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I was travelling on a delayed 09.25 service to Weston Super Mare yesterday, and due to the 20 minute delay to this service leaving BTM, the train was run non-stop to WSM, therefore not calling at Bedminster, Parson Street, Nailsea, Yatton, Worle and Milton.

How do FGW tell passengers who were wishing to board this service at one of the above stations, and were waiting on the platform for this service, that the train is effectively cancelled for them?

The poor sods at Bedminster & Parson Street would have been waiting for another hour on the station for a service, probably wondering what the hell is going on with their train?

needs of the many if it did stop services would have been messed up the whole day

I know, the fact that it did not stop i can understand.

I was just thinking of those poor travellers who expected it to stop at the stations en-route that it should of stopped at!!

I think bristol blogger has raised a very interesting point and whilst reflex109 is right it gets the service back on track it still leaves passengers from intermeadiate stations without a train. Although  at 09:25 there may not be many passengers from  say Bedminister Parsons Street Nailsea to Weston there could well be pasengers from the remaining stations going into Weston for the day as cheap day tickets would be available.

Then of course there are people from BTM who might want these stations how do they get on?

I would, therefore, be interested to know what provision FGW are obliged to make for such passengers. I have a feeling it's nothing as it's not the last train of the day.

I am guessing, but with the next train only half an hour later it probably made additional calls at Bedminster and Parson St.

This happened to me a couple of months ago when I was travelling from Parson St to Yatton. When I arrive at the station I pressed the button on the info machine and it told me the 0930 train was cancelled. I told the 3 other people waiting, as like most people they didn't know about the info machine.

I rang my customer to say I would be an hour late and went home. Checked the real time info and sure enough it was late and ran non stop from Temple Meads to Weston. The 0953 service from Temple Meads did not make additional stops -- not sure why, as on another occasion returning from Weston, the delayed 1310 ran non stop to Temple Meads but the 1340 did call at all stations to compensate.

Anyway, FGW have a business to run and can afford to inconvenience the handful of passengers at Weston Milton, Bedminster and Parson St for the sake of the majority.

I do think a bit more information would of been nice from the information machine!

The fact FGW wanted the train back on track I can understand!!

However, the machine could of told passengers at Bedminster & Parson Street to get the train into BTM instead, which incidentally departs Bedminster/Parson Street approx 5mins later than what the **.25hrs BTM-WSM's do!

Example: 09.25 BTM
             09.28 Bedminster
             09.30 Parson Street
             and so on til 09.58 WSM

             09.10 WSM
             09.37 Parson Street
             09.39 Bedminster
             09.42 BTM

So as the 09.25 was non stop BTM-WSM, therefore cancelled from Bedminster, Parson Street etc. passengers should of been told to board the northbound 09.10 service from WSM, approx 09.37 from Parson Street & 09.39 from Bedminster.

Therefore they could of then caught the 09.53 service to Taunton.  

No need to wait on a deserted, cold Bedminster, Parson Street platform, and no need for the 09.53 service to call additionally at Bedminster or Parson Street.

The info screens is the same as the announcements on stations, so phones up a computer which then dispenses pre-recorded information. No way is it sophisticated enough to do what you describe.

Then perhaps a way of communication should be installed at smaller stations, so that passengers are aware of their options in times of disruption/cancellations.

Passengers at smaller stations have no way of knowing that their train is cancelled until its too late!!

FGW are already planning to replace the former Wessex CIS system with a more up to date system. The new kit is due to be trailed at few stations on the Severn Beach line soon according to the latest Customer Panel minutes on the website.

To give Wessex their due, when the current system was install across the south west it really was cutting edge stuff - a fully automated CIS system that looked after itself. For the majority of stations it was huge improvement on the previous situation where there was no live information available at all.

With a half-hourly service between BRI and WSM, I suspect that this is seen as a low-risk way of recovering the service without triggering the right to compensation in most cases.

My own personal bugbear is why BRI to TAU trains are turned back at Weston, with Bridgwater and Highbridge only having an hourly service!

Must agree with you Mike ....Taunton is the County town of Somerset and deserves better

Weston - Taunton is a High Speed section of line.  To put more services from Weston-Highbridge-Bridgwater-Taunton would get in the way of XC services, as there is no-where to loop trains on this section of track.

Perhaps a Exeter-BTM fast service, only calling Taunton, Bridgwater. Highbridge and BTM should be introduced???? ???

There were more through Bristol to Exeter local trains in Wessex days, but they were withdrawn a few years back, and XC made additional stops at Tiverton Parkway to conpensate.

I agree Bridgwater and Highbridge could do with a half hourly service - even a second Taunton to Bristol service calling at those two + WSM would be a major improvement.

Now there is only 1 XC train most hours I don't think there would be a particular problem fitting them in.

An Half Hourly Taunton-BTM would be great!

Getting a path from WSM-BTM could prove tricky though, as local services are already occupying the gaps between XC & HST services.

Also Uphill Jnc-Worle Jnc is at high capacity, especially with just 2 platforms at WSM, and 1 of them is always used for terminating trains.

The long awaited dualling of Worle Jn to Weston Milton will help, as will the proposal to reinstate the bay at Weston, though that would appear to be a little way off. I think you could squeeze an extra fast in between Worle and BTM, it's the stoppers that cause the problems.