I WAS disgusted to read the comments of First Late Western in your article about the cost of trains to London on Saturday. The spokesman goes on to suggest “Bigger high speed trains give customers more space for travel and flexibility to move around the train and may offer a broader on-board service.”

Maybe he would like to join me on my daily commute and try and get a seat on any of the 17:45, 18:00, 18:15 or 18:30 trains headed towards Swindon each evening as I can’t remember the last time I was lucky enough to get a seat and in fact you have people standing (unsafely in my opinion) all the way down through the standard class carriages. As for better on-board services, First Late Western have just begun reducing the size of the buffet cars, which means a shorter train (less seats) and a much reduced buffet service, although supposedly a quicker train, even though the timetables have stayed the same.

I would also mention that since Christmas I have not yet arrived at Paddington on time once! So much for a reliable service.

Perhaps they could also comment on why an annual ticket is £400 cheaper if you break your journey with a ticket from Swindon to Didcot and then from Didcot to London, something they are always keen to keep from the average passenger.

GARY PARKER

Chester Street

Swindon