Weekend Traffic

[whole diary]

[grahame]

Re Yeovil and engineering works - could we have the story please?

See thread on Trans Wilts Community Rail Partnership Board.   A little history there but a question still to be answered

Basically, engineering works were due to finish in time for the first train yesterday (09:12 from Westbury to Weymouth?) but they overran.    There is a degree of eagerness in Swindon / Chippenham / Melksham to use the new TransWilts services and to have days out in nice weather (which it was) and so there was quite a busy load on the first train from Swindon to connect into the 10:17 at Westbury.

Information that the connection train turned into a bus at Yeovil didn't reach everyone before they started their journey (though it was know before we left Westbury), and when we got to Yeovil there weren't any buses waiting.   So there were about a hundred people waiting at the front of the station.  A coach rolls in with about 50 seats, everyone pushed for it and it fills up and heads out.  Second coach "will be here in 17 minutes" and it looks like it's going to be another full load.

When asked about getting back later in the day (for those of us out for the day), we were told trains should start running with the 16:10.  I was a bit dubious about the word "should", was taking my father and dogs for a relaxed day out at the seaside, and felt that a very full coach which looked awkward for the dogs and a element of uncertainly about our return wasn't going to be fun for the party, so we chickened out and returned on the 11:54 Yeovil to Westbury.

I don't know what caused such a long overrun. It differed between "overrun" and "emergency" in what was said, and if I make a guess I would suggest that the people doing the work found something nasty extra to do.     Probably a good job we barrelled out, as the 16:10 and 17:56 didn't run from Weymouth in the end ...

[John R]

Given those 15 passengers should really have been travelling on the TW service, I'm minded to record them as such, with a note to clarify. After all, I'm sure that's where the revenue will get allocated.

Difficult one.  The 15's an estimate - could be 2 or 3 out either way.   I don't really know what I would suggest you record, or indeed whether we simply record actual numbers on the basis "these things happen", leave off the recording, or whether we should even be counting the HST^▸ (High Speed Train) / seeing if we can tell who used it for just that stretch.  Your call, John, as the enumeration expert.

I certainly wouldn't count all of those on the HST as they are unlikely to be making journeys influenced by the new TW service (eg Plymouth to London passengers).

I've decided to record the actual numbers, but with a note to point out that some local travellers were directed to the HST by the guard. That way, if we find that the reading looks low when compared with others there's an explanation for it.

[grahame]

I've decided to record the actual numbers, but with a note to point out that some local travellers were directed to the HST^▸ (High Speed Train) by the guard. That way, if we find that the reading looks low when compared with others there's an explanation for it.

I think that has to be exactly right.  We have the raw data and can judge it (with footnotes) later rather than having it processed prior to adding to the spreadsheet.

There have been other occasions when the passenger numbers have been deflated due to operating incidents - a handful of times when a train was said to be cancelled, but ran in the end.   Passengers sent via Bath (and probably overtaken) by the nearly-empty direct and re-instated train), or put into road transport but then the train turned up.  Again the records are best showing actual numbers rather than should-have-been numbers, though when it comes to a daily total of journeys enabled and made because of the TransWilts service, they SHOULD be counted as they have clearly been enabled and encouraged to make the journey because of the publication of a schedule which includes the service.

There are also occasions where passenger numbers are inflated due to operating incidents.  A notable one (from way back, before the improved service) was when the first London - Bristol train was diverted due to problems in Box tunnel, and  a late-running 06:12 TransWilts service took Chippenham to Bath / Bristol passengers as far as Trowbridge where they changed.   There may have been extra (Swindon - Taunton and Exeter) traffic during the flooding of the line over the Somerset levels too - indeed connections at Westbury heading west make this a rather good regular route, and the flow is rather stronger than one might guess.

Commenting here (a good opportunity) on counting methods for any technical reader ... the enumeration approach I take (and encourage) is to count all human passengers, including under-5s.  Babies yet to be born are not counted, however - "this is my last week before I go off on maternity", regrettably, was just a count of one.  Staff at work are not counted, employees of the railway travelling in the passenger accommodation and not working are counted (sometimes, of course, we can't tell).   Dogs and other pets are not counted.   The person counting is only counted if he / she is travelling for purposes other than the count - i.e. would have been on the train anyway.

Looking at counts getting on / off the train.   The chap who travels with his partner and baby in pushchair from Trowbridge to Chippenham ... gets off the train to help his partner with the pushchair on the step down when she leaves the service at Melksham, then gets back on, does not count as a Melksham exit and entry, and only counts as a single TransWilts journey not two journeys.

[Chris from Nailsea]

Thanks for your very useful comments on the methodology used in passenger counts, grahame.

Those are the guidelines also used in passenger counts on the Severn Beach Line, for example - and that is good, for ensuring a fairly reliable and consistent set of results.

Just as an aside, we also counted the number of wheelchair users - to enable us to show that there is a demand for suitable facilities.

[grahame]

Thanks for your very useful comments on the methodology used in passenger counts, grahame.

Those are the guidelines also used in passenger counts on the Severn Beach Line, for example - and that is good, for ensuring a fairly reliable and consistent set of results.

Just as an aside, we also counted the number of wheelchair users - to enable us to show that there is a demand for suitable facilities.

It's good for us to be consistent across "the industry" too.

On the wheelchair "aside", we haven't done that;  there was some thought to looking in more detail at the mix of customers to get some sort of age / gender profile to see who we're attracting, and see what the user profile is for othe r "similar" lines.  But the question comes "what do you compare to?" as every line has "yes, but" elements that will skew things.   Also wonder about counting cycles, dogs, large luggage items ... cycles are getting to the "sorry, full" level already.

Do you count baby / toddler buggies as "wheelchairs" - I would be very tempted to say that they should be included in counts as they're chairs with wheels used for persons who need them because of limited mobility.

[grahame]

I have been asked for pictures of people and trains at Melksham and I always like to be up to date ...  from today







The 17:36 from Swindon arrived about 12 minutes late, with around 25 people on it. 5 got off, 3 got on.  28/8

The 18:48 arrival from Westbury was on time, with around 20 people on board into Melksham.  4 got off and 13 got on. 33/17

Those are the bare numbers.   But listen to what people say ...

"This service is my lifeline to my family. I was moved to Westbury 8 months before the new service, and I didn't see my family in that time; a taxi is just too expensive and I couldn't afford it.  I can see them regularly now. This is wonderful"[/b] ... Mother and baby, for whom I judge that a pair of buses would be pretty impractical.

"Amazing - and train times are just perfect" - Group of six young people travelling to Swindon (regulars!).   

"If it's this busy, shouldn't it run every hour and later?   I had to leave a wedding early to return to London" - a lady (rather than a woman) returning to London.

I had a real feeling of a line that's serving its town and community, weaving its way into the fabric our our lives for our social and economic benefit. Long may it continue to do so.

Logging departures for those who are following journeys
2 to WSB^» (Westbury - next trains) and 1 to TRO^» (Trowbridge - next trains) on the 18:03
4 to CPM^» (Chippenham - next trains) 6 to SWI^» (Swindon - next trains) and 3 to PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains) on the 18:48

The picture show the group of six for Swindon and the lady for London, all of whom were very happy to pose for the picture and say "we need this train" ... and for me to send the picture to the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) as part of our franchise answers to re-enforce the human side of the story.

The car park at the station was - err - empty - apart from several taxis, and a private car, dropping people off. The two cycles are no doubt going to be collected by returning people later in the day.  No buses to or from the station today because it's Saturday - many, many on foot.   Truly, I think we have one of the most sustainable and green setups in Wiltshire!

[grahame]

Oh ... my ... goodness ...

08:50 Melksham to Swindon.   31 on from Westbury / Trowbridge.  1 off and 11 on.  42/12
Not bad for an extra train in its first month of operation ...

[grahame]

And the 09:52 southbound service ... +2 (both to Trowbridge) -1 ... and with about 50 through passenger. So 53/3.  Rather good for a 153 on a Sunday morning.  "Most connecting to the Weymouth train" according to the train manager.

[Timmer]

"Most connecting to the Weymouth train".

Which all went according to plan looking at Real Time Trains after last weekend's overrunning engineering work farce.

[grahame]

"Most connecting to the Weymouth train".

Which all went according to plan looking at Real Time Trains after last weekend's overrunning engineering work farce.

And they should be OK on the way back. 

Alas, not everyone's so fortunate as JourneyCheck is showing four cancellations on the TransWilts this afternoon / evening, and that's after two each on Wednesday and Thursday, and four (later amended to two, but by that time people may have made other plans) on Friday.   That's 13% cancellations over the five days if you're generous and don't count the train that was later re-instated, or 16% cancellations if you count the trains advertised not to run.   I think the target is under 1%

The "community" elements of the CRP^▸ (Community Rail Partnership) are keeping an eye on these issues and indeed discussed them with FGW^▸ (First Great Western) on Friday. I don't think for a moment that the subsequent problems are in any way their "answer" - they just serve to confirm a need to look at the robustness of a service that particularly effected by each cancellation because of the long wait for the next train, and the newcomer nature of many customers who can so easily be driven away again.

[grahame]

Some numbers which should be recorded in the general traffic logs, but NOT used to show a newly emerging trend ... the two trains that did actually run this evening calling at Melksham called there:
Southbound at 19:07   32 on arrival, -9 +2 = 34/11
Northbound at 19:56   38 on arrival, -1 +4 = 43/5

Im now off to try to find two guests from China who only arrived in the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) for their first time yesterday.   We've had a phone call telling us to expect them on the train at 20:42.   Should be interesting ... I have primed the way as far as I can; should be a taxi or bus from Chippenham, but their English is only a bit better than my Chinese!

[grahame]

Saturday 21st June. Lovely day.

09:02 at Melksham. 4 got off, 32 got and I counted 98 on the run to Trowbridge 102/36
18:48 at Melksham.  27 on board from Trowbridge to Melksham.  17 got off, 1 got on 28/18

Dad, Billy, Gypsy and I completed our Weymouth trip - thus the above counts. We skipped the proper connection southbound at Westbury at it was an already-full 3 car 158, not ideal for the dogs and waited for the HST^▸ (High Speed Train).  Which - my goodness - felt like the slowest train of the day!   Return was 2 x 150 which was ideal for the dogs.

First record of over 100 journeys on a train where we haven't had Santa's help!

[Timmer]

Which - my goodness - felt like the slowest train of the day!   

That's because it is. Has very generous timings this train. Imagine how those HST^▸ (High Speed Train) Power cars felt used to hauling their stock at more than 100mph for most of the day instead of trundling down the Heart of Wessex line. Still, a good decision by FGW^▸ (First Great Western) to operate an HST to and from Weymouth on Summer Saturdays. Can't help but feel it would be useful on Sundays as well. People still go to the beach on a Sunday.

How busy was it Graham?

[bobm]

It feels much the same when you get an HST^▸ (High Speed Train) to Newquay or Pembroke Dock! 

[grahame]

Imagine how those HST^▸ (High Speed Train) Power cars felt used to hauling their stock at more than 100mph for most of the day instead of trundling down the Heart of Wessex line.

I find this a new concept. I try to think of people's feelings in what I say .. didn't realise power cars had feelings. 

Could be "oh goody, we're going on holiday" ... or "why a I being tied down".   I have no evidence to know which.

How busy was it Graham?

Rear 3 coaches "159 seats available" ... full / standing in front coaches after Yeovil according to train manager who was suggesting people light like to move back to coaches not platformed at many placed.