Loadings, cancellations and other issues

[whole diary]

[grahame]

I suspect that the "signalling problems" may not have been entirely unconnected with the signalling works that have been going on between Chippenham and Swindon today ... 

[bobm]

A very frustrating start to the working week.

Due to a combination of signalling problems and a points failure at Wootton Bassett the TW service is unlikely to start before 09:48 at the earliest.

All cancelled

06:12 Swindon to Westbury
07:04 Westbury to Swindon
07:33 Westbury to Swindon
08:49 Swindon to Westbury

To add to the frustration the 06:33 from Bristol Temple Meads to London Paddington was reversed at Chippenham and sent down the single line to Westbury to reach the Berks & Hants line.  Not surprisingly it didn't stop at Melksham.

[grahame]

Oh what a morning .... Bobm and I were supposed to be starting passenger counts this morning ...

At about 20 past 7, the 07:33 from Westbury was stlll shown as running so I went down to Melksham Station to start on that.   Of course (we now know) it got cancelled, and that was a announcement made so late that even if people had checked before they left home, they hadn't got the news.

Interesting study in what happened / how people proceeded.   Some who had driven (or been driven) to the station drove on - and with care sharing to help others out too.   Some simply turned around and are taking the day off work - "can't make it".   Others said not quite that - "will work from home today".   Final group left by taxi at about 10 past 8.

There's little point (I don't think) in counting passengers this evening - the car park has 2 cars there when I would have expected over 12, which gives some clue that the return commuter trains won't be "normal" today. And, sadly, one person trying out the service to see if it worked for him and coming to the conclusion that it's not without its problems.

[bobm]

At about 20 past 7, the 07:33 from Westbury was stlll shown as running so I went down to Melksham Station to start on that.   Of course (we now know) it got cancelled, and that was a announcement made so late that even if people had checked before they left home, they hadn't got the news.

Similar story with the 06:12.  It was running when I left home to walk to the station in the rain but the decision to terminate it at Swindon rather than run through was taken at 05:52 as I discovered when I got there!

[TeaStew]

It was one of those mornings for me. Got up far too late to catch the rail link bus so got a lift to the station - train was cancelled so off to Bradford-on-Avon for me. Almost waited at Melksham as the next wasn't cancelled at that point. It is Monday morning, no time for coffee, raining hard and my shoe has a hole. It is also my birthday.

On the plus side I almost lost a ^5 note but somebody noticed it drop and handed it back to me. It is on the radiator.

[grahame]

08:33 Westbury to Chippenham due 09:00
This train has been delayed from Westbury and is now 18 minutes late.
This is due to earlier signalling problems. Last Updated :18/05/2015 08:53

08:49 Swindon to Westbury due 09:42
This train will be delayed at Chippenham and is expected to be 20 minutes late.
This train will be started from Chippenham.
This train will no longer call at Swindon.
This is due to earlier signalling problems. Last Updated :18/05/2015 09:20

I'm on that 08:33 ... counts to follow / learning about disruption loadings!   I was going to Melksham to pick it up the other way ... but it pulled in as I arrived at the station.  Now creeping into Chippenham with 2 passengers + myself.

[bobm]

This question will answer itself shortly, but did they find a spare unit to run this service, or is it the one destined to operate the 09:48 from Westbury to Swindon?  If it is the latter then that is going to have a late start now because of the delays.

Update: Indeed it did answer itself.  09:48 left 16 minutes late at 10:04 and is due to arrive in Swindon at 10:45 - just in time to form the 10:47 back again!

[bobm]

The 05:17 from Gloucester (06:12 ex Swindon) running 17 minutes late after over-running engineering work in the Gloucester area.

Means it will miss the connection with the Paddington train at Westbury.

[bobm]

Not a good Sunday on the TransWilts with four cancellations due to a shortage of drivers.

14:35 from Westbury
15:28 from Swindon
18:37 from Westbury
19:53 from Swindon

[grahame]

Not a good Sunday on the TransWilts with four cancellations due to a shortage of drivers.

14:35 from Westbury
15:28 from Swindon
18:37 from Westbury
19:53 from Swindon

And ironically the only Sunday all summer (?) not to be effected by engineering works!

[bobm]

The 05:17 from Gloucester (06:12 from Swindon) is stranded just north of Swindon after apparently hitting an abandoned bicycle on the line.

The following 06:30 from Cheltenham to London Paddington is being diverted from Gloucester to avoid the problem.

[grahame]

The 05:17 from Gloucester (06:12 from Swindon) is stranded just north of Swindon after apparently hitting an abandoned bicycle on the line.

The following 06:30 from Cheltenham to London Paddington is being diverted from Gloucester to avoid the problem.

Taxis turned up at Melksham at 07:15 for Trowbridge and Westbury (train had been due at 06:38) ... by which time all but 1 people had found alternatives.   Arrivving in Swindon off the 07:48, there's a 158 with "do not move" in the bay, and our 153 333 terminated at platform 3.

[bobm]

06:12 was officially cancelled just before 07:30.  The unit was moved around 07:45 into Swindon.

The 07:48 was delayed leaving for the second part of its journey towards Kemble while waiting for crew coming in on a service trapped behind the failed 06:12.

Led to a bit of congestion to the west of Swindon, with the following TransWilts held at Rushey Platt for a while behind an HST^▸ (High Speed Train) waiting for a platform.

[bobm]

From Swindon Advertiser

Railway line clear after obstruction causes delays between Kemble and Swindon



A BICYCLE on the railway line between Kemble and Swindon, which caused delays of about half an hour when it was struck by a train, has now been cleared.

One commuter, whose train was stationary at Kemble station for 90 minutes, said earlier: "Apparently the train ahead of us hit a bike on the line." 

It is thought that the brake hose of the train that hit the bicycle was broken in the collision.

First Great Western said that tickets were being accepting by CrossCountry Trains between Reading and Southampton because of the problem, which was expected to affect services until about 8.30am.

By 8.20am it was reported that services were running normally between Swindon and Gloucester.

[grahame]

Anything to do with the weather? ...

16:15 Westbury to Swindon due 17:03
This train will be cancelled.
This is due to a train fault.

17:36 Swindon to Westbury due 18:21
This train will be cancelled.
This is due to a train fault.

Cancellations to services between Swindon and Westbury Due to a train fault between Swindon and Westbury:
Impact:
Train services running through these stations may be cancelled or revised. Melksham will not be served. Disruption is expected until 18:30 01/07.
Customer Advice:
Customers travelling between Swindon, Chippenham, Trowbridge and Westbury may travel via Bath Spa for connecting train services.
Replacement road transport services are conveying passengers between Chippenham and Westbury via Melksham in both directions until further notice. Last Updated :01/07/2015 16:40