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

[whole diary]

[grahame]

20:14 Swindon to Westbury due 20:58

20:14 Swindon to Westbury due 20:58 will be cancelled.
This is due to heavy rain flooding the railway.

[grahame]

17:44 Swindon to Westbury due 18:25 will be started from Melksham.
It will no longer call at Swindon and Chippenham.
It will be delayed at Melksham.
This is due to animals on the railway.

This just one of a number of changes that hit in a typical week ... and in amongst the statistics I/we sometimes overlook the effect on passengers.

Posting in our "Transport Scholars" area, I have reproduced a letter from "John Warwick" to Mark Hopwood which he has shared with me and a number of others which illustrated just how even a single cancellation / issue / late change effects and frustrates the customers.

Transport Scholar members of the Coffee Shop - see http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/29203 ... if you are not a Transport Scholar,  please send me a personal message or like this post, and I will add you in

Edit to add - this was Sunday, and NOT yesterday when there were weather and flooding issues.

[grahame]

I have posted a Melksham summary from yesterday from real time trains..

The morning disruption should not have been, as yet again GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) didn't have enough staff to operate all their trains and put a 4 hour gap each way at Melksham (population 25,000) including removing the first "off peak" service northbound, which is usually 2nd or 3rd busiest of all the trains going that way in the day.

The afternoon / evening disruption was beyond GWR's control. Heavy rain flooded one of the tracks between Swindon and Chippenham, and then closed the Swindon to Bristol Parkway line too.  The bigger question relates to what Network Rail are doing / have done to cope with extreme (and becoming less extreme) weather. I do wonder if lowering of the tracks to allow electrification which goes as far as Cocklebury Lane has made the line more prone to flooding at the very time that we are getting more and more aware of climate change.

[ChrisB]

becoming *more* extreme, surely?

[grahame]

becoming *more* extreme, surely?

Just checking if anyone was reading 

[grahame]

17:50 Gloucester to Salisbury due 20:06

17:50 Gloucester to Salisbury due 20:06 has been reinstated.
It was terminated at Swindon.
It will no longer call at Chippenham, Melksham, Trowbridge, Westbury, Dilton Marsh, Warminster and Salisbury.
This is due to train crew being delayed by service disruption.

[Chris from Nailsea]

becoming *more* extreme, surely?

Just checking if anyone was reading 

I noted, and thought aloud, "I'll leave grahame to respond to this one". 

[grahame]

06:35 Salisbury to Worcester Foregate Street due 09:47

06:35 Salisbury to Worcester Foregate Street due 09:47 will be terminated at Swindon.
It will no longer call at Kemble, Stroud, Stonehouse, Gloucester, Cheltenham Spa, Ashchurch For Tewkesbury, Worcester Shrub Hill and Worcester Foregate Street.
This is due to a late running train being in front of this one.

[grahame]

08:45 Swindon to Westbury due 09:26
09:46 Westbury to Swindon due 10:29

09:46 Westbury to Swindon due 10:29 will be cancelled.
This is due to a fault on this train.

[brooklea]

06:35 Salisbury to Worcester Foregate Street due 09:47

06:35 Salisbury to Worcester Foregate Street due 09:47 will be terminated at Swindon.
It will no longer call at Kemble, Stroud, Stonehouse, Gloucester, Cheltenham Spa, Ashchurch For Tewkesbury, Worcester Shrub Hill and Worcester Foregate Street.
This is due to a late running train being in front of this one.

Cancellations to services between Cheltenham Spa and Swindon via Gloucester
Due to a broken down train between Stroud and Kemble the line is blocked. Disruption is expected until 09:45 26/09.
Train services between Cheltenham Spa and Swindon via Gloucester may be cancelled, delayed or diverted.
Customer Advice
We're sorry for the delay to your journey.
-
A freight train has come to a stop between Stroud and Kemble. The locomotive had a mechanical issue and will require another locomotive to couple up to it to get it moving again. This rescue locomotive is currently making its way to the broken down train.
-
As there is only one line that trains can use towards Kemble and Swindon we are unable to run trains between Gloucester and Swindon at this time.
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While we are unable to run trains, you may use your train ticket, at no extra cost, on the following Stagecoach bus routes:
94, 94X between Gloucester and Cheltenham.
D between Cheltenham Spa Station and Cheltenham City centre.
51 between Swindon (Bus Station) and Cheltenham.
10 between Gloucester (Clarence Street), Cheltenham (Promenade)
62 between Gloucester (Bus Station), Stroud (Merrywalks) and Stonehouse (Elgin Mall).
63 between Gloucester (Bus Station) and Stroud (Merrywalks).
64 between Gloucester (Bus Station), Stonehouse (Elgin Mall) and Stroud (Merrywalks).
65 between Gloucester (Bus Station), Stonehouse (Elgin Mall), Cam, Dursley and Stroud (Merrywalks).
66 between Cheltenham (Promenade) and Stroud (Merrywalks).
71 between Gloucester (Bus Station) and Ashchurch for Tewkesbury (Station).
97, 98 between Gloucester (Bus Station) and Cheltenham (Promenade).
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You may also use your train ticket on CrossCountry train services between Gloucester and Cheltenham Spa and between Cheltenham Spa and Bristol Parkway.
-
We will update this message with more information when we have it.

From opentraintimes maps, appears to be 6V15 from Boston to Swindon (steel train?) which has had a problem this morning between Stroud and Kemble.

Lots of alternative options suggested for would-be travellers.

[brooklea]

08:45 Swindon to Westbury due 09:26
09:46 Westbury to Swindon due 10:29

09:46 Westbury to Swindon due 10:29 will be cancelled.
This is due to a fault on this train.

Cancellations to services between Trowbridge and Chippenham
Due to a fault on this train between Trowbridge and Chippenham the line towards Melksham is closed.
Train services running through these stations may be cancelled. Disruption is expected until the end of the day.
Customer Advice
Due to a fault on the train all services will be a replacement taxis service until another train can be sourced. Taxis has been requested

We're sorry for the delay to your journey.

We will update this message with more information when we have it.
Further Information
An update will follow within the next 2 hours.
If you require further information please speak to our staff at the station or on the train, use the Customer Help Point, tweet us @GWRHelp or call National Rail Enquiries on 03457 484 950.

If you arrive at your destination 15 or more minutes late because your GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) train was delayed or cancelled, you can claim Delay Repay compensation. Please keep your ticket and visit GWR.com/DelayRepay

Disruption expected until the end of the day 
Hopefully the allocated train can be repaired sooner, or an alternative sourced, but not reading much hope in the message above quoted from JourneyCheck.

For the record, the 0632 from Melksham to Southampton ran (luckily ran in front of the freight train which subsequently broke down around Kemble this morning), and in the other direction, the 0721 from Melksham made it as far as Swindon. Otherwise, taxis only at Melksham station so far today.

[grahame]

To confirm it continuing

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.

I was doing a drop off run in the c-a-r ... BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) Wiltshire traffic news tells me of train cancellations between Westbury and Swindon.   Good they are telling us. Good publicity that such a service exists. Bad that people hear about is disproportionally when it's up the Swanee!

[brooklea]

A few minutes late, but the 1217 for Swindon has just left Westbury, so hopefully the TransWilts services will all run for the rest of the day.

[TaplowGreen]

A few minutes late, but the 1217 for Swindon has just left Westbury, so hopefully the TransWilts services will all run for the rest of the day.

Sadly it would appear not......

13:15 Swindon to Westbury due 13:57
13:15 Swindon to Westbury due 13:57 is being delayed at Melksham.
This is due to a fault on this train.

[bobm]

Steam/smoke coming from under the seats apparently