Melksham Connections

[whole diary]

[Kim]

Just been shopping in Asda. Was coming out and a HST^▸ (High Speed Train) is heading to Chippenham. Can't help but think the service could be much enhanced if they just stopped every train that was diverted through here.

So the summer timetable commences today. Same old diabolical service. I read the timetable wrong and thought that there was a train departing for Melksham at 18:25 I wish.

[grahame]

and thought that there was a train departing for Melksham at 18:25 ....

There's one at 18:26 ... from Kemble for anyone who work near the station there.

Just been shopping in Asda. Was coming out and a HST^▸ (High Speed Train) is heading to Chippenham. Can't help but think the service could be much enhanced if they just stopped every train that was diverted through here.

Problem is that we need to know ahead of time in order to be able to make use of it.  We've tried to have summer Sunday diverted trains to / from the South West stop in the past; never succeeded - don't think the will's been there - requests kicked into the long grass, with "it will delay trains" even if they they sit for 10 minutes at Westbury, and "no proof that anyone would use it" ... correct, as it's not been tried!

However, I am sensing elements of change in a positive direction ... next Monday, 09:01 ... (yes, a daytime train) ... connection at Westbury for a nice day out in Weymouth.   Back at 19:50.   Affordable fares.   Even an extra carriage on Westbury - Weymouth for the possible extra traffic. See http://melksh.am/4080

[Kim]

Have ended up on the 18:30 from Bristol. Looking like making the connection is unlikely. Anyone on that train? No sign of a conductor and no apologies for the delay, only the fact that there are no seat reservations!!

[grahame]

Sorry, Kim ... working in Melksham today

[grahame]

BOTH trains running a bit late - you should make it. From live departures, Chippenham

18:55    London Paddington    18:59    2    First Great Western
19:02    Southampton Central    19:06    1    First Great Western

(Schedule, destination, expected, platform, operator)

[Kim]

Thanks Grahame. Made it to Chippenham just in time; Melksham train showing as on time at the station.

For a published connection, the 18:30 runs too close to the wire too many times. I would go as far as to say it's more unreliable than the Melksham trains.

[Kim]

Feeling for anyone who left their car at Melksham this morning. The train now seems to be starting from Gloucester and running to Swindon, non-stop from Chippenham to Trowbridge and restarting from Westbury. Given that they only run 4 trains a day, it would make more sense to run non-stop between some of the other stations. Yet another reason why the Melksham passenger numbers are lower than they could be.

[JayMac]

The fault for today's problems lie with the weather following a tree being brought down on the line between Kemble and Stroud. Issue has been compounded by a person hit by a train between Swindon and Didcot.

The train was actually cancelled at Swindon. A separate unit is restarting the service from Westbury to Southampton.

Staff have been displaced, rolling stock has been displaced.

[Chris from Nailsea]

I'm very sorry to read about that latest problem at Melksham, Kim.

Unfortunately, there are wider problems across the whole Great Western area this evening, as discussed at http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=12460.0

I'm not sure that First Great Western or Network Rail have the leisure time to consider any such 'non-stop workings between some stations' when they are struggling to keep any trains at all running on some of the blocked lines ...  

[grahame]

There were all sorts of issues yesterday evening and - fair enough - things had to happen including the cancellation (as far as Melksham was concerned) of half of the southbound service for the day.

There are four factors that make this an especially sensitive sort of cancellation:

a) the lack of a following service.   The train after 19:01 on Friday from Chippenham is around 15:30 on Saturday

b) the fact that it's almost routine to have problems.   This one may be forgiven / understood, but where some thing goes seriously wrong almost every week (and by "wrong" I mean journey delays over 30 minutes), it becomes just another frustrating excuse.

c) the hassle and pushiness that has to be used to get an alternative from the railways where they've cancelled  service / failed to make a connection. For example http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=12317.0

d) The poor advise given during times of disruption.  It's almost impossible to be 100% accurate at these times, but sometimes the advise ("catch the train ... it won't make the 07:01 connection at Westbury but you can catch the 07:04 and change at  Swindon" [suggesting you go out on one train and then come back, stopping again at Melksham] or "it's one minute late" when a freight has just gone through and you know it takes more than 5 minutes to clear the single line and have another service come back) is off-the-wall silly / impractical - the passengers know more from what they see on the ground than the people who are supposed to help them.

If an organisation fixes some of its routine problems, provides sensible information, willingly offer an alternative when it has already taken money for a service it then fails to provide, it will get a lot more of my sympathy when it's struggling with good cause.

[bobm]

Not TransWilts directly but an example of how it can work.

This morning's first service from Westbury to Weymouth failed at Frome leaving a potential gap of two and three quarter hours until the next. Some quick thinking meant a special service was run an hour later to fill the void and ensure a return service from Weymouth just after 9:00.

However to prove you cannot please everyone all of the time it meant sacrificing a northbound service to Gloucester which started from Bristol rather than Westbury.

[Kim]

Tonight, I paid ^5 to come home early from Trowbridge. Due to FGW^▸ (First Great Western) delays, I was only about 10 minutes earlier than I would have been had I waited for the TransWilts. I can just about deal with them wasting either my time or my money, not both 

[grahame]

Tonight, I paid ^5 to come home early from Trowbridge. Due to FGW^▸ (First Great Western) delays, I was only about 10 minutes earlier than I would have been had I waited for the TransWilts. I can just about deal with them wasting either my time or my money, not both 

I'm sat at Paddington - 22 late into Euston with Virgin, so i missed the 20:45 which left from here on time by 1 minute. As that's the last train to "connect" with a Melksham bus, I'm now faced with a taxi bill ... don't you just love train travel!

[ellendune]

I know it would not have been the case with the connection with the last bus, but shouldn't FGW^▸ (First Great Western) be paying for the taxi when you miss the rail connections to Melksham?

[grahame]

I know it would not have been the case with the connection with the last bus, but shouldn't FGW^▸ (First Great Western) be paying for the taxi when you miss the rail connections to Melksham?

Yes, they should ... although not the case, as you say, this evening.  Ironic when it's a rail delay that put me back an hour and First run the bus as well as the train.  Joined up transport would cost!