2024 - Service update and amendment log, Swindon <-> Westbury

[whole diary]

[grahame]

18:11 Castle Cary to Swindon due 19:33

18:11 Castle Cary to Swindon due 19:33 will be started from Westbury.
It will no longer call at Castle Cary, Bruton and Frome.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

[grahame]

18:37 Westbury to Swindon due 19:21

18:37 Westbury to Swindon due 19:21 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

17:50 Gloucester to Salisbury due 20:06

17:50 Gloucester to Salisbury due 20:06 will be terminated at Swindon.
It will no longer call at Chippenham, Melksham, Trowbridge, Westbury, Dilton Marsh, Warminster and Salisbury.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

[TaplowGreen]

20:06 Westbury to Cheltenham Spa due 22:05
20:06 Westbury to Cheltenham Spa due 22:05 will be started from Swindon.
It will no longer call at Westbury, Trowbridge, Melksham and Chippenham.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

[brooklea]

18:37 Westbury to Swindon due 19:21 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

No longer shown as cancelled on Journeycheck.

[TaplowGreen]

20:06 Westbury to Cheltenham Spa due 22:05
20:06 Westbury to Cheltenham Spa due 22:05 will be terminated at Gloucester.
It will no longer call at Cheltenham Spa.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

[grahame]

08:45 Swindon to Westbury due 09:26

08:45 Swindon to Westbury due 09:26 is being delayed at Swindon and is now expected to be 10 minutes late.
This is due to the emergency services dealing with an incident.

[grahame]

12:17 Westbury to Swindon due 12:59
13:15 Swindon to Westbury due 13:57

13:15 Swindon to Westbury due 13:57 will be cancelled.
This is due to train crew being delayed by service disruption.

"Silly" unstable rota again - same as Tuesday - the London to Exeter express gets delayed and that train gets delayed or cancelled ...

[TaplowGreen]

08:45 Swindon to Westbury due 09:26
08:45 Swindon to Westbury due 09:26 will be starting late from Swindon.
This is due to a fault with the signalling system.

09:46 Westbury to Swindon due 10:29
09:46 Westbury to Swindon due 10:29 will be starting late from Westbury.
This is due to a fault with the signalling system.

[grahame]

08:45 Swindon to Westbury due 09:26
08:45 Swindon to Westbury due 09:26 will be starting late from Swindon.
This is due to a fault with the signalling system.

09:46 Westbury to Swindon due 10:29
09:46 Westbury to Swindon due 10:29 will be starting late from Westbury.
This is due to a fault with the signalling system.

But I suspect that the signalling system on the TransWilts is NOT at fault ... I read ...

Due to a fault with the signalling system at Newbury all lines are blocked.
Train services running through this station may be cancelled or delayed. Disruption is expected until 11:15 28/06.

... and I suspect that one again GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) are trying to squeeze a gallon of trains through a pint sized single track bottleneck

The line from Swindon to Kemble has been redoubled.  The line from Bristol Temple Meads to Filton Abbey Wood has been requadrupled.  Redoubling or otherwise adding capacity from Chippenham to Trowbridge is long overdue.

[TaplowGreen]

09:52 Westbury to Swindon due 10:36
09:52 Westbury to Swindon due 10:36 will be cancelled.
This is due to a points failure.

11:05 Swindon to Westbury due 11:48
11:05 Swindon to Westbury due 11:48 will be cancelled.
This is due to a points failure.

[grahame]

09:52 Westbury to Swindon due 10:36
09:52 Westbury to Swindon due 10:36 will be cancelled.
This is due to a points failure.

As far as I can tell, the points failure is somewhere between the platforms at Yeovil Pen Mill and Dorchester West, so another example of faiures elsewhere on the network rippling onto our line.

I speculate that crew have been displaced, and the quickest and easiest way to find more crew for "important" trains at Westbury is to leave a four hour gap in services at Melksham.  After all, it's been done before ...

[grahame]

2O88 - at 09:06 sitting in the bay at Swindon is 165108 which should have left at 08:45.   Shows "expected 09:32" at Melksham.  ... just set off at 09:10.

[grahame]

2O88 - at 09:06 sitting in the bay at Swindon is 165108 which should have left at 08:45.   Shows "expected 09:32" at Melksham.  ... just set off at 09:10.

08:45 Swindon to Weymouth due 11:08
08:45 Swindon to Weymouth due 11:08 will be terminated at Yeovil Pen Mill.
It will no longer call at Maiden Newton, Dorchester West and Weymouth.
It has been delayed at Swindon and is now 24 minutes late.
This is due to a fault with the signalling system.

What is there to do with a bucket and spade at Yeovil?

[grahame]

Spot the difference ....

[grahame]

Cancellations to services between Yeovil Pen Mill and Weymouth

Following a fault with the signalling system between Yeovil Pen Mill and Weymouth all lines have now reopened.

Train services running to and from these stations are returning to normal but some services may still be cancelled, delayed by up to 80 minutes or revised. Disruption is expected until 10:00 29/06.

Customer Advice

The Weymouth line has re-opened albeit with delays of 60 minutes that will still occur for a short time. We are sorry for the delay to your journey.

South Western Railway are conveying passengers via any reasonable route until further notice.

Does that mean that the through train [from Melksham] to Weymouth is fully re-instated, but may not arrive these until about midday?   What did people hear as they awaited the trains and how did they change their plans? I am keeping a watch ... and waiting to see what I hear from people who had a day at the seaside planned.

Our Labour Parliamentary candidate at the hustings on Wednesday told us that whilst we have a railway station in Melksham, it's not to be relied on / not greatly used and people need to drive to other stations / be picked up and dropped off to get a train.