2023 Delays and Cancellations

[whole diary]

[Worcester_Passenger]

Getting worse:

19:52 London Paddington to Great Malvern due 22:23 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.
Last Updated:19/08/2023 17:52

21:52 London Paddington to Worcester Shrub Hill due 00:08 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.
Last Updated:19/08/2023 19:08

[Worcester_Passenger]

On Sunday August 20, Shrub Hill was closed and trains from London were turning round at Worcestershire Parkway.

There was only one cancellation, the 19:44 Paddington - Worcestershire Parkway, which was cancelled after Oxford. According to RTT^» (Real Time Trains - website), "This service was cancelled between Oxford and Worcestershire Parkway due to the planned train being replaced with a slower train (MS)". The "slower train" being a five-car Turbo.

Cancelling it at Oxford did at least save the long empty journey it should have made back to Stoke Gifford by way of Oxford and Bath.

Meanwhile, on Monday August 21:

05:14 Worcester Shrub Hill to London Paddington due 07:24 will be cancelled.
This is due to a fault on this train.
Last Updated:21/08/2023 01:09

[Witham Bobby]

1P11 0514 Worcester Shrub Hill to Paddington was cancelled today, "at operators request" according to RTT^» (Real Time Trains - website)

The OWW^▸ (Oxford Worcester and Wolverhampton) well and truly lives up to it's nickname, these days

[ChrisB]

Meanwhile, on Monday August 21:

05:14 Worcester Shrub Hill to London Paddington due 07:24 will be cancelled.
This is due to a fault on this train.
Last Updated:21/08/2023 01:09

[Worcester_Passenger]

Some late running this evening, none of which made it onto JourneyCheck:

1W36 18:57 London Paddington to Great Malvern - on time to Reading, but sat there for 48 minutes. Arrived Shrub Hill 77 late and cancelled thereafter.
1W05 19:53 London Paddington to Hereford - on time to Oxford. Held at Wolvercote (for 1P42 and 1P44), left there 47 late. Arrived 53 late.
1W41 20:52 London Paddington to Great Malvern. Left Paddington 36 late. Arrived 39 late

1P42 19:05 Great Malvern to London Paddington - departed 23 late, held at Norton Junction and at Charlbury (for 1W36 above). Arrived 54 late.
1P44 19:45 Great Malvern to London Paddington - departed 12 late. Arrived 12 late.

Occupation of the single line between Wolvercote and Charlbury:

Train           Schedule           Actual
1W36   19:51-20:03   20:57-21:06
1P42   20:14-20:26      21:06-21:18
1W05   20:49-21:01   21:36-21:50
1P44   21:10-21:25   21:24-21:36

[Worcester_Passenger]

07:13 Great Malvern to London Paddington due 09:40 is being delayed at Great Malvern.
This is due to this train being late from the depot.
Last Updated:24/08/2023 07:13

The empty train left the depot 13 early, but waited for some time at Shrub Hill and got to Great Malvern 16 late.
The 07:13 departed 13 late, but was held at Henwick and Charlbury (33 late), was 26 late at Slough but lost more time on the approach to Paddington. Arrived 49 late.

[Witham Bobby]

07:13 Great Malvern to London Paddington due 09:40 is being delayed at Great Malvern.
This is due to this train being late from the depot.
Last Updated:24/08/2023 07:13

The empty train left the depot 13 early, but waited for some time at Shrub Hill and got to Great Malvern 16 late.
The 07:13 departed 13 late, but was held at Henwick and Charlbury (33 late), was 26 late at Slough but lost more time on the approach to Paddington. Arrived 49 late.

What a way to run a railroad

[Worcester_Passenger]

10:53 London Paddington to Worcester Shrub Hill due 13:01 will be terminated at Oxford.
It is being delayed between London Paddington and Reading and is now expected to be 34 minutes late.
This is due to a fault with the signalling system.
Last Updated:24/08/2023 11:40

13:16 Worcester Shrub Hill to London Paddington due 15:22 will be started from Oxford.
This is due to a fault with the signalling system.
Last Updated:24/08/2023 11:44

Meanwhile, train 1P26, 10:59 Great Malvern to London Paddington spent 41 minutes sat in Foregate Street's platform 1 due to a more local signalling failure. Still yet to be reported on JourneyCheck.
This forced trains 2E55 09:38 Bristol Temple Meads to Worcester Foregate Street and 2V36 10:03 Dorridge to Worcester Foregate Street and their return workings to be terminated at Shrub Hill. The problem with the Bristol train is reported on JourneyCheck.

[Worcester_Passenger]

Unreported on JourneyCheck, train 1W02, the 1152 London Paddington to Hereford, left Paddington on time, was 15 late at Oxford, lost time thereafter and was terminated at Shrub Hill having arrived there 27 late. Reported on RTT^» (Real Time Trains - website) as being "due to an issue with the train crew (TH)".

12:53 London Paddington to Worcester Foregate Street due 15:00 will be terminated at Worcester Shrub Hill.
This is due to train crew being delayed by service disruption.
Will be formed of 5 coaches instead of 9.
Last Updated:24/08/2023 14:13

This train departed Paddington 27 late and ran that late throughout.

15:17 Worcester Foregate Street to London Paddington due 17:24 will be started from Worcester Shrub Hill.
This is due to train crew being delayed by service disruption.
Will be formed of 5 coaches instead of 9.
Last Updated:24/08/2023 14:13

21:53 London Paddington to Worcester Shrub Hill due 00:10 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.
Last Updated:24/08/2023 15:07

[Worcester_Passenger]

1W27 1350 London Paddington to Great Malvern departed 21 late. Arrived Shrub Hill 27 late and cancelled thereafter.

In consequence

16:32 Great Malvern to London Paddington due 19:29 will be started from Worcester Foregate Street.
This is due to congestion.
Last Updated:24/08/2023 16:16

[Worcester_Passenger]

Train 1P34 15:17 Worcester Foregate Street to London Paddington.
RTT^» (Real Time Trains - website) reports: started from Shrub Hill, 12 late. Held for 14 minutes at Charlbury. Arrived 24 late.

[Worcester_Passenger]

In the interests of completeness, we should record problems with yesterday's (Thu Aug 24) train 1P06 22:00 Hereford to London Paddington.
This left Hereford on time, was held at Norton (for 1W41 20:52 London Paddington to Great Malvern, which lost time between Oxford and Worcester, arriving at Malvern 15 late)  and at Charlbury and arrived at Paddington 24 late.
But ... does this lateness matter? Does anybody travel on this train? You have to ask what it is for - would it not be more sensible to leave it parked in the sidings at Shrub Hill and use it on an early journey to Paddington?

Meanwhile, in early journeys to Paddington today (Fri Aug 25):

1P11 0514 Worcester Shrub Hill to London Paddington was cancelled throughout, "due to an issue with the train crew (TG)" according to RTT^» (Real Time Trains - website).

25/08/23 06:43 Worcester Shrub Hill to London Paddington due 08:43 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.
Last Updated:24/08/2023 22:56

07:13 Great Malvern to London Paddington due 09:40 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.
Last Updated:25/08/2023 06:51

25/08/23 09:52 London Paddington to Hereford due 12:46 will be started from Worcester Shrub Hill.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.
Last Updated:24/08/2023 22:59

So, at Evesham, the trains towards Paddington were
    05:35 cancelled
    06:35 from Hereford - OK
    07:00 cancelled
    07:21 halts train (to Oxford and Didcot Parkway), just 2 cars
    07:51 cancelled
    08:35 from Shrub Hill - OK

[ChrisB]

The halts train is usually 2 cars as the halts station platforms are two cars long.

They could use SDO^▸ (Selective Door Opening) stock, but a 2car turbo is cheaper.

[grahame]

The halts train is usually 2 cars as the halts station platforms are two cars long.

They could use SDO^▸ (Selective Door Opening) stock, but a 2car turbo is cheaper.

Indeed it is cheaper. It is probably inadequate too if the previous train was cancelled!

[IndustryInsider]

But ... does this lateness matter? Does anybody travel on this train? You have to ask what it is for - would it not be more sensible to leave it parked in the sidings at Shrub Hill and use it on an early journey to Paddington?

It’s ironic that it’s by far the most reliable of the Hereford to London trains, but hardly anyone uses it for that journey.

There will usually be up to a dozen on board from Hereford getting off at either Ledbury or Worcester, a few more join there (on a Friday night a couple of dozen), a few more on at Parkway, but mostly they will leave at Pershore/Evesham.  Then you’ll usually be in single figures to Oxford where up to another couple of dozen will join (twice that on a Friday), mostly heading to Didcot.  From there you might have a couple of dozen boarding and alighting through to Paddington (again, quite a lot more on a Friday).

So, a one car Class 153 would be ideal, apart from a Friday when you might need a two or three car Turbo.  A 9-car IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train) is a little bit of an over provision to put it mildly.  It’s not alone in that regard for a late evening service heading to Paddington though.

And if it didn’t run at all beyond Worcester I’m sure the locals wouldn’t be happy about having a last train to Evesham, Oxford and London as early as 9pm.