First Great Western 'struggling to meet demand'

First Great Western does not have enough carriages to cope with passenger demand and is seeking to renegotiate its £1.1 billion contract with the government, it has been claimed.

The train operator wants to reduce payments so it can obtain more rolling stock and claims it is overspending in order to accommodate commuters.

According to information obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, FGW requested a review of its contract because at the moment it does not have enough capacity in the region.

FGW, in a presentation to the former rail minister, Tom Harris earlier this year, claimed the Department for Transport had put "substantial service cuts" into the service when it was renewed two years ago, and asked when it would be time for a review.

Timetable cuts on the new Cross Country franchise, operated by Arriva, were putting pressure on its own services and South West Trains had left "substantial gaps" in the West Country by withdrawing trains, FGW added.

FGW carries 79 million passengers a year and operates services between London and Bristol, Wales and the South West.

A rail industry publication has warned that without new stock, customers in and around Bristol could face ever more overcrowded trains or another round of fare increases as a result.

Nigel Harris, of Railway Magazine, said: "FGW does have some rolling stock of its own, but it's not like aircraft when they can lease stuff in as it's needed.

"A new carriage costs between £1.5 million and £2 million, you don't have that kind of capital just sitting around doing nothing.

"Demand for rail services is elastic but the need to provide stock for those services is not.

"This is a problem many of us have been warning about for years.

"FGW only really have two rather unappealing options.

"One is to allow rampant overcrowding, which upsets your customers, or you limit demand by putting the fares up, which is what British Rail did.

"But in the current climate that's not realistic.

"FGW cannot order new stock without government permission so they are then tied down."

FGW and its parent, FirstGroup, nearly lost the franchise this year after breaching its contract twice.

FGW misled passengers by under-reporting service cancellations in 2007, and then exceeded the threshold for cancelled trains in the second half of that year because of staff shortages, the DfT found.

Ruth Kelly, the then transport secretary, imposed a "remedial agreement" that cost the franchise owner £29m and forced it to buy more carriages, increase compensation payments to passengers and hire more staff.

Earlier this year, passengers proceeded to take their own action against the company in a one-day strike.

Fake tickets were handed out by campaigners from pressure group More Train Less Strain to commuters travelling from 20 stations to Bristol Temple Meads.

Dozens of passengers had their names and addresses taken by FGW staff for failing to pay fares for their journeys, instead showing them "Worst Late Western"-branded tickets.

A spokesman for FGW said: "We meet regularly with the Department for Transport and continue to discuss options to improve services to passengers across the South West."