Customers 'right' to be disappointed with GWR
PA MediaPassengers have been "right" to be disappointed by trains and improving "reliability and punctuality" was a priority, the managing director of rail operator Great Western Railways (GWR) has said.
GWR managing director Mark Hopwood CBE was in the hotseat with BBC Radio Cornwall to answer questions and complaints from passengers in the South West.
Hopwood outlined the operator's plan of action to improve future services, including dealing with delays, cancellations, break-downs, overcrowding and fares.
"There's a lot of work to do - we've got to work jointly with our friends in Network Rail and we've got some challenges we're well advanced on addressing," he said.
Here is what he had to say after being asked various questions.
Why does reliability seem to be getting worse? When will it improve?
"We are working really hard on this. I'm really unhappy with the last period of performance," said Hopwood.
He said performance data still showed 78% of trains were within three minutes of their target times.
"But, when it goes wrong, people are not happy and quite rightly so," he added.
"We've got some challenges, particularly with our rolling stock.
"We've got a recovery plan... it is something we are firmly focussed on."
He said the company was working closely with Network Rail, which manages the tracks, level crossings, signalling and infrastructure.
What is going on with the new trains?
In March 2025, GWR announced plans to boost its fleet with 26 Class 175 trains inherited from Transport for Wales.
Hopwood said at the time they would "increase resilience".
But he conceded they had seen "more faults and failures than we would like" since their roll-out, amid passenger complaints of cancellations and delays.
He said: "I'm disappointed and I think our customers are right to be disappointed.
"We're absolutely determined to sort this out."
He said many passengers had given positive feedback about the comfort of the carriages but added they were working with manufacturer Alstom on technical issues.
"What I want for people... is new trains and we're working hard.
"But, even if I get to a point where I can persuade people to sign off an order, we're not going to see those trains for four or five years, so we have to make sure the trains we have are working as reliably as they possibly can be."
He said it was "top of everyone's agenda" to get the trains working more effectively.
Getty ImagesWhy are the seats like 'sitting on planks of wood'?
"I find them OK," said Hopwood - but he accepted there were a "variety of opinions" among customers.
"We do want to do something about this, so we've had a look at various options and what we've decided we're going to do is change the seat cushions on all the trains."
He said "worn" cushions would be changed straight away.
How much of a problem is overcrowding?
"It clearly is an issue for customers on some services," said Hopwood.
He said the railway was "popular and growing", with up to 10% growth in Cornwall alone last year.
He said additional rolling stock would help, while more carriages had been added to intercity express trains.
On the St Ives branch line, he said they were looking at adding a fifth carriage to four-carriage trains, while the arrival of more stock would boost capacity.
He said they had added an extra train from London to Plymouth to answer a "lunchtime surge", leaving more space on the train to Penzance.
What is the vision for the complete Mid Cornwall Metro?
The Mid Cornwall Metro is a £57m transport project designed to provide a direct, coast-to-coast rail service connecting Newquay, Par, St Austell, Truro, Penryn, and Falmouth.
"We've increased the service from Par to Nequay - you can connect from Par with trains on the mainline," said Hopwood.
He said the next stage in 2027 was to link the Newquay trains along the main line through Truro and into Falmouth.
"That's not necessarily about people getting from Newquay to Falmouth - although we'd very much welcome people making that journey."
He said it was about linking Newquay with Truro and St Austell with Falmouth "so we start to make some of the journeys in Cornwall possible that people want to make... without having to change trains".
Is the cost of parking at stations a barrier to public transport?
"I think no - and we've seen a huge take-up, for example, for the car park at St Erth [near Penzance and on the main line and St Ives branch line]."
He said revenue came from passengers buying tickets and paying for car parking, as well as from the government through taxpayer subsidy.
"We actually saw in 2026 a fare freeze and the government supported that by increasing the subsidy we got and the taxpayer funded that.
"We all know from listening to the news that there is a lot of pressure on government funding, so I think we have to be realistic about these things."
What about rail fares?
Hopwood said: "I do accept there are some people who would be able to use the train if the fares were cheaper."
But he said they had to "balance our books".
"The government recognised there was a view and put in place a fares freeze for 2026. I'm not sure the government has decided yet what their strategies for 2027 will be."
But he said the fare freeze meant there was a "lower base" on which to build in future.
He added: "There are some really good value fares out there.
"I don't think we're any different to anyone booking a plane, coach or hotel room: you get the best deals by booking in advance and you pay a bit more if you turn up on the day."
How much profit is being made?
"The profits are a matter of public record. Last year, the profits were just over £20m, but that's on a turnover of £1.4bn," said Hopwood.
"As a percentage, it's a very small amount of money."
He added: "It's the type of sum of money that sounds an awful lot - and it is an awful lot to people listening. But, when you're using that money to buy railway carriages or build big expensive infrastructure, it won't actually get you that far."
He said GWR was one of the last train companies to come into public ownership and "we will have to see what impact that makes on our passengers".
What does the future hold?
"We are the next private operator to go into public ownership in December," said Hopwood.
"The whole point of the transition is to do it seamlessly so it doesn't have a big impact.
"The government wants to create something called Great British Railways that will bring the track and signalling and the infrastructure together with train operations."
He said officials hoped this would bring about "big improvements".
He said, by working alongside Network Rail, it would help to improve punctuality and reliability, while bringing down the "burden on the taxpayer" and introducing "better value for money".
What progress will be seen in a year's time?
"We've got to get to grips with these Class 175 trains and we've got to get them working more reliably," said Hopwood.
He said the new fleet should have fully arrived, while passengers would be "seeing the benefit" of the full Mid Cornwall Metro.
He added: "I don't think we'll solve all the challenges we've seen from some of the storms and hot weather.
"I think we need more than a year to fix some of those challenges, and I hope that we can carry on making the case to government for some new trains."
Citing "lots to do", he said the company had "achieved quite a lot", while he agreed with passengers that "punctuality and reliability were really important".
"That's a key area for us," he said.
