2024 - Service update and amendment log, Swindon <-> Westbury

[whole diary]

[grahame]

09:46 Westbury to Swindon due 10:29
11:05 Swindon to Westbury due 11:47

11:05 Swindon to Westbury due 11:47 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

Reinstated.

Indeed - but not before people intending to travel were "panicking" at the cancellation.  I was at Melksham station for both the 08:02 and the 10:02 departures this morning, and both picked up around 10 passengers; chatted with some of them.   

Although JourneyCheck was flagging up an issues with the 10:02, the display boards at the station were showing it as running and on time all the way through - but of course many savvy customers check before they look at the boards at the station, so may have given up on it.  The bloke I spoke with, at the start of a long distance journey (he will be coming back during our bustitution) said he had been worrying for "an hour and a half" before the re-instatement.   I wonder how many others had similar panics / notifications and made alternative re-arrangements rather than risk waiting to see if the cancellation was "real".  With Christmas Day on Wednesday, I have no easy way of knowing what the loading woukd have been  ... (a) if this train had not flagged up as cancelled for a while or (b) if the train service had been reliable of late.

[matth1j]

A bit off-topic but I was waiting at Bath for the 0747 Weston-super-Mare service last week and they were announcing it was going to terminate at Bristol. Didn't affect me as Bristol was my destination, but I imagined it would cause hassle for others.

But not long after boarding the train, presumably without any passengers who had been hoping for a trip to the seaside, it was announced that a driver had been found, and that the train would be continuing onwards as originally scheduled! I was annoyed on behalf of those who had disembarked/not boarded.

(More on-topic - took the 271 bus from Melksham to Bath instead of the 0721 train via Chippenham because I no longer rate my chances of making the (unofficial) connection at Chippenham for the Weston service.)

[ChrisB]

Why would you not board though?

a) it gets you closer to where you want to go.

b) Any alter train would also stop at BRI^» (Bristol Temple Meads - next trains) to pick you up.

c) As you say, they might just continue after all

[matth1j]

Why would you not board though?

Fair point; probably just caused some temporary anxiety.

[grahame]

Why would you not board though?

a) it gets you closer to where you want to go.

b) Any alter train would also stop at BRI^» (Bristol Temple Meads - next trains) to pick you up.

c) As you say, they might just continue after all

ChrisB - you, I, and most of the members here know those things and would probably take the decision to board the train to Bristol Temple Meads.  Others don't have our expertise.

A comparative situation ... I was at Melksham seeing people off onto the 09:10 to Weymouth for a day out and it was "announced" as terminating at Yeovil Pen Mill - station departure board and online.  Lost custom because ...

a) Wanted direct train for day out with kids and not messing with changes

b) Fearful as to how long they would have to wait at YVP / whether they would get back later

c) Didn't know if there would be an ongoing train

d) Loss of time at destination

Yes, it was re-instated all the way, but that was only after it had left.

[TaplowGreen]

16:23 Westbury to Swindon due 17:05
16:23 Westbury to Swindon due 17:05 will be cancelled.
This is due to more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time.

17:35 Swindon to Westbury due 18:19
17:35 Swindon to Westbury due 18:19 will be cancelled.
This is due to more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time.

[grahame]

800 follow up posts on this thread in 2024 - and THANK YOU to everyone who has helped me maintain the log.  I really appreciate it and it's going to be just as important (but I hope nothing like as busy) for 2025

And for 2025, I have split off our first event of the year into a new thread at  http://www.greatwesternrailway.info/29726 ...

[GBM]

weblink showing error on accessing 2025 delays.
Will email error as can't attach here

[grahame]

weblink showing error on accessing 2025 delays.
Will email error as can't attach here

Thanks - missing "/" in URL which I have fixed.

[ChrisB]

800 follow up posts on this thread in 2024 - and THANK YOU to everyone who has helped me maintain the log.  I really appreciate it and it's going to be just as important (but I hope nothing like as busy) for 2025

And for 2025, I have split off our first event of the year into a new thread at  http://www.greatwesternrailway.info/29726 ...

Is that page what the new-look coffeeshop posts will look like? I have to say that this format is a lot clearer & less clunky. That linked page is dreadful.

[grahame]

Is that page what the new-look coffeeshop posts will look like? I have to say that this format is a lot clearer & less clunky. That linked page is dreadful.

I know how personally people take the formats and grow to love those they are familiar with, Chris.  I have opened a door onto opportunities and been concentrating on maintain the old functionality so far, and in doing so have left and will broadly leave the old look and feel too, though it will no longer be the only way to view content.   But  there is much more to come - you haven't seen anything like the finished product yet.

[Chris from Nailsea]

Thanks, grahame. 

I have to say that I agree with ChrisB on this one: I'm a traditionalist, so I keep reverting to the original appearance of the Coffee Shop forum, as it has been since I joined it in December 2007. 

Chris 'Luddite' from Nailsea. 

[grahame]

Thanks, grahame. 

I have to say that I agree with ChrisB on this one: I'm a traditionalist, so I keep reverting to the original appearance of the Coffee Shop forum, as it has been since I joined it in December 2007. 

Chris 'Luddite' from Nailsea. 

I knew I had it in words somewhere ... from the front page at https://www.greatwesternrailway.info ...

We hope you enjoy new Coffee Shop experiences and continue to be comfortable in the well established ones.