Christmas 2018

[whole diary]

[SandTEngineer]

Think you might have missed another closure of Filton Bank?

At Christmas / New Year?   If that's in the date range - even the prior weekend - I'll add it

I have 24/12/18 to 01/01/19 in my diary.  I'll check with my sources to see if its still the case.

Cancel that!  The line is open but only two tracks, the other two for some followup work.  Thank heavens for four tracks!

[grahame]

Thanks for those checks. I have posted a general link to the page onto our new Coffee Shop Facebook page ((here)) and also shared it on the TravelWatch SouthWest page ((here)) and on the TransWilts page (where I am providing an engineering / operational feed until Sophie takes over) ((here)). Each with its local text - for TWSW^» (TravelWatch SouthWest - website) that reads

No trains on the South West on Christmas Day or Boxing Day. Major engineering work at Westbury, Southall, Guildford and Severn Tunnel Junction means that trains will be replaced by buses at those locations on some days. Note for TWSW passengers from Exeter and beyond to London - you may prefer to use the services from Exeter into Waterloo. Although there will be major engineering work at Waterloo, sufficient platforms WILL remain open to handle the services from Exeter and Salisbury.

and for TransWilts

Over Christmas and the New Year, trains from Swindon to Westbury will be replaced by buses between Chippenham and Westbury / Warminster calling at Melksham and Trowbridge en route.

Passengers from Swindon should catch the Bristol train and change to the Rail Replacement Bus at Chippenham. Passengers for Salisbury and the Solent area should REMAIN on the bus at Westbury, changing at Warminster onto the Portsmouth Harbour train that will start from there. Passengers for Frome, Yeovil, Dorchester and Weymouth shoulc change at Trowbridge. There will be exceptions - we suggest you check online from late November onwards for full timetables.

TransWilts have asked GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) to ensure that trains and buses connect well to ensure you have as smooth a journey as possible, and for the rail replacement services to be run using low floor verhicles suitable for all the things you usually take with you - such as pushchairs, heavy luggage, wheelchairs, bicycles, chlldren, dogs and kitchen sinks.

Forum members and lurkers also on Facebook (especially those of you who look after information pages / groups yourselves) are encouraged to share further 

[Red Squirrel]

Thank heavens for four tracks!

Absolutely! It's such a good idea, you almost wonder why no-one thought of it before!

[Adelante_CCT]

I note the following alterations to cater for the xmas rush:

Thursday 20th & Friday 21st sees the common additional 14:33 from Paddington to Plymouth (These are not yet in the passenger schedule but will no doubt appear in due course) . Also these two nights sees the usual 17:07 service to Frome curtailing at Newbury before running back to Paddington to form an additional 19:33* to Plymouth (Thursday) and Penzance (Friday).

(The 19:35 service to Didcot departs at 19:36 to cater for this)

The 19:12 service to Bristol TM^‡(resolve) will not call at Reading, and after Bristol Parkway will run to Newport & Cardiff instead of Bristol TM on both days

On the Friday however the 19:03 service to Penzance terminates short at Plymouth.

*The 22:42 Plymouth to Penzance is re-timed to 23:05 to connect with this service from Paddington


Saturday 22nd sees additional services to Penzance at 09:33 and Swansea at 11:15

[IndustryInsider]

Good to see no engineering work overruns affected GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) this morning.  At the London end of the network, platform extension works commenced/continued at a number of the stations Elizabeth Line services will eventually be calling at.  New footbridges were lifted in at West Ealing, Ealing Broadway and Acton Main Line.  Track work also took place at numerous locations, including a major renewal at Southall East Junction.

Work continues with a 2-track timetable in operation today east of Slough.

[Dispatch Box]

Good to see no engineering work overruns affected GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) this morning.  At the London end of the network, platform extension works commenced/continued at a number of the stations Elizabeth Line services will eventually be calling at.  New footbridges were lifted in at West Ealing, Ealing Broadway and Acton Main Line.  Track work also took place at numerous locations, including a major renewal at Southall East Junction.

Work continues with a 2-track timetable in operation today east of Slough.

This is a bit of a pain, now I suppose opentraintimes will be out of date again?

[Surrey 455]

New footbridges were lifted in at West Ealing, Ealing Broadway and Acton Main Line. 

West Drayton has a new 3½ year old footbridge not yet in use. Still waiting for someone to build a new ticket hall to connect it to.

[IndustryInsider]

Good to see no engineering work overruns affected GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) this morning.  At the London end of the network, platform extension works commenced/continued at a number of the stations Elizabeth Line services will eventually be calling at.  New footbridges were lifted in at West Ealing, Ealing Broadway and Acton Main Line.  Track work also took place at numerous locations, including a major renewal at Southall East Junction.

Work continues with a 2-track timetable in operation today east of Slough.

This is a bit of a pain, now I suppose opentraintimes will be out of date again?

There were no changes to any of the signalling, so opentraintimes should still work OK.

[Dispatch Box]

Good to see no engineering work overruns affected GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) this morning.  At the London end of the network, platform extension works commenced/continued at a number of the stations Elizabeth Line services will eventually be calling at.  New footbridges were lifted in at West Ealing, Ealing Broadway and Acton Main Line.  Track work also took place at numerous locations, including a major renewal at Southall East Junction.

Work continues with a 2-track timetable in operation today east of Slough.

This is a bit of a pain, now I suppose opentraintimes will be out of date again?

There were no changes to any of the signalling, so opentraintimes should still work OK.

Thanks for that.