Fed-up commuter's new rail service

Years of late-running trains have convinced commuter Rory Webster to run his own rail service - earlier and cheaper.

He intends to lease two trains to run earlier to London Paddington, 78 miles from his home village of Pewsey in Wiltshire.

The earliest train from Pewsey to the capital is currently First Great Western's 7.24am service - too late for early birds like Mr Webster. At the moment passengers have to travel from Swindon or Andover to get into London earlier.

From January next year, Trotter Trains, as it will be known, will run its two trains at 5am and 6am from Westbury, Wiltshire, said Mr Webster. The trains will call at Pewsey at 5.20am and 6.20am before stopping at Reading and Heathrow on their way to Paddington.

"I'm just an ordinary man in the street with a desire to see things work better," said the 56-year-old entrepreneur, who lives in Sharcott, near Pewsey, with his wife Inga and their four children. There's no consideration for the traveller at the moment. We might as well be meat."

Having suffered as a train passenger for 27 years, Mr Webster claims his own trains will not only run earlier, but they will be cheaper. He said he has discovered a loophole in First Great Western's pricing system, which he intends to make use of.

"A return ticket on the 7.24am from Pewsey to Paddington costs £57 (standard open return) but I can buy two returns, from Pewsey to Newbury and then another from Newbury to Paddington, and pay a combined price of £38," he said. A return fare bought from one of Trotters Trains' on-board ticket sellers will cost just £33.

Aware of their shortage of rolling stock, he is hoping to lease back his trains to First Great Western during the day, after their arrival in London. At 7pm the trains will be handed back to Trotters Trains for the first return service, followed by a second train at 9pm or 9.30pm.

He added: "Even if all this comes to nothing more than waking First Great Western up to the fact that there's a demand for earlier trains, then I will have achieved something."

A First Great Western spokesman said: "Government figures show that our journey numbers have increased dramatically."