Shortage of train crews on Great Western Railway - ongoing discussion

[whole diary]

[a-driver]

I suspect Hitachi wanted the testing done by third party drivers who couldn't be 'influenced' in their reporting back?

Plus testing started on the East Coast mainline. Your freight drivers would already have the route knowledge to enable this to happen for a start

[phile]

Cardiff to Tauntons suffering today including 2 whole round trips together with the afternoon Brighton and a Portsmouth Cardiff round trip.

[Timmer]

Plenty of cancellations and services terminating short this evening, looks more like a weekend day not a weekday.

[Sixty3Closure]

17.18 fast service for Maidenhead and Twyford ran non stop to Reading and the next fast service was reduced in size. Lot of angry people as these services are busy at the best of times and looked like a lot of people couldn't get on the 17.36

Just to add to the frustration it was another passenger who told everyone the 17.18 wasn't stopping where most people got off. Nothing on the displays and no announcement from the driver. Plenty of space for the few people who stayed on though...

[insider]

17.18 fast service for Maidenhead and Twyford ran non stop to Reading and the next fast service was reduced in size. Lot of angry people as these services are busy at the best of times and looked like a lot of people couldn't get on the 17.36

Just to add to the frustration it was another passenger who told everyone the 17.18 wasn't stopping where most people got off. Nothing on the displays and no announcement from the driver. Plenty of space for the few people who stayed on though...

This service was amended at 1652 well in advance of the departure time!!! Some people just choose not to look at the CIS^▸ (Customer Information System) at Paddington and just go to the platform. The train was expected 10 late and if it had run with the booked stops would have caused more delays to more people.

[Sixty3Closure]

Some people just choose to be really patronising...

Where I was standing the service wasn't on the board until well past departure time and there were no announcements about changes. I know because I was stood there waiting for the platform to be called and then had to go ask the driver what was happening after being tipped off by a passenger.

And I'm sure that's a great comfort to the people who couldn't get on the shortened 17.36

[BandHcommuter]

According to National Rail Enquiries app,four consecutive trains from Southampton to Westbury are cancelled this evening. 1842, 1910, 2010 and 2110. Might try another route home...

[grahame]

According to National Rail Enquiries app,four consecutive trains from Southampton to Westbury are cancelled this evening. 1842, 1910, 2010 and 2110. Might try another route home...

There are trains from Southampton to Salisbury at 18:40 and 19:37 which arrive in Salisbury just before Westbury trains leave there - operated by SWR^» (South Western Railway - about) so won't show up on GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway)-only sources.  The connection off the 18:40 is very tight indeed - in a co-ordinated world, they might hold the connection.

This does also suggest there could be some sanity in linking Southampton - Salisbury and Salisbury - Westbury services ... ;-)

[Timmer]

According to National Rail Enquiries app,four consecutive trains from Southampton to Westbury are cancelled this evening. 1842, 1910, 2010 and 2110. Might try another route home...

Pathetic.

[rogerw]

Cancellation of services on the Portsmouth line actually made the travel news on BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) Wiltshire tonight although no specific details were given

[phile]

Cancellation of services on the Portsmouth line actually made the travel news on BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) Wiltshire tonight although no specific details were given

The BBC might try and get an interview with the Ghost man, Mark Hopwood, to find out what's going on.

[Timmer]

The service is so poor tonight it’s appearing on the front page of the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) website and as a line update on Journeycheck:

Cancellations to services between Bristol Temple Meads and Portsmouth Harbour

Due to a shortage of train drivers between Bristol Temple Meads and Portsmouth Harbour fewer trains are able to run.

Train services running to and from these stations may be cancelled or revised. Disruption is expected until the end of the day.

Customer Advice
South Western Railway are conveying passengers between Reading and Portsmouth Harbour via Salisbury and Southampton Central in both directions until further notice.

How First are allowed to get away with providing such a poor service at weekends and now on weekdays without any penalty is beyond me. Instead the government invite them to talks on awarding them a new short term franchise.

[Adelante_CCT]

Cancellations to services between Bristol Temple Meads and Portsmouth Harbour

Customer Advice
South Western Railway are conveying passengers between Reading and Portsmouth Harbour via Salisbury and Southampton Central in both directions until further notice

If I was unfamiliar with the railways, I would read that as if I wish to travel from Bristol to Portsmouth, I should travel to Reading, then onto Salisbury before heading down to the South Coast? A rather scenic way round

[rogerw]

The information on replacement coaches is also somewhat ambiguous appearing to be only operating between Westbury and Bristol with nothing to cover the gap between Salisbury and Westbury (or can you travel on SWR^» (South Western Railway - about) via Yeovil?)

[Timmer]

Nice bit of extra work for the coach companies now the schools are out for Christmas.