Total Weekend Closure of Reading 14-15 October

[whole diary]

[Timmer]

Not sure whether this has been mentioned back up the thread, but it should be noted that South Western Railway will NOT be allowing travel between Exeter/Salisbury and Waterloo for anybody with Advance tickets from the South West this weekend.

All the best to SWR^» (South Western Railway - about) trying to enforce that one over the weekend unless GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) train managers and stations make it clear to those travelling up from the South West on Advance tickets that they cannot change at Exeter onto a SWR service to Waterloo.

Tensions may be high at some stations this weekend already without telling passengers which trains they can and cannot travel on. I feel for all the staff on the front line having to handle all this over the weekend.

[IndustryInsider]

Plenty of managers ‘giving up their time’ to come in and help out at key locations.  I wonder if Mr Hopwood and the exec team are doing the same given the circumstances?  I expect they’ll all be out in force to accept the plaudits of the IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train) launch the next day!

[Timmer]

Plenty of managers ‘giving up their time’ to come in and help out at key locations.  I wonder if Mr Hopwood and the exec team are doing the same given the circumstances?  I expect they’ll all be out in force to accept the plaudits of the IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train) launch the next day!

I hoped they would be to lend support. Gonna need all the boots on the ground they can muster this weekend at key stations.

[phile]

Plenty of managers ‘giving up their time’ to come in and help out at key locations.  I wonder if Mr Hopwood and the exec team are doing the same given the circumstances?  I expect they’ll all be out in force to accept the plaudits of the IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train) launch the next day!

Should turn out on Sunday and find his train cancelled due traincrew shortage or More trains than usual undergoing repairs.

[Timmer]

In response to a tweet from someone asking if there will be enough buses, BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) South Transport Correspondent Paul Clifton replied:

They have already said they can't get enough buses in time. But there will be some

Make of that what you will. For all those who have to travel this weekend, I wish you all the best. For many I'm sure it will work out fine be it a longer journey. For the rest it may be a challenge.

[Worcester_Passenger]

Can I say a big "thank-you" to those of you who have posted about this.

I've been out of the country for the best part of two weeks. The first week was a conference in, of places, Barcelona. Now this conference has a history of being held at the wrong time (over the years it has coincided with Princess Diana, 9/11 and the pound falling out of the EMS^▸ (Engine Management System) during the Minister's keynote address, plus some some lesser events). But the possibility of being in the wrong place as well turned out not to be too bad.

Anyway, I'd decided to have a bit of a break on my way home. I caught a through train from Barcelona to Santiago de Compostela which meandered gently through Pamplona, Vitoria and Leon - good value at €53.75 for a 12:30 ride, in First class. I had a couple of nights in Santiago, and then gently worked my way back along the north coast, stopping at Ribadeo, Leon, Bilbao and Bayonne.

In Santiago (last Sunday) I looked at the Forum for the first time for a week. And encountered the prospect of this weekend's shambles at Reading. Thank you all - without this, I'd've turned up at Paddington at about 16:00 tomorrow only to find that the train would magically turn into a pumpkin coach at Slough. My reputation as someone who understands the vagaries of transport would have been shot.

So, instead of spending the night in London, I'm on Friday night's 19:22 to the Cotswolds, so as to get home before pumpkin time.

This morning I set off on a TGV^▸ (Train a Grande Vitesse) from Bayonne, down near the Spanish border. 1:47 of diddley-dum to Bordeaux, then it's given 2:08 for the 544km to Paris, which I make to be an average speed of 158 mile/h. We arrive three minutes early.

Cross Paris to Nord, where a Eurostar whizzes me to St Pancras, arriving some 20 seconds late.

And now I'm back in the comfortable world of the Famous Five on the 19:22. We left Paddington 14 late ("waiting for a member of the train crew"). The police were called at Reading (do they ever feature in the Blyton canon?) and we're now 22 late.

But hey, that's much better than being on a coach from Slough to Didcot.

Many many thanks to you all.

[patch38]

The police were called at Reading (do they ever feature in the Blyton canon?) and we're now 22 late.

I think they cropped up in Five Skim The Tesco Cashpoint Again...

[Western Pathfinder]

Was that before or after Five get pissed orf at having to use a rail replacement bus ,and start rioting.

[grahame]

To add to the fun ...

Train Cancellations
05:30 London Paddington to Maidenhead due 06:16
06:30 Maidenhead to London Paddington due 07:16
07:27 London Paddington to Maidenhead due 07:50
08:00 Maidenhead to London Paddington due 08:24
08:57 London Paddington to Maidenhead due 09:20
09:30 Maidenhead to London Paddington due 09:54
10:15 London Paddington to Maidenhead due 10:37
10:43 Maidenhead to London Paddington due 11:07
11:27 London Paddington to Maidenhead due 11:51
12:00 Maidenhead to London Paddington due 12:24
12:57 London Paddington to Maidenhead due 13:20
13:30 Maidenhead to London Paddington due 13:54
14:15 London Paddington to Maidenhead due 14:37
14:43 Maidenhead to London Paddington due 15:07
15:27 London Paddington to Maidenhead due 15:51
16:00 Maidenhead to London Paddington due 16:24
16:57 London Paddington to Maidenhead due 17:20
17:30 Maidenhead to London Paddington due 17:54
18:15 London Paddington to Maidenhead due 18:37
18:43 Maidenhead to London Paddington due 19:07
19:27 London Paddington to Maidenhead due 19:51
20:00 Maidenhead to London Paddington due 20:24
20:57 London Paddington to Maidenhead due 21:21
21:30 Maidenhead to London Paddington due 21:54

In each case, the reason given when expanded is ...

16:57 London Paddington to Maidenhead due 17:20 will be cancelled.
This is due to a safety inspection of the track.

While the front page of the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) site tells you

There is generally a good service on the GWR network. Please check your journey for specific issues.

[TaplowGreen]

Now seem to be running with Turbos rather than electric trains.....rogue carrier bag attack maybe?

Replacement buses already running late, and I note that GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) via twitter is claiming that they contacted everyone who had made bookings this weekend to advise of engineering works. On behalf of myself & at least 5 others that I know of, that is a blatant lie.

[grahame]

I note that GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) via twitter is claiming that they contacted everyone who had made bookings this weekend to advise of engineering works. On behalf of myself & at least 5 others that I know of, that is a blatant lie.

Reports of "lots of unhappy people with pre-booked tickets" at one station to the west.   And how on earth could they know to contact people on the (open) return halves of period returns, or on tickets purchased at ticket offices?

[IndustryInsider]

Now seem to be running with Turbos rather than electric trains.....rogue carrier bag attack maybe?

Can’t see any Turbos allocated to anything at the moment?

All allocated to 387’s except for one of the ‘fast’ diagrams which is in the hands of a 180.  Four departures seen from Slough confirm that.

Looks like many of the cancellations listed by Graham have now been reinstated, all bar one in fact.

[broadgage]

The GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) website certainly looks very misleading with references to "a generally good service" and only about the usual weekend level of short formations, cancellations and other alterations.

An average customer with a ticket from the West to Paddington might conclude that they could travel with no more disruption than a normal weekend.

Surely the front page of the GWR site should say "NO TRAINS TO OR FROM OR VIA READING THIS WEEKEND" in conspicuous red, with a link to the details.

[didcotdean]

In response to a tweet from someone asking if there will be enough buses, BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) South Transport Correspondent Paul Clifton replied:
They have already said they can't get enough buses in time. But there will be some

From walking past Didcot Parkway earlier this morning they have cast the net far and wide - I spotted coaches from as far afield as Birmingham, Nuneaton, Uxbridge and Bournemouth although maybe the latter is covering for XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) to Southampton.

[didcotdean]

Surely the front page of the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) site should say "NO TRAINS TO OR FROM OR VIA READING THIS WEEKEND" in conspicuous red, with a link to the details.

Especially since XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) has managed it. Front page: