New timetables

[whole diary]

[devon_metro]

Thanks for the heads up.

1st glaring error of the day: 0730 Paddington - Penzance doesn't have via Bristol on it

[rogerw]

National Timetable also available on line
http://www.networkrail.co.uk/aspx/4178.aspx

[Timmer]

Thanks for the heads up.

1st glaring error of the day: 0730 Paddington - Penzance doesn't have via Bristol on it

whoops!

[IndustryInsider]

It looks like my source for the Cotswold Line trains reverting back to HST^▸ (High Speed Train)'s might well have been wrong, as all the current turbo operated ones remain lacking with the little 'H' symbol.

Also, as this timetable will be a bit of a write off on that route because of the re-doubling work anyway, I'm not surprised to see late evening services replaced by buses. However the last two departures from London will be buses from Oxford weekdays (except Friday) and if you wanted to go through to Worcester on them then you're faced with a bus journey of over 3 hours - that's getting on for 2 hours longer that it would take on the train.

Surely two buses should be provided, one to cater for Hanborough, Charlbury, Shipton, and Kingham, with the other running straight to Moreton and then on to Honeybourne, Evesham, Pershore and Worcester? I reckon between 40-50 minutes journey time could be saved for Moreton and beyond by doing it that way. Sending a bus on a 3-hour magical mystery tour of all the stations on a route which doesn't really follow any major roads for much of the time is preposterous, and hopefully common sense will see these provisional details changed for the better.

[Btline]

Are there going to be any booklets, with the MD's message and passenger info/facilities?

[moonrakerz]

Just had a look at the new timetables - I get the distinct impression that someone in a FGW^▸ (First Great Western) back office was told to split down the old booklet "E" into bite sized chunks. Unfortunately this person didn't have much of an understanding of:
a. FGW route structure
b. The basic geography of the West Country

I have recently used (and will again) the FGW direct service from Warminster to Worcester to get to Birmingham at half the price of the "direct" route.
I will not go into the question as to who decided to run a through (I won't call it direct !) rail service between Brighton and Great Malvern: anyway, it's there - and I use it for part of its route.

In booklet E, the whole journey of (say) the 0900 from Brighton to Great Malvern (a 1437) via Warminster (d 1133) is shown on one page (p83). Clear, concise and understandable: booklet E may not be the smallest book in the world, but it does only weigh 171 gms - hardly the Oxford English Dictionary or Enclyopedia Brittanica to lug around with you !

Just imagine, I don't know the area very well - so I go to the FGW website to find a through service from Warminster to Worcester.

25: Tells me that there is a train from Brighton at 0900, Warminster at 1133, but this seems to terminate at Bristol Parkway at 1252. Nowhere does it say that this train continues to Worcester - or anywhere. The notes do however, tell me that it stops at Hove, Havant, etc, etc, !
22: Tells me that there is a train from Parkway to Worcester at 1252 - that time rings a bell ! Wonder where that train comes from - according to this timetable it starts from Bath at 1208 ! No other info in the notes.
Let's have a look at:-
26: There is a train from Warminster at 1133, but that appears to be a service only operating between Southampton Central and Bristol Temple Meads !
23: Had a look at this, as I think the places mentioned in this timetable are on my route. However, this just appears to cover an incredibly busy shuttle service between Gloucester and Cheltenham by no less than FOUR different companies - what a goldmine this route must be !

I'm afraid the new timetables were a good idea - BUT !   I wonder what the posters that they will put up on the platforms will be like ?  Now where did I leave my RAC road atlas ?

[willc]

It looks like my source for the Cotswold Line trains reverting back to HST^▸ (High Speed Train)'s might well have been wrong, as all the current turbo operated ones remain lacking with the little 'H' symbol.

Also, as this timetable will be a bit of a write off on that route because of the re-doubling work anyway, I'm not surprised to see late evening services replaced by buses. However the last two departures from London will be buses from Oxford weekdays (except Friday) and if you wanted to go through to Worcester on them then you're faced with a bus journey of over 3 hours - that's getting on for 2 hours longer that it would take on the train.

Surely two buses should be provided, one to cater for Hanborough, Charlbury, Shipton, and Kingham, with the other running straight to Moreton and then on to Honeybourne, Evesham, Pershore and Worcester? I reckon between 40-50 minutes journey time could be saved for Moreton and beyond by doing it that way. Sending a bus on a 3-hour magical mystery tour of all the stations on a route which doesn't really follow any major roads for much of the time is preposterous, and hopefully common sense will see these provisional details changed for the better.

But presumably these were in preparation for some time, especially with the wholesale revamp of the timetables, so your source may be more up to date.

Can't help thinking that this Cotswold Line timetable is a bit of a waste of time. Surely for this route it would have made more sense to either wait until the summer works arrangements were known as well, so those could appear within it, or split the period into three, with separate issues for May to mid-July, July-August and September-December.

You're entirely right about the buses and I can't see why they haven't tried to come to some arrangement with Stagecoach to see if they could cover the west Oxfordshire stations, either with a separate service, or some adjustment of their late-evening timetable for route S2 to Charlbury and Chipping Norton.

As for Worcester passengers, by picking my way through the various timetables, I have found that from September 7, there will be a 22.54 departure from Gloucester to Worcester, arriving 23.29, connecting out of the 20.45 from Paddington, which involves a change at Swindon as well. Not great, but better than that insane bus ride.

[r james]

As mentioned about.... why do so many companies operate the Cheltenham - Glouceste rroute?  Is it really that much more profitable that they all want a chunk?

[Zoe]

Why can't they just go back to how First Great Western, Thames Trains and Wales & West did their timetables?  That system worked very well.

[willc]

As mentioned about.... why do so many companies operate the Cheltenham - Gloucester route?  Is it really that much more profitable that they all want a chunk?

Cheltenham has a population of 90,000, about three-quarters that of Gloucester, so of course they want a slice of the action - it also means passengers get a frequent service, and with XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) bypassing Gloucester much of the day, passengers don't have to hang around between connections very long. The ATW^▸ (Arriva Trains Wales (former TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company))) trains that now run through from Cardiff just used to sit around for ages at Gloucester, so why not use the time productively?

[Timmer]

Are there going to be any booklets, with the MD's message and passenger info/facilities?

I believe that FGW^▸ (First Great Western) are publishing a 'Travelling with FGW' brochure that would cover all the extra items that used to appear in the five main TT books such as catering, train safety etc.

[Timmer]

To help you find your new timetable, FGW^▸ (First Great Western) have listed main stations with the stations they serve with the relevent timetable number: http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/Content.aspx?id=3776

Please keep the comments coming in whether or not you like the new format.

[moonrakerz]

To help you find your new timetable, FGW^▸ (First Great Western) have listed main stations with the stations they serve with the relevent timetable number: http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/Content.aspx?id=3776

Please keep the comments coming in whether or not you like the new format.

To follow on from my previous post - used the link above, from Westbury, as Warminster isn't on the list. According to the timetables listed there, there is no service traveling North of Bristol Temple Meads !

Tried the print your own timetable, that at least did show the through trains, but the note on the bottom was a little disconcerting !

"The information printed here is only valid at date and time of printing"   - Doesn't inspire much confidence for the trip I am  planning for July.

[Btline]

I think they should go back to the old versions. (except Booklet E, which needed changing)

*You had a message from the MD, showing the highlights of the new timetable;

*You had details of catering, safety etc.

*You had station facilities listed

and so on.

Yes - have these "route cards" as well, but have the booklets allowing people to plan longer journeys.

[Timmer]

Does anyone have any news on being able to obtain the full FGW^▸ (First Great Western) timetable book, if indeed one now exists after Passenger Focus put their oar in and told FGW they can't charge for it?