Summer timetable - first trains

[whole diary]

[grahame]

Not a good start to the summer timetable, with the 08:49, 09:52 and 10:47 (Melksham times) all cancelled.  Don't know about the 12:07 yet.

"This is due to a member of train crew being unavailable."

Cancellation of 08:49 was quite close to the time it was due /  initial help point advise was to wait for the 10:47 (would her been brilliant thing to do as that's cancelled too!) but people had appointments, connections, tickets for events.   FGW^▸ (First Great Western) / Twitter and Station Manager a great help in getting Taxis - took 8 people from Melksham up to Chippenham.   Don't know about passengers from Westbury and Trowbridge.

Kiss and ride passengers for 09:52 decided to drive to Westbury themselves;  we were a bit overstocked with taxis (that's probably because people saw about the cancellation online, and estimates were based on a guess as to how we might do).   I do note a scathing review on our Facebook page, but it's unclear as to whether that's from an intended traveller or an armchair critic.  Certainly not someone I met at Melksham Station; and (for Melksham where I have been) at least, everyone who's come to the station has made their journey so far.

Very VERY disappointing ... hopefully just "one of those things"; I can personally accept it if the train crew member involved had a significant crisis, on the basis of "these things happen"

[John R]

That's very unfortunate. Are you able to take this up with FGW^▸ (First Great Western)?

[grahame]

That's very unfortunate. Are you able to take this up with FGW^▸ (First Great Western)?

Working well and immediately with them to get passengers away ... 8 left by taxi at (or soon after) 08:50, a few more left at 09:52, another 10 at 10:48.  So everyone will reach destination with minimum delay.  Further follow will come - but after immediate issues are over.    I really don't know if I should be doing it, but I'm helping to re-assure people at the station that there is a taxi on the way, etc.

[John R]

So everyone will reach destination with minimum delay.  Further follow will come - but after immediate issues are over.    I really don't know if I should be doing it, but I'm helping to re-assure people at the station that there is a taxi on the way, etc.

Hopefully anyone on the 0952 heading to Weymouth got to Westbury on time, as the Weymouth train only left 2 mins late.

Should you be doing it? Not in the sense of "is it your job to do it", but most definitely a good thing to do to help passengers, and I'm sure nobody in authority would object. Indeed, I'd put in down as an example of how the CRP^▸ (Community Rail Partnership) helps both the TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company) and passengers, which might be remembered if someone questions the value of funding the CRP.

Speaking of the summer timetable, I checked the leaflet rack at SWI^» (Swindon - next trains) on Friday and lots of leaflets for Devon and Cornwall branches, but nothing about the Transwilts anymore.

[grahame]

Another five away ... including pushchair and cycles ... on the 12:07.   Everyone who I've spoken to helped put into taxis will have connected on time.   I think the next two services (13:47 and 15:17) are the end of the same driver shift, so I guess they're up in the air.  I will pop down to the station anyway ...

John R - please don't record these as normal passenger numbers - I think a lot of people check online before they travel these days. It was notable that we had a lot more for the 08:49 than the 09:52, even though I would have expected it to be biased the other way - and that *might* be because both cancellations were put up at the same time and people knew well ahead for the 09:52 and didn't try.

[Network SouthEast]

Speaking of the summer timetable, I checked the leaflet rack at SWI^» (Swindon - next trains) on Friday and lots of leaflets for Devon and Cornwall branches, but nothing about the Transwilts anymore.

Is that because they have simply run out? Or do you think there never were any?

[grahame]

Speaking of the summer timetable, I checked the leaflet rack at SWI^» (Swindon - next trains) on Friday and lots of leaflets for Devon and Cornwall branches, but nothing about the Transwilts anymore.

Is that because they have simply run out? Or do you think there never were any?

Which one did they have?

Background - the original single page flyer from last December was a limited print run and whilst no expiry date was publicly on it to my recollection (not got one here today) it actually expired yesterday.   The new bright yellow line brochure, artwork by the CRP^▸ (Community Rail Partnership), was delivered to us late last Wednesday afternoon.   It should be following the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) supply chain and we have some being distributed by First to each station on the TransWilts - numbers for this element of the distribution were no more than an educated guess.

Here are the two (old on the left, new on the right)



Which have you seen at Swindon, John R ... if it's the one on the left, you should see the one on the right in a few days.   If it's the one on the right, we may need to restock already!

13:47 turned up as a train     I expect this one to be quiet at Melksham as people going out for the day or on long distance journeys already have, but people aren't coming back yet.   Surprisingly, I counted about 30 passengers through the windows (so just approximate).   One got on, two got off - one's a lady I know who had purchased a ticket for the 10:47 arrival only to be told a few minutes later it was cancelled, so she waited for the 13:47.    You may be astonished at this, but then I phoned in on the help point when the 08:50 was cancelled and was told that the next train was at 10:47, with no offer or suggestion of any alternative but waiting.

[grahame]

Concluding this morning's adventure ... everyone who turned up at Melksham station got away and should have made their connections.  Destinations included Bristol Temple Meads, Bath Spa, London Paddington, Didcot, Maidstone, Taunton (multiple groups), Southampton, Plymouth, Chippenham and Trowbridge.

[John R]

They didn't have either.  They used to have the old one because I took a few to put on noticeboards at work. I wasn't surprised to see that one gone, but I guess the new one hasn't made it's way onto the rack yet.

I won't record today's stats for exactly the reason you give. Many will have checked online and made alternative arrangements or not bothered. It's highlighted a flaw in the online system that it doesn't show when the TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company) will make alternative provision for passengers.

[bobm]

I have a stock of the yellow ones I can drop down to Swindon on Tuesday morning if that helps.

[grahame]

I have a stock of the yellow ones I can drop down to Swindon on Tuesday morning if that helps.

Thanks, Bob ... by all means mention it if you're there, but I suspect they're on their way through the system of (?) weekly drops 

[grahame]

Ok folks ... I think we should move on a bit;  it does mean I've not got the "happy day trippers" pictures I was hoping to get in this Thursday's local paper, and it does mean that there are a number of negative vibes out there with people tempted to the train for the first time today (I met some).  However, once a couple of inputs were made everyone from Melksham at least who turned up at the station got on their way quite quickly and got the positive view [from me].   I'm going to spin off a TransWilts Members thread to help analyse / learn any more systemic lessons, but I think we can be pretty sure it will be fixed by next Sunday

Technical thread at
http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=14019.0