Shortage of train crews on Great Western Railway - ongoing discussion

[whole diary]

[grahame]

I have a small feeling that may not quite be Bristol Temple Meads

It was, but scrolling within the app so looking ahead a bit.

[trainer]

I have resigned myself to the fact that my upcoming 7 day rail rover break will in practice be a 6 day one as I have no intention of ending the holiday with the stress of trying to get home on a Sunday.  Since there is no planning which is obvious to the average potential passenger in the running (or not) of trains on Sunday one could spend an entire day at a station waiting, or be cosily tucked up in the luggage rack on the way home with several train loads of others squeezed into the one running.

I will console myself with the thought that I am performing a public duty in not taking a space a person with more urgent need may need. 

[grahame]

I have resigned myself to the fact that my upcoming 7 day rail rover break will in practice be a 6 day one as I have no intention of ending the holiday with the stress of trying to get home on a Sunday.  Since there is no planning which is obvious to the average potential passenger in the running (or not) of trains on Sunday one could spend an entire day at a station waiting, or be cosily tucked up in the luggage rack on the way home with several train loads of others squeezed into the one running. ...

Have you tried "defensive scheduling"?     It's something the rail industry should itself practise on a daily basis, but singularly fails to do.

Last Sunday, Rosslare to Melksham (Fishguard Harbour on rail) an "the system" came up with me changing at Bridgend and Swindon.   Yes - but what if there are problems on London to Swansea? ... and I chose to change at Cardiff Central, in the knowledge that if there was a multi-hour gap on the Paddingtons from Bridgend, there would be a fallback on a different route - changing at Trowbridge, or even at Bristol Temple Meads and Bath (for a bus) or Chippenham.

London westward beyond the commuter belt has been very much a Sunday problem of late ... but defensive scheduling and informed travelog decisions offer you alternatives from Waterloo, and perhaps from Marylebone and (for the top of the North Cotswolds) even Euston.

Allow plenty of time, take a fully charged laptop so you can make use of waits, change where there's a network of options not a single service to carry on to ... and you may be lucky. Or it may be that you make your own luck.

Defensive scheduling Melksham to London is always change at Swindon rather than Chippenham.   And in reverse, it's get the first train that calls at Swindon out of Paddington, even if that gives you longer at Swindon.   And if you'r on a train that calls at Chippenham from London, change there rather than Swindon; that way you're just a shorter taxi ride from your final target.

Simples 

[YouKnowNothing]

They can even get split ticketing right and you expect them to able to implement this system?

[TaplowGreen]

I have resigned myself to the fact that my upcoming 7 day rail rover break will in practice be a 6 day one as I have no intention of ending the holiday with the stress of trying to get home on a Sunday.  Since there is no planning which is obvious to the average potential passenger in the running (or not) of trains on Sunday one could spend an entire day at a station waiting, or be cosily tucked up in the luggage rack on the way home with several train loads of others squeezed into the one running. ...

Have you tried "defensive scheduling"?     It's something the rail industry should itself practise on a daily basis, but singularly fails to do.

Last Sunday, Rosslare to Melksham (Fishguard Harbour on rail) an "the system" came up with me changing at Bridgend and Swindon.   Yes - but what if there are problems on London to Swansea? ... and I chose to change at Cardiff Central, in the knowledge that if there was a multi-hour gap on the Paddingtons from Bridgend, there would be a fallback on a different route - changing at Trowbridge, or even at Bristol Temple Meads and Bath (for a bus) or Chippenham.

London westward beyond the commuter belt has been very much a Sunday problem of late ... but defensive scheduling and informed travelog decisions offer you alternatives from Waterloo, and perhaps from Marylebone and (for the top of the North Cotswolds) even Euston.

Allow plenty of time, take a fully charged laptop so you can make use of waits, change where there's a network of options not a single service to carry on to ... and you may be lucky. Or it may be that you make your own luck.

Defensive scheduling Melksham to London is always change at Swindon rather than Chippenham.   And in reverse, it's get the first train that calls at Swindon out of Paddington, even if that gives you longer at Swindon.   And if you'r on a train that calls at Chippenham from London, change there rather than Swindon; that way you're just a shorter taxi ride from your final target.

Simples 

Drive, and don't worry about totally unreliable  trains. Simples.

[grahame]

Drive, and don't worry about totally unreliable  trains. Simples.

I am no longer able to drive long distances without being worn out for the next day. Sads.

[Adelante_CCT]

I have a small feeling that may not quite be Bristol Temple Meads

It was, but scrolling within the app so looking ahead a bit.

I was referring to the picture 

[TaplowGreen]

Drive, and don't worry about totally unreliable  trains. Simples.

I am no longer able to drive long distances without being worn out for the next day. Sads.

I'd suggest that following the "defensive scheduling" itineraries you propose and the time spent faffing around, going around the houses & resultant journey times & stress would leave you considerably more "worn" than a car journey directly from A to B with a break or two en route, but each to their own! 🙂

[BBM]

Looks like the 15.59 Newquay-PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains) was diverted via Bristol this evening to cater for passengers affected by consecutive train cancellations:

15:59 Newquay to London Paddington due 21:27 will be diverted between Taunton and Reading.
It will no longer call at Westbury and Newbury but will call additionally at Weston-super-Mare, Bristol Temple Meads, Bath Spa, Chippenham, Swindon and Didcot Parkway.
It will be delayed due to the diversion and is expected to be 19 minutes late.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

[Timmer]

Another difficult day for those travelling to/from South Wales today having to get a bus from Newport to pick up the train at Bristol Parkway...if there was one.

Pad-Bristol Parkway 8 out of 14 trains cancelled including 4 in a row meant no direct service between 14.30 and 19.30.

Bristol Parkway-Pad 7 out of 14 trains cancelled.

How did passengers getting from/to South Wales cope with so many services canned?

Wasn’t too clever either between Temple Meads and Paddington and return this evening with a string of cancellations. As BBM noted the Newquay-Pad train was diverted to help out. Also 21.30 Pad-Bristol Parkway diverted after Swindon to serve Chippenham, Bath and Bristol Temple Meads.

[trainer]

Graham asks 'Have you tried defensive scheduling?'.  Indeed.  I'm coming back the day before my ticket allows.

I'm not taking a car - driving is not especially relaxing - but, I'm hanging on to some strange idea that rail travel in the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) is still the best way to travel where possible.  We know it can be. One way for me to hang on to that notion is not to put myself deliberately at risk of high blood pressure by pretending that the railway industry might deliver what I know that (at present) it will not and then fuming about it.

Staff shortages are only one one piece of the jig-saw of failure.

[Sixty3Closure]

....How did passengers getting from/to South Wales cope with so many services canned?

Short answer for me is you don't. I was planning to split my time between Thames Valley and South Wales with long weekends and flexible working.  Even with an understanding manager its been impossible to plan. The uncertainty and overcrowding just don't make it a relaxing or practical way to travel so I'm still pretty much London based.

[ChrisB]

No one has so far mentioned that it was Father's Day yesterday.....most drivers I suspect are fathers. Until Sunday is a rostered day, it will be probably the worst Sunday of the year for driver availability

[TaplowGreen]

I think it was mentioned albeit on another thread, and if it is indeed the worst Sunday of the year for driver availability, surely that strengthens the case even further for a properly Planned, realistic and workable emergency timetable, rather than the chaotic farce we saw yesterday?

[phile]

Another difficult day for those travelling to/from South Wales today having to get a bus from Newport to pick up the train at Bristol Parkway...if there was one.

Pad-Bristol Parkway 8 out of 14 trains cancelled including 4 in a row meant no direct service between 14.30 and 19.30.

Bristol Parkway-Pad 7 out of 14 trains cancelled.

How did passengers getting from/to South Wales cope with so many services canned?

Wasn’t too clever either between Temple Meads and Paddington and return this evening with a string of cancellations. As BBM noted the Newquay-Pad train was diverted to help out. Also 21.30 Pad-Bristol Parkway diverted after Swindon to serve Chippenham, Bath and Bristol Temple Meads.

The South Wales passengers were told on Twitter to go Temple Meads.   Problem - They were cancelled from there as well