I quote from FGW's web site ...

Over the term of the franchise we will invest £200 million in a programme of continuous improvement bringing a wide range of customer benefits, increased capacity, safety and service. We will also work with Network Rail to tackle deep-rooted performance issues on the Greater Western network.

Our immediate priorities are to ensure a smooth integration of the three franchises; introduce a new Timetable in December 2006; and deliver service improvements for our customers as early as possible.

Our vision is to be the leading train company and our customers’ preferred choice of travel.

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.

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Some elements of this ring a little hollow to me ... I really had hoped to be seeing increased service, reliability and comfort from December, with a clock-face train every 2 hours (or something similar) sorting out a previously very complex train rota system that means that (at the moment) delay / staffing / stock issues over a very wide area effect more local journeys.

What we will be seeing (if, as seems likely, First's plans go through) is a decrease in service by two thirds.  With just a skeleton service left, issues such as comfort become incidental.  I would rather arrive in Melksham on a hard seat at 09:12, from a London departure of 07:45, that have to sleep on the platform at Swindon off the last London train of the day in waiting for the 06:20 connection, even if I was able to travel in an armchair on that train.