Easter 2015

[whole diary]

[ChrisB]

OBRAG (Oxford-Bicester Rail Action Group) AGM^▸ (Annual General Meeting) heard that a note from FGW^▸ (First Great Western) informed them that

it was announced that the main line between Didcot and Hayes will closed for engineering works at Easter, from 3rd to 12th April.

HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) via Banbury for the last time, if anyone's looking to route-bash.

[paul7575]

Those dates are a bit of an exaggeration, it isn't a continuous block over the whole period.  Yes there's a full block of the through lines on Easter weekend but trains are running through Reading again on the 7th -10th, and a main line side timetable runs on the weekend 11/12th.

HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) into Waterloo and Paddington via Banbury are only for the four days of the Easter weekend.

Paul

[bobm]

Although things can, and do, change Realtime Trains now shows the period over Easter and which services are diverted.

[tomL]

The Swindon (and the west) to Oxford direct service becomes reality...for the weekend. 

[Timmer]

HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) into Waterloo and Paddington via Banbury are only for the four days of the Easter weekend.

And on Sunday 12th according to FGW^▸ (First Great Western) website and Real Time Trains.

[TaplowGreen]

............what are the odds on an overrun? 

[paul7575]

............what are the odds on an overrun? 

I'd have thought incredibly low, based on the last four years of work at Reading itself...

Paul

[stuving]

This is the explanatory note for the complicated sequence of possessions in the EAS:

0600 FRI 03/04 TO 0330 TUE 07/04:

EXCEPT WHEN SHOWN BLOCKED, TRAINS MAY
RUN BETWEEN SOUTHCOTE JN AND READING
PFMS1-3. WHEN BLOCKED FGW^▸ (First Great Western) TO OUTSTABLE
IN PLATFORMS 1&2, PLATFORM 3 TO BE KEPT
CLEAR. SEE ALSO WESSEX BLOCK 1814571.

2355 THU 02/04 TO 2200 SAT 04/04;
2300 SAT 11/04 TO 0400 MON 13/04:

NO ACCESS TO/FROM RTCD. FGW TRAINS
START / TERMINATE AT HAYES AND HARLINGTON
PFM4 AND DIDCOT PW^▸ (Permanent Way) WITH DIVERSIONS VIA
OXFORD, BANBURY AND HIGH WYCOMBE, AND
FROM WESTBURY TO WATERLOO VIA SALISBURY
AND BASINGSTOKE. REPLACEMENT ROAD
TRANSPORT OPERATES AS REQUIRED BETWEEN
HAYES AND HARLINGTON AND DIDCOT PW,
READING AND BEDWYN/ BASINGSTOKE AND FOR
HENLEY/MARLOW/WINDSOR BRANCHES. NO
FREIGHT TO RUN. HEATHROW SERVICES TO
RUN REVERSIBLY VIA DOWN AIRPORT AND UP
AIRPORT RELIEF.

2200 SAT 04/04 TO 0330 TUE 07/04:

AS ABOVE EXCEPT RTCD - PFM15 - SOUTHERN
OPEN.

0330 TUE 07/04 TO 2300 SAT 11/04:

AMENDED TRAIN SERVICE OPERATES THROUGH
READING USING MAIN LINES. FREIGHT TO
DIVERT VIA SLOUGH AND WCML^▸ (West Coast Main Line). ACCESS
TO/FROM RTCD VIA UP RELIEF AND PFM14/15
ONLY; PFM14/15 CAN ALSO BE USED AS EAST
END BAYS. HENLEY SERVICE TRAPPED ON
BRANCH WITH PILOT WORKING, ESTIMATED
RUNNING TIME OF 20 MINS BETWEEN TWYFORD
AND HENLEY. ARRANGEMETS TO BE MADE WITH
NETWORK OPERATION TO EXCHANGE UNITS
BETWEEN TWYFORD AND RTCD.

THROUGHOUT: RAIL REPLACEMENT ROAD
SERVICES FOR PANGBOURNE.

SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS TO BE APPLIED FOR
HENLEY BRANCH LINE SERVICES.

Note: when this possession hands-back, the Festival,
Feeder and Passenger Loop lines are brought into
use.

Work: Reading RSAR remodel; S+C renew Moreton
Cutting

One thing that's not clear from that is that this time the West Curve is closed for the duration; the possession says:
Oxford Rd Jn - Reading West Jn - Down and Up West Curve
Possession - 02/04/15 2230 Thu - 13/04/15 0400 Mon

[Gordon the Blue Engine]

It looks like Pangbourne has 10 full days (3 - 12 April) with no trains.  Is this some kind of record for a busy commuter station?

[PhilWakely]

Being a sad, old git who enjoys travelling on unusual routes and having a little time on my hands at Easter, the perfect itinerary for a trip to London from Exeter on Easter Monday (allowing a whole 100 minutes in town!) is as follows....

12:17 Exeter St Davids to Paddington (via Bristol TM^‡(resolve), Swindon, Oxford and Banbury) arriving at 16:22;  then a brisk walk to Waterloo (or Bakerloo if the train is late) for the^.
17:59 Waterloo to Exeter St Davids (via Basingstoke, Salisbury, Warminster, Westbury and Taunton) arriving at 21:22

A little disappointing that the two early morning trains normally routed via Bristol TM are not running on that day otherwise we could have made a decent day of it. 

[ChrisB]

Indeed, the return trip will be after dark.

[IndustryInsider]

Indeed, the return trip will be after dark.

It'll be light until nearly 8pm as the clocks will have changed to BST by Easter.

[ChrisB]

sunset 1941.....you're right.

[grahame]

12:17 Exeter St Davids to Paddington (via Bristol TM^‡(resolve), Swindon, Oxford and Banbury) arriving at 16:22;  then a brisk walk to Waterloo (or Bakerloo if the train is late) for the^.
17:59 Waterloo to Exeter St Davids (via Basingstoke, Salisbury, Warminster, Westbury and Taunton) arriving at 21:22

Presumably you don't want me to tell you that you could also catch the 12:25 to Waterloo (15:49), save yourself the walk across town, and come back on the 17:20 getting you into Exeter at 20:44. Much newer train too 

It looks like Pangbourne has 10 full days (3 - 12 April) with no trains.  Is this some kind of record for a busy commuter station?

Maybe (so far) but I would expect there to be a longer closure of Bradford-on-Avon (for around 21 days) in August.

[ChrisB]

I suspect HST^▸ (High Speed Train) via Wycombe together with HST out of Waterloo is the attraction :-)

I'm looking at doing this trip in reverse.....