Severn Beach Line; trains, performance, tickets and usage

[whole diary]

[martyjon]

Saw my first Turbo on the Gloucester - Bristol line this morning, 9:10 off Yate, Worcester - Weymouth ? service.

[Western Pathfinder]

I'll just leave this here
http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/residents-cut-down-wood-bristol-1129002

There is already a thread on this topic here:-

http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=19292.0

which was started after I made the above 😉

Apologies.  I usually check the times threads were started in cases like this.

Thank you Phile apology not needed but accepted 👍

[johnneyw]

This is just anecdotal, I know, but after at least 8 months since turbo's arrived on the SB^▸ (Signal Box) line, no one I know has had a recent return journey on the line without some significant delay/disruption on one leg or both. Yesterday was a good example with a delay that nearly compromised my connection at Temple Meads. The big claims that GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) management make to get their well paid jobs sound hollow here. It feels like a case of carpetbaggers masquerading as railway managers.

[grahame]

This is just anecdotal, I know, but after at least 8 months since turbo's arrived on the SB^▸ (Signal Box) line, no one I know has had a recent return journey on the line without some significant delay/disruption on one leg or both. Yesterday was a good example ....

It seems to go from one issue to another ... when Temple Meads re-opened on Wednesday morning with the signalling being done from Didcot, it was with severe speed restrictions on all services on the approaches to and with the station.  In this case, my understanding is that GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) were only aware that these restrictions would be required once the station re-opened at a very at point in proceedings.    GWR can be blamed for much - but not this specific situation.   The rail industry as a whole, mind you, is very much to blame for not being properly co-ordinated between (none-GWR) organisations, and it's the rail industry as a whole that the passenger sees / relies on.

[johnneyw]

There's no doubt that other factors need to be taken into consideration but I was also referring to the situation before the Temple Meads closure. I've been using the line for years and seen the good work done on it to bring it to what it has become. The fruits of these efforts can be undone far more quickly than it takes to achieve them and the reliability, punctuality, cancellation and early turn back issues do still seem to not have been fully addressed after a very long time.

[XPT]

I use the service weekdays between Redland and Stapleton Road to get to and from work. The service is not that reliable atall.  In the mornings, very often my journey is delayed by about 5-10 minutes-ish because of a late running service to Avonmouth/Severn Beach, which it has to wait to pass between Clifton Down and Redland.  This is the problem with this line, it's a single track line with just a few passing points.  If one service is late in one direction, it makes the other service in the other direction late!  And can have a domino effect on further proceeding services for a while. With the other improvements planned in the Bristol area - i.e. four tracking to Filton Abbey Wood, new stations/services at Horfield, North Filton, Henbury - why an earth are there no upcoming plans atall to redouble the Severn Beach line??!! Or at least redouble part of it - i.e. between Narroways Junction and Redland would be helpful.

Also I've encountered a number of times the particular services I intended to board are CANCELLED!  And with the next service after those not being for another 30 to 50 minutes, the next services are too late to wait for to get to work.  So it means having to get the bus instead.  And paying extra to get the bus too, when I have a weekly season ticket!  This has happened three times during the past week! Which leads me onto my query.  If you have a season ticket for the Severn Beach Line and the particular service you want is cancelled, will these be accepted on First Bus services to get you to your destination?  I know that when services are suspended on the Severn Beach line(like they were last Friday for example), it does say on the National Rail and GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) website that tickets will be accepted on relevant bus services.  But what about, if only just the particular service you intended to get is cancelled?

[grahame]

I use the service weekdays between Redland and Stapleton Road to get to and from work. The service is not that reliable atall.  In the mornings, very often my journey is delayed by about 5-10 minutes-ish because of a late running service to Avonmouth/Severn Beach, which it has to wait to pass between Clifton Down and Redland.  This is the problem with this line, it's a single track line with just a few passing points.  If one service is late in one direction, it makes the other service in the other direction late!  And can have a domino effect on further proceeding services for a while. With the other improvements planned in the Bristol area - i.e. four tracking to Filton Abbey Wood, new stations/services at Horfield, North Filton, Henbury - why an earth are there no upcoming plans atall to redouble the Severn Beach line??!! Or at least redouble part of it - i.e. between Narroways Junction and Redland would be helpful.

I would be surprised if someone's not suggested it / looked at it. But how do the economic, financial and political case(s) stack up?    Will the Severn Beach line compete with or compliment other plans underway such as Metrobus, MetroWest and the Bristol Underground?   Isn't it part of Metrowest in which case capacity will have been considered?

Also I've encountered a number of times the particular services I intended to board are CANCELLED!  And with the next service after those not being for another 30 to 50 minutes, the next services are too late to wait for to get to work.  So it means having to get the bus instead.  And paying extra to get the bus too, when I have a weekly season ticket!  This has happened three times during the past week! Which leads me onto my query.  If you have a season ticket for the Severn Beach Line and the particular service you want is cancelled, will these be accepted on First Bus services to get you to your destination?  I know that when services are suspended on the Severn Beach line(like they were last Friday for example), it does say on the National Rail and GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) website that tickets will be accepted on relevant bus services.  But what about, if only just the particular service you intended to get is cancelled?

Routine cross-acceptance of tickets on public transport (not just put in place when one mode / operator is malfunctioning) would be too joined up ...  .   No-brainer, but you would want to have a co-ordinated fare system.  My understanding is that rail fares on "The Beach" are lower than bus fares at present, and indeed the low fares may also be a barrier to major investment in infrastructure such as an extra track as the rate of immediate return might be pretty poor.

[grahame]

Routine cross-acceptance of tickets on public transport (not just put in place when one mode / operator is malfunctioning) would be too joined up ...  .   No-brainer, but you would want to have a co-ordinated fare system.  My understanding is that rail fares on "The Beach" are lower than bus fares at present, and indeed the low fares may also be a barrier to major investment in infrastructure such as an extra track as the rate of immediate return might be pretty poor.

Coming in Cornwall ... from Cornwall Live

People in Cornwall could soon be able to buy one ticket which will give them access to rail, bus and ferry services.

The One Public Transport System for Cornwall is aiming to be launched by the end of the year and is a key part of Cornwall Council's devolution deal with the government.

It is aiming to bring together public transport in Cornwall and make it easier for residents and visitors to use in the county. Details of the project's progress went before the council's economic growth and development overview and scrutiny committee on Tuesday (April 24) morning.

One of the major elements is the introduction of a half-hourly rail service between Penzance and Plymouth which would vastly increase the amount of train services in Cornwall.

Figures provided to the committee show that there would be 35 services a day stopping at St Austell, Truro and Redruth compared with 24 currently.

The system will also see contactless payments being accepted on public transport, something which has already been introduced on some buses in Cornwall since the new year.

Those payments could be made using debit cards and mobile phones and also smartcards similar to those used for the Oyster^▸ (Smartcard system used by passengers on Transport for London services) card system in London.

[Red Squirrel]

My understanding is that rail fares on "The Beach" are lower than bus fares at present, and indeed the low fares may also be a barrier to major investment in infrastructure such as an extra track as the rate of immediate return might be pretty poor.

I'm not sure the fares are that much of a factor, are they? If they were, they'd make more of an effort to collect them - yes, that's still an issue!

Re-doubling from CFN^▸ (Clifton Down station) to Narroways would presumably allow a 15-minute service interval (or better) between BRI^» (Bristol Temple Meads - next trains) and CFN, once the requadrification from Narroways to Dr Days is complete. If trains alternately terminated at CFN or AVN/SVB, the Severn Beach line would start to look like proper urban mass transit system rather than the slight anachronism that it currently is. But do the powers that be really want that? It's all a question of political will.

[johnneyw]

The present and continuing troubles on the Beach Line are going to impact on/be impacted by, adding Portway Parkway to the stops on the line.  The recurring "enforced" turn backs at Clifton Grand Central for example, would have an even more disrupting effect than at present because of the likely increase in passengers effected. Speaking of which, it's all gone very quite on the Parkway station construction front. After all the positive press releases, has this been quietly put aside now that the PR^▸ (Public Relations) benefits have been milked?

[grahame]

The present and continuing troubles on the Beach Line are going to impact on/be impacted by, adding Portway Parkway to the stops on the line.  The recurring "enforced" turn backs at Clifton Grand Central for example ...

If a train can't make it all the way to Avonmouth, is there scope for it tuning back at Portway Parkway in the future, rather than at Clifton Down?

[johnneyw]

The present and continuing troubles on the Beach Line are going to impact on/be impacted by, adding Portway Parkway to the stops on the line.  The recurring "enforced" turn backs at Clifton Grand Central for example ...

If a train can't make it all the way to Avonmouth, is there scope for it tuning back at Portway Parkway in the future, rather than at Clifton Down?

It would be interesting to see if a turn back has been included in the plans but it's so close to Avonmouth that probably would not be worthwhile.

[Red Squirrel]

CFN^▸ (Clifton Down station) and AVN surely suffice as turnback points: AVN for SNAFU^▸ (Situation Normal: All Fouled Up (I have toned down the F word)), CFN for FUBAR^▸ (fouled up beyond all recognition (I have toned down the F word)).

[martyjon]

It would help if the line from Narroways Junction to Montpelier Tunnel was doubled, that would get any AVM/SVB service off the current line from BRI^» (Bristol Temple Meads - next trains) to FIT and be held on this section waiting for the single line MTP to CFN^▸ (Clifton Down station), better still redouble the line throughout to Avonmouth from Narroways Junction.

[Red Squirrel]

(I'm going to get into trouble with S&TE again here for showing my higgerance, but here goes)

Extending the loop from CFN^▸ (Clifton Down station) to Narroways would presumably have the benefit that you'd 'just' have to move the signally thing and the pointy switchy doodah down the track about 2km east of their current location. There's probably getting on for 2km of old FB rail knocking around in Montpelier Cutting; give Gromit an orange jacket and point him in the right direction and before you can say 'Cracking track, Gromit!' Robert would be yer mother's new close personal friend. How hard can it be? If Gromit's not available, maybe we could get the enterprising denizens of Cromwell Road to lay it while NR^» (Network Rail - home page) look the other way...