2022 - TransWilts cancellations and amendments log

[whole diary]

[grahame]

Cancelled today 13.12.2022 - (in the passenger's view) the following services:
05:17, 07:06(1), 07:36, 09:46, 12:17, 14:18, 16:25, 18:34 and 20:06(1) from Westbury to Swindon
06:11(1), 08:45, 11:05, 13:15, 15:14, 17:36, 18:52(1) and 20:45 Swindon to Westbury
(1) - service schedule to run beyond Westbury / Swindon, cancelled throughout

No rail replacement buses or taxis provided.

I appreciate this is a very small part of issues right across GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) territory and indeed beyond, but it's worth the occasional flagging - it's a failure to providea a service which people want / wish / need to rely on in their daily lives, but to which they are having to find alternatives. Once they find alternatives, and if those alternatives work well for them (or better than the unreliable trains service) they may become permanent changes even on days the trains do run!

Alternatives

The following journey options are available - reduced but not totally cancelled services:

Trains from Westbury at 07:55, 09:03 and hourly to 17:02, and 17:42 are currently scheduled to Trowbridge and via Bath Spa. Change at Bath Spa for hourly trains to Chippenham and Swindon (07:43, 08:51, 09:45 and hourly to 16:44, then 17:32).
* First connection Westbury to Swindon - 07:55 from Westbury, arrive Swindon 09:17.
* Last connection Westbury to Swindon - 16:02 from Westbury, arrive Swindon at 17:12
(The 17:02 from Westbury is timetabled to arrive at Bath Spa just one minute before the last Swindon service leaves and you are not advised to try it)

Trains from Swindon at 07:38, 08:31, 09:17, 10:30, 11:53, 12:30, 13:29, 14:29, 15:29, 16:30 and 17:53 to Chippenham and continue on via Bath Spa, from where connections are available to Westbury via Trowbridge at 07:51, 08:37 and hourly to 17:39.
* First connection Swindon to Westbury - 07:38 from Swindon, arrive Westbury 09:10.
* Last connection Swindon to Westbury - 16:30 from Swindon, arrive Westbury 18:09.

No train service south of Westbury to / from / via Warminster or Frome
No passenger train services at Melksham

In the evening, limited bus services from from Trowbridge to Bath, from Bath to Chippenham and from Chippenham to Swindon. They are, however, very slow compared to the train. During the day, buses also run Westbury to Trowbridge.  Also from Frome via Trowbridge and Melksham to Chippenham.

[grahame]

The GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) website is quoting fares for today, Westbury to Swindon
22.00 anytime return
17.40 off peak return
17.00 anytime single

When services are running via Melksham, fares on that route are
12.00 anytime return
8.60 off peak return
9.90 anytime single
8.50 off peak single

GWR will (and it's officially confirmed) accept "via Melksham" tickets on the alterative service vis Bath Spa when the direct (and faster!) train is cancelled - so you should be able to travel today at the lower rates. However, I note that although GWR have updated their journey planner to remove the cancelled trains, they have not updated it to reflect the availability of "via Melksham" fares to passengers who have to travel the long way round today!

[grahame]

Cancelled today 13.12.2022 - (in the passenger's view) the following services:
05:17, 07:06(1), 07:36, 09:46, 12:17, 14:18, 16:25, 18:34 and 20:06(1) from Westbury to Swindon
06:11(1), 08:45, 11:05, 13:15, 15:14, 17:36, 18:52(1) and 20:45 Swindon to Westbury
(1) - service schedule to run beyond Westbury / Swindon, cancelled throughout
No rail replacement buses or taxis provided.

Same again today, 14th December 2022.  17 trains in the new "timetable" that started on Sunday, 0 running.

[grahame]

Cancelled today 15.12.2022 - (in the passenger's view) the following services:
05:17 from Westbury to Swindon
06:11 from Swindon to Westbury (and beyond)
07:06 from Westbury to Swindon (part of Salisbury to Cheltenham Spa though service

First passenger train at Melksham
07:53 northbound (towards Swindon)
09:09 southbound (towards Westbury)

[grahame]

07:37 Westbury to Swindon due 08:19

07:37 Westbury to Swindon due 08:19 will be starting late from Westbury.
This is due to a fault on this train.

[grahame]

09:46 Westbury to Swindon due 10:34
11:05 Swindon to Westbury due 11:47

11:05 Swindon to Westbury due 11:47 will be cancelled.
This is due to a fault on this train.

[grahame]

07:37 Westbury to Swindon due 08:19

07:37 Westbury to Swindon due 08:19 will be starting late from Westbury.
This is due to a fault on this train.

however - it looks like that one RAN and more or less on time (between 2 and 3 minutes late along the way).  Only northbound train so far today, mind you ... first two in the normal timetable had disappeared from today's "amended service" a day or two back, and the following one is shown up as cancelled.  Second train of the day - if we're lucky - at lunchtime!

[grahame]

12:17 Westbury to Swindon due 12:59 
13:15 Swindon to Westbury due 13:56
14:16 Westbury to Swindon due 15:01
15:14 Swindon to Westbury due 15:58
16:25 Westbury to Swindon due 17:08
17:36 Swindon to Westbury due 18:20
18:34 Westbury to Swindon due 19:21
20:45 Swindon to Westbury due 21:26

20:45 Swindon to Westbury due 21:26 will be cancelled.
This is due to a fault on this train.

[grahame]

This is due to a fault on this train.

At the risk of teaching our grandmother to suck eggs, should someone not tell GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) to use a different train that's actually working instead?     Fair enough loosing one round trip due to a broken down train - but six in sequence over a period of 12 hours ...

[AMLAG]

There have been numerous unit failures today, including at least three at Westbury at start of services this morning; not least due to the very low overnight temperatures following a (strike) day when the temp. hardly got above 0’ C and the units were stood in the freezing cold all day, with likely no one to keep them warm. Remember the days when the old (conventional first generation) DMUs^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit) had their engines kept running all night for fear they wouldn’t start up on a frosty morning ?!
Even on past strike days they and the Hydraulic diesels would be regularly started up.

It’s surprising the Govt/DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) didn’t issue an instruction to TOCS to tell their staff (the strikers) to stay at home today without pay, seeing they stayed away from work the previous two days and  will for the next two days.

[grahame]

There have been numerous unit failures today, including at least three at Westbury at start of services this morning ...

Yep, I appreciate that and the 07:37 round trip was reported delayed, but only by a couple of minutes - got back to Westbury on time at 09:26.   However, rather that carry on with the normal day's diagram the unit was "stolen" to run at 09:40 via Bristol and then Gloucester, etc ... leaving the TransWilts trainless (according to Jounrneycheck) until the 18:48 from Swindon.

I can appreciate that if there was only one working train at Westbury at 09:30 and two services to be run, someone had to make a decision.   Disappointed that the decision was to effectively close the Swindon service down for the day.

[bradshaw]

Now from bad to worse
GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) Journey Check 15.51

  Alterations to services between Swindon and Westbury via Melksham
Due to more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time disruption is expected until 19:00 15/12.
Train services between Swindon and Westbury via Melksham have been suspended.
Additional Information
Passengers from Westbury and Trowbridge are advised to await the next service towards Bath Spa and then change there for services towards Chippenham and Swindon.
-
Passengers from Swindon and Chippenham are advised to await the next service towards Bath Spa and then change there for services towards Trowbridge and Westbury.
-
Passengers from Melksham are advised to please use the Customer Help Point or contact National Rail Enquiries on 03457 484 950 detailing the total number of passengers in your party and your intended destination. This will enable us to get suitable replacement transport to you as quickly as possible.
-
Passengers from Westbury or Trowbridge for Melksham should contact station staff for onward road transport.
-
Passengers from Swindon for Melksham should travel to Chippenham on the next available service and then liaise with station staff for onwards road transport to Melksham.

[Timmer]

Looking at Journeycheck, replacement buses have been arranged to operate between Westbury and Chippenham this evening. One northbound, two southbound.

[Gaz]

The line got a shoutout on national radio (Talksport) "no services between Chippenham and Trowbridge due to no rolling stock" 

[Timmer]

Looking at Journeycheck, replacement buses have been arranged to operate between Westbury and Chippenham this evening. One northbound, two southbound.

Here’s the list of replacement bus services along with another part cancellation:

17:50 Gloucester to Salisbury due 20:07
17:50 Gloucester to Salisbury due 20:07 has been reinstated.
It will be started from Westbury.
It will no longer call at Gloucester, Stonehouse, Stroud, Kemble, Swindon, Chippenham, Melksham and Trowbridge.
This is due to more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time.

18:34 Westbury to Chippenham due 19:15
An additional bus service has been planned to operate as shown 18:34 Westbury to Chippenham due 19:15.

19:45 Chippenham to Westbury due 20:28
An additional bus service has been planned to operate as shown 19:45 Chippenham to Westbury due 20:28.

21:44 Chippenham to Westbury due 22:27
An additional bus service has been planned to operate as shown 21:44 Chippenham to Westbury due 22:27.

Additional Information
Please check the stations Onward Travel Information poster and wait for the replacement road transport at the designated stop. The replacement road transport may run later than the advertised train times owing to the additional time taken by road between stations and the time required for loading and unloading at each stop. The coach company providing the vehicle is ZJ Travel Ltd.

Services calling at Melksham and Trowbridge en route.