Winter events and meetings

[whole diary]

[grahame]

A brief summary - last few days, next few weeks ...

7th February 2014 - TransWilts CRP^▸ (Community Rail Partnership) AGM^▸ (Annual General Meeting), County Hall, TROWBRIDGE.
10th February 2014 - Melksham Rail Link Bus starts
11th February 2014 - Meeting of FGW^▸ (First Great Western) area CRPs near Newton Abbott
* 12th February 2014 - Update for Wiltshire Councillors - Melksham area board
* 28th February 2014 - Melksham Rail Development Group, MELKSHAM
1st March 2014 - Travel Watch South West, Taunton
* 22nd March 2014 - TransWilts Link, the Laverton, WESTBURY

I have just heard that the FGW meeting tomorrow has been postponed / new date to be advised.  While the 'only' problem was the sea wall at Dawlish, it seemed sensible for it to go ahead - however, I appreciate the difficult and probably wise decision to move it to a later date.   Meetings marked with "*" are open for all

[ChrisB]

1st March 2014 - Travel Watch South West, Taunton

I'm fully expecting this to be postponed too. Connections are already tight for those coming from West of Exeter to make the start, and for the sake of postponing & rearranging, possibly better to postpone till after Easter rather than those attendees getting up practically before they've gone to bed in order to catch a bus/coach....

[JayMac]

Journey times from Plymouth to Taunton, for example, are only extended by around 30 minutes with the replacement road transport. All the bus connections from west of Exeter, as advised on the TWSW^» (TravelWatch SouthWest - website) website, will still be running.

[eightf48544]

Piggy backing on this thread if there are trains to Sough on Friday evening or you can drive then Slough and Windsor Railway Society will be host to Councillor Bqthurst of RBWM who is one of the proponents of the Windsor Link. He will ouline the scheme to link the two lines by a tunnel under Windsor. An interesting thought, in teh light off current events, they also want to be in a tunnel at Datchet to eliminate the level crossing.

Meetng 19:45 in the Manor the Grey building West  carpark South side (Tesco) Slough Station opposite Windsor Bay. Entrance ^4.

Unfortunately I will not be there but I've heard the talk, very intersting with its steeper than  1:25 gradients.

http://windsorlink.co.uk/

[ChrisB]

Journey times from Plymouth to Taunton, for example, are only extended by around 30 minutes with the replacement road transport. All the bus connections from west of Exeter, as advised on the TWSW^» (TravelWatch SouthWest - website) website, will still be running.

Buses to the venue leave TAU^» (Taunton - next trains) at 1030 & 1055. Just how early will you need to leave PLY^» (Plymouth - next trains) to make these times?
And what about all thouse coming from between Exeter & PLY?

[JayMac]

Buses to the venue leave TAU^» (Taunton - next trains) at 1030 & 1055. Just how early will you need to leave PLY^» (Plymouth - next trains) to make these times?
And what about all thouse coming from between Exeter & PLY?

There are TWSW^» (TravelWatch SouthWest - website) buses running from Exeter Bus Station, and TWSW have listed scheduled bus services that'll connect into these:

• Bideford The Quay (Stagecoach South West service 315) at 0640hrs
• Bude Strand (Stagecoach South West service X9) at 0625hrs
• Crediton High Street (Stagecoach South West service 50) at 0829hrs
• Exmouth Parade (Stagecoach South West service 57) at 0811hrs
• Newton Abbot Sherborne Road (Stagecoach South West service X64) at 0750hrs
• Paignton Bus Station (Stagecoach South West service X46) at 0710hrs
• Plymouth Bretonside Bus Station (Stagecoach South West service X38) at 0645hrs
• Sidmouth Triangle (Stagecoach South West service 52B) at 0758hrs
• Torquay Strand (Stagecoach South West service X46) at 0725hrs
• Totnes Royal Seven Stars (Stagecoach South West service X64) at 0730hrs

If you look at the TWSW demographic, many will choose these options as they don't cost them anything!

For those coming from Plymouth and Cornwall, the journey time to Taunton is only around 30 minutes longer than would normally be possible. 1st March updated train/replacement coach services aren't in journey planners yet, but I see that it is currently possible to get to Taunton for 1050, leaving Plymouth at 0845. Coach to Exeter, then train from there. If trains were running OK on Sat 1st March folk would be leaving Plymouth at 0849 for a 1022 arrival.

Not forgetting, those that take the train/replacement coach get a 25% discount on their fare.

I really do hope that TWSW don't cancel the meeting. That would be defeatist. But some on this board seem to think we should all stay at home...

[ChrisB]

They aren't intending to.....from their meeting co-ordinator

The meeting is still going ahead and I expect it to be rather lively following recent regional travel collapse!

We are laying on additional bus services for those who would have arrived by rail in better weather. I am contacting those people separately

See you there? (assuming services into TAU^» (Taunton - next trains) from the East/north can get through on the day.)

[grahame]

An eminently sensible decision (if indeed a decision was needed) at this time.

It's probably wise to give thought to 'extreme circumstances' when arranging events ... and in the case of TravelWatch SouthWest, a further big storm on (or forecast for) 28th February, with Athelney flooded, Cowley Bridge under water, trees down at Lavington and water over the top of the rails between Didcot and Oxford would probably be a set of circumstances such that the organisers might be wiser to postpone.   But we're a long, long, long, long way from that.

We seem to have moved into a mad world where the official message on the South West is "closed for business" when in reality many journeys in local areas especially can and should go ahead as normal.  "Is the TransWilts running?" ... Yes, it is, and getting people to use the new service when floods, doom, gloom, and big red banners asking "is your journey necessary" are putting people off.   Yes, tell 'em that there will be delays.   That it's better to avoid the peak hours in certain places ... but don't close the whole quadrant of the country for the next three weeks, please!

[grahame]

Travel Watch South West GOES AHEAD ... (not really news, but there have been various rumours of postponement). 

Questions about getting there from Swindon and Didcot ...

08:36 train, change at Westbury, 10:38 into Taunton
15:19 train from Taunton, change at Westbury, 17:22 into Swindon

Change at Swindon for Didcot, etc

[ChrisB]

The 1519 isn't shown as running where I'm looking....

The 1529 is however, calling Castle Cary & Reading. I'm heading for Reading, changing there for Didcot.

If you want to catch the earlier bus from TAU^» (Taunton - next trains) to the meeting that leaves at 1030, catch the 0730 ex-PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains) at Swindon 0801, to BRI^» (Bristol Temple Meads - next trains) arr 0845. Coach from there dep 0855, arr TAU 1010.

[ChrisB]

Sorry, seems that this may be running....

Taunton 15:23GW
Reservations available First and standard class Buffet service
Frome15:55/15:55
Westbury16:05/16:08
Pewsey16:25/16:25
Hungerford16:39/16:39
Newbury16:48/16:49
Newbury Racecourse (P)16:54/16:54
Thatcham17:00/17:01
Theale17:09/17:10
Reading17:17

[ChrisB]

I've just been advised by FGW^▸ (First Great Western)....

Train Plan is still to be confirmed for March. The situation is a lot better than recent weeks of course although Dawlish won't be open by next weekend.

Will let you know more when available.

So don't yet bank on getting there by 1045....

[ChrisB]

If you want to catch the earlier bus from TAU^» (Taunton - next trains) to the meeting that leaves at 1030, catch the 0730 ex-PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains) at Swindon 0801, to BRI^» (Bristol Temple Meads - next trains) arr 0845. Coach from there dep 0855, arr TAU 1010.

Journey Planners I've told, have been updated overnight.

The 0730 ex-PAD is now running to EXD^» (Exeter St Davids - next trains), via -
0757 RDG^‡(resolve)
0812 DID^» (Didcot Parkway - next trains)
0830 SWI^» (Swindon - next trains)
0844 Chippenham
0911 Westbury
0946 TAU

The agenda has been published in draft - Mark Hopwood on the new franchise too.

1100hrs - 1. Welcome and introduction
1115hrs - 2. ^The New Great Western Franchise Agreement^ - Mark Hopwood, Managing Director, First Great Western
1215hrs - 3. ^The Resilience of the Regional Road Network^ - Matthew Goggins, Head of Public Affairs ^ UK^▸ (United Kingdom) Coach, National Express Group
1245hrs - 4. ^Talking Point^

1250hrs - Lunch

1330hrs - 5. ^Just A Minute^
1345hrs - 6.  ^The Resilience of the Regional Rail Network^ A Senior Executive from Network Rail (to include an up-to-date briefing on the current railway line closures in Cornwall, Devon and Somerset)
1445hrs - 7. Report from the Chair
1450hrs - 8. Any Other Business
1455hrs - 9. Closing Remarks
1500hrs - Close

[Lee]

I wonder if demand on the day would justify an extra stop in that revised 0730 service...

[JayMac]

Looks like I'll be heading to Chippenham to pick up that revised 0730 service.