Earlier Service to Cornwall - Jan 2018

[whole diary]

[ChrisB]

There are a number of connections from other origins that might also connect into that earlier train - of course, it can't stop everywhere otherwise it defeats the primary objective of being early into Plymouth.

Plymouth made the case. Others need to make the case, but I suspect numbers would be very small. Get an early service from all points that pass through Westbury for a decent connection with this train & one *might* be able to make a case. I'd be interested to see numbers though

[grahame]

There are a number of connections from other origins that might also connect into that earlier train - of course, it can't stop everywhere otherwise it defeats the primary objective of being early into Plymouth.

Plymouth made the case. Others need to make the case, but I suspect numbers would be very small. Get an early service from all points that pass through Westbury for a decent connection with this train & one *might* be able to make a case. I'd be interested to see numbers though

Bearing in mind that rail passenger numbers are still quite low at 06:30 and pick up rapidly after 7 a.m., there would be logic in having this sponge in passengers at 07:45 at Westbury.  No figures straight away for you, ChrisB, but I agree there's a case to be made.

Looking at similar services, I understand that the 06:30 off Paddington to Bristol isn't one of the day's busiest trains from London.  As it heads west picking up at Swindon and Chippenham, it becomes rammed ...

[ChrisB]

....and generally empties at BRI^» (Bristol Temple Meads - next trains), in my experience. It doesn't then get busy until EXD^» (Exeter St Davids - next trains)

[grahame]

Looking at similar services, I understand that the 06:30 off Paddington to Bristol isn't one of the day's busiest trains from London.  As it heads west picking up at Swindon and Chippenham, it becomes rammed ...

....and generally empties at BRI^» (Bristol Temple Meads - next trains), in my experience.

Indeed it does. It terminated there 

[ellendune]

Looking at similar services, I understand that the 06:30 off Paddington to Bristol isn't one of the day's busiest trains from London.  As it heads west picking up at Swindon and Chippenham, it becomes rammed ...

....and generally empties at BRI^» (Bristol Temple Meads - next trains), in my experience.

Indeed it does. It terminated there 

It is the 07:30 PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains) to BRI that goes on to Paignton.  So tempting some mornings when trying to catch the 08:35 SWI^» (Swindon - next trains) to PAD for a days meetings. 

[Zoe]

Looking into a crystal ball* it would appear that this new service will start in January as follows:

Paddington 06:33
Reading 07:01
Taunton 08:18
Exeter arrives 08:41
Newton Abbot arrives 09:03
Plymouth arrives 09:41
Followed by stations to Penzance arriving at 11:37

The Newton Abbot call has been removed and the service now arrives in Plymouth at 09:33 (public)/09:37 WTT^▸ (Working Time-Table).  The 2015 franchise agreement required all down trains to call at Newton Abbot (except for certain additional services which didn't cover this time period) but presumably this has now been updated to allow a headline three hour journey time to Plymouth.  The service does however wait at Plymouth until 0945 since there is a stopper (ex Bristol) running ahead of it which it would get too close to by west Cornwall.

[Adelante_CCT]

09:33 public, so the train is scheduled to arrive 4 minutes late everyday, that's just silly

[grahame]

09:33 public, so the train is scheduled to arrive 4 minutes late everyday, that's just silly

Could always cut out the Reading or Exeter stops to allow a 3 hour on time arrival on that critical 3 hour run which (as I understand we are being told) is the make or break of the entire future of business in the Plymouth area.

[SandTEngineer]

Looking into a crystal ball* it would appear that this new service will start in January as follows:

Paddington 06:33
Reading 07:01
Taunton 08:18
Exeter arrives 08:41
Newton Abbot arrives 09:03
Plymouth arrives 09:41
Followed by stations to Penzance arriving at 11:37

The Newton Abbot call has been removed and the service now arrives in Plymouth at 09:33 (public)/09:37 WTT^▸ (Working Time-Table).  The 2015 franchise agreement required all down trains to call at Newton Abbot (except for certain additional services which didn't cover this time period) but presumably this has now been updated to allow a headline three hour journey time to Plymouth.  The service does however wait at Plymouth until 0945 since there is a stopper (ex Bristol) running ahead of it which it would get too close to by west Cornwall.

Think thats an error in RTT^» (Real Time Trains - website).  The NR^» (Network Rail - home page) electronic public timetable (effective 01 January 2018) shows the Plymouth arrival as 0938.

[Zoe]

Think thats an error in RTT^» (Real Time Trains - website).  The NR^» (Network Rail - home page) electronic public timetable (effective 01 January 2018) shows the Plymouth arrival as 0938.

It says 0933 in the CIF but if this is indeed an error then it seems to have cascaded through to the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) printed timetable which also says 0933.

[Adelante_CCT]

Journey planners have it down as 09:33 as well, as Zoe says no doubt for 3hr headline journey

[bobm]

So we run trains for headline writers rather than passengers now?

[didcotdean]

09:33 public, so the train is scheduled to arrive 4 minutes late everyday, that's just silly

Reggie Perrin lives!

[Louis94]

09:33 public, so the train is scheduled to arrive 4 minutes late everyday, that's just silly

Not the only train in that direction that is like this. To a lesser extent 1003/1203 from Paddington are both booked into Plymouth a minute earlier to make the headline journey time, and have been for years. In more recent timetable changes Exeter also joined the party on these trains, 2 minutes earlier on the 1003 and 1 minute earlier on the 1203 in January.

Although arguably, in the case of 1003/1203 from Paddington, if the train is given a clear run and there are no temporary or emergency speed restrictions, the public times are perfectly achievable because they are the WTT^▸ (Working Time-Table) with the engineering allowances removed.

In the case of the 0633 from Paddington the running time in the passenger timetable from Exeter to Plymouth is 51 minutes, which arguable is achievable - i've been on trains that have done the run in 50 minutes. However in this case the working timetable running time is 53½ minutes, including one minute engineering allowance - so 52½ minutes without the allowance. So whilst it might be possible to do the public timetable running time under the right conditions, it certainly won't be possible all the time.