Great Western Coffee Shop

Hi, does anyone think the last train west is too early at 20:35, I know there is a 21:45 to Exeter but this goes via Bristol and has a journey time of 4 hours 14 minutes.  I think there could be service leaving after 21:00 calling at Newbury, Westbury, Taunton, Tiverton Parkway, Exeter St Davids, Dawlish, Teignmouth, Newton Abbot and if it's too late to run to Plymouth then it could go to Torquay and Paignton.  This would also give people that have gone to Exeter for the evening a train to return on.

On a side note, the 2145 PAD-EXD only takes so long due to engineering working between TVP & EXD.  In reality it gets to Exeter at 01:30 - even earlier (between 0100 and 0110) when the line possession is not taken.

If the line is under posession I thought it would not be allowed to run.

You will find some late night services are timed to take longer than necessary, this is so Network Rail can take possession without much notice and in theory it shouldn't have an impact on the services, as they are already timed around it.

22:45 Paddington - Swansea is a good example as it is timetabled for 2 line running at various points. E.g. Paddington - Reading where it has 35mins approx =]

Zoe, it is single-line working between TVP & EXD.

On nights where the possession is not taken the last XC & FGW services to Plymouth can sit at EXD for the best part of 30+ minutes waiting for the clock to tick.

I came back on the 2145 Pad-Exd last week.Booked time of arrival is 0159, actual time of arrival was 0110ish. No single line working that night.

:o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o

So why don't they just publish the times as though there was no possession but with a note saying the train may run late in the event of engineering work.  If there is no possession then you are delaying passengers on the last CrossCountry and the 20:35 from Paddington for no reason.

Because if you kept the tighter timetable it means making alterations at last minute which defeats Network Rail's aim of being able to take possession with no noticeable impact on the services.
If possession was taken and timetable not changed, then Network Rail would have to compensate FGW so they want to avoid that.

Yes but by doing it this way has more of an impact as passengers for west of Exeter will always be delayed by having the extended timings, even if there is no possession.

Not really, as it's only really the 21:45 Exeter that has that padding to west of england, if i remember correctly, and the padding is from Tiverton - Exeter, so all it would mean is people getting to Exeter earlier than expected.

Edit: Aha Paddington on the mind, edit made :)

Thats correct, and also this service is 'set down only' from Bristol? I think. So the timetable sort of becomes irrelevant! ;D

Terminal Junkie where are you?  ;D

There should be a comma between 'Junkie' and 'where'. :P

Thank you  :P :P :P

Sorry :(

Fair enough, Ollie - don't let them get you down!  ;) :D ;D

Typo's are the bane of my life, too!  ::)

The 18:24 from Manchester to Plymouth is timetabled to take 55 minutes between TVP and EXD.

I understand why services are marked "set down only" (essentially to make it easier to alter the timing or replace the train with a bus), but if I decide to take a chance and join a train at a station marked set down only and I have an anytime or off peak ticket, is my ticket valid? in practice will anyone take any action against me either at the platform to prevent my boarding or on the train to issue a penalty?

Technically yes you would be liable for a penalty if you bored a train that is not scheduled to pick up at a particular stop. However I personally haven't seen it enforced.

As Ollie says, you will be charged from the previous station call. Bristol Temple Meads - Exeter is quite a difference compared to Tiverton - Exeter!

On days the engineering works does not happen, I have seen many people get off the 2353 FGW service and onto the 2325 XC service if they are both sitting there, and the TM does not seemed too fussed.

I guess where the set down is for operational convenience as in these cases then I would have thought it unlikely that any TM would impose a penalty. Penalties are justified if set down only/pick up only is used to control passenger numbers. Eg if an ex Paddington service is Reading pick up only to prevent it being swamped by Reading commuters. Then there would be every justification in charging a fare to the next station, as the passenger is clearly trying to perform a journey that is not allowed.

If the 2145 gets diverted after Bristol due to engineering work then staff can easily lay on coaches/taxis to get people to intermediate destinations. However, if it weren't set down only then they would have to ensure taxis were available at each intermediate station on the off chance that a pssenger was waiting. Another benefit for it being Set down only after Bristol.     

When I was in Edinburgh, I stayed near Haymarket station.

To get into Edinburgh station each day, I often took a "set down only" train - the station staff said I could, and nobody mined/ fined me!

This is because there are few trains that stop "unrestricted" at Haymarket - probably to stop fare evaders switching from one station to the other.

But since ticket gates have recently been installed at Haymarket, it is rather pointless!

Hi

As someone who sometimes relies on this service on a Thursday evening and gets me into TVP at a reasonable time, I am really beyond caring how long it actually takes  :D so long a there's beer in the buffet.

After working the last day of my "week" in Iceland, and the flight into Heathrow is on time, I usually make it to PAD 20 mins before departure.  The taxi picking me up at TVP onward to BNP usually tracks the service, so I am not left out in the cold at TVP for too long.

Waiting for the sleeper service?  I'd book an hotel in London rather than wait for that departure.

It appears they have done exactly what I wanted in the new timetable and published the times as though there is no possession but marked the train as EW for engineering work.

Someone told me that the engineering is due to complete soon, as the previous 4 weekend line closures were to get the job done.