Hourly Worcester-Gloucester from December

[whole diary]

[willc]

In the new issue of the CLPG^» (Cotswold Line Promotion Group - about)'s Cotswold and Malvern Line News, Stephen Banaghan, the md of London Midland confirms that from December LM^▸ (London Midland - recent franchise) will be operating six Worcester-Ashchurch-Cheltenham-Gloucester services a da. Combined with the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) Worcester-Bristol workings, this will give an hourly service on the route, making up for XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise))'s abandonment of Ashchurch, though whether the passengers who lost their trains recently will return remains to be seen.

Can only hope that FGW is looking at improving punctuality of its services, to make sure this route becomes a reliable hourly operation attractive to passengers. Recent months have seen rather too many delays to Worcester and Malvern trains which have lost time after starting their journeys miles away on the the South Coast, as well as turning back short in Worcester, rather than running to Malvern, due to earlier delays.

LM will also operate hourly between Hereford and Birmingham, plugging current two-hour gaps in the late morning and early afternoon and they and FGW are aiming to improve connections to and from Cotswold Line trains at the Worcester stations.

[Timmer]

Can only hope that FGW^▸ (First Great Western) is looking at improving punctuality of its services, to make sure this route becomes a reliable hourly operation attractive to passengers. Recent months have seen rather too many delays to Worcester and Malvern trains which have lost time after starting their journeys miles away on the the South Coast, as well as turning back short in Worcester, rather than running to Malvern, due to earlier delays.

See my earlier comment about disruption to Weymouth services from late running services from Gloucester/Worcester/Great Malvern:
http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=3237.msg25087#msg25087

I really think there is a case for separating these services. As good as having direct services is, its not helpful when services miss out stops on route to make up time or end up terminating short of their destination because they are running late which has been happening since these two routes were joined together.

[Graz]

Excellent news, I've always thought a hourly service from Worcester to Gloucester was a good and viable idea that covers a potentially untapped market. My only slight worry is the congestion that might happen around Cheltenham Spa- now that there's going to be 6 trains per hour in each direction, even small delays can cause serious knock-on effects to other trains. I'm very much in support of a 3rd bay platform there.

I'm in complete agreement on Lee here, too. Trains from Weymouth/Brighton to Great Malvern are too far and can accumulate delays with the resulting effect of short workings. I'd say Cheltenham-Westbury is OK, though as I would miss the direct trains!

[bobbyq11]

Here is the timetable from December 2008 for trains Worcester - Gloucester (from NRE^▸ (National Rail Enquiries))

Trains leave from Worcester Shrub Hill for Ashchurch, Cheltenham & Gloucester at:

GW^» (Great Western - used as an abbreviation for the area / lines under the Great Western franchise, as opposed to FGW which includes "First", the company operating them too. For tickets - about): 7:09, 9:00, 11:08, 13:07, 15:07, 17:07, 19:05, 21:09, 22:32
LM^▸ (London Midland - recent franchise): 9:56, 12:15, 14:13, 16:01, 18:14, 20:05f

Trains leave from Gloucester for Cheltenham, Ashchurch & Worcester Shrub Hill at:

GW: 6:01, 7:15, 9:38, 11:36, 13:38, 15:37, 17:38, 19:38, 21:34
LM: 09:10?, 11:13, 13:16, 15:13, 17:10, 19:10f, 21:10?

Key:
GW = First Great Western, most trains start from/terminate at Great Malvern
LM = London Midland
f = train starts from/continues to Worcester Foregate Street
? = Train not listed in online timetable however 6 trains in each direction would mean a train departing at one of these times

Correct at 17th September 2008 - may not be the final timetable released

Southbound timings fill the gap, but northbound services are not very far apart?

[Lee]

Welcome to the forum, bobbyq11

[willc]

While the timetable from 9am onwards is great, disappointed to see that there is still the yawning gap in the morning peak, with nothing either way at about 8am, which for many people is a key bone of contention with the current service.

What a pity that the increasingly selfish CrossCountry management hasn't offered to switch just one train each way off the Worcester avoiding line to fill those gaps, in line with the spirit of industry co-operation shown by FGW^▸ (First Great Western) and LM^▸ (London Midland - recent franchise), to provide a genuinely useful service to passengers.

[Graz]

Thanks bobby

Trains from Glos are a bit disappointing,  as I was hoping for a roughly hourly service both ways. But trains the other way are well timed.