Great Western Coffee Shop

Right.....

The December 2007 times now showing on the NRES Journey Planner (http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/) now look far more like the drafts that I have already seen. We now have :

- Hourly Portsmouth - Cardiff.

- 2 - hourly Taunton - Cardiff , hourly Weston - Cardiff (rising to hourly throughout later on the day.)

- Hourly Weston - Bristol Parkway.

- Hourly Westbury - Gloucester with some Brighton / Southampton (missing out Dean and Mottisfont & Dunbridge) / Warminster / Weymouth / Great Malvern extensions.

- Hourly Bristol - Avonmouth with some Severn Beach extensions.

Also :

- No 40 minute frequency Severn Beach Line service , with hourly service retimed from the draft (which were the same as now) , possibly because SBL Bristol - bound services clashed with Taunton - Cardiff services at Narroways Junction at xx24 past the hour.

- Next to useless Melksham / Trans Wilts service.

- The two trains per hour towards Bristol serving Stapleton Road & Lawrence Hill are only 10 minutes apart.

- Apalling connections on cross - Bristol services (eg Keynsham - Patchway.)

- Loss of early morning connections on cross - Bristol services (eg Nailsea - Patchway.)

Thanks to Lee for taking the time to get these details using the fustrating OJP. If only FGW had done what they said they would do and published the latest draft timetable. What have they got to hide when the times are now on the OJP?

One of our readers took the time to do a couple of spreadsheets of the new SWT Salisbury-Southampton services using the details on the OJP and is happy for them to be passed on. If you would like me to forward it to you do drop me a line.

Probable rolling stock deployment , based on the unit number codes used by FGW in the Draft December 2007 Timetable :

Class 143/1 - Taunton - Cardiff services.
Class 143/2 - Taunton - Cardiff services.
Class 143/3 - Weston - Bristol Parkway services.
Class 143/4 - Swindon - Cheltenham group services.
Class 143/5 - Taunton - Cardiff services.
Class 143/6 - Bristol - Avonmouth / Severn Beach services.
Class 143/7 - Weston - Bristol Parkway services.

Class 150/1 - Taunton - Cardiff services.
Class 150/2 - Taunton - Cardiff services.
Class 150/3 - Westbury - Gloucester group services.
Class 150/13 - Peak Westbury - Gloucester group services.
Class 150/14 - Westbury - Gloucester group services.

Class 153/8 - Westbury - Gloucester group services.
Class 153/9 - Peak strengthening of Westbury - Gloucester group services.

Class 158/1 - Westbury - Gloucester group services.
Class 158/2 - Westbury - Gloucester group services.
Class 158/4 - Westbury - Gloucester group services.
Class 158/5 - Portsmouth - Cardiff services.
Class 158/6 - Peak strengthening of Westbury - Gloucester group services.
Class 158/7 - Westbury - Gloucester group services.
Class 158/9 - Portsmouth - Cardiff services.
Class 158/10 - Portsmouth - Cardiff services.
Class 158/11 - Westbury - Gloucester group services.
Class 158/12 - Peak strengthening of Portsmouth - Cardiff services.
Class 158/13 - Portsmouth - Cardiff services.
Class 158/14 - Westbury - Gloucester group services.
Class 158/15 - Portsmouth - Cardiff services.
Class 158/16 - Portsmouth - Cardiff services.
Class 158/17 - Portsmouth - Cardiff services.
Class 158/18 - Peak strengthening of Portsmouth - Cardiff services.
Class 158/19 - Marked as "not used."
Class 158/20 - Swindon - Cheltenham group services.

Class 158 (3 - coach) - Portsmouth - Cardiff services.

In the May 2007 extra Melksham trains proposal , Class 153/8 would have formed Salisbury - Swindon services , instead of forming Southampton extensions of Westbury - Gloucester group services. The proposal would also have seen some Warminster extensions of Westbury - Gloucester group services diverted to Frome , in order to provide extra services there as well.

Also , documents from the aforementioned FOI disclosure can be accessed in the links below.
http://www.savethetrain.org.uk/forum/index.php?topic=4123.msg7739#msg7739

http://www.savethetrain.org.uk/forum/index.php?topic=4124.msg7741#msg7741

http://www.savethetrain.org.uk/forum/index.php?topic=4135.msg7755#msg7755

According to the 14 May 2007 FGW proposal , the following TransWilts services would have been operated from December 2007. Calling times at Melksham are shown in brackets :

WESTBURY - SWINDON

0702 (0717) , 1935 (1950)

SALISBURY - SWINDON

0740 (0822) , 1031 (1118) , 1331 (1418)

SWINDON - WESTBURY

1842 (1908)

SWINDON - SALISBURY

0619 (0644) , 0902 (0928) , 1202 (1228) , 1502 (1528)

According to the front page of the FGW website , bookings for train tickets are now open for travel until Wednesday 12 December , despite there still being no "official" timetable for that date.