Daytime Traffic on the TransWilts

[whole diary]

[grahame]

The 18:52 from Swindon (19:18 at Melksham) ... 32 on from Chippenha, -7 + 3 at Melksham -> 35/10

Longest journey - an arrival from Romania into Melksham, and the question "where are the taxis" ...  until July, the answer would have been "take that bus - it will drop you at the end of the street you need", but alas the council decided to "pull" that service ... and I do miss the regulars we used to see on the train who used that bus - for sure we're still growing, but not as well as we could/should have done.

[grahame]

It's good to see people walking to the station (or being dropped off) - 18 joined at Melksham on the 07:49 this morning. [[ 7 got off, 80 on board to Chippenham - 87/25 ]] And it's excellent to see people coming on to the platform and buying their tickets from the machine while awaiting the train. A very great pity that for this train (in particular), we're half a dozen faces missing from the Spring, as there's no longer a Melksham Rail Link Bus; a handful of the previous customers are still to be seen, and I can only hope that the others have found alternative ways to get to their work.

Probably a good job that tickets can be bought at all the statiosn from a machine (at least if you're using a credit or debit card) as tickets weren't for sale on the train this morning, nor were they checked: "Due to a fault in the ticket machine it's not possible to purchase tickets on the train. Can all passengers please make sure they purchase tickets before the start of their journey - Thank You".

Chippenham - -40 +11 - so 50 on into Swindon

[John R]

Back in Feb you recorded 68 on from Melksham and I noted that this was around 10 higher than the Oct 14 survey. Now we have 80, and that's in a half term week, so I would expect numbers to be around 10% down from usual.

That might suggest that in a year we've gone from around 58 to an underlying of, say, 90 on the service.  Added to the 70 or so on the earlier train, that's around 160 on the northbound commuter run.  Quite how they all fit in on the way home I'm not sure given most will be using the 1736 from Swindon.

Can we really wait until May 17 for an extra carriage?  And if electrification delays release of the turbos, what happens then?

[grahame]

Back in Feb you recorded 68 on from Melksham and I noted that this was around 10 higher than the Oct 14 survey. Now we have 80, and that's in a half term week, so I would expect numbers to be around 10% down from usual.

That might suggest that in a year we've gone from around 58 to an underlying of, say, 90 on the service.  Added to the 70 or so on the earlier train, that's around 160 on the northbound commuter run.  Quite how they all fit in on the way home I'm not sure given most will be using the 1736 from Swindon.

Can we really wait until May 17 for an extra carriage?  And if electrification delays release of the turbos, what happens then?

Good questions, John.   I have no immediate answers.   

The proposed relief of overcrowding by allowing passengers to use the 234 bus from Chippenham in the evening (so giving 17:00 and 18:00 departures from Swindon with a change at Chippenham) have been rendered impractical by the withdrawal by First Bus of the 234 service that would have been used.  I still like the idea of a 16:36 from Swindon running to Warminster, to run the 17:28 from there, and a balancing working from Westbury - but timing is tight.  And frankly these extras are likely to simply create even more demand by providing new opportunities, rather than providing relief to the existing 17:36.

[grahame]

Good questions, John.   I have no immediate answers.   

... but then again we keep our eyes open ...

First IEP^▸ (Intercity Express Program / Project.) (800002) delivered to North Pole Depot last Friday night:

http://www.railmagazine.com/news/network/2015/10/26/inside-north-pole-as-first-800-reaches-hitachi-depot

[grahame]

18:52 off Swindon tonight ... 43 into Melksham, 14 off and 3 on ... 47/17

[John R]

Good questions, John.   I have no immediate answers.   

... but then again we keep our eyes open ...

First IEP^▸ (Intercity Express Program / Project.) (800002) delivered to North Pole Depot last Friday night:

http://www.railmagazine.com/news/network/2015/10/26/inside-north-pole-as-first-800-reaches-hitachi-depot

I guess GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) is going to need to train staff in their use, and also a bit of running rather than just sitting lying idle would be preferable. So why not replace the two units that currently shuttle up and down the Swindon to Cheltenham route with 800s - a route which after all they will be operating on in due course. That would release two units for use elsewhere, although with the current timetable the 800s would occupy Platform 1 at SWI^» (Swindon - next trains) for quite a lot of the day.   Of course one of those units forms the shoulder peak services on the TW, so that could create more opportunities as the timings would no longer need to fit with the northern leg of their journeys.

[IndustryInsider]

It'll be interesting to see how the training programme takes shape.  A very high percentage of the current GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) drivers will need to 'sign' them, and a fair few will need to learn the other new electric traction and/or cascaded diesel traction.  It will test GWR's driver availability to the limit, though, to be fair, quite a lot of the current route/traction knowledge backlog I commented on a year or so ago is now completed or in-hand.

[grahame]

Thursday, 29th October.  Autunmal day during half term week.
Personal observations.

12:47 Swindon to Frome
12 on from Swindon, 2 off 7 on at Chippenham, 11 off, 4 on at Melksham
23/15

16:15 Westbury to Swindon
3 off, 12 on at Melksham -> 35 on board
38/15

17:36 Swindon to Westbury
61 on from Swindon and 82 on from Chippenham, 22 off and 6 on at Melksham
88/28

P.S. Arrivals included 2 from Berlin ... again surprised at the lack of taxis at Melksham Station

[Lee]

I had the interesting experience of observing grahame from the platform at Chippenham, when the 1736 from Swindon pulled in with him on board observing the passengers...don't think he spotted me though   

[ellendune]

... again surprised at the lack of taxis at Melksham Station

I can appreciate that the demand may not be high enough (yet) to warrant a taxi sitting to wait for a fare, but could a taxi phone not be provided or at least a board with some phone numbers?

[grahame]

I had the interesting experience of observing grahame from the platform at Chippenham, when the 1736 from Swindon pulled in with him on board observing the passengers...don't think he spotted me though   

He would have done if you had got on or off  - it's getting far too busy to count people waiting for other trains on the platform too!

[Chris from Nailsea]

... again surprised at the lack of taxis at Melksham Station

I can appreciate that the demand may not be high enough (yet) to warrant a taxi sitting to wait for a fare, but could a taxi phone not be provided or at least a board with some phone numbers?

At Nailsea & Backwell station, there is one poster, up on the railings on platform 2, which does give some local travel connections information - including a number for a local private hire company.  There is no taxi rank, and indeed no room for one.  There is one public telephone kiosk (card payment only) at the foot of the pathway up to platform 1.  And we are a Great Western main line railway station. 

[TaplowGreen]

... again surprised at the lack of taxis at Melksham Station

I can appreciate that the demand may not be high enough (yet) to warrant a taxi sitting to wait for a fare, but could a taxi phone not be provided or at least a board with some phone numbers?

........shouldn't be too difficult to hail down a passing horse and cart? 

[Lee]

... again surprised at the lack of taxis at Melksham Station

I can appreciate that the demand may not be high enough (yet) to warrant a taxi sitting to wait for a fare, but could a taxi phone not be provided or at least a board with some phone numbers?

........shouldn't be too difficult to hail down a passing horse and cart? 

Does this mean you are in favour of dangling carrots in front of transport providers to ensure greater integration?...