First Capital Connect : First class fare for a third class journey

There is a very interesting report in the Daily Express today -  http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/177412/First-class-train-ticket-con - detailing how rail companies are charging First class ticket prices for routes where there is no first class service. Can you guess which company was described as one of the main culprits? None other than our beloved First Capital Connect. When asked how they could justify selling first class tickets from Luton to Wimbledon, when no trains have first class accomodation. A First Capital Connect spokesman said: 

“It is perfectly feasible for the entire national rail journey from Luton Airport Parkway to Wimbledon to be carried out in first class. FCC tickets to Wimbledon all include cross London travel for people who decide not to travel on a direct service, therefore the suggestion that an additional fare needs to be paid is incorrect.”

 So you are at Luton Airport Parkway, you have a load of bags and you want to get to Wimbledon in comfort and without stress. You know the service can get overcrowded so you buy a First Class ticket. Is there anyone who believes that you'd want to change trains, maybe several times?

 The article says that the ticket for the non existant services is charged at £21.40, rather than £13.40 for a Second class ticket. I have this question for First Capital Connect. How much should the fare be for a Third Class Service. One where trains are late, don't turn up, are too packed to board. I thought I'd visit my old friend, the First Capital Connect Journey check board. What joys did it have in line for us today?

Line problem in the Blackfriars area.

Train services between Brighton and St Pancras International are being disrupted due to signalling problems in the Blackfriars area.
Engineers are working as fast as possible to restore services to normal. Delays of up to 20 minutes can be expected.
Trains are being diverted via Streatham and will not serve London Bridge.

Services will go via Streatham and not call at London Bridge until further notice. Southern Railway are accepting FCC tickets on all reasonable routes.

Message Received: 07:52:51 27/05/2010

Line problem.

Train services on all routes via Shortlands are being disrupted due to signalling problems.
Engineers are working as fast as possible to restore services to normal. Short notice alterations and delays of up to 30 minutes can be expected.

Message Received: 08:57:27 27/05/2010

 So if the 2nd class fare is 62% of the first class fare, surely the third class fare should only be £8.40? Do we get a 38% reduction on our season tickets for the third class service? No of course we don't. Why? Because if there is one thing which is First class about First Capital Connect it is the renumeration package for their bosses such as Moir Lockhead.  You can click here to get the full details of his package :-

http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/people/person.asp?personId=8672986&ticker=FGP:US

Let me give you a summary as reported

ANNUAL COMPENSATION*

Salary	£609,000
Bonus	£160,000
Total Annual Compensation	£769,000

STOCK OPTIONS*

All Other Compensation	£33,000
Exercisable Options	735,853
Exercisable Values	£185,979
Unexercisable Options	297,107
Unexercisable Values	£779,906
Total Value of Options	£965,885
Total Number of Options	1,032,960

TOTAL COMPENSATION*

Total Annual Cash Compensation	£769,000
Total Short Term Compensation	£769,000
Other Long Term Compensation	£33,000
Total Calculated Compensation	£802,000

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* I like the way it calls his earnings COMPENSATION. I always thought compensation was what you got from a company that provides a crap service. It seems like the only person who gets proper compensation from First Capital Connect for it's tawdry service is the bloke who runs it. If you want to know what's wrong with Great Britain today, can there be a finer example. 

Now there are a few things you can do. There is a number 10 petition to strip this awful company of its franchise. It only has a week left to run. It is 46 signatures short of 6,000. Please sign now if you haven't already. Please ask any fellow victims of this company to sign it if they haven't

http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/FirstCC/

There is also a facebook group, where we keep an eye on the issues related to this company

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=wall&gid=2239285772

Then there is the First Crapital Connect noticeboard.

http://www.firstcrapitalconnect.co.uk/what-can-we-do-about-first-capital-connect.html

If you have a problem with this line, please log it on one of these sites, it makes it far easier to collate information to  write blogs, letters to MP's etc if we know what they are up to. Given the new Government is a coalition and there is a possibility that there may be another election in short order if it all goes pear shaped, I think that now is an excellent time to keep up the pressure.

"Do you want to lose the franchise like First Capital Connect?"

There is a simple reason for commuters on the Thameslink route having to suffer the daily tribulations that are inflicted upon them by this awful company. That reason is because their no 1 priority is to ensure huge cash returns for their directors bonuses and their shareholders dividends. Every time any measure is proposed which may improve the daily lot of passengers is proposed, chairman Martin Gilbert and CEO Moir Lockhead ask this question "What benefit does this deliver to the shareholders of First Group PLC?". If it can't be shown to increase profits, then the suggestion will be ignored. That is why First Group have a professional asset manager as their chairman. He knows how to find the G-spot of investors and knows how to keep the share price high.

The hard pressed passengers have a unique opportunity to change this equation at the moment. We can change it for all passengers of every train company across the country. We need the government to sack First Capital Connect for failure to deliver a proper service. There is an election approaching on the 6th May and the line passes through many marginal constituencies. This is one of the few times when politicians might actually listen to the people, the voters. If Lord Adonis were to sack First Capital Connect, this would have a massive impact across the country. Rail operators would sit up and take note. They would realise that passengers must be considered. When the question "What benefit does this deliver to the Shareholders?" is asked, the answer will come straight back "Do you want to lose the franchise like First Capital Connect?". You see First Group PLC pocket massive profits from the line. Losing the franchise will hit them where it hurts. It will send a strong message to all of the other companies. Let us not forget that all of the problems with the system have been caused entirely by bad management.

They are indulging in a massive PR operation to try and save the franchise and hope the protests go away. The truth is that unless they are stripped of the franchise, they will think they've got away with it. Removing the franchise will send a shot across the bows of all train operating companies, saying "get your house in order". Anything less will just perpetuate the existing status quo, where passengers are the last consideration for the Government and the Train companies.