Shortage of train crews on Great Western Railway - ongoing discussion

[whole diary]

[broadgage]

The rush to leave London, rather reminds me of this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAyjkaFYnzE

Cheerful video, recomended lockdown viewing.

[patch38]

Abby: "It may not give us 100% protection but at least it's better than nothing..."

Terry Nation was so unbelievably spot-on 45 years ago but let's hope he was wrong about the vaccine. 

Slam door trains at Great Malvern - sorry, Brimpsfield - too.

[TaplowGreen]

Credit where it's due - despite the coronavirus, not a single service cancelled, terminated/started short or shortformed today - well done GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway)! 

[TaplowGreen]

It's a summer Saturday, and exactly the  sort of leisure journey families may consider by train, so.....

Cancellations to services between Plymouth and Gunnislake

Due to a shortage of train crew between Plymouth and Gunnislake all lines are closed.
Train services running to and from these stations have been cancelled. Disruption is expected until 12:00 19/06.

A number of other services affected by crew shortage across the region too....including to Paignton. More opportunities missed, more people will go by car.

[REVUpminster]

The local service is ok from Paignton. The Paddington train was cancelled from laira when it was driver only to Paignton. Can't tell if no driver at laira or no crew to take it to Paddington from Paignton.

Have to see if it comes back to Paignton as 1C81 at 12.35

[bobm]

Seems rail is not alone - perhaps buses don't usually advertise it so much?

[REVUpminster]

The local service is ok from Paignton. The Paddington train was cancelled from laira when it was driver only to Paignton. Can't tell if no driver at laira or no crew to take it to Paddington from Paignton.

Have to see if it comes back to Paignton as 1C81 at 12.35

It looks like 1C81 has run made up from 1A16 ex Bristol.

[old original]

Covid causing concern in Cornwall now. Pre half term, the rate of cases was down in single figures per 100k, as of 14/6 it had risen to over 100 /100k where as the average for England is only at 70.

It'll be interesting in another week or so to see what impact the G7 circus has had. Over half the pubs in Falmouth were closed on Friday including some with outside space.

So all it takes is for a member of train staff to get "pinged" and that's them lost off the roster for a week or more. No business can plan for that.

[TaplowGreen]

It's summertime, it's Sunday, and these are all cancelled due to crew shortage.

The railway faces huge challenges attracting customers in the post COVID world, this is the sort of thing which will drive them away.

09:50 Plymouth to Exeter St Davids due 10:53
09:56 Plymouth to Penzance due 11:49
10:00 Westbury to Portsmouth Harbour due 11:51
10:36 Paignton to London Paddington due 13:53
11:03 London Paddington to Plymouth due 14:12
11:21 Exeter St Davids to Plymouth due 12:20
12:23 Liskeard to Looe due 12:52
12:32 Swindon to Cheltenham Spa due 13:32
12:45 Plymouth to Exeter St Davids due 13:52
12:50 Penzance to Plymouth due 14:40
12:55 Looe to Liskeard due 13:23
13:26 Weston-Super-Mare to London Paddington due 15:40
13:50 Liskeard to Looe due 14:19
14:01 Cheltenham Spa to Swindon due 15:04
14:22 Looe to Liskeard due 14:50
14:47 Westbury to Swindon due 15:29
15:10 Plymouth to London Paddington due 18:20
15:20 Plymouth to Gunnislake due 16:06
15:30 Swindon to Cheltenham Spa due 16:32
15:41 Swindon to Frome due 16:31
15:47 Plymouth to Penzance due 17:40
16:11 Gunnislake to Plymouth due 16:56
16:20 Exeter St Davids to Penzance due 19:37
16:30 London Paddington to Plymouth due 20:29
16:36 Liskeard to Looe due 17:05
16:41 Frome to Swindon due 17:35
16:50 Penzance to Plymouth due 18:48
17:01 Cheltenham Spa to Swindon due 18:01
17:08 Looe to Liskeard due 17:36
17:45 Swindon to Westbury due 18:26
17:55 Liskeard to Looe due 18:24
17:56 Plymouth to Exeter St Davids due 19:04
18:15 Penzance to Plymouth due 20:05
18:30 Swindon to Cheltenham Spa due 19:31
18:45 Looe to Liskeard due 19:13
20:00 Cheltenham Spa to Swindon due 21:01
20:08 Portsmouth Harbour to Bristol Temple Meads due 22:41
21:05 Weston-Super-Mare to Bristol Temple Meads due 21:23
21:30 Swindon to Cheltenham Spa due 22:32
22:04 Portsmouth Harbour to Westbury due 23:57

[grahame]

It's summertime, it's Sunday, and these are all cancelled due to crew shortage.

The railway faces huge challenges attracting customers in the post COVID world, this is the sort of thing which will drive them away.

09:50 Plymouth to Exeter St Davids due 10:53
09:56 Plymouth to Penzance due 11:49
10:00 Westbury to Portsmouth Harbour due 11:51
10:36 Paignton to London Paddington due 13:53
11:03 London Paddington to Plymouth due 14:12
11:21 Exeter St Davids to Plymouth due 12:20
12:23 Liskeard to Looe due 12:52
12:32 Swindon to Cheltenham Spa due 13:32
12:45 Plymouth to Exeter St Davids due 13:52
12:50 Penzance to Plymouth due 14:40
12:55 Looe to Liskeard due 13:23
13:26 Weston-Super-Mare to London Paddington due 15:40
13:50 Liskeard to Looe due 14:19
14:01 Cheltenham Spa to Swindon due 15:04
14:22 Looe to Liskeard due 14:50
14:47 Westbury to Swindon due 15:29
15:10 Plymouth to London Paddington due 18:20
15:20 Plymouth to Gunnislake due 16:06
15:30 Swindon to Cheltenham Spa due 16:32
15:41 Swindon to Frome due 16:31
15:47 Plymouth to Penzance due 17:40
16:11 Gunnislake to Plymouth due 16:56
16:20 Exeter St Davids to Penzance due 19:37
16:30 London Paddington to Plymouth due 20:29
16:36 Liskeard to Looe due 17:05
16:41 Frome to Swindon due 17:35
16:50 Penzance to Plymouth due 18:48
17:01 Cheltenham Spa to Swindon due 18:01
17:08 Looe to Liskeard due 17:36
17:45 Swindon to Westbury due 18:26
17:55 Liskeard to Looe due 18:24
17:56 Plymouth to Exeter St Davids due 19:04
18:15 Penzance to Plymouth due 20:05
18:30 Swindon to Cheltenham Spa due 19:31
18:45 Looe to Liskeard due 19:13
20:00 Cheltenham Spa to Swindon due 21:01
20:08 Portsmouth Harbour to Bristol Temple Meads due 22:41
21:05 Weston-Super-Mare to Bristol Temple Meads due 21:23
21:30 Swindon to Cheltenham Spa due 22:32
22:04 Portsmouth Harbour to Westbury due 23:57

Spot on. And there are 11 trains running only part of their route too - such as

13:08 Portsmouth Harbour to Cardiff Central due 16:45 will be started from Westbury.
It will no longer call at Portsmouth Harbour, Portsmouth & Southsea, Fratton, Cosham, Fareham, Southampton Central, Romsey, Salisbury, Warminster and Dilton Marsh.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.
Will be formed of 2 coaches instead of 4.

See also http://www.passenger.chat/25131

[IndustryInsider]

I’m very surprised there’s such a shortage as I expected there to be far fewer cancellations this summer, and up until now crew shortages haven’t been much of an issue - witness the six month gap since the last post on this thread before yesterday.

Hopefully this won’t be typical of the next ten or so summer weekends to come, especially given the percentage of the cancellations that affect the crucial tourism routes in the SW today.

[TaplowGreen]

Hopefully this won’t be typical of the next ten or so summer weekends to come, especially given the percentage of the cancellations that affect the crucial tourism routes in the SW today.

As Graham said - "Spot on"

[AMLAG]

The South West, in particular, is currently flooded out with holiday people ( 'grockles' us calls'em) from 'up country' especially from 'Delta' infected Manchester and it is no surprise that Virus infection rates are rising, with resultant self isolation etc increasingly widespread.
I know of a secondary school in deepest rural Devon ( yes there is still some left !)
that sent most of its classes / pupils home last week, having until then had NO virus cases since it and the associated restrictions all started in March LAST year.
In Lidl in Torrington this morning I heard the previously rarely heard Mancunian accent from three different holidaying families !

[a-driver]

Probably will be short in the West Country for a while yet, loads of trainees in the system struggling to get on traction courses and driving hours in, huge backlog.

[TonyK]

The South West, in particular, is currently flooded out with holiday people ( 'grockles' us calls'em) from 'up country' especially from 'Delta' infected Manchester and it is no surprise that Virus infection rates are rising, with resultant self isolation etc increasingly widespread.
I know of a secondary school in deepest rural Devon ( yes there is still some left !)
that sent most of its classes / pupils home last week, having until then had NO virus cases since it and the associated restrictions all started in March LAST year.
In Lidl in Torrington this morning I heard the previously rarely heard Mancunian accent from three different holidaying families !

It wasn't me, I was in Lidl in Tiverton. The accent is Oldham, similar to Manchester because of being separated by only a short tram ride. I've just had a few days in Cornwall, but I'm back home now. In Devon.