On Dec 17, 4:47 pm, Mizter T wrote:
On 17 Dec, 15:26, CJB wrote:





Yesterday evening the signs at Paddington clearly displayed the
Heathrow Connect as 'cancelled.' I saw two fed-up tourists then go to
the Heathrow Express ticket office and purchase over-priced tickets
for their service. I also wanted to catch the Connect since FGW locals
always seem to leave from platforms 13/14 and I usually can't be
bothered to treck up there when Connect leaves from 12 nearer the main
concourse.

Then about 5 minutes before it was due to depart lo and behold the
Connect appears on platform 6, becomes 'uncancelled,' and then departs
on time. I trust that the 'cancellation' was not a ploy to force
Heathrow-bound passengers (sorry customers) to purchase a more
expensive Express fare.

Being the BAA (owned by Spanish property demolition and construction
company Ferrovial) I wouldn't put anything past them. But one of the
conditions for being allowed to expand Heathrow (resulting in the
biggest enforced relocation of people - 35,000 and more - since the
Highland Clearances) was that public transportation to/from Heathrow
has to improve. With the vicissitudes of Herathrow Express and
Heathrow Connect (still at times terminating early at Hayes &
Harlington), BAA has a long way to go.

CJB.

I doubt your conspiracy theory would really stand up to a lot of
scrutiny. Network Rail, who're in charge of the PIS displays at
Paddington, certainly wouldn't play along with it!

Other explanations are perhaps more likely - such as a problem with
the train, or a missing driver. The lack of any announcements at
Paddington to explain the situation is bad.

Whatever the reason, it does sound pretty shabby - that's no way to
run a train service.

Why not contact Heathrow Connect (which is in fact a 50/50 partnership
between FGW and BAA) and complain - the contact details including an
email address are on this page:
http://www.heathrowconnect.com/default.aspx?pageid=58- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Everytime I write to BAA and complain about Connect's appalling
service (I use that term cynically) they never reply. But Skyport (the
local Heathrow newpaper) invariably prints my letters. The real
problem is that in order to force through the third runway BAA HAVE to
provide ground transportation for the public and staff - and yet BAA
can't run a train service - it runs an airport for goodness sake (and
not very well either). (Well actually that is not strictly correct -
its a luxoury duty/tax 'free' hypermarket). They should give Connect
to FGW who might (just might) know how to run trains - although they
seem to be doing a good job of replicating Thames Strains with late
and cancelled trains, almost always over-crowded, and trains that turn
up unannounced on the wrong platforms at Ealing, Southall and Hayes
almost every weekend. CJB