Our Business
This overview is designed to tell you about our business, and our vision of "Putting Customers First".
Our Vision
Our Business
Our Group
How the franchising system works
Performance
Our Partners
Our Community
Integration and Access
Our vision: 'Putting Customers First'
We will achieve this by exceeding your expectations of journeys by train. From first contact to arrival at the final destination, we will make certain that journeys with us are comfortable and secure, easy and reliable, and that as a customer you feel welcomed and valued.
Our Business
The current First Great Western franchise started in April 2006 and comprises the former First Great Western, First Great Western Link and Wessex Trains businesses.
Our services stretch from London in the east to Brighton and Gatwick in the south, Carmarthen, Pembroke Dock and Penzance in the west and Banbury, Hereford and Worcester in the north.
We have one of the largest and most complex rail networks in the UK, carrying one and a half million passengers every week on 9,000 services, calling at 276 stations. We are the only UK rail company to operate High Speed Inter-city, commuter, regional and sleeper services.
Our High Speed Inter-city services link South Wales, the Cotswolds and the South West with London.
We provide fast and frequent commuter services for the M4 corridor, the Thames Valley and Newbury and Oxford routes and operate services in the South West, providing local commuter and leisure services and the key longer distance routes from Cardiff to Portsmouth.
Our sleeper service links the South West to London. We operate direct to Gatwick Airport and, as part of the Heathrow Connect operation, to the heart of Heathrow Airport.
Our franchise started in April 2006 and is contracted to run for seven years, plus a possible additional three years.
Our Group
First Great Western is part of FirstGroup plc (First), the country’s largest train operator, the UK’s biggest bus operator and the second biggest operator of yellow school buses in the United States. The company has acquired Laidlaw International, a leading provider of transportation in the US and Canada, making First the largest operator of yellow buses in North America. First is global in scale but local in approach and aims to be the leader in safe, innovative, reliable, sustainable transport services.
How the franchising system works
The Department for Transport (DfT) runs competitions for the award of new franchises, having consulted with stakeholders, specifying the passenger rail services to be run and the operating standards (such as punctuality and reliability) which have to be met. The franchise is awarded to the bidder who offers the best and most robust proposition in terms of deliverability and price. The DfT then monitors and enforces performance.
As part of our agreement, First Great Western committed to paying the DfT a premium of £1.13 billion during the franchise and to delivering a £200 million investment programme for our customers. The infrastructure the franchise operates on is separately owned and managed by Network Rail. We are entirely dependant on them to ensure that track and signalling operates smoothly. We work closely with them to minimise potential delays for our customers.
Performance
We deliver performance and financial targets for the benefit of our customers, stakeholders and employees.
We are measured by our Public Performance Measure (PPM MAA) score which has improved significantly since the start of the franchise. This is a result of hard work by both First Great Western and infrastructure owners Network Rail.
First Great Western faces major challenges from ageing infrastructure and the knock on temporary speed restrictions they cause. Working with Network Rail, we are overcoming these recurring infrastructure problems on our network and are meeting or exceeding each of the performance challenges under our own control.
New environmentally friendly engines have been installed to our entire high speed train fleet improving the reliability of the trains and delivering significant punctuality benefits.
Our Partners
We are committed to developing our partner relationships and we work with key stakeholders to achieve improvements for all.
Our relationships with our partners have a regional focus which aims to develop a feeling among our stakeholders of being part of a locally focused company which is supported by a successful, financially strong and innovative international business.
We have open and regular dialogue with stakeholder groups includes formal consultation and regular informal contact. We have held more than 1,000 meetings with almost 400 stakeholders and we have held regular Meet the Manager sessions, as well as regular stakeholder advisory group meetings.
Stakeholder Consultation
We believe that successful rail services depend crucially on a partnership between our customers, the communities we serve and us, the train company.
Local Authorities
We have a two-way flow of information between local authorities and ourselves. This approach has been successful in helping us gain funding to improve train services and facilities.
Network Rail
Meeting the franchise commitment laid down by DfT entails a close partnership with Network Rail. This has resulted in a number of initiatives designed to improve performance and make train travel more comfortable and convenient for our customers. We are committed to working together in partnership to deliver improved infrastructure and service.
Department for Transport (DfT)
First Great Western has a contract with the DfT to deliver the franchise commitments. Ad-hoc and four-weekly meetings are held to discuss progress on commitments and industry issues.
Passenger groups
We work closely with passenger groups including Passenger Focus and London TravelWatch, talking to them, listening to them and involving them in our business.
National Assembly for Wales
We encourage discussion, listen to the views of members and, where appropriate, take on board their suggestions. Our approach is one of openness and honesty and we make sure members’ views are taken into account when making business decisions. A Welsh language policy has been developed and launched which encourages and promotes the use of the Welsh language.
Our Community
As a transport provider, we are intrinsically part of the community and actively encourage communities to get involved in local initiatives.
Train companies like First Great Western are a vital link for the communities they serve and an intrinsic part of those communities. We support organisations that our employees value and are relevant to our business through sponsorship, provision of tickets and through practical support to employees.
The company has worked hard to broaden its contacts with communities across the whole region. We are grateful to those volunteers who work with us, particularly at our stations across the region.
Integration and Access
We’re committed to creating better journeys for all, improving access for people with disabilities and delivering better transport integration.
Access for All Frst Great Western is committed to providing safe and convenient travel for all customers with disabilities, extending through journey planning to station facilities and on-train comfort.
Access for All schemes are funded by the Department for Transport and First Great Western has been successful in biding for grants on a competitive basis. A Disabled People’s Protection Policy has been introduced to complement our Passengers Charter.
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