2020 - TransWilts cancellation and amendment log

[whole diary]

[GBM]

I do remember (yonks ago) a DMU^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit) crawling along a station, with the driver waiting for a 1 bell stop buzz from the guard.  Happened a few times.
Also happened in steam days with the driver waiting for a long whistle as to when to stop.

Apologies, off topic!

[grahame]

07:37 Westbury to Swindon due 08:20
07:37 Westbury to Swindon due 08:20 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.
Additional Information
Replacement road transport has been arranged to run in lieu of this train service. Please check station signs and wait for the replacement road transport at the designated stop. The replacement road transport may run later than the advertised train times owing to the additional time taken by road between stations and the time required for loading and unloading at each stop.
Further Information

If you hold a valid single, return, or weekly ticket, you will be able to claim compensation for delays of 15 minutes or more. Please keep your ticket and visit GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway).com/DelayRepay

Gone are:
07:37 Westbury to Swindon due 08:20
08:45 Swindon to Westbury due 09:26
09:45 Westbury to Swindon due 10:34
11:06 Swindon to Westbury due 11:47
12:16 Westbury to Swindon due 13:01
13:15 Swindon to Westbury due 13:56
14:16 Westbury to Swindon due 15:01
15:14 Swindon to Westbury due 15:55
16:25 Westbury to Swindon due 17:08
17:36 Swindon to Westbury due 18:17
18:39 Westbury to Swindon due 19:21
20:45 Swindon to Westbury due 21:26

A single service remains at 20:06 from Westbury ...

[TaplowGreen]

07:37 Westbury to Swindon due 08:20
07:37 Westbury to Swindon due 08:20 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.
Additional Information
Replacement road transport has been arranged to run in lieu of this train service. Please check station signs and wait for the replacement road transport at the designated stop. The replacement road transport may run later than the advertised train times owing to the additional time taken by road between stations and the time required for loading and unloading at each stop.
Further Information

If you hold a valid single, return, or weekly ticket, you will be able to claim compensation for delays of 15 minutes or more. Please keep your ticket and visit GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway).com/DelayRepay

Gone are:
07:37 Westbury to Swindon due 08:20
08:45 Swindon to Westbury due 09:26
09:45 Westbury to Swindon due 10:34
11:06 Swindon to Westbury due 11:47
12:16 Westbury to Swindon due 13:01
13:15 Swindon to Westbury due 13:56
14:16 Westbury to Swindon due 15:01
15:14 Swindon to Westbury due 15:55
16:25 Westbury to Swindon due 17:08
17:36 Swindon to Westbury due 18:17
18:39 Westbury to Swindon due 19:21
20:45 Swindon to Westbury due 21:26

A single service remains at 20:06 from Westbury ...

Given that replacement transport is being provided, it's one of the quietest travelling days of the year, the only people travelling to/from Swindon (tier 3) will be doing so in extremely specific, essential circumstances, this should hopefully not cause too much hardship?

[grahame]

Given that replacement transport is being provided, it's one of the quietest travelling days of the year, the only people travelling to/from Swindon (tier 3) will be doing so in extremely specific, essential circumstances, this should hopefully not cause too much hardship?

It is certainly one of the best periods of the year for it to happen - totally agreed.  The service is used by key workers; numbers will not be great, but individual effects may be significant. Lack (so far) of anything but "later than normal" for timing ... no bus times on departure screens, for example ... leaves it pretty darned impractical to use the alternative at present with a bus going to turn up at some time every couple of hours.

Journey check has been updated (06:15), but advise there is out of date in talking about line closures due to flooding ...  might be better to say nothing than something that's wrong?

Cancellations to services between Swindon and Westbury
Due to a shortage of train crew between Swindon and Westbury the line towards Melksham is disrupted.
Train services running through these stations have been cancelled. Disruption is expected until 23:59 31/12.
Customer Advice
Replacement road transport is in place between Chippenham, Melksham, Trowbridge and Westbury in both directions.

You are advised to wait for road transport in the designated replacement road transport areas and that buses will run later that than the advertised train times due to line of route and additional time required for loading and unloading.

Due to flooding in the Freshford area, GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) is diverting a limited number of train services between Bath Spa and Westbury via Melksham. Unfortunately, we are not able to call these trains at Melksham due to the difference between platform and train lengths.

If you are travelling from Westbury to Chippenham and Swindon, you are advised to travel by train via Bath Spa, to connect with train services to Chippenham, Swindon and London Paddington.

If you are travelling from Swindon or Chippenham to Westbury, you are advised to use replacement road transport from Chippenham to Melksham, Trowbridge and Westbury. Some GWR train services will divert and stop at Chippenham, calling at Trowbridge and Westbury. Where these train services are available, they will be quicker than the replacement road transport.
Replacement road transport services are conveying passengers between Chippenham and Westbury via Melksham in both directions until further notice.
Further Information
An update will follow within the next 2 hours.
If you hold a valid single, return, or weekly ticket, you will be able to claim compensation for delays of 15 minutes or more. Please keep your ticket and visit GWR.com/DelayRepay
Last Updated:30/12/2020 06:15

[grahame]

From GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway):

Morning, Replacement road transport is in place between Chippenham, Melksham, Trowbridge and Westbury in both directions. The buses should run near to the train times. Will be a bit longer as it's by road.

[grahame]

Social media posts - for the record

https://www.facebook.com/MelkshamRUG/posts/722279858416797


https://twitter.com/MelkshamRUG/status/1344194947612880897

[brooklea]

I?ve taken so many photos at Melksham but none of them answer the question.

Apart from the usual 2/3 car stop I assume there are no others.  That might be an issue stopping other trains.  Or have I got that wrong.  Does a driver have to have a stop board for his/her length of train to be able to call?

If you?re running part of your train off the platform, then I?d say you?d need a stop board.  The risk would be too high otherwise. Where the platform is long enough to accommodate the whole train, you don?t need one.

There are "S" stop boards for all lengths of trains at the front of the platform in both directions .   No need to run off at the ends, and indeed when longer multiple unit trains have called in the past, the front has stopped at the front marker leaving the train hanging. Exactly as they do at Dilton Marsh every time they stop there.

I do have pictures ... coming in a few minutes.

I shall attempt to shed some light on this!

The method of work for door release on classes 165 and 166 is that the driver stops at the correct stop mark, checks, and then releases the doors on the correct side EXCEPT at a very few platforms where local door release is mandated. In these specific cases, the driver does not release any doors once stopped at the platform, and it is for the guard to open the local door (the first passenger door). Different signage is provided, as shown here in grahame s second photo at Dilton Marsh http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=22329.0 This method of work applies for the likes of Avoncliff, Thornford, Chetnole, Dilton Marsh, Mottisfont and Dunbridge, and certain stations in the Exeter area since Turbos were introduced around there.

The fundamental point is that for safe operations, only one method of work is employed at each platform, and the method of work for Melksham is the first i.e. the driver releases the doors. Therefore 4/5/6 coach 165/166 formations do not call at Melksham. A workaround would be to manually lock all the doors on the rear unit before leaving the previous station to Melksham, once you had moved all the passengers to the leading unit, all of which would take time and cause some inconvenience to the displaced passengers.

[bobm]

Same story for tomorrow (New Years Eve).

All TW services except the 20:06 from Westbury will be replaced by road transport.

Further afield Cardiff-Portsmouth will be every two hours.

[grahame]

Same story for tomorrow (New Years Eve).

All TW services except the 20:06 from Westbury will be replaced by road transport.

Further afield Cardiff-Portsmouth will be every two hours.

Today's list ...

07:37 Westbury to Swindon due 08:20
08:45 Swindon to Westbury due 09:26
09:45 Westbury to Swindon due 10:34
11:06 Swindon to Westbury due 11:47
12:16 Westbury to Swindon due 13:01
13:15 Swindon to Westbury due 13:56
14:16 Westbury to Swindon due 15:01
15:14 Swindon to Westbury due 15:55
16:25 Westbury to Swindon due 17:08
17:36 Swindon to Westbury due 18:17
18:39 Westbury to Swindon due 19:21
20:45 Swindon to Westbury due 21:26

Which leave the 20:21 as the only train calling at Melksham ...

Cancellations to services between Swindon and Westbury
Due to a shortage of train crew between Swindon and Westbury the line towards Melksham is disrupted.
Train services running through these stations have been cancelled. Disruption is expected until 23:59 31/12.
Customer Advice
Replacement road transport is in place between Chippenham, Melksham, Trowbridge and Westbury in both directions.

You are advised to wait for road transport in the designated replacement road transport areas.

Buses will run later that than the advertised train times due to the additional time required for loading and unloading and coaches being unable to match the train timetable.

If you are travelling from Westbury to Chippenham and Swindon, you are advised to travel by train via Bath Spa, and then change there for train services to Chippenham, Swindon and London Paddington.

If you are travelling from Swindon or Chippenham to Westbury, you are advised to use replacement road transport from Chippenham to Melksham, Trowbridge and Westbury.

Some GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) train services will divert and stop at Chippenham, calling at Trowbridge and Westbury. Where these train services are available, they will be quicker than the replacement road transport.
Replacement road transport services are conveying passengers between Chippenham and Westbury via Melksham in both directions until further notice.
Further Information
An update will follow within the next 2 hours.
If you hold a valid single, return, or weekly ticket, you will be able to claim compensation for delays of 15 minutes or more. Please keep your ticket and visit GWR.com/DelayRepay
Last Updated:31/12/2020 07:30

[bobm]

This has been added to the message for each train

You may use your ticket for travel between Swindon and Westbury on our train services via Bath Spa.

[grahame]

This has been added to the message for each train

You may use your ticket for travel between Swindon and Westbury on our train services via Bath Spa.

Good - however, if you book / look at fares on GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway)'s own web site, you will find that passengers booking via Bath are being told and sold the higher, and not the 8.10 return fare (yes, less than half today's price) offered on direct trains.  Come on - GWR - isn't that just a bit naughty?

[bobm]

Of course with the turn of the year this should probably be the start of a new thread, however...  it seems likely trains will be replaced by buses for the next three days - ie up to and including Sunday 3rd January.

Those responsible for rostering are working now to see what resources they will have available from Monday with priority being focussed on rush hour services for key workers.

[grahame]

Of course with the turn of the year this should probably be the start of a new thread, however...  it seems likely trains will be replaced by buses for the next three days - ie up to and including Sunday 3rd January.

Those responsible for rostering are working now to see what resources they will have available from Monday with priority being focussed on rush hour services for key workers.

We'll start a new thread when the New Year starts, Bob ... in the meantime from GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) - pretty sure this is circular / shareable as it refers to the temporary timetables from just before Christmas; that was the replacement of the semifast services from Paddington via Westbury with extra stops in the expresses - sensible way to serve a thinner market and with thinner services, keeping effect on passenger journeys down.

Dear Graham
 
I hope that you had a good Christmas, and we can now all look forward to a better 2021.
 
As you know we made some temporary timetable changes just before Christmas as a result of reduced numbers of depot and train crew staff due to Covid-19 cases and self-isolation, and I promised to keep you updated. 
 
We are still seeing staff reductions, and as you will know we have also now had further Tier 3 and Tier 4 announcements. We will therefore continue to run the temporary timetable next week (commencing Monday 4 January).  Details are on our website gwr.com and we are reminding customers to check timetables before they travel. 
 
We know how important it is to offer consistent, robust timetables.  We want to avoid ad hoc on the day cancellations, and we know customers need information more than a week ahead.  We are therefore working with government and colleagues to review our January/February timetable, taking into account the latest changes to tiers, and I will be in touch again early next week to let you know our plans.
 
Finally, thank you for all the kind thoughts and concern for our staff. We really do appreciate it, and we are very proud of all the teams who have stepped up and worked so hard over Christmas to keep services running and to make sure we had a reliable timetable in place for Monday.
 
Best wishes
 

[grahame]

Sadly, had to start a new thread for 2021 at http://www.passenger.chat/24452 .


Summarising December 2020 here:

448 services scheduled

315 ran as trains on time
57 as trains slightly late
15 trains significantly late
5 ran scheduled as buses *
* - said to be on time but we don't know. I saw three - each a few minutes late
56 trains cancelled

Cancellation reasons:
16 due to "heavy rain flooding the railway" (but on another railway line not ours  )
38 due to a shortage of train crew
1 due to a fault on the train
1 - no reason logged
 
85% ppm - which is below 90% target but not unreasonable so.
87.5% running rate is dreadful - cancellation rate (12.5%) of between 5 and 10 times the target, and I suspect the worst around by a long way on lines that remain open (Landslip at Ash and floods near Exeter have lead to closed lines where the figures may be as bad - difference is that the TransWilts line has not been closed!)

Noting that cancellations continue 1.1.2021 which may be somewhat forgiven because replacement bus alternatives are starting to appear in the journey planner.   Replacement buses without timetable information on a very sparse service (rather than a turn-up-anytime-and-ride frequency) are of very limited use to customers.