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  • Exeter Chiefs at Twickenham: May 27, 2017
  • Football fans travelling: May 28, 2017 - May 29, 2017
  • Reading FC fans to Wembley: May 29, 2017
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Author Topic: May 2017 Bank Holiday weekend - extra busy services to / from Paddington  (Read 16899 times)
Adelante_CCT
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« on: May 17, 2017, 20:23:44 »

Upto 38,000 Reading fans will be heading to Wembley on the bank holiday Monday, many travelling by train. (15:00 KO).

I expect morning/lunchtime travel towards London to be fairly staggered although coming back, I fully expect services departing Paddington between 17:30 and early evening to be extremely busy.

I know in the past the odd extra or strengthened turbo has appeared late on, although as things stand there is a distinct lack of services with only 3 HSTs (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units)) (Cornwall/South Wales/Bristol) and 3 turbos (Bedwyn/Cotswolds/Oxford) per hour fast from Paddington.

« Last Edit: May 20, 2017, 20:17:30 by Chris from Nailsea » Logged
John R
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« Reply #1 on: May 17, 2017, 20:29:19 »

To be fair, you've hardly given the railway any opportunity to work out any additional services, let alone publicise them.
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Chris from Nailsea
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« Reply #2 on: May 17, 2017, 20:36:01 »

In the meantime, Adelante_CCT, I've taken the opportunity to link this topic to the Coffee Shop forum's calendar.  CfN.  Wink
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chrisr_75
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« Reply #3 on: May 18, 2017, 01:02:59 »

I'm amazed there are that many Reading fans!  Grin
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TaplowGreen
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« Reply #4 on: May 18, 2017, 05:20:28 »

I'm amazed there are that many Reading fans!  Grin

You'd be amazed how many previously unseen lifelong, loyal, diehard fans emerge when any club reaches Wembley!
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Adelante_CCT
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« Reply #5 on: May 18, 2017, 07:08:18 »

To be fair, you've hardly given the railway any opportunity to work out any additional services, let alone publicise them.

True, this was more of a warning to the uninitiated about the busy services, and of course this thread can be updated if or hopefully when additionals are added in due course.


I'm amazed there are that many Reading fans!  Grin

Well I did say upto 38,000  Smiley



You'd be amazed how many previously unseen lifelong, loyal, diehard fans emerge when any club reaches Wembley!

Very true TG, I am a season ticket holder though so at least I can be excused from that group  Smiley
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IndustryInsider
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« Reply #6 on: May 18, 2017, 07:17:47 »

We'll see what they do, but I imagine more than a couple of extra trains will be difficult to path as I would think two tracks will be closed so Crossrail works can continue?

Perhaps a couple of 9-12 car Turbos could run to really provide some high capacity additional trains?  Also encourage Reading's fan base from the Didcot area to travel via Oxford/Chiltern and others to travel via Waterloo.

Has all the makings of a bit of a disaster!
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To view my GWML (Great Western Main Line) Electrification cab video 'before and after' video comparison, as well as other videos of the new layout at Reading and 'before and after' comparisons of the Cotswold Line Redoubling scheme, see: http://www.dailymotion.com/user/IndustryInsider/
TaplowGreen
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« Reply #7 on: May 18, 2017, 07:36:53 »

We'll see what they do, but I imagine more than a couple of extra trains will be difficult to path as I would think two tracks will be closed so Crossrail works can continue?

Perhaps a couple of 9-12 car Turbos could run to really provide some high capacity additional trains?  Also encourage Reading's fan base from the Didcot area to travel via Oxford/Chiltern and others to travel via Waterloo.

Has all the makings of a bit of a disaster!

'Twas ever thus, railway can't seem to cope with major sporting events.....having said that, some lessons seem to have been learned judging by the service GWR (Great Western Railway) are providing for the Champions league final in Cardiff, so maybe they'll surprise us!

Thankfully the mighty Plymouth Argyle gained automatic promotion this season, so for the first time in a few years I don't have to contemplate the agony of the playoffs!
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« Reply #8 on: May 18, 2017, 09:15:29 »

I sympathise with NR» (Network Rail - home page)/GWR (Great Western Railway) in this case as Crossrail work has been planned for ages and to postpone it would cost a lot of money and could jeopardise the on-time completion of the project.  And with such matches you then need to have fall back plans as the time the majority of fans arrive back at Paddington will vary by 1-2 hours depending on whether they get beaten in normal time or win in a penalty shootout.

Let's hope they can find a few extra paths and fill them with maximum length trains.
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To view my GWML (Great Western Main Line) Electrification cab video 'before and after' video comparison, as well as other videos of the new layout at Reading and 'before and after' comparisons of the Cotswold Line Redoubling scheme, see: http://www.dailymotion.com/user/IndustryInsider/
paul7575
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« Reply #9 on: May 18, 2017, 10:15:20 »

Playoffs between teams that can be from anywhere in the country that don't actually become predictable until a few weeks before the season ends are impossible to plan round.   Unless you declare certain weekends maintenance free across the entire main line network this is nearly always going to result in moans from somewhere.

Paul
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Adelante_CCT
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« Reply #10 on: May 18, 2017, 12:58:07 »

Quote
We'll see what they do, but I imagine more than a couple of extra trains will be difficult to path as I would think two tracks will be closed so Crossrail works ...

Don't think so, RTT» (Real Time Trains - website) seems to show all 4 tracks running normally throughout. 4 stoppers per hour and the Heathrow and Hayes services running as normal in addition to the fasts posted above.

The main engineering works being in the Swindon area.
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« Reply #11 on: May 18, 2017, 14:01:31 »

That's a relief.  If you'll excuse the pun.

Apologies for not checking and as a result misleading everyone, but I can't remember the last bank holiday when there wasn't a two track timetable in operation and given the amount of platform extensions underway I'm surprised.
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bobm
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« Reply #12 on: May 19, 2017, 07:34:51 »

Exeter City have now booked their place at Wembley.  They'll face Blackpool on Sunday 28th May.
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TaplowGreen
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« Reply #13 on: May 19, 2017, 13:09:40 »

Exeter's away following is pretty small (unless they're playing Plymouth!) there will undoubtedly be a boost from the bandwagon brigade but I doubt it'll be vast numbers.
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ChrisB
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« Reply #14 on: May 19, 2017, 13:14:31 »

Even to Wembley?...I think otherwise.

And Mods - update to subject to include the 28th May?
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