One less HST stopping at Maidenhead from August 10th - pm?

[whole diary]

[johoare]

The 19.18 is quieter as it's a Class-180 (well it's supposed to be)... It can take 2 or 3 minutes sometimes more for the platform to clear of people getting off of the 19.48 although admittedly it is Platform 1 at Maidenhead

[johoare]

On FGW^▸ (First Great Western) site:

Monday to Friday 12-16 August, 19-23 August and 26-30 August 2013
^Rail replacement buses will operate between Swindon and Kemble.
^Trains will operate between Kemble and Gloucester/ Cheltenham Spa and will run to an amended timetable.
^Some peak services from London to Gloucester, Cheltenham Spa and Worcester Shrub Hill will be diverted via Bristol Parkway with extended journey times
^Customers for Gloucester and Cheltenham Spa should travel via Bristol Parkway, changing trains if necessary
^Customers can expect journeys to take between 30-55 minutes longer than usual.

No mention of any cancelled trains...

[James]

Well Jo, there's obviously nothing that can be done, First Great Western just cannot help themselves...

[BBM]

i was on the 0653 from Twyford (0703 from Maidenhead) this morning, and just after passing Ealing Broadway the driver made an announcement over the PA^▸ (Public Address) to inform Maidenhead passengers that the 1948 would not be running for the next three weeks. He gave no advice about any alternative services.

[grahame]

He gave no advice about any alternative services.

I was at Melksham station last night, collecting a visitor.   No indication what so ever there that the 07:20 to Swindon will be running at 07:04.  Rather odd, as I've got a .pdf of the poster for the job from the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) publicity folks.   It probably just went up at Westbury and / or Trowbridge, as there are no free poster boards at Melksham station.

Advise about alternatives at Melksham.  "The next train to Chippenham and Swindon will leave at 19:47". 

[NickB]

i was on the 0653 from Twyford (0703 from Maidenhead) this morning, and just after passing Ealing Broadway the driver made an announcement over the PA^▸ (Public Address) to inform Maidenhead passengers that the 1948 would not be running for the next three weeks. He gave no advice about any alternative services.

I was on the 07.18 form Maidenhead and they didn't say anything.
They didn't even mention the fact that we were on the 07.18 as opposed to the 07.19.  I had feared that the change would have been missed by passengers and would have left some irate travellers at Maidenhead - but thankfully FGW^▸ (First Great Western) conspired to make the train 10mins late anyway.   
Maybe this is the new plan... just delay earlier trains to pick up everyone left in limbo by the cancellations and changes.

[grahame]

Officially suggested options from 19:00 to 20:00 this evening, Paddington to Maidenhead:

[IndustryInsider]

i was on the 0653 from Twyford (0703 from Maidenhead) this morning, and just after passing Ealing Broadway the driver made an announcement over the PA^▸ (Public Address) to inform Maidenhead passengers that the 1948 would not be running for the next three weeks. He gave no advice about any alternative services.

Probably done off of his own initiative, rather than any specific instruction/request from anyone.  Perhaps he reads this forum... 

Oh, and anyone deciding to take the 19:50 (change at Slough) option tonight has been rewarded by a 2-Car Turbo replacing the booked 3-Car Turbo.   

[johoare]

Officially suggested options from 19:00 to 20:00 this evening, Paddington to Maidenhead:

I took the 19.18 turbotised (should be a class 180) and very very dirty inside 19.18 option (cleaners must have overlooked it) ... There is no alternative to getting back to Maidenhead at just past 20.05 other than travelling half hour earlier.. I wonder what they are doing with the spare HST^▸ (High Speed Train) 

[Sapperton Tunnel]

I took the 19.18 turbotised (should be a class 180) and very very dirty inside 19.18 option (cleaners must have overlooked it) ... There is no alternative to getting back to Maidenhead at just past 20.05 other than travelling half hour earlier.. I wonder what they are doing with the spare HST^▸ (High Speed Train) 

I don't think that there is a "spare" HST. There are 3 through trains from Paddington to Cheltenham via Bristol Parkway during the Swindon-Kemble closure at 15:36. 17:48 and 18:47. These are the same departure times as the normal timetable and usually the 15:36 comes back to Paddington to form something like a 21:46 to Oxford. However during the blockade it doesn't have time to do that and finishes its day at Cheltenham and then home to bed, so effectively they are a set down in the evening at Paddington and they have chosen to cancel the 19:48 as a result.

Hope it makes sense,

ST

[johoare]

I took the 19.18 turbotised (should be a class 180) and very very dirty inside 19.18 option (cleaners must have overlooked it) ... There is no alternative to getting back to Maidenhead at just past 20.05 other than travelling half hour earlier.. I wonder what they are doing with the spare HST^▸ (High Speed Train) 

I don't think that there is a "spare" HST. There are 3 through trains from Paddington to Cheltenham via Bristol Parkway during the Swindon-Kemble closure at 15:36. 17:48 and 18:47. These are the same departure times as the normal timetable and usually the 15:36 comes back to Paddington to form something like a 21:46 to Oxford. However during the blockade it doesn't have time to do that and finishes its day at Cheltenham and then home to bed, so effectively they are a set down in the evening at Paddington and they have chosen to cancel the 19:48 as a result.

Hope it makes sense,

ST

So what happens to the train that usually arrives at Paddington to form the 19.48 then? Where would that have been around that time? I'm sure it usually brings passengers in.. unless that is cancelled too?

[grahame]

I don't think that there is a "spare" HST^▸ (High Speed Train). There are 3 through trains from Paddington to Cheltenham via Bristol Parkway during the Swindon-Kemble closure at 15:36. 17:48 and 18:47. These are the same departure times as the normal timetable and usually the 15:36 comes back to Paddington to form something like a 21:46 to Oxford.

So what happens to the train that usually arrives at Paddington to form the 19.48 then? Where would that have been around that time? I'm sure it usually brings passengers in.. unless that is cancelled too?

Educated guess ...

18:34 Cheltenham to Paddington (due in 20:48) is not running.
19:48 Paddington to Cheltenham is not running

Incoming stock for 19:48 to Cheltenham leaving at 21:46 for Oxford instead. 
Plenty of platforms in the evening at Paddington for it to park up for a couple of hours as I recall.

But if I've guessed that right, I'm not sure why the 18:34 can't make it back via Parkway.  The 15:36 gets to Cheltenham Spa at 18:15 during the diversion, and normally gets back at 20:48.  Not a very busy return service, mind you, from the statistically insignificant sample of one trip I've made on it.

[johoare]

Thanks Grahame.. Sounds like a good enough reason for now even if, as you indicate, it doesn't appear to be a very good reason really...

[johoare]

FGW^▸ (First Great Western) on twitter appear not to have known about this either by looking at some of the "tweets" earlier.. At least one reply said the train had been removed from the timetable until a while later someone told them what really had happened and that it was only for 3 weeks..

Is there something really really wrong with FGW and their communication, and not just to passengers??

Sounds like the 19.50 to Slough was horribly full (so I wasn't wrong then!)..

[grahame]

Thanks Grahame.. Sounds like a good enough reason for now even if, as you indicate, it doesn't appear to be a very good reason really...

I'll admit to having a degree of sympathy with FGW^▸ (First Great Western) on this if the extra mileage of a round trip between Cheltenham Spa and London via Bristol Parkway is to be incurred with only the London - Maidenhead section of the round trip expected to well loaded ... the 19:45 and 20:00 off Paddington provide alternatives to Reading, with the 20:00 carrying on to Swindon and arriving there just a handful of minutes after the 19:48.   I also have sympathy for those passengers who have their journey time home doubled and are sardined to boot at the end of a long day!