Peak hour first class seat occupancy into London Paddington

The request was refused by Department for Transport.

Dear Department for Transport,

Please tell me how many passengers arrived at London Paddington between 08.00 and 08.59 on a typical weekday in 2015 using First Great Western (now GWR) high speed services (i.e. those operated by HST or Class 180) legitimately travelling in first class accommodation. What is the basis for this number (i.e. on-train passenger counts, or other means of estimation)?

What is the comparable figure for passengers travelling standard class using First Great Western (now GWR) high speed services?

Of the passengers travelling in first class accommodation, what proportions are travelling with: 1) free passes issued to former British Rail (or Railtrack) employees; and 2) free passes issued to First Great Western (now GWR) employees? If separate data is not available for 1) and 2), please supply a combined figure.

If numbers of passengers travelling with free passes is not recorded, please advise me of this fact and provide an estimate for the number or proportion of such passengers together with an explanation of how the estimate was arrived at.

Yours faithfully,

Julian Ross

Department for Transport

Dear Julian Ross,

I am writing to acknowledge receipt of your request for information which
has been allocated reference number P0013398.

A response will be issued to you in due course.

Regards,

Ivan Pocock
Department for Transport
FOI Advice Team
Information & Security Division
Zone D/04
Ashdown House
Sedlescombe Road North
St Leonards on Sea
East Sussex
TN37 7GA

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RAIL STATS, Department for Transport

2 Attachments

Dear Mr Ross,

 

Please find the attached letter with the response to your Freedom of
Information Act request dated 21 February 2016.

 

If you do have any further queries, please do not hesitate to get in
contact.

 

Regards,

Ben

 

 

[1][IMG]          Ben Hubbard 
Rail Statistician, Rail Analysis 

3/21, Great Minster House
33 Horseferry Road, London, SW1P 4DR  

0207 944 2763       
[2]Follow us on twitter @transportgovuk 

 

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Dear RAIL STATS,

I am extremely dissatisfied with this response, not least in the light of serious overcrowding in standard class whilst the first class carriages are often half-empty - and knowing from experience that many rail staff travel free of charge to the detriment of those who pay high fares.

It is a disgrace that you will not release any information - but instead refer me to Network Rail and GWR who are hardly likely to tell me a thing because they have an interest in maintaining the status quo.

In particular, I fail to see why information on those who do not pay to travel can be withheld on commercial grounds, and why this information cannot be estimated.

Yours sincerely,

Julian Ross

FOI-ADVICE-TEAM-DFT, Department for Transport

1 Attachment

 

Dear Julian Ross,

 

I am writing to acknowledge receipt of your request for an internal
review. You will receive a reply in due course.

 

Regards,

 

Ivan Pocock

 

[1][IMG]          Ivan Pocock 
FOI Advice Team, Group Commercial Services Directorate 

D/04, Ashdown House
Sedlescombe Road North, St Leonards on Sea, TN37 7GA  

       
[2]Follow us on twitter @transportgovuk 

 

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FOI-ADVICE-TEAM-DFT, Department for Transport

2 Attachments

Dear Mr Ross

 

You requested an Internal Review into the Department for Transport’s
handling of your recent FOI request. I have now carried out that Review.
Please find attached a letter which sets out my findings.

 

Kind regards

 

 

P Parr

 

[1][IMG]          P Parr 
FOI Manager, FOI Advice Team, Information & Security
Division 

D/04 AHH, Ashdown House
Sedlescombe Road North, St Leonards on Sea, TN37 7GA  

 

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