Loadings, cancellations and other issues

[whole diary]

[John R]

I see you made the connection then, with a bonus train on the through line at Swindon as well.

I presume it was a Class 800 (IEP^▸ (Intercity Express Program / Project.))?  Would have just made Grahame's day if it had been the unit for the TransWilts.

[Adelante_CCT]

It is allowed and indeed you may find it becoming a much more regular event at some point in the future.

Does Graham know something that us mere mortals don't? 

[grahame]

It is allowed and indeed you may find it becoming a much more regular event at some point in the future.

Does Graham know something that us mere mortals don't? 

There are always discussions and ideas floating around.

[grahame]

I see you made the connection then, with a bonus train on the through line at Swindon as well.

I presume it was a Class 800 (IEP^▸ (Intercity Express Program / Project.))?  Would have just made Grahame's day if it had been the unit for the TransWilts.

Saw it there ... have some pics.

20:06 was 12 off Swindon; -4 +8 @ CPM^» (Chippenham - next trains).   Could be worse - considering no trains at all until the 16:21 from Westbury today, and late running of Paddington means that passengers from there on the 18:45 (Swansea), 18:48 (Cheltenham Spa) and 19:00 (Bristol) will all have missed their connections.

[grahame]

I see you made the connection then, with a bonus train on the through line at Swindon as well.

I presume it was a Class 800 (IEP^▸ (Intercity Express Program / Project.))?  Would have just made Grahame's day if it had been the unit for the TransWilts.

Saw it there ... have some pics.

20:06 was 12 off Swindon; -4 +8 @ CPM^» (Chippenham - next trains).   Could be worse - considering no trains at all until the 16:21 from Westbury today, and late running of Paddington means that passengers from there on the 18:45 (Swansea), 18:48 (Cheltenham Spa) and 19:00 (Bristol) will all have missed their connections.

11 off and 2 on at Melksham - 18/13

[grahame]

07:20 from Melksham to Swindon this a.m. ... +28 -3 at Melksham, with 88 passengers on the train onward to Chippenham. Qute a few off and even more on at Chippenham ... 91/31

Hearing feedback on how yesterday (when everything went pear shaped!) was handled on the ground.  Very poor reports of customer service on the help point instructing people to catch the "Stagecoach Bus" which was stated to be the alternative, and a refusal to lay on taxis or anything else.

Small issue - there is no Stagecoach bus service within 4 miles of Melksham Station.

From Trowbridge, advise was to use the 49 bus (yes, that is Stagecoach) to Swindon but it follows a completely different route to the railway.

Cross ticketing arrangements were in place on the 272 into Bath from Melksham - but for passengers to other TransWilts stations, nearly an hour on the bus to Bath followed by a train to Chippenham for what should have been a 10 minute journey was a poor substitute, and for Trowbridge (also 10 minutes by train) it would have been a further bus from Bath making for a 2 hour journey. I didn't find anyone who used these bus alternatives from Melksham - several people paid £4 for the direct bus to Chippenham which was NOT accepting train tickets ...

[grahame]

And this evening - about 135 in the 153 at 17:36 from Swindon ... estimate 70 off and 25 on at Chippenham, leaving 90 on the train. 38 off and 9 on at Melksham ... 99/47 and a sea of people and cars swilling around in the dark just outside the station gate.  The chap at the bus stop assured me he knew no bus was due and indeed a lift turned up for him.   

Numbers off Swindon swollen by the late running of the 16:30 from Paddington, so it was Swindon to Chippenham passenger's next train.   Numbers off Chippenham reduced by the late running of the 16:30 from Paddington, a there are usually people making the connection onto the 17:36 and it didn't connect.

[bobm]

From Journeycheck

15:06 Westbury to Swindon due 15:50
This train will be cancelled.

This is due to a shortage of train crew.

Further Information
Passengers to catch the next available service.

For more detailed information please contact a member of station staff or make use of the Customer Help Point systems available.
Last Updated:26/11/2016 08:10

The next available service is the 16:48.....

[grahame]

From Journeycheck

15:06 Westbury to Swindon due 15:50
This train will be cancelled.

This is due to a shortage of train crew.

Further Information
Passengers to catch the next available service.

For more detailed information please contact a member of station staff or make use of the Customer Help Point systems available.
Last Updated:26/11/2016 08:10

The next available service is the 16:48.....

So just within the hour  ...

There seem to be a lot of cancellations on Swindon - Cheltenham today and a number of services turning back at Gloucster due to "train crew shortage".  In times gone by, the decision might have been to pull off the TransWilts service ...

The performance over the last month has been far from brilliant, with most issues being attributable away from GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) - points and signals failure (Network Rail), track damaged by freight train (the freight operator), weather (God, or Network Rail for failing to provide a robust infrastructure that will stand up to the rainwater).   This one, however, looks like it's in GWR's lap; looks like they're multiple crews down today.

Traffic is remarkably robust; at the tail end of my journey yesterday, I caught the 18:48 from Swindon ... around 40 on the train, just under 20 off and 2 on at Melksham - call that 42/20 - but sentiment remains positive and traffic growing - "it's got busier even since I started using it in the summer" one commuter told me last night.

Until we have a metro type frequency, we cannot be complacent about cancellations, though.

[bobm]

Actually a wait of 1 hr 42 minutes...

There are extra trains between Bristol and Bath in connection with the Christmas Market - but I suspect they are being crewed by Bristol based staff so I doubt that is the reason for the cancellations we can see.

[grahame]

Actually a wait of 1 hr 42 minutes...

I blame my jet lag ... gear will be engaged properly tomorrow!

[Western Pathfinder]

Thankfully the gear would seem to have been properly engaged when you landed Grahame  .

[IndustryInsider]

Looks like chaos at Bath due to a signalling failure.  What a morning for that to happen given the additional Christmas Market passengers!

[grahame]

Looks like chaos at Bath due to a signalling failure.  What a morning for that to happen given the additional Christmas Market passengers!

One of my correspondents suggested that the signalling failure was due (directly or indirectly) to vandalism ... others have reported that the 09:48 off Melksham was so busy that it was full and standing from there, and then left passengers behind at Chippenham - attached picture (not sure if that's before or after chippenham) looks to be - on past form for counting - somewhere between 130 and 140 passengers on board.

I have posted a public thread on the Bath topic - whilst I really don't want to start negative thoughts on a one-off incident, it is important for the passenger's view to be present.  I may also be asking about contingency planning and whether it now needs to be updated in view of higher incidence between Chippenham and Bristol.    Something like diverting Portsmouth to Cardiff trains to Swindon, for connections via Bristol Parkway to Bristol Temple Meads,  Newport and Cardiff.  As long as the diverted trains all call at Melksham and Chippenham,  they can replace the TransWilts local service; worked so well during TPODs that I've got customers wanting it as a permanent change, but I don't suppose it would go down well in B-o-A or Bath!

[IndustryInsider]

Looked like a fourth platform at Westbury would have made things considerably easier for the signaller earlier today.  At one time there was a queue of three trains waiting to come from the Warminster direction and two from the Trowbridge direction.