Melksham Connections

[whole diary]

[Kim]

FGW^▸ (First Great Western) are an absolute shambles. 18:30 from Bristol (timed to connect with the 19:02 from Chippenham to Melksham) 22 mins late, so the connection will be missed. Due to circumstances at work today, I'm on the 18:49 from Bristol which is timed to connect to the 19:38 from Trowbridge to Melksham. These are the only trains to Melksham, and FGW then hold us up to let out the delayed 18:30, which has no chance of making the connection anyway. Now we're very unlikely to make ours because of that. What is the point FGW?! The amount of money they have cost me on top of my season ticket over the last 9 and a half months is ridiculous.

Graham, or anyone on that train who is reading this, please get them to hold the 19:38!

[bobm]

Based on current running you still have a chance... your train is due in to Trowbridge at 19:34 so you should make the 19:38 with some nifty footwork.  Fingers crossed.

[Kim]

I can see an attempt to cross the bridge as fast as I can ending in the doors being closed in my face (again.) I'm disabled so I need longer to get over that bridge.

Just managed to track down the conductor. HST^▸ (High Speed Train)'s take priority over these trains as a rule. Why?! That's potentially 2 sets of people with no train home instead of 1.

Relying on the mercy of someone at Westbury to hold the train. Judging by past experiences of FGW^▸ (First Great Western), not hopeful.

[Kim]

Made it! Phew!

[swrural]

How exciting Kim, almost like being there myself.

The problem of course is the frequency (is that the right word?) of trains along the Melksham line.

GrahamE is on the case.

[John R]

FGW^▸ (First Great Western) are an absolute shambles. 18:30 from Bristol (timed to connect with the 19:02 from Chippenham to Melksham) 22 mins late, so the connection will be missed. Due to circumstances at work today, I'm on the 18:49 from Bristol which is timed to connect to the 19:38 from Trowbridge to Melksham. These are the only trains to Melksham, and FGW then hold us up to let out the delayed 18:30, which has no chance of making the connection anyway. Now we're very unlikely to make ours because of that. What is the point FGW?! The amount of money they have cost me on top of my season ticket over the last 9 and a half months is ridiculous.

Graham, or anyone on that train who is reading this, please get them to hold the 19:38!

I'd have thought it's a reasonable call to delay the 1849 by 3 minutes, else the 1830 will be stuck behind it (as the 1849 calls at Keynsham and Oldfield Park), and thus lose another 6 or 7 minutes.  I'm not sure they'll have considered the fact that the connection at Chippenham is already lost in making that decision.

Why have they cost you money on top of the season ticket? If a booked connection is missed FGW have an obligation to get you back to Melksham.

 

[swrural]

I agree with John R, especially his last sentence.  In any case, FGW^▸ (First Great Western) should be looking after its Melksham pax like the king and queen.  Once it gets around (hopefully reported in the local press) that, due to the lack of frequency, FGW is pulling out all the stops to get pax home or to work, at no expense to the pax, then the prospects for the more frequent service become rosier.

Success breeds success, go for it FGW!

[Kim]

It was nearer a 10 minute delay at one point. The train that we waited for was at least 22 mins late - I would have thought it better to delay 1 set of passengers rather than 2.

Delays on the TransWilts which would result in missed connections and my being late for work. The earliest train back into Melksham is at 7:11 in the evening. I finish work at 4:15. It would send me insane if I waited for the Melksham train every day.

First must love this setup - I would say that more people end their journeys early at Trowbridge/Chippenham than wait for the Melksham connection in the evening. Some of those are then paying out for the bus.

[grahame]

The amount of money they have cost me on top of my season ticket over the last 9 and a half months is ridiculous.

Graham, or anyone on that train who is reading this, please get them to hold the 19:38!

Sorry Kim - I was on the train from Swindon in the en; back from Farnborough the other way round (and not online from the train, so didn't see your message).  Just home now after meeting.

If FGW^▸ (First Great Western) sell you a season Melksham to Bristol and you present yourself at Bristol in time to get the schedued connection, they are (as I understand it) obliged to get you there.   If a connection fails and there isn't another train in 2 hours or less, then it's road transport at their cost.    That's the theory - see my experience at Chippenham last week when I ended up in a taxi at my expense.   I'm not a great fusser / militant; perhaps we should be ...

I'm on the early train again in the morning .. catch up then!

[John R]

It was nearer a 10 minute delay at one point. The train that we waited for was at least 22 mins late - I would have thought it better to delay 1 set of passengers rather than 2.

6 minutes late at Keynsham and Oldfield Park, reducing to 5 minutes thereafter. I still think this was the correct decision, as it didn't result in any missed connections of the service you were on.

[Kim]

Wasn't sure where to put this...

Further to Graham's encouragement, I posed my situation to the conductor on the 7:11 into Melksham yesterday. They asked for it (dialogue below)

Conductor: You're on this service most nights, aren't you?
Me: I try not to be to be honest, I finish work at 4:15
Conductor (looks at his watch and then looks at me like I'm mad.)
Me: This is the first train
Conductor: You could get off at Trowbridge
Me: I tried that but the fuel bill was going through the roof
Conductor: You could get a bus connection
Me: It's ^4 for a single, 50% on top of my daily train fare*

*I've just done the maths again, worse than I thought. ^1836/365 = ^5.03 a day.

Trowbridge to Melksham - 7 miles.
Trowbridge to Bristol - 23 miles.

That price difference really doesn't stack up...

[grahame]

The pricings are all very silly, I'm afraid, Kim.  And there are some interesting relationships between the bus and train routes, and the bus and train operators, along the route ... which make for some very interesting thoughts if you start playing "what if" with fares, services and interchangability.

Tomorrow, we get to vote for our new Wiltshire councillor.  I'm judging our contest (Melksham Without South) to be - realistically - a three way race. One candidate's a taxi driver who makes what I suspect's a significant income from 20 pound runs to and from Chippenham station (there's another interesting metric) ...

[Kim]

I'm at Chippenham, once again wasting my evening waiting for this connection. A FGW^▸ (First Great Western) HST^▸ (High Speed Train) just came steaming through here without stopping. I bet it's gone for a diversion through Melksham to block the track up. This happens all too often at the expense of scheduled services. The train already runs too late, we don't want to be any later!

[Kim]

Just had confirmation from my lift at Melksham waiting for me that said HST^▸ (High Speed Train) did indeed go through there.

Sort it out FGW^▸ (First Great Western), you have turned Melksham into a joke.

[bobm]

Ironically I suspect that was an unplanned diversion. The line through Bedwyn is blocked due to a points problem so the 17:33 to Castle Cary, which was supposed to fill in on the Berks & Hants because of the closure nearer Taunton, has had to be sent via Melksham to avoid the blockage.