THE article about Chiltern Railways, written by Nasser Hashmi (BFP, August 28), was an absolute waste of time and space.

When did he take his journey? On a Sunday afternoon.

When do most users of the service travel? Monday to Friday mornings and evenings.

Who did he ask about the service? It looked like six of his stated eight fellow passengers.

Why on earth didn't he ask travellers who use the service regularly and often stand nose-to-nose or sit squashed between two other regular-sized travellers?

The service has deteriorated beyond recognition and it is such a pity since it wasn't always like this.

I have been travelling regularly since 1992, and, until the past year or so, the service bore no resemblance to those including the Chiltern Line so heavily criticised by the Office of Passenger Rail Franchising (OPRAF).

Trains were ALWAYS on time and, even during a national strike, those of us travelling by Chiltern Railways could continue our journey undisturbed.

A Travelcard from Beaconsfield began at 8.50am. Now, the first Travelcard train has crept forward to 9.10, a difference of 20 minutes, forcing many to almost double their travel costs.

Consequently, we are receiving a far inferior service and paying double the cost for it.

Come on editor, for a newspaper which has received national accolades for its production, we deserve better reporting than this.

Tricia Parsons

Whitepit Lane

Flackwell Heath

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.