Letters: civil servants have ruined our trains

Travelling in discomfort

Sir: I don’t agree with much of what Matthew Parris says these days, but he was spot on with his piece about train seats (‘Who’s to blame for my terrible journey?’, 17 August). I think his hunch about where the blame lies for such uncomfortable seats is correct. In these parts, our train service provider is GWR, which has introduced new trains with bum-numbingly unforgiving seats that are wholly unsuited to typical journeys of four to five hours. When questioned, the always helpful staff respond that: ‘This is what happens when you get civil servants to design the trains.’

To add insult to injury, the new GWR trains also have no buffet carriages. Instead there is an elusive, poorly stocked trolley. Again according to the harassed GWR staff, the ‘focus group’ that was relied upon to influence the design of the trains responded positively to the idea of at-seat service, without realising that this meant the end of the buffet. What with the typical obstructions found on our overcrowded trains today, you can count yourself lucky to see a refreshment trolley on the long journey to the south-west.

Add to this the fact that journey times with GWR are slower than 30 years ago and the ticket prices multiples of what they were, and I am sure many passengers from the West Country will support Mr Parris in his quest to identify the functionaries responsible.
Tetley

Truro, Cornwall

Bad trains

Sir: I travelled by train from Totnes to Stamford and returned via Peterborough and London Paddington last weekend. Points out of ten for comfort:
Cross country to Birmingham, standard class: 6.
East Midlands to Stamford, standard class: 8.
LNER Peterborough to London King’s Cross, 1st class: 6.
GWR Paddington to Totnes, tourist class: 2.
Verdict: Three hours on GWR is painful.