Title: First Great Western MD reveals how he plans to get the beleaguered train operator back on track | The Independent | The Independent
Headings: First Great Western MD reveals how he plans to get the beleaguered train operator back on track
First Great Western MD reveals how he plans to get the beleaguered train operator back on track
Mark Hopwood says his mission is 'to present a different face for the business'
Best and worst of Britain’s railway

Content: The RMT can say what they like, but they’ve never really responded to my challenge to demonstrate why they think their method of preserving the status quo will be safer than using these screens in the driving cab. “I carry the ‘Go to Jail card’ in terms of safety. I’ve worked in this industry all my life and I want to carry on, and I’m not going to allow my business and my staff and my customers to travel on trains that are not being dispatched safely.” Mr Hopwood has had a difficult summer. Besides the strikes, media reports have claimed some ticket-office staff are failing to offer travellers the cheapest fares. The complexity of the fare system is shown by the options open to a “walk-up” passenger who buys a ticket from Paddington to Swindon just before departure. The fare for a standard open return, offering complete flexibility, is £124. An off-peak return is £45, but a “split ticket” – one from Paddington to Reading, and a separate one to Swindon – shaves a few pounds off that price. Mr Hopwood says that station ticket staff need not advise passengers of such dodges: “ What we should do is sell you the cheapest ticket for the through journey you’re making, so if you’re travelling from London to Bristol, we should sell you a ticket from London to Bristol.