Shortage of train crews on Great Western Railway - ongoing discussion

[whole diary]

[broadgage]

Sounds to me like simple incompetence, failing to engage sufficient staff to run the advertised service.
The weekend position is a little more complex for historical reasons, and is very slowly getting better as new staff are required to work weekends.

However failing to engage enough staff to run the advertised WEEKDAY service, does look like simple lack of recruitment.

[Timmer]

It is becoming a feature of SWR^» (South Western Railway - about) as well as their journey Check shows.

Hardly surprising considering industrial relations are not good in SWR land.

[TaplowGreen]

Sounds to me like simple incompetence, failing to engage sufficient staff to run the advertised service.
The weekend position is a little more complex for historical reasons, and is very slowly getting better as new staff are required to work weekends.

However failing to engage enough staff to run the advertised WEEKDAY service, does look like simple lack of recruitment.

Or inefficient management of existing resources?

[IndustryInsider]

Anyone "on the inside" have an explanation or is it because the sun's out?

I think I tried this time last year explaining the procedures for rostering drivers and the reason Friday evenings suffer the most.  I don’t think I can be bothered to again.

A good question for Mark Hopwood’s session?

[Robin Summerhill]

I think I tried this time last year explaining the procedures for rostering drivers and the reason Friday evenings suffer the most.  I don’t think I can be bothered to again.

A good question for Mark Hopwood’s session?

Any chance of you copying and pasting your last post on the subject? At least you know where to look, and I've only been posting on here since last autumn

[grahame]

I think I tried this time last year explaining the procedures for rostering drivers and the reason Friday evenings suffer the most.  I don’t think I can be bothered to again.

A good question for Mark Hopwood’s session?

Any chance of you copying and pasting your last post on the subject? At least you know where to look, and I've only been posting on here since last autumn

I had a quick look and didn't find it ... will have another look in the morning if no-one else finds the link. We have a couple of experts who typically come on late.

[IndustryInsider]

I did have a look for it but couldn’t find it.  Anyway, unless I’m missing something the cancellations due to crew were limited to one round trip to Basingstoke and one stopper from Reading to Paddington and back.  Quite possibly all on the same diagram so a shortage of one driver.

[TaplowGreen]

I did have a look for it but couldn’t find it.  Anyway, unless I’m missing something the cancellations due to crew were limited to one round trip to Basingstoke and one stopper from Reading to Paddington and back.  Quite possibly all on the same diagram so a shortage of one driver.

Nope, there were considerably more crew shortage related cancellations/alterations than that listed earlier, although I do get that Journeycheck is becoming a bit of a joke these days so who knows for sure?

[IndustryInsider]

A selection of messages saying ‘will now run as scheduled’ so yes I’m guessing solutions were found.  Tempted to alter my forum signature to ‘You can’t trust JourneyCheck’.   

[TaplowGreen]

All cancelled/drastically curtailed due to crew shortage. My understanding is that Saturday is part of the contracted "working week"? Why are GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) incapable of managing their resources adequately?


07:00 London Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads
09:30 Bristol Temple Meads to London Paddington
11:40 Exeter St Davids to Paignton
12:22 London Paddington to Moreton-In-Marsh
12:58 Paignton to Exeter St Davids
14:50 Moreton-In-Marsh to London Paddington
16:15 London Paddington to Cheltenham Spa
16:55 Penzance to Plymouth
19:00 Cheltenham Spa to London Paddington

07:30 London Paddington to Penzance
08:22 London Paddington to Hereford
08:29 Swansea to London Paddington
08:35 London Paddington to Paignton
11:03 London Paddington to Penzance
12:13 Hereford to London Paddington
12:33 London Paddington to Paignton
13:08 Paignton to London Paddington
14:00 Penzance to London Paddington
17:00 Paignton to London Paddington

[bradshaw]

The Salisbury to Exeter line seems to be getting more than its fair share of train crew shortages; the Corfe service is one of them today.

[Timmer]

The Salisbury to Exeter line seems to be getting more than its fair share of train crew shortages; the Corfe service is one of them today.

And I was thinking of doing the Salisbury to Corfe run in a couple of weeks. Not so sure now if it’s at risk of being canned due to crew issues.

[bradshaw]

So was I. Luckily, living near to Maiden Newton, I can decide on the day, since the decision on the service is only made that morning.

[IndustryInsider]

My understanding is that Saturday is part of the contracted "working week"? Why are GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) incapable of managing their resources adequately?

Have you suggested that question for Mark Hopwood's upcoming forum chat?

[TaplowGreen]

My understanding is that Saturday is part of the contracted "working week"? Why are GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) incapable of managing their resources adequately?

Have you suggested that question for Mark Hopwood's upcoming forum chat?

Not yet, but given this is now becoming a far broader issue than last year when it seemed to be largely limited to Sundays, some thought will need to be given to how the question is framed, as I'm sure he'll want to detail exactly what is going wrong, exactly what is being done to address & mitigate it, and exactly when it'll be resolved to provide a reliable service.

As he's now an avid reader of these pages of course, nothing to stop him replying in advance of the "forum chat", himself or via one of his elves?