Service meltdown - advice is to use other means to travel

[whole diary]

[grahame]

After 2 service lost last night, another lost this morning - the 07:04 Westbury to Cheltenham Spa via Swindon.

I was at Chippenham at five past eight when the 08:00 to Swindon (first running train today Westbury to Swindon) pulled in.  42 off the front door, 35 off at the rear door. Report of 91 on the ongoing train.    Looked to me like about 25 got on, so it brought about 143 into Chippenham ... that fits with its "jammed up the aisles" appearance.   

Usual number off that train at Melksham is 10 ... so it had conveyed 153 passengers on the section unique to the TransWilts.  We have joked about carrying 153 passengers on the line on a 153 (single carriage train).  Well - looks like we've done it.

Regulars who know me well and know that I am doing what little I can to persuade GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) to strengthen our service sooner rather than later gave me a cheery smile and looked up as if to say "here we go again".  One gentleman who thinks I have a lot more ability to get stuff done than I have was pretty strong in his language to me ...

[IndustryInsider]

Perhaps a TransWilts 'Don't shoot the messenger' badge could be worn on such occasions!

[phile]

LTV^▸ (London [and] Thames Valley) Cancellations due to Traincrew shortage worse than ever today

[grahame]

Anyone got a graphic for "The five use rail replacement buses" or "the 5 persuade a taxi driver to accept a dog in his cab?"

Welcome to a typical autumn Sunday ...



From Journeycheck

0 Line Updates
48 Train Cancellations
21 Other Train Service Updates
0 Train Formation Updates

Not been through them all, but I can see three reasons

09:00 Westbury to Chippenham due 09:29
09:00 Westbury to Chippenham due 09:29 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

14:27 Exmouth to Paignton due 15:49
14:27 Exmouth to Paignton due 15:49 will be started from Exeter St Davids.
It will no longer call at Exmouth, Lympstone Village, Lympstone Commando, Exton, Topsham, Newcourt, Digby & Sowton and Exeter Central.
This is due to a shortage of train guards.

18:48 Bristol Parkway to Portsmouth Harbour due 21:51
18:48 Bristol Parkway to Portsmouth Harbour due 21:51 will be terminated at Westbury.
It will no longer call at Dilton Marsh, Warminster, Salisbury, Romsey, Southampton Central, Fareham, Fratton, Portsmouth & Southsea and Portsmouth Harbour.
This is due to a shortage of train drivers.

My journey today - Melksham to CityWest, Dublin.    I had better go activate my backup plan.  If I miss the connection at Holyhead, they won't lay on a replacement bus or taxi!

[Timmer]

Anyone got a graphic for "The five use rail replacement buses" or "the 5 persuade a taxi driver to accept a dog in his cab?"

Welcome to a typical autumn Sunday ...



From Journeycheck

48 Train Cancellations
21 Other Train Service Updates
0 Train Formation Updates

Hmmmmm this is more the reality of travelling GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) than what their latest marketing campaign shows. That advert of travelling GWR is as much fantasy as the Famous 5 are. They've got a nerve running it quite frankly.

[TaplowGreen]

Anyone got a graphic for "The five use rail replacement buses" or "the 5 persuade a taxi driver to accept a dog in his cab?"

Welcome to a typical autumn Sunday ...



From Journeycheck

0 Line Updates
48 Train Cancellations
21 Other Train Service Updates
0 Train Formation Updates

Not been through them all, but I can see three reasons

09:00 Westbury to Chippenham due 09:29
09:00 Westbury to Chippenham due 09:29 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

14:27 Exmouth to Paignton due 15:49
14:27 Exmouth to Paignton due 15:49 will be started from Exeter St Davids.
It will no longer call at Exmouth, Lympstone Village, Lympstone Commando, Exton, Topsham, Newcourt, Digby & Sowton and Exeter Central.
This is due to a shortage of train guards.

18:48 Bristol Parkway to Portsmouth Harbour due 21:51
18:48 Bristol Parkway to Portsmouth Harbour due 21:51 will be terminated at Westbury.
It will no longer call at Dilton Marsh, Warminster, Salisbury, Romsey, Southampton Central, Fareham, Fratton, Portsmouth & Southsea and Portsmouth Harbour.
This is due to a shortage of train drivers.

My journey today - Melksham to CityWest, Dublin.    I had better go activate my backup plan.  If I miss the connection at Holyhead, they won't lay on a replacement bus or taxi!

Good Luck!

Hopefully you'll have time to enjoy watching the "Famous Five" advert at some stage Graham! (no gnashing of teeth in public please!!!)

[grahame]

Hopefully you'll have time to enjoy watching the "Famous Five" advert at some stage Graham! (no gnashing of teeth in public please!!!)

Four on a bus today ... couldn't take Timmy the dog on the rail replacement 


- thanks to Lisa for the artwork

Greetings from Chippenham

[LiskeardRich]

Top two HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units)) both in reverse formation as well.

[froome]

I was due to be travelling back from Worthing yesterday on one of GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway)'s through trains to Bristol. However, it didn't appear on the screen, and when i questioned the station staff all they could say was that it isn't run by their company and they are given no information about it. I still have no idea why it didn't run. So we had to change at Fratton (oh joy!).

[paul7575]

I was due to be travelling back from Worthing yesterday on one of GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway)'s through trains to Bristol. However, it didn't appear on the screen, and when i questioned the station staff all they could say was that it isn't run by their company and they are given no information about it. I still have no idea why it didn't run. So we had to change at Fratton (oh joy!).

The afternoon eastbound train was cancelled east of Southampton due to a trespass incident presumably making it late at Southampton.  Now if I can find that out on RTT^» (Real Time Trains - website) the next day, you'd expect SN station staff would be able to do it using internal systems at the time you asked...

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/C23754/2017/09/23/advanced
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/C23773/2017/09/23/advanced

Is it worth an emailed complaint?  Only you can say, I expect you'd just get the usual sort of meaningless explanation.

Paul

[froome]

The screen did actually have a rolling notice saying there had been a trespass incident, but it didn't say where or which services were affected. And the staff didn't mention it when asked.

[Adelante_CCT]

Four on a bus today ... couldn't take Timmy the dog on the rail replacement 

So which one is you then Graham? 

[froome]

The screen did actually have a rolling notice saying there had been a trespass incident, but it didn't say where or which services were affected. And the staff didn't mention it when asked.

The most frustrating aspect of this is that if a train is cancelled, you would expect it to still appear on the screen but with CANCELLED written against it, and announcements over the tannoy apologising for this. Here there was nothing to show the journey had ever existed, and I began to doubt my own sanity, even though my ticket specifically had the train time written on it.

[Western Pathfinder]

Thought I might just leave this here !
http://www.railmagazine.com/news/network/national-rail-awards-2017-mark-hopwood-managing-director-great-western-railway-wins-outstanding-personal-contribution-senior-management.

[Adelante_CCT]

Through all of this Mark has led his team calmly and without fanfare, overcoming every difficulty that has been placed in their way, and managing to improve the passenger experience along the way.