Dispiriting doesn't even come into it.
Indeed.
It was a massive and painful decision to start this thread on a public board when services melted down again last Saturday with a further 4 cancelled journeys out of 16. However, our train operator is failing to provide the service it's contracted to provide - missing reliability targets ten fold (up to 2% cancellation can be stood, but not 20%) and letting down customers to the extent that many won't be customers and longer. And customers let down by a business take a very long time to come back, and spend a lot of time telling their friends, relatives and colleagues all about that letdown even for years after (and if) the issues are fixed.
Passengers cannot travel on promises. Yes, they can travel on replacement transport when provided. But that's taken up to an hour to provide, and an hour late to work or an hour late home, or a missed connection for which plenty of time had been allowed into an infrequent ongoing piece of public transport, all have serious consequences ... "you're late
again - do you want this job", "the children have already gone to bed" or "sorry - your flight has closed".
I do believe that the immediate cause of the majority of cancellations and short runnings of journeys that should be staffed from the Westbury depot is (as declared) a shortage of qualified staff available to run or complete those journeys, and that the shortage is being caused at least in a part by staff being taken off operating current passenger trains in order for them to be trained about the cascaded ones they'll be driving soon. And I understand that if they're not trained prior to the trains being changed over, we'll end up with a (demoralised) staff team in early 2018, trains sitting in sidings, and a shambles like the early months of 2007 where First's then-team had screwed up so badly that there were official penalties, talk of loss of franchise, and cancellation rates on the TransWilts (just for example) where our wafer thin service was cancelled more often than it ran. Yes - we want to avoid that situation again.
"Dispiriting doesn't even come into it." Indeed. But simply criticising isn't a positive solution. Saying things are "unacceptable" is like trying to call the bluff of
GWR▸ and their suppliers; we really have little choice but to accept that there's a problem. Involving
MPs▸ , Transport Focus, the
DfT» , the local council who are the passenger transport authority may add pressure onto the train operator, but it won't "magic" a supply of more staff.
Suggestions? Yes - I have some.
1. A thinning out until Christmas of some services that are followed by another in 30 minutes or less (yes, that does drop TransWilts services, but in a controlled way), one or two extra stops on faster trains to ensure that the 30 minute change threshold isn't broken. Released stock from those suspended trains to be used to strengthen remaining service, and to ensure that hot spares are available where they're supposed to be.
2. Consideration of use of
LHCS▸ (Locomotive hauled coaching stock) - perhaps 2 sets; not only to fill gaps, but also to provide motive power for which there are more drivers available. Yeah - I know we all thought we had seen the last loco hauled scheduled service to Weymouth!
3. A realistic assessment of what can be delivered reliably through the autumn, rather than the public having to find out when they wake up on Saturday morning for a day trip what time the first train runs - is it 09:02 (as scheduled), or 13:02 (as it was last Saturday)?
4. A really good gesture for the New Year that says "sorry - we know we messed you about - here you are to help get things back on a positive growth track for all of us". My TransWilts hat suggests ... * Two car all day; * early service on Sunday to start back at Warminster and carry on to Swindon (that latter in draft already); * final train of day to be an extra late turn - planned into staff rotas so affordable rather than as a clunky add-on, sorting out late Bristol and Bath to Chippenham and Swindon requirements in the process; * 17:36 ex Swindon extended to Frome, 07:32 from Westbury started back at Frome (daily stock swap at Westbury at 18:20); * 15:12 (or whatever time it runs) to continue to connect with the 16:01 (ish) Portsmouth Harbour train at Westbury.
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