Daytime Traffic on the TransWilts

[whole diary]

[TaplowGreen]

all the football teams playing at distant grounds

Que? Melksham Town are at home in a local derby with Bradford (on Avon)

Isn't a derby "local" by definition? 

There are plenty of non local derbies..........the "Dockyard Derby", Plymouth v Portsmouth being one example.

[grahame]

A really grotty day (Saturday) weather wise, and all the football teams playing at distant grounds, trains running a bit different to normal as Wilts and Berks services diverted via TransWilts..  08:37 at Melksham (to Swindon) +5, -1 -> 28 .. 29/6

18:19 back from Chppenham - 2 off and 15 on at Chippenham / then 45 on train.  14 off and 6 on at Melksham  51/20.  Class 158, so single door.  Except a second door was required for cycle(s) ... and by the time that's done and folks have to off and on we're going to start needing another minute in the schedule. Wonderful to have the problems of growth - and to look forward to the day that people can leave the station direct to their homes rather that though the industrial estate.

[grahame]

Another Saturday report. 'orrid weather again.
07:48 Melksham to Swindon -1 +7 -> 22 23/8 (then -10 + 13 at CPM^» (Chippenham - next trains))
18:19 from Swindon observed at Trowbridge -17 +7 -> 35 52/24
18:38 ex Trowbridge 9 into Melksham -5 + 6 -> 10. 15/11

[grahame]

16:47 bus - Chippenham to Westbury.   Melksham -2 + 1 -> 8  ... 10/3

As past performance for buses in place of trains has been dreadful (perhaps traffic down to between an eighth and a fifth of normal if it had been a train), these numbers look not un-reasonable.

[grahame]

16:47 bus - Chippenham to Westbury.   Melksham -2 + 1 -> 8  ... 10/3

As past performance for buses in place of trains has been dreadful (perhaps traffic down to between an eighth and a fifth of normal if it had been a train), these numbers look not un-reasonable.

Noting today that there were no fewer than 9 buses each way yesterday, versus 5 or 6 trains - good idea as people were having slower journeys into Chippenham and it would have been adding insult to injury to make them wait for a long period for a bus.   But of course it means that passengers were spread out, and actually makes the numbers encouraging.

Today (Monday) - 6 off and 5 onto the 09:15 at Melksham - Swindon to Westbury service.   No count of numbers on board so that's ??/11 ...

[grahame]

15:14 ex Swindon left with 10. -2 +20 CPM^» (Chippenham - next trains); -10 +2 MKM^» (Melksham (Station code) - next trains) => 30/12
16:31 Melksham to Swindon. -1 + 10 => 43; -20 +8 CPM -> 31.  44/11

[John R]

Compared with the two survey days in Oct 14 we have (in terms of pax between MKM^» (Melksham (Station code) - next trains) and CPM^» (Chippenham - next trains), and ons/offs at MKM)

1514:  Increase from 20 to 28 travelling,  ons/offs from 9 to 12

1631:  Increase from 16 to 43 travelling, ons/offs from 7 to 11.


So it's not just the commuter traffic to/from CPM and SWI^» (Swindon - next trains) which is growing strongly.

[grahame]

Sunday 29th November - 14:50 Melksham to Swindon.

At Melksham -10 +7 => 23 33/17
-14 +5 at Chippenham.   And for the 15:35 return looked like it was about half filled off Swindon.

Excellent to see it hold back a few seconds to check that no-one off the delayed Cheltenham Spa service was sprinting for the connection before it took off about a minute late.   I've noted an element of a pride and service culture in taking a quick look around before departure from Swindon - especially an issue when (not today) the Westbury train is parked out beyond a 150 or 158 sleeping between excursions to Cheltenham Spa.

[grahame]

Monday 30th November.  20:12 Swindon to Westbury ... about 3 minutes late waiting path behind the 19:00 from Paddington which didn't arrive until 20:10.   Weather "awful" - the tail end of Hurricane Clodagh I think the Metro said, alongside words being added to discourage casual travel.

From Swindon - 6 passengers.  At Chippenham, no-one got off and 7 got on.  At Melksham, 6 off and none on - so that's 13/6

[grahame]

Sunday 29th November - 14:50 Melksham to Swindon.
At Melksham -10 +7 => 23

Quieter today ... but really horrid weather.   -2 +7 => 14  16/9

[JayMac]

Cancellations of TW services this morning due to a Track Circuit Failure at Rushey Platt.

[grahame]

Cancellations of TW services this morning due to a Track Circuit Failure at Rushey Platt.

Yep, bang goes my journey to Frome!

[JayMac]

Melksham pax from Swindon were advised to go to Chippenham to pick up onward road tramsport. Hope there weren't too many as Chippenham has no platform staff to help this morning.

[ellendune]

Cancellations of TW services this morning due to a Track Circuit Failure at Rushey Platt.

Is this old signalling or new that is the problem (Rushey Platt is the boundary at the moment)?
Do the bits of Swindon signalling area that have been transferred to TVSC^» (Thames Valley Signalling Centre - about) still use track circuits or are they now on axle counters? 

[JayMac]

Well, Network Rail say it's a TCF^▸ (Track Circuit Failure), showing occupied when clear, with no voltage to the relay.

So I'd safely assume from that that there are still TCs^▸ (Train Crew, or Travelling Chef, depending on context) in the area.