Shortage of train crews on Great Western Railway - ongoing discussion

[whole diary]

[TaplowGreen]

……..whisper it quietly...….it's the Sunday of the first weekend of the school holidays......the sun is shining, it's perfect BBQ weather...…...there are no cancellations on Journeycheck due to crew shortages...……...

[Adelante_CCT]

You whispered to loudly

17:12 Severn Beach to Bristol Temple Meads due 17:49 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

A couple of other truncations as well

[bobm]

Interestingly the equivalent weekend last year was similar as far as a lack of cancellations was concerned.

We're normally told by those "in the know" that the situation re: availability is much worse during school holidays when drivers want to spend more time with their families and/or go on holiday themselves. Today is the first weekend of 95% of schools being on holiday, and nearly all advertised trains are running for the first time in months. Strange that.

[IndustryInsider]

Interestingly the equivalent weekend last year was similar as far as a lack of cancellations was concerned.

We're normally told by those "in the know" that the situation re: availability is much worse during school holidays when drivers want to spend more time with their families and/or go on holiday themselves. Today is the first weekend of 95% of schools being on holiday, and nearly all advertised trains are running for the first time in months. Strange that.

Sunday you would have been missing drivers who were just commencing their two week holidays with their families.  Next Sunday those will be in the middle of their holidays and there will also be the ones that are starting theirs.  The following Sunday there will be those ending their two-week holiday, those in the middle of it, and those just jetting off.  So, potentially worse next Sunday and at its worst the following ones. 

Though a general improvement in availability should mean things aren't as bad as last year, so hopefully in terms of trains cancelled we won't see as many as equivalent weekends last year.

[grahame]

Though a general improvement in availability should mean things aren't as bad as last year, so hopefully in terms of trains cancelled we won't see as many as equivalent weekends last year.

Your logic of overlapping holidays is impeccable ... and alerts up, perhaps to a less good situation on coming weekends.

There's some positive vibes to be taken from a comparative "not as bad as" or "better than" but I would much prefer to see an absolute measure such as "good" or "excellent".

Looking (as I do) at my local station, 11 trains out of 29 (38% of them) were cancelled this weekend - that compares to 14% the previous weekend and 13% the weekend before that.  And from what the data streams tell me, every single one of these cancellations over three weekends can be attributed to the rail industry - lack of working signalling, lack of working trains, lack of working staff.   Warm "better than" words may be applicable when compared to last year (or to our worst month every - January 2007) but "good" certainly cannot.

I look forward to consistent weekends where cancellations from the twice yearly published timetable do not exceed 7%. I think that no more than one round trip out of 14 cancelled is a realistic interim target.

 

[TaplowGreen]

All cancelled due to "shortage of train crew"......Gatwick Airport runs on one of the busiest days of the year (those that are running are shortformed) and good luck to those trying to get to/from Basingstoke after work......wonder what the weekend holds? 

15:06 London Paddington to Bedwyn due 16:29
15:28 Reading to Gatwick Airport due 16:52
16:04 Reading to Redhill due 17:32
16:32 Reading to London Paddington due 17:33
16:45 Bedwyn to Reading due 17:36
17:00 Gatwick Airport to Reading due 18:23
17:33 Reading to Basingstoke due 17:59
17:45 Redhill to Reading due 19:18
18:04 Basingstoke to Reading due 18:28
18:12 Reading to Newbury due 18:42
18:33 Reading to Basingstoke due 19:03
18:52 Newbury to London Paddington due 19:54
19:06 Basingstoke to Reading due 19:30
19:35 Reading to Basingstoke due 20:04
20:06 Basingstoke to Reading due 20:30

[IndustryInsider]

The 17:33 and 18:33 Basingstoke's look to be reinstated, so the peak time service is now pretty much restored, though several more cancellations either side of the peaks now added.

I know I keep banging on about it, but you have to ask what the point of JourneyCheck is, with a situation so fluid it is out of date almost as soon as the information is posted it seems.

[TaplowGreen]

Almost 30 cancellations as well as foreshortened services today on LTV^▸ (London [and] Thames Valley) & the Windsor branch with a number of peak services affected. All down to crew shortage. This is a Monday in the working week (well for most of us anyway) - are we in for a summer of misery, not restricted to Sundays any more?

This is poor workforce management by GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway), no-one else to blame.

[martyjon]

Almost 30 cancellations as well as foreshortened services today on LTV^▸ (London [and] Thames Valley) & the Windsor branch with a number of peak services affected. All down to crew shortage. This is a Monday in the working week (well for most of us anyway) - are we in for a summer of misery, not restricted to Sundays any more?

This is poor workforce management by GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway), no-one else to blame.

Gramophone needle must have stuck on todays "Train Cancellations" record too ;-

"This is due to a shortage of train crew."

is the reason, and for no other, for service cancellations when I looked also a minute or so ago.

[IndustryInsider]

Looks like all fourteen Windsor's were reinstated just ten minutes after TG's post?  In this case, all fourteen would probably have been covered by one driver.

[IndustryInsider]

Most of the remaining LTV^▸ (London [and] Thames Valley) ones also now reinstated.

#youcannottrustjourneycheck

[TaplowGreen]

Most of the remaining LTV^▸ (London [and] Thames Valley) ones also now reinstated.

#youcannottrustjourneycheck

Certainly seems that way. Thanks II

[phile]

Three Paddington to Cheltenham round trips gone today

[TaplowGreen]

Some of Devon & Cornwall's local services tomorrow already being cancelled.

[phile]

Some of Devon & Cornwall's local services tomorrow already being cancelled.

Hardly anything to Gunnislake