Title: Fully booked to Cornwall Post by: Cornish Traveller on July 30, 2009, 15:19:26 1st August Paddington - Penzance am trains now fully booked, anyone know if FGW leave any unreserved seats for turn up go (need your head tested I know) people or is it a case of get on in Reading without seat reservation = hard luck ?
Title: Re: Fully booked to Cornwall Post by: Ollie on July 30, 2009, 15:22:06 Coach E unreserved, but, good luck all the same...
Title: Re: Fully booked to Cornwall Post by: devon_metro on July 30, 2009, 15:36:47 All fast trains are likely to be packed!
If you have a bit more flexibility/time: 1011 Reading - Bristol Parkway 1106 FGW HST (not too busy - ample seats in coach A when I travelled on recently) 1126 Bristol Parkway - Penzance 1550 XC HST (just over 6 standard class coaches) Alternatively, (however by no means definitely) Weekend First should get you a seat. Title: Re: Fully booked to Cornwall Post by: Cornish Traveller on July 30, 2009, 15:39:40 Glad we have reservations - just curious do they have boarding controls in place on very busy services out of Paddington these days ? or is it a case of if people physically fit into coaches they allow any amount to stand ?
Title: Re: Fully booked to Cornwall Post by: Ollie on July 30, 2009, 15:44:50 Boarding controls only normally operate during events, but it has been known to have them when services are particularly busy.
Title: Re: Fully booked to Cornwall Post by: Cornish Traveller on July 30, 2009, 17:08:34 :o I am surprised to see seats are still available to book for the overnight service on Friday night though !
Title: Re: Fully booked to Cornwall Post by: Timmer on July 30, 2009, 17:21:31 Alternatively, (however by no means definitely) Weekend First should get you a seat. Was about to say boarding at Reading no chance until I suddenly remembered that its gone up to ^25 for weekend first to travel to Cornwall so its now probably now possible to get a seat in 1st at Reading.Title: Re: Fully booked to Cornwall Post by: devon_metro on July 30, 2009, 18:01:21 Funny you should say that, whilst travelling to London on the 0700 Bristol - Paddington the other week, I spotted the 0736 Paddington to Newquay at Reading, and people were stood up all through the isles of First Class. Nasty to say the least!
Title: Re: Fully booked to Cornwall Post by: johoare on July 30, 2009, 19:04:21 Welcome to the Coffee Shop, Cornish Traveller... :)
Title: Re: Fully booked to Cornwall Post by: Cornish Traveller on July 30, 2009, 19:41:21 Funny you should say that, whilst travelling to London on the 0700 Bristol - Paddington the other week, I spotted the 0736 Paddington to Newquay at Reading, and people were stood up all through the isles of First Class. Nasty to say the least! Thats interesting, that train still has Advance ticket for ^34 available on Saturday at the mo. - was there an event on in the west that day perhaps ? Title: Re: Fully booked to Cornwall Post by: Timmer on July 30, 2009, 19:50:26 Thats interesting, that train still has Advance ticket for ^34 available on Saturday at the mo. - was there an event on in the west that day perhaps ? I believe the London-Newquays are always very busy simply because of it's destination.Title: Re: Fully booked to Cornwall Post by: Cornish Traveller on July 30, 2009, 20:07:59 Seem to remember reading somewhere that FGW management were very shocked at how good the passenger numbers were when summer weekday through HST workings first introduced ? BR learnt this lesson about travellers with suitcases not liking changing trains 40 years ago ! >:( Seems Dft have not however with the ending of SouthWest Trains through working to Paignton soon.
Title: Re: Fully booked to Cornwall Post by: Timmer on July 30, 2009, 20:12:21 Seems Dft have not however with the ending of SouthWest Trains through working to Paignton soon. Bad decision that IMHOTitle: Re: Fully booked to Cornwall Post by: devon_metro on July 30, 2009, 20:24:53 Seems Dft have not however with the ending of SouthWest Trains through working to Paignton soon. Bad decision that IMHONaturally, I agree. Its always nice to return from Exeter on a respectable train! Title: Re: Fully booked to Cornwall Post by: devon_metro on August 01, 2009, 20:30:45 1135 Paddington - Newquay certainly wasn't fully reserved. Only 150 people offloaded when 43132 broke at Par and was subsequently dumped in the down sidings.
Title: Re: Fully booked to Cornwall Post by: Super Guard on August 02, 2009, 10:43:02 Seems Dft have not however with the ending of SouthWest Trains through working to Paignton soon. Bad decision that IMHONaturally, I agree. Its always nice to return from Exeter on a respectable train! And are you saying Exeters premier bus fleet isn't respectable? :o ;) ;D Title: Re: Fully booked to Cornwall Post by: eightf48544 on August 02, 2009, 11:30:00 1135 Paddington - Newquay certainly wasn't fully reserved. Only 150 people offloaded when 43132 broke at Par and was subsequently dumped in the down sidings. How did they get the passengers to Newquay? Title: Re: Fully booked to Cornwall Post by: slippy on August 02, 2009, 12:36:09 1135 Paddington - Newquay certainly wasn't fully reserved. Only 150 people offloaded when 43132 broke at Par and was subsequently dumped in the down sidings. How did they get the passengers to Newquay? Next service to St.Austell then by bus........ Title: Re: Fully booked to Cornwall Post by: Btline on August 02, 2009, 13:47:04 If SWT have spare DMUs lying around (for Lymington), then why can't they run to Paignton?
Title: Re: Fully booked to Cornwall Post by: devon_metro on August 02, 2009, 15:18:03 1135 Paddington - Newquay certainly wasn't fully reserved. Only 150 people offloaded when 43132 broke at Par and was subsequently dumped in the down sidings. How did they get the passengers to Newquay? Next service to St.Austell then by bus........ 1206 Padd - Penzance, which was already well loaded before another 150 piled on with suitcases and other rubbish! Bet they got to Newquay early :D Title: Re: Fully booked to Cornwall Post by: willc on August 02, 2009, 17:06:17 If SWT have spare DMUs lying around (for Lymington), then why can't they run to Paignton? You are getting a bit ahead of the December timetable change, when SWT is step up the frequency on the Salisbury-Exeter line. Hence the end of them running west of Exeter. At the moment there is a bit of spare capacity, hence one set is on loan to FGW and another to EMT while it overhauls its 158 fleet. And while using a dmu on an electric branch may seem a bit silly, the 3-CIGs are old, non-standard and expensive to maintain, while using a 4-car 450 on a five-and-a-bit mile shuttle would be even sillier. And they don't seem inclined to lease a couple of 508s, presumably on cost grounds. How about a Parry People Mover? Title: Re: Fully booked to Cornwall Post by: Btline on August 02, 2009, 17:14:53 I understand about the proposed SWT timetable change, but this use of the 158s is annoying.
Look - the line is electrified, so using DMUs is appalling IMO. Using 158s is a waste on such a line. SWT have 2 slammers - why not use one for spare parts? Or, even better, use a shortened 450 or 4?? (the red ones that look lile 150s). Title: Re: Fully booked to Cornwall Post by: willc on August 02, 2009, 17:43:09 I understand about the proposed SWT timetable change, but this use of the 158s is annoying. Look - the line is electrified, so using DMUs is appalling IMO. Using 158s is a waste on such a line. SWT have 2 slammers - why not use one for spare parts? Or, even better, use a shortened 450 or 4?? (the red ones that look lile 150s). These things are old and break down - that's why there were two sets in the first place, both of which now apparently need repairs. Is it actually worth it? Someone at SWT has to make that judgment. It might annoy you, but they are running a business. And Virgin are running DMUs a hell of a lot further day in, day out, on fully electrified routes. And you can't just go around taking a couple of coaches out of trains that weren't designed to work like that. A 455 beyond Woking would probably be as much of an oddity as a 3-CIG and they are fully occupied on London services. Title: Re: Fully booked to Cornwall Post by: Btline on August 02, 2009, 17:46:40 Hmmm, I was under the impression that the slammers were more reliable than the Desiros!
Re Virgin: they don't the option but to run DEMUs. Title: Re: Fully booked to Cornwall Post by: willc on August 03, 2009, 21:11:48 Hmmm, I was under the impression that the slammers were more reliable than the Desiros! Re Virgin: they don't the option but to run DEMUs. Well the saintly Beardie could always 'invest' in some more electrics, but since he can't get someone else to pay, like he usually does, tough. And if they weren't running every 20 minutes to Brum and Manchester, you could free some up that way. Mk1 EMUs were very reliable when there were hundreds of the things running around which got lots of tlc. When you are trying to keep just two going, that's a rather different matter. Title: Re: Fully booked to Cornwall Post by: vacman on August 05, 2009, 21:50:24 If SWT have spare DMUs lying around (for Lymington), then why can't they run to Paignton? You are getting a bit ahead of the December timetable change, when SWT is step up the frequency on the Salisbury-Exeter line. Hence the end of them running west of Exeter. At the moment there is a bit of spare capacity, hence one set is on loan to FGW and another to EMT while it overhauls its 158 fleet. And while using a dmu on an electric branch may seem a bit silly, the 3-CIGs are old, non-standard and expensive to maintain, while using a 4-car 450 on a five-and-a-bit mile shuttle would be even sillier. And they don't seem inclined to lease a couple of 508s, presumably on cost grounds. How about a Parry People Mover? Title: Re: Fully booked to Cornwall Post by: willc on August 06, 2009, 18:26:51 Well you'd better write to Brian Souter of Stagecoach to tell him - and since he owns 50% of Virgin Trains you could tell how unacceptable it is for him to run all those Voyagers from Birmingham to Scotland on a main line as well. Any extra stock equals extra cost - and SWT is feeling the heat like anyone else.
Title: Re: Fully booked to Cornwall Post by: vacman on August 10, 2009, 23:01:21 Well you'd better write to Brian Souter of Stagecoach to tell him - and since he owns 50% of Virgin Trains you could tell how unacceptable it is for him to run all those Voyagers from Birmingham to Scotland on a main line as well. Any extra stock equals extra cost - and SWT is feeling the heat like anyone else. Maybe so, but other trains run on that route that are electric, with Lymington ALL of the trains will be diesel from what I can gather which makes my point stand!Title: Re: Fully booked to Cornwall Post by: Btline on August 10, 2009, 23:32:17 Sorry Willc, but I'm with Vacman on this.
The reason VT run DEMUs under the wires is because of the badly organised split of the VXC routes - if Branson had his way, he'd still be giving the WCML direct trains to the South and South West! There is no suitable stock (125 mph tilting) available for the route, so Voyagers have to do. VT need 3 tph on the B'ham and M'chester routes as the fast journey times have/will attract extra passengers (who like FAST trains). For SWT to run the Lymington branch with 158s when there is a national shortage of DMUs when there are plenty of EMUs around. Surely they can get something! Title: Re: Fully booked to Cornwall Post by: willc on August 11, 2009, 00:18:18 No point telling me what you think - I know - like I said, tell Mr Souter. And if you think one class 158 is going to solve the shortage of dmus, god help us.
I wasn't joking about a Parry people mover and there are all manner of potentially suitable European light rail vehicles which wouldn't even need third rail power either - this is a five-mile, lightly-used rural branch, which would never have survived without the Isle of Wight ferry link and could easily be operated independently from the main network. Title: Re: Fully booked to Cornwall Post by: Timmer on August 23, 2009, 17:30:05 Confirmed by SWT MD Stewart Palmer during last week's SWT Webchat that a 158 takes over the Lymington branch Mon-Fri from May 2010 with a 450 running the service at weekends.
http://www.southwesttrains.co.uk/SWTrains/Customerservice/LC/TrainsRollingStock.htm Quote I can confirm that the units will be withdrawn from the Lymington branch at the May timetable change in 2010. We evaluated all the options for rolling stock on the Lymington branch and came to the conclusion that the most cost-effective solution in the long term is to provide a Class 158 diesel Monday to Friday and a Class 450 at weekends. Title: Re: Fully booked to Cornwall Post by: grahame on September 06, 2009, 08:10:54 I have split off the question of the Lymington trains into a separate new thread:
http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=5281.msg49790#msg49790 Although the line is run by SWT, it is an interesting case that it will - it seems - be run with stock that's Salisbury based from next May ... stock which has recently been providing services such as Westbury -> Swindon, Swindon <-> Gloucester / Cheltenham and (I think) Cheltenham -> Bristol and Westbury. And I'm not at all clear that I understand the justification of swicthing the line to a 158 - my cynical mind smells a potential rat. Title: Re: Fully booked to Cornwall Post by: Btline on September 07, 2009, 19:36:09 I have split off the question of the Lymington trains into a separate new thread: http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=5281.msg49790#msg49790 Although the line is run by SWT, it is an interesting case that it will - it seems - be run with stock that's Salisbury based from next May ... stock which has recently been providing services such as Westbury -> Swindon, Swindon <-> Gloucester / Cheltenham and (I think) Cheltenham -> Bristol and Westbury. And I'm not at all clear that I understand the justification of swicthing the line to a 158 - my cynical mind smells a potential rat. Exactly, that 158 could be running a decent Transwilts service! How a TOC can have spare DMUs lying around in this day and age.... Title: Re: Fully booked to Cornwall Post by: devon_metro on September 07, 2009, 19:37:37 When I went past Salisbury on Saturday at half 9, there must have been 8 159/158s sitting around.
Title: Re: Fully booked to Cornwall Post by: basset44 on November 19, 2009, 20:53:37 Hi All,
Interesting what you find out there when you google seems overcrowding as been aissue for a long tiime http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1332182/150-people-ordered-off-packed-train.html Old news Basset This page is printed from the "Coffee Shop" forum at http://gwr.passenger.chat which is provided by a customer of Great Western Railway. Views expressed are those of the individual posters concerned. Visit www.gwr.com for the official Great Western Railway website. Please contact the administrators of this site if you feel that content provided contravenes our posting rules ( see http://railcustomer.info/1761 ). The forum is hosted by Well House Consultants - http://www.wellho.net |