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Train RunningCancelled
22:45 London Paddington to Bristol Parkway
21/04/25 08:03 Bristol Temple Meads to Weymouth
21/04/25 12:12 Salisbury to Bristol Temple Meads
21/04/25 23:30 Cardiff Central to Bristol Temple Meads
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20:30 Cardiff Central to Portsmouth Harbour
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23:13 Swindon to Cheltenham Spa
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21/04/25 09:28 Cardiff Central to Portsmouth Harbour
21/04/25 10:00 Cardiff Central to Taunton
21/04/25 10:23 Portsmouth Harbour to Cardiff Central
21/04/25 10:30 Cardiff Central to Portsmouth Harbour
21/04/25 10:45 Bristol Temple Meads to Salisbury
21/04/25 11:00 Cardiff Central to Penzance
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21/04/25 11:29 Weymouth to Gloucester
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21/04/25 12:00 Cardiff Central to Taunton
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21/04/25 12:30 Cardiff Central to Portsmouth Harbour
21/04/25 13:00 Cardiff Central to Penzance
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21/04/25 13:30 Cardiff Central to Portsmouth Harbour
21/04/25 14:00 Cardiff Central to Penzance
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Author Topic: Bristol - London improvements  (Read 9583 times)
bradshaw
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« on: December 18, 2017, 18:37:52 »

This popped up on Twitter just now.

https://www.built-environment-networking.com/bristol-london-transport-links-transformed-quicker/

Not sure if this is the right place, please feel free to move
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SandTEngineer
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« Reply #1 on: December 18, 2017, 20:31:54 »

How does replacing the signals 'like for like' increase line capacity....... Roll Eyes Tongue
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Oberon
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« Reply #2 on: December 18, 2017, 21:29:26 »

It doesn't; this all seems to be little more than pointless spin. If they really want to improve things around Bristol the powers that be would a) complete the half-hearted electrification programme, and b) announce that when Bristol's power box is made redundant the Brunel train shed behind it really will not remain derelict, as I suspect it will, but be swiftly (haha) transformed into a smart new terminus for Paddington bound services via Filton.

One can but dream..
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martyjon
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« Reply #3 on: January 16, 2018, 18:59:01 »

This afternoon on JourneyCheck I noticed 4 HSS (High Speed Services) amended ; -

This service will be 5 coaches instead of 10.

This is due to a shortage of train drivers.

Me thinks there is a wee bit of telling porky pies here as it only needs ONE driver to drive a train be it 5 coaches or 10.

You couldn't make it up if you tried.
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phile
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« Reply #4 on: January 16, 2018, 20:02:54 »

This afternoon on JourneyCheck I noticed 4 HSS (High Speed Services) amended ; -

This service will be 5 coaches instead of 10.

This is due to a shortage of train drivers.

Me thinks there is a wee bit of telling porky pies here as it only needs ONE driver to drive a train be it 5 coaches or 10.

You couldn't make it up if you tried.

Somebody has tweeted GWR (Great Western Railway) to ask this question and reply stated error, should have read member of staff.   So that explains it just as we thought.
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SandTEngineer
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« Reply #5 on: February 06, 2018, 18:29:29 »

So Bristol never had direct trains to London then...... Roll Eyes
https://www.networkrail.co.uk/feeds/rail-travel-in-bristol-to-be-transformed-with-direct-services-to-london-from-2019/

I'm really getting fed up with all this NR» (Network Rail - home page) 'spin'.......it's as though we never did any major signalling upgrades in the past (WCML (West Coast Main Line) comes to mind).

Edit to Add: ...and as I mentioned previously, this isn't a resignalling it's a re-control, with mostly the same signals in the same positions, so it will give exactly the same headways as today.  How can that be classed as an improvement.... Roll Eyes
« Last Edit: February 07, 2018, 18:35:33 by SandTEngineer » Logged
Bmblbzzz
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« Reply #6 on: February 06, 2018, 18:38:15 »

So Bristol never had direct trains to London then...... Roll Eyes
https://www.networkrail.co.uk/feeds/rail-travel-in-bristol-to-be-transformed-with-direct-services-to-london-from-2019/

I'm really getting fed up with all this NR» (Network Rail - home page) 'spin'.......it's as though we never did any major signalling upgrades in the past (WCML (West Coast Main Line) comes to mind).
Quote
Passenger journeys from Bristol will be transformed from next year with two direct services per hour to London, with reduced journey times by up to 17 minutes on newer better trains with 24% more capacity.
Weren't we promised four per hour?
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ellendune
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« Reply #7 on: February 06, 2018, 20:54:28 »

I think they man two extra
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IndustryInsider
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« Reply #8 on: February 06, 2018, 22:41:28 »

Later in the article it states seven trains an hour between Bristol and London.  Obviously that includes the Parkway only ones to and from South Wales, but even then I thought only six were planned?
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To view my GWML (Great Western Main Line) Electrification cab video 'before and after' video comparison, as well as other videos of the new layout at Reading and 'before and after' comparisons of the Cotswold Line Redoubling scheme, see: http://www.dailymotion.com/user/IndustryInsider/
paul7575
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« Reply #9 on: February 06, 2018, 22:58:55 »

The 2015 GWR (Great Western Railway) franchise brief pamphlet does show a ‘line diagram’ with up to 4 trains through Parkway and up to 3 trains through Bath, but only if you ignore the explanatory notes that some destinations change between routes depending on peak or off peak.  It doesn’t show 7 in total any or every hour...

Or put another way it only shows 6 trains west of Swindon...

The sort of mistake made if you don’t read the details...

Paul.
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Bmblbzzz
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« Reply #10 on: February 07, 2018, 09:32:16 »

I thought it was to be 2 from Temple Meads via Bath, 2 from Temple Meads via Parkway and 2 from S. Wales via Parkway. But it could have changed or I could have been wrong in the first place.
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paul7575
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« Reply #11 on: February 07, 2018, 15:22:59 »

I thought it was to be 2 from Temple Meads via Bath, 2 from Temple Meads via Parkway and 2 from S. Wales via Parkway. But it could have changed or I could have been wrong in the first place.
It was shown that way in the 2015 brief, but only in the off-peak periods.   In the peak periods (shown as thinner lines) one of the Bristol via Parkway services re-routes via Bath, and the other re-routes to South Wales.   The peak variations summarise as 3 tph to/from South Wales, and 3 tph Bristol via Bath.  Still 6 in total...

Paul
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IndustryInsider
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« Reply #12 on: February 07, 2018, 20:03:21 »

Perhaps they’re counting each train that calls at Parkway and Temple Meads as two services.   Wink

I know the maths still doesn’t add up, but I’d put nothing past the GWR (Great Western Railway) spin machine these days!
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