyford 1st and 2nd carriages.
— Hardip Dhatt (@HardipDhatt) July 6, 2013
@AmyDavies Having windows closed helps the air con to work better. Unfortunately that hasn't happened this time. -Ollie
— First Great Western (@FGW) July 5, 2013
Seems like a poorly implemented air conditioning system if it’s so fragile! It must be a one off on that particular service! Get it reported, so it can be fixed urgently!
.. and still the complaints came!
But You Can Help Break It!
Yes! You can ask a member of staff to open the windows, thus breaking the already broken air conditioning!
@TheBeardedLlama Sorry it's hot on board. Do raise with the guard so windows can be opened. -Ollie
— First Great Western (@FGW) August 1, 2013
Blow Was Definitely Not Set To Suck!
Some passengers had real issues dealing with 21 -/+ 2 degree temperatures, some even being mistaken into thinking the heating was on!
@leebastow Hi Lee. The heating is turned off on our trains at this time of year. Sorry if it's still too warm. I've logged your comments. TJ
— First Great Western (@FGW) July 10, 2013
@FGW seriously guys, why on earth are the heaters on? (16.36 Bath to Cardiff train). Is it not hot enough outside for you?
— Amy Davies (@AmyDavies) July 5, 2013
@fgw why is the heating on full on the 16:41 GCR-BRI?! Not the first time this summer and I'm not the first complainant.
— The Archidave (@archidave) July 5, 2013
@FGW heat blowing out
— Stephen Norton (@NortonioX) July 4, 2013
@FGW just had to bail out of first class on the 5.28 Maidenhead to Paddington train. Heating on full blast. #ontrainsauna
— Trevor Lambert (@TrevorMLambert) July 4, 2013
Urgent Action!
First Great Western recognise there are problems on some services. It’s being dealt with urgently! Problem solved!
@Bevmeister78 We know we are having some problems with the air con on a number of our services and it is being addressed at a senior level.
— First Great Western (@FGW) July 23, 2013
@portinoxdog We know we are having some problems with the air con on a number of our services and it is being addressed at a senior level.
— First Great Western (@FGW) July 18, 2013
(Nice use of copy and paste!)
@alexlee1982 I can assure you the problem is being addressed at a senior level and I do apologise for the uncomfortable travel conditions.
— First Great Western (@FGW) July 26, 2013
@cutelittlebyrdy We are aware of how uncomfortable it is without aircon senior management is looking in to it. Georgie
— First Great Western (@FGW) July 21, 2013
@fgwkmc We are working hard to achieve this. Paul
— First Great Western (@FGW) September 13, 2013
With Horatio Hopwood and Handy Andy Mellors on the case, this is one problem to be dealt with swiftly!
OK, Urgent, But Give Us Some Time!
OK, fairly swiftly. Move along, nothing to see here!
@rcarca There are on-going air con issues, which we're fully aware of. Albeit improvements aren't going to be made overnight I'm afraid. Eli
— First Great Western (@FGW) July 19, 2013
@fgwkmc I don't know all the details but I know that it is a priority. Paul
— First Great Western (@FGW) September 13, 2013
The Money Ran Out
Although 10 days earlier, there probably wasn’t enough money to fix things; it was simply not cost effective before the end of a franchise.
@pacer142 Because our franchise is not contracted for very much longer, it does restrict what we are able to implement. Jess
— First Great Western (@FGW) July 14, 2013
The Problems Are Few And Far Between
We’ve seen a large number of complaints, but presumably these didn’t reach @fgw or First Great Western customer services! It definitely wasn’t, what became known as, Infamous Carriage E!
@Just___B This is the hottest it has been for a very long time, so it stands to reason that the air-con might struggle. Jess
— First Great Western (@FGW) July 14, 2013
@arsenesmagichat It actually wasn't again. We do have rather a lot of trains. Will report the faults. Dan
— First Great Western (@FGW) July 19, 2013
@Acattz Hi Adam. It is working on services but recognise there are some where it isn't. Which train and carriage? -Ollie
— First Great Western (@FGW) August 1, 2013
It Was Only Your Carriage!
It can’t be widespread problem, so why not push past the overcrowded passsengers and try other carriages!
@DigiJenks Sorry for this, the air con should be on. What service are you on? Is it any better in another carriage? Jess
— First Great Western (@FGW) July 9, 2013
Perhaps The System Was Blocked?
@FGW … Also air con pouring with water, all down a lady's back and another man's bag #extremelypoorservice
— Faye Summers (@summers_faye) June 30, 2013
@FGW service to Portsmouth is dripping air con water all over my shirt and other passengers :(
— hugo griffin (@huggyg11) June 28, 2013
The System Self-Regulates!
Apparently, the system maintains a carriage temperature of 21 -/+ 2 degrees!
@Nele_St The air-con controls this within 2 degrees, so if the carriage temperature rises to 23 degrees it will kick in to cool the carriage
— First Great Western (@FGW) July 6, 2013
@Nele_St The heating is thermostatically controlled and the design intent is for the coach to be at an ambient temperature of 19-21 deg C.
— First Great Western (@FGW) July 6, 2013
Sounds lovely! Thermostats, so everything is nice and automatic. It’ll be lovely and cool in summer, nice and warm in winter and early spring!
Someone just took a temperature reading on the train. Apparently it's 31c. Thought temp was regulated between 19c – 23c @fgw @fgwkmc
— Matt Deakin (@M_Deaks) July 8, 2013
Broken thermometer, Matt. It simply has to be!
Or Is That 23 Degrees?
@fgwkmc @M_Deaks If the carriage temperature drops to 19 degrees, the system will adjust to allow the temperature to rise to 23 degrees. ^TJ
— First Great Western (@FGW) June 20, 2013
Thermostats Are Tricky!
Slippery little eels are thermostats, and they can be very fussy about outside weather!
@richardcbrown Sorry Richard. Getting the heating / air con right is always a tricky balance – especially in variable weather. Eli.
— First Great Western (@FGW) July 30, 2013
The System Does Not Self-Regulate!
Apparently, the system does maintain carriage temperature of 21 -/+ 2 degrees!
@AlexHamlin You're right I'm afraid – the air con controls are externally set by the engineers at the depot, so not available to crew. Eli.
— First Great Western (@FGW) July 16, 2013
@nettynoo73 Sorry, the temperature is set at the depot. Really tricky to get it right for everyone. Jess
— First Great Western (@FGW) July 9, 2013
@ali_roberts87 I'm afraid the air con controls are externally set by the engineers at the depot There is not much the onboard crew can do.
— First Great Western (@FGW) August 9, 2013
We’re not sure how this works, but if anyone more familiar with thermostat theory can contact us, that would be lovely! We’ve just gone on dictionary definition!
Or There Is No Set Temperature?
Then it starts to get really confusing!
@fgwkmc The air conditioning is less able to regulate the climate on some of the other trains, so no set temperature. Dan
— First Great Western (@FGW) July 16, 2013
So, regulated at 21 -/+ 2 degrees, but it might actually be regulated at 23 degrees, but may not be regulated at all. OK, glad that’s all cleared up! In 2014, we found out the threshold had been tightened further to 22 -/+ 1 degree! We are no experts in air conditioning technology, but if our systems weren’t working, we’d probably aim for 15 -/+ 20 degrees, just to avoid complaints!
Too Hot For Air Conditioning!
Perhaps it simply gets too hot for a cooling system? Perhaps windows would be useful in that instance?
Just heard the guard say 'It's too hot for the air-conditioning to work.' @FGW #killmenow
— Half Constructed (@PolicemansBeard) July 13, 2013
Passengers Are Causing An Issue!
On delayed, overcrowded trains, newly fitted and presumably tested air conditioning systems just aren’t meant to cope!
@catdo333 Hi Cat. Sorry for any discomfort caused. The temperature is often due to passenger numbers rather than faulty air con though. ^TJ
— First Great Western (@FGW) June 20, 2013
@Nele_St The reaction time of the air-conditioning depends on the volume of people in the carriage. Reg
— First Great Western (@FGW) July 6, 2013
@LouRichards_ My apologies for this. We have air con on our services but if the service is busy body heat can increase the temperature. Reg
— First Great Western (@FGW) July 4, 2013
The cynical among you might have asked why the system had not been tested with typical passenger numbers!
If It’s Too Hot, We’ll Cancel
Fear not, passengers! As if delays and overcrowding aren’t enough, services can be cancelled if they’re deemed too hot. We can only imagine this to be 50+ degrees celsius!
@JamesB_84 Apologies for this. We would rather run a train without air con that cancel altogether, though it clearly isn't ideal. Dan
— First Great Western (@FGW) July 13, 2013
First Great Western knows best! They’ll even decide on health and safety regulations there and then! Isn’t that simply marvellous!
@TonyANightmare If a Train Manager believes the temperature is a Health and Safety issue the service will be cancelled. Georgie
— First Great Western (@FGW) July 21, 2013
If It’s Too Cold, We Protect The Environment!
FGW keeping you cool in winter, and protecting the environment!
Yes indeed! We wouldn’t want train engines running in winter!
The Issue Is Not Being Ignored!
@SuzeGold Apologies Suzanne.We know that this is making things uncomfortable for our customers and we are certainly not ignoring this issue
— First Great Western (@FGW) July 26, 2013
@BowdenMFF @LuanaElisabetta We know we have some problems with the air con on a number of our services and the issue is not being ignored.
— First Great Western (@FGW) July 26, 2013
A history of air conditioning problems! More over at BBC!
Read on, dear reader. You’ve seen 2013, now let’s see 2014!
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