Last Wednesday, Mike Ireland (Chair of OkeRail) and myself attended the annual GWR Stakeholder conference. It was held at the Swindon Railway Museum.

The conference allows GWR to feed back an update of it’s workings but also to enable stakeholders to ask questions.

Ironically there were some delays on the network meaning that we were a little late arriving, so we missed the update from Ruth Busby The People and Transformation Director of GWR Wales and Western. The first person we heard was Cllr Andrew Gant Oxfordshire County Council’s portfolio holder. He talked about the importance of integration and joint working across all forms of public transport. This is something we consider important, and thankfully so do DCC.

The next speaker was one of the two that really impressed, and made an impression on me. It was Bethan Hodges Rail Development Lead Wales and Western Region Samaritans. She talked about how her organisation has a vital relationship with the railway. They provide support for anyone involved in situations where people are hurt or worse. Listening to Bethan, it’s clear that they are passionate about people’s well being. The Samaritans provide training to help recognising when people may be struggling with their mental health.

After a break, we then had a number of speakers talking specifically about integration with buses. A video was shown with examples, and our very own 118 was shown. As previously mentioned, integration is vital to ensure better connectivity – especially in rural communities like ours. Thankfully our local bus providers and DCC agree and are committed to it. Although this was good, and important – the other presentation that made an impact on me was in this section. Coral Thomas who specialises in Neuro-Diversity, talked about the special project of helping Neuro-diverse people become more comfortable on the train. Her team support special trips and also provide sensory packs which have a number of items to help the individual such as ear defenders.

The morning was closed our by an emotional discussion related to the ticket office potential closures. Understandably, there was some concern and angst about the possible decisions. GWR were given some stick, however it’s important to remember that they are doing what the government want them to. That’s effectively to save money. All train companies are having to do the same. GWR have promised that all the consultation responses will be read and considered.

The afternoon started with a presentation about community and sustainability and how GWR have been able to support communities to achieve goals. The afternoon was completed with a business update and a presentation by Mark Hopwood. Unfortunately because of an incident on the network I decided to get an earlier train home so missed that.

However it’s important to compliment GWR for having these days. It gives a very good opportunity to network and to hear first hand what GWR are doing. The chairman was able to get a question related to the Parkway Station: