Great Western Coffee Shop

The FGW website has been updated with the new timetables valid from 22nd May 2011 to 10th December 2011.

http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/Content.aspx?id=5238

Page shown as 'under construction' but all the .pdfs are there.

I note that the recently introduced (Dec 2010) 0706 Paddington - Paignton has been given the name 'The Devon Express'.

Definitely still needs some construction - the Cotswold Line timetable, No 19, is currently showing in the list as London Paddington, Slough and Reading to Oxford, although the link does go to the correct timetable, which includes the Worcester via Cheltenham services, though oddly someone has seen fit to insert Swindon in the list of stations for all of three trains a day. Surely a footnote would have sufficed?

A note about new timetable. You will notice on the list that numbers are missing, this is because of being withdrawn. Number 2 is an example (merged with number 1).

Why they didn't renumber I don't know.

Also note the QR (Quick Response) codes, so people can download a digital copy to their smartphones, I think FGW are first for this?
Posters will go up at stations listing all the barcodes so customers won't have to locate the timetable to scan the code, just the poster and scan the ones they need :)

Th QR codes are indeed a good idea. For those that have a smart phone of course. Dunno whether FGW are the first National Rail TOC to offer the facility but the South Devon Railway Association already have QR codes on their online timetable (http://www.southdevonrailwayassociation.org/Timetable-4.html) pages.

I don't have a smart phone, but if I stare at a particular code will the relevant timetable materialise in my pocket?  ;D

But dont knock it

for smart phone owners its a boon and the additional cost for doing it is neglibible

... or very little ...  ;D

Any ideas why the M-F 0534 Reading - Gatwick Airport has been retimed to 0524. Seems a bit random to me.

Thats where iphone auto correct fails!

Reliability I reckon. More turn-round time?

Table 25 ... Sundays, 26th June to 31st July.  Two trains leaving Westbury at 19:30 - one being the Weymouth to Bristol service, and the other being Westbury to Swindon.  The Bristol service leaves Trowbridge 1 minute ahead of the Swindon service.   Same train dividing at Trowbridge, perhaps?  Anyone know what's happening here?

I can only assume that it is more to do with getting the return journey to run more punctually. The Redhill/Reigate section is very congested around 0720, and this train (0700 ex LGW) is often several minutes late into Reigate, which creates knock-on delays.

The good news about the earlier outward journey is that it will create the fastest current journey (I think) from Dorking to a London terminus, in this case London Bridge in 42 minutes - faster than any direct services from Dorking. Unfortunately the journey planners don't seem to show this as I imagine that 5 minutes is the official connecting time at Redhill, whereas this offers 4 minutes.

In case anyone hadn't noticed or even wanted to know! XC Summer timetables are on their website too.

East Coast have had their "Eureka" timetable (regular interval service and quite different from current t/t) on their site for a while now. It doesn't show any other TOCs trains though, and of course connections are nowhere to be seen.

Apologies if this was posted elsewhere.

ATW have also introduced a 07:10 Cardiff - Pembroke Dock sunday service as well. also most Manchester - Milford Haven trains will run 25-30 minutes earlier from Cardiff to Swansea/Carmarthen & Milford.

Also swanline services are every hour during the peaks on weekdays now as the 17:39 is now a service from Manchester which only stops @ Pyle with the 18:04 being the new all stoping service to Swansea

Still quite a few errors in the timetables I think (hope!). The last Henley connection from Paddington is shown as 2210 in table 13 (which would be very annoying). But look in Table 17 and and the 2245 still runs (current last advertised connection) which connects with the last branch service from Twyford at 2337.

So FGW ARE running to Okehampton again Sundays then? What ever happened to Dartmoor Railway?

http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/Documents/Custom/TTs%20Apr%20%2711/GW11M_TT34_WEB_V1.pdf
 (http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/Documents/Custom/TTs%20Apr%20%2711/GW11M_TT34_WEB_V1.pdf)

Sounds like a Sunday pub crawl if the Dartmoor Day rangers are valid  :)

I have spotted a couple in the few timetables that I have looked at. Don't know whether FGW would like to know them or not or if they will post corrected timetables nearer the time which they did at the last timetable change.

One thing that is disappointing is some timetables don't show Sunday services for full length of the timetable or even not at all which is a shame. It's as if FGW have either given up or can't be bothered. I don't entirely blame them for this as part of the problem is the summer timetable is so long because of having to come into line with European rail timetable changes meaning the summer timetable has to cover Autumn as well which fits better with winter frequencies which made BR's changing times in September better.

I do begin to wonder that if TOC's didn't have to produce paper timetables as part of running a franchise that they would bother. One day they won't.

Are FGW still producing their excellent Network timetable book?

Dont think Devon & Cornwall railways have been awarded their passenger licence yet.

Yes.

The status of bar's public licence doesn't come into it, the Sunday okehampton service is listed in the timetable again this year, running until the 18th of September, the dartmoor Sunday rover ticket is actually available all year. If you buy it on a bus be prepaired for some headscratching! And if you buy it on a first bus expect fun with stagecoach taking it! They will eventually, I will post a link when I get on my pc

.....and the Looe branch Sunday service appears to continue until 16 October 2011 instead of ending in early September as usual over the past few years :D

http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/Documents/Custom/TTs%20Apr%20%2711/GW11M_TT37_WEB_V1.pdf

Looks like a bus service only on the SVB line every Sunday from 18th September to 23rd October.

NEW SWT Timetables: http://www.southwesttrains.co.uk/pocket-timetablesS.aspx

NEW ATW Timetables: http://www.arrivatrainswales.co.uk/Timetables/

NEW XC Timetables: http://www.crosscountrytrains.co.uk/Tickets_and_timetables/Train_timetables.aspx

For those with a smartphone but no QR software this is the link to the mobile timetable for the West of England generated by the code http://qrtabl.es/GWTT04 (http://qrtabl.es/GWTT04). If you follow it there are also links to the other tables

A nice format if you like your timetables in a 'booklet' format rather than a pdf of the foldout printed version. Well done to FGW for introducing this.

I see that the 'Rhubarb Curve' (more correctly, Dr Days Junction - Feeder Bridge Junction) is to get another scheduled passenger service from May 23nd (Mon-Fri). Soon possible to bash it both ways. Yay!

1553 off Bristol Parkway, calls Filton Abbey Wood 1556, Keynsham 1611, Oldfield Park 1618, terminates Bath Spa 1621. Wonder where that unit goes after that?

Also of note is that Avoncliff will no longer be a request stop. All scheduled services will now call, passengers or not!

Unfortunately the service in the other direction is being withdrawn.  >:(

 :-[

Indeed. You are right Louis94. I neglected to check the timetable for the other direction.

Serves me right for taking as gospel what the poster I saw at Westbury said. It listed the 1553 ex BPW as a new 'additional service'.

What FGW give with one hand......  ::)

Network Rail now have almost all of the GB National Timetable at
[url]http://www.networkrail.co.uk/aspx/12546.aspx/[url]

That link will work now!

It gets better now, in TT 148 there is a 0524 Reading - Gatwick Airport and a 0534 Reading - Gatwick Airport service. Hmm!?!?!

Here's what my contact at FGW sayeth....

A shame they didn't tell Southern whose printed timetable No 4 for Reigate to Redhill and Redhill to Gatwick shows the timings unchanged.


Edited to fix quote. bignosemac

The very informative poster about the new May timetable at my station includes the following:  "The 1722 Banbury - Oxford departs 20 minutes earlier and continues to Worcester Foregate Street".  Is this the first ever Banbury - Worcester through service?? !!

Would be handy if it is - connections to chiltern without two changes or having to deal with london shitland into brum

That service appears to be 1700 from Banbury, according to FGW .pdf timetables and OJPs. At least until 9th September....

And yes, it is a through service Banbury to Worcester Foregate Street. Probably a first for First!

Or you can leave Banbury seven minutes later on a Chiltern service to Birmingham Moor Street. Walk 20 minutes to New Street and still arrive at Shrub Hill five minutes earlier than the through service. No idea about fares though.

Fares the same via either route. There is only an 'Any Permitted' set of fares between Banbury and Worcester.

With the demise of the Bicester Town branch, finding a two-car turbo at that time proved difficult for FGW. So tgey nicked the only decently-timed commuter train for the upper Cherwell Valley commuters!

No one finishes work in Banbury in time to catch a train @ 1700! Offices & shops are all at least 10 minutes walk away.

Don't get too excited though -after representatipns were made, Banbury gets its train back in September & the Worcester stopper is being sourced from elsewhere! Make use of it while you can!

Btw - the number of passengers from Banbury to Worcester at that time of day is zero. Also, Chiltern dont know of any sales on their patch of Worcester tickets, so it isnt much use to anyone actually.

Sorry, I meant to add 'regular travellers' to Worcester from Banbury etc.

In effect it just replaces a pseudo-direct train from Bicester Town to Worcester.  Not advertised as such, but the 17:26 arrival from Bicester has immediately formed the 17:31 halts train to Worcester for several years now.

Ahh the Classic Home goal that TOC's (and BR) love.

It may only be a small foot fall but it's a case that some only use direct trains, or might be put off by traveling by a 5 minute connection as it's easy to be late & watch your connection leave as you arrive.

BR lost Money from me for ages as I never made the Journey from Bere Alston to Truro on the last train off the day as it was only a 5 min connection at Plymouth, what I didn't Know was it was the SAME train.
Would have been a VERY useful train for me.

If you miss a connection into a last train, the TOC is required to provide alternative transport - usually a cab for the trip you mention.

That'd be a result, surely?

FGW have now updated the current timetables page that now show timetables that have either been updated or commenced on the 12th of September. These are easily identified with the word UPDATED shown on the relevent listed timetables. They have also added timetables that have revised timetables for Sunday services from the 30th of October that were not included in the original timetables published back in the Spring. These have an 'a' next to the timetable number:
http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/Content.aspx?id=5238

I can't help but think that all this could be avoided if we went back to changing timetables in September rather than December to coincide with the ending of Summer seasonal services.

Also of note, I have found that the Sunday service from the 30th October in the down direction of the mobile version of timetable 1 are incorrect. Up timetable is correct highlighting the engineering work taking place between Swindon and Didcot from this date:
http://www.kadfire.com/webtts/GWTT01/GWTT01.pdf
I have reported this to FGW customer services, but if anyone who has access to contacts at FGW that I don't have access to wants to report this, please feel free to do so in case customer services don't get what I am trying to point out. Don't things like this get checked before publishing?

Done!

Thanks Chris

This would be sensible. We changed due to the EU. Madness when the only border with Europe is HS1 which is barely part of the network.

The idea was for there to be a single annual principal timetable change each year in December throughout the EU.  As seen with East Coast recently though major changes are still done in May.

Quite. All it really means is that in practice the timetable for the second half of the year is issued with a forest of footnotes and trains that only run on certain days so that the traditional summer peak services are still provided at the times thye always have been...

Sorted!

Excellent, thanks once again Chris for alerting your contact at FGW.

I really do prefer the mobile version pdf layout to the pdfs that are listed current timetables page on the main FGW website. Southern now give you the choice on their timetable page calling the mobile versions large print versions. FGW could do the same if they wanted to I guess giving a choice of normal pdf or mobile/large print on the same current timetables page of the website for those who don't have smart phones.