New Jan 2nd 2018 TimeTable

[whole diary]

[lbraine]

Apologies if this has been covered - but I could not find it.

We are a fortnight out from the new timetable - and finding details is very difficult. I have tried my local TV station and Reading booking offices, neither of which seem to have a copy (pocket form).

We all know of the bad news that direct Oxford to Paddington stopper trains are gone, which will inconvenience some - but there is some good news (that I am surprised FGW^▸ (First Great Western) are not spinning/marketing). From what I can see loaded on RTT^» (Real Time Trains - website) - during peak hours there is an increase in trains to Reading, raising the 2 trains an hour to 3 or 4. Surely something to celebrate.

Along side the EMU^▸ (Electric Multiple Unit) service from Didcot to Reading (and beyond) there are still Turbo services between Oxford/Banbury and Reading - giving the service increase. Not quite a 'metro' service, but for period there is a train every 15 to 20 mins into Reading.

[Ollie]

Timetables (new pocket versions) can be seen here: https://www.gwr.com/plan-journey/train-times (PDF files)

[grahame]

Timetables (new pocket versions) can be seen here: https://www.gwr.com/plan-journey/train-times (PDF files)

Thanks Ollie.

Please bear in mind that at least some of these will have a further update just before they start to correct issues in some last minute changes ( I'm aware of some Sunday morning issues on Westbury / Warminster).

[ChrisB]

And its only a week till the new timetables....

[lbraine]

Thanks Ollie - don’t know how I missed them.

[Oxonhutch]

If there are some last minute revisions to the online pdfs for Ollie's attention. There are destination errors that are hiding some of the Thames Valley peak semi-fasts (Timetable T8), of which there are several more with the new electric service . Although shown as 'continues to' EAL^▸ (Ealing Broadway Station) (Ealing Broadway), the following two services do not call there and should be 'continues to' PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains): 1P03 - dep. OXF^» (Oxford - next trains) 0550 (Turbo), & 1P15 dep. DID^» (Didcot Parkway - next trains) 0750 (Electric).

Also 2P08, the first Up Stopper of the day's last intermediate stop is Acton Main Line after its advertised EAL.

[grahame]

If there are some last minute revisions to the online pdfs for Ollie's attention. ...

I suspect, Oxonhutch, that these should go to the poster and timetable team in Exeter rather than to Ollie - I can p.m. you an email address.

I have been very firmly told to wait for the corrections I have pointed out are needed - that they will be in place by the start of the new service.  That's provided us a TransWilts with a real difficulty, as recent timetables we have distributed have been based on the excellent work that Exeter have done - but this time we don't yet have the correct base artwork and we've missed the deadline for having local timetables ready by start of service.    This should normally be something that's quietly sorted out behind the scenes, but we seem to not be the only ones who are finding that changes in our relationship aren't positive - see http://www.avocetline.org.uk/gwr-timetable-change/ ("This was done without consultation with ALRUG")

[ChrisB]

Since Andy McRae moved on - who was & still is (in his new post) very helpful and approachable, the new post holder hasn't exactly tried to mirror him, which is a real shame.

[grahame]

I have been very firmly told to wait for the corrections I have pointed out are needed - that they will be in place by the start of the new service.  That's provided us a TransWilts with a real difficulty ...

Sadly, they weren't / aren't. Promise broken. We now don't have up to date timetable posters for the bus stops in the town centre and other outlets, nor artwork for a brochure; as ever resourceful, we'll have to do a kludge ...

On the bright side:
* 2 car train on the TransWilts shuttle diagram this morning - positive passenger response!
* New day return fares introduced Swindon and Chippenham to Salisbury and Southampton, plugging a gap and removing a barrier to selling the train trip ("too expensive")
* Warminster now has a pre-09:00 northbound service on Sundays / no longer any need to wait for the 10:49

[LiskeardRich]

On the bright side:
* 2 car train on the TransWilts shuttle diagram this morning - positive passenger response

Thanks for the 153s I gather GWRs^▸ (Great Western Railway) remaining 153s are being relocated to Cornwall and Devon only.
Read that gunnislake and st Ives are most likely will be 2 x 153 from this week. I’m assuming that’s an increase in seating vs a 150 with the extra 2x3m?

Edit 2x153s will not go to gunnislake, not cleared

[IndustryInsider]

When are you expecting a Turbo on the TransWilts, Graham?

[Timmer]

Are GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) still producing the full £5 timetable book these days?

[grahame]

When are you expecting a Turbo on the TransWilts, Graham?

Not for some time; this morning it was 158-763 and I would expect to see a significant presence of 150-2xx with perhaps the occasional appearance of 150-0xx over the next few months.  The platform at Melksham is technically too short for a 2 car turbo, and my understanding is that until the longer platform's in place (NR^» (Network Rail - home page) have slipped in their January 2018 timescale for this) or until the Turbos can do SDO^▸ (Selective Door Opening), we're with sprinters.   May see a rarer 150-1xx during the next month too, I suppose.

There's no great rush for the turbos - the big change from 153 to something longer has nearly doubled capacity overnight, and it will take us a few months weeks to fill that to the point of passengers being put off travelling again - that one-to-two tsp change in any organisation or system is a massive one and dwarfs the step up from regular to high capacity carriages.

[PhilWakely]

Are GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) still producing the full £5 timetable book these days?

I believe so. Also likely to be more widely available, but the cost I have heard will be £8.

[Sixty3Closure]

Going by Twitter not sure the new timetable has been a great success.

GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) seemed to be pinning a lot on the new trains (or newer, redeployed trains) and doesn't seem to have worked.

There also seems to be a lot of people caught out by the timetable changes. I've not seen anything at stations or on trains about it but I may just have missed it. Their track record on information isn't great though. Bit frustrating though as according to Twitter my regular train home is no more.