Heads you lose and tails you don't win

[whole diary]

[grahame]

From my Facebook feed

Great Western Railway
Sponsored ·
For the next several weekends, planned maintenance work is going to disrupt road travel around Junction 13 on the M4. Don’t let roadworks hold you up, go by train instead. Book now at GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway).com, on our app, or at a station.

From my ticket enquiry, Darlington to Melksham,23rd  June 2019

Important to know
Buses will replace all trains to/from Bath Spa as well as between Westbury and Chippenham on this date.

For more visit GWR.com/upgrade.

[martyjon]

From my Facebook feed

Great Western Railway
Sponsored ·
For the next several weekends, planned maintenance work is going to disrupt road travel around Junction 13 on the M4. Don’t let roadworks hold you up, go by train instead. Book now at GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway).com, on our app, or at a station.

From my ticket enquiry, Darlington to Melksham,23rd  June 2019

Important to know
Buses will replace all trains to/from Bath Spa as well as between Westbury and Chippenham on this date.

For more visit GWR.com/upgrade.

Nothing like being hit by a double whammy then 

[ellendune]

IIRC^▸ (if I recall/remember/read correctly) the works on the M4 will be every weekend now until the end of July (going to be really fun on the last Saturday in July when the holiday rush starts!).  I assume that's not the case with GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) is it? 

[grahame]

Nothing like being hit by a double whammy then 

Journey planner offering me a Darlington to Melksham changing at Bristol Temple Meads (to a bus) and Trowbridge (to another bus) ... 268 minutes Darlington to Bristol then a wait of 51 minutes and a further travel time of 121 minutes until I reach Melksham.    Same journey a week later offers me 59 minutes from Bristol to Melksham, 25 minutes of which is awaiting a connection at Chippenham.

So ...
average speed Darlington to Bristol 58 m.p.h.
average speed Bristol to Melksham (23rd June) 12.9 m.p.h.
average speed Bristol to Melksham (30th June) 26.5 m.p.h.  (could be 40 m.p.h. with a 5 min connection at CPM^» (Chippenham - next trains))

IIRC^▸ (if I recall/remember/read correctly) the works on the M4 will be every weekend now until the end of July (going to be really fun on the last Saturday in July when the holiday rush starts!).  I assume that's not the case with GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) is it? 

No - in fact see comparison above that I was typing that compares a 23rd June (bus) and 20th June (train) link for me from Bristol.

I will ... not ... be bussing all the way on rail replacements from Temple Meads.