Great Western Coffee Shop

I travelled on the 1635 service from Nailsea - Taunton and the 2 - coach Class 158 train was jam - packed , with many passengers standing. It was only when we were past Weston that the opportunity for a seat presented itself.

Earlier on , I had met Keith Walton of the Severnside Community Rail Partnership , who told me that one of his top priorities was to stop FGW turning round Weston - bound HST's at Bristol Temple Meads , as they are apparently doing more often these days , which adds to the overcrowding problem.

You will recall that Andrew Griffiths made a point of saying in December 2006 that overcrowding could be reduced if passengers were more willing to use the HST's.

Yes I do very much recall AG encouraging everyone both in the press and on TV to use HSTs instead of local trains when all the trouble flared up last December. Can't do that unless they run AG.

Yesterday the 0652 from Exeter was cancelled as far as BTM. Usually when this is cancelled FGW negotiate stops at Nailsea and Yatton on the XC train that follows it into TM. However yesterday in their wisdom the extra stops were Bridgwater and Highbridge, which meant that the next FGW service left a sizeable number waiting at Nailsea. 

Today the 0652 was cancelled again, but only as far as Weston.

As an aside, a late addition to the new timetable is the addition of stops at Nailsea and Yatton on the XC service arriving into Bristol TM at 0856. I'm slightly surprised at this, as the only time the trains on either side of this are overcrowded is when there is disruption (like yesterday). I'm pretty delighted though, two extra "inter city" standard trains between 8 and 9 in the space of a year (the 0652 ex Exeter was new last Dec) is good news.   



 

No stock at Laira was the cause of both of those^

That's presumably why FGW website said yesterday that it was unavailability of a member of the crew!

Could be that one as well actually, whatever happened the set/crew were probabally resourced from SPM vice Laira

Assuming the 0652 from Exter gets to Highbridge at 0740 then news about extra stops is interesting as there was no announcement at Highbridge. Everyone caught the 0756, only 2 coaches and that ran late due to the overcrowding.

Journey home was no better with the 17.23 to Taunton being 2 coach with 2 extra from the deopt arriving at the last minute making a late depature, worsened when the coupling between the trains was 'dodgy' 100 yards ouitside Temple Meads. Full marks to the crew who fixed the problem quickly and with a lot of black humour!

Welcome to the board, Jake Monkfish. Is it *that* evenyful every day  :-[