2018 cancellation and amendment log

[whole diary]

[grahame]

Were you aware of this one?

08:15 Westbury to Swindon due 09:04


08:15 Westbury to Swindon due 09:04 will be terminated at Chippenham.
It will no longer call at Swindon.
It has been delayed at Westbury and is now 29 minutes late.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

Became aware a few minutes ago ... though not of the reason.   The turn around at Chippenham is to allow the return train to Portsmouth to be on time. Bus organised on to Swindon, I am told.  Whether the bus comes from the bus company based in Chippenham who have 40 vehicles and drivers and use few if any of them on Sundays, from First in Bath, or from West Bromwich or Timbuktu, I know not.

[bobm]

With the consequence

09:18 Swindon to Portsmouth Harbour due 11:53

09:18 Swindon to Portsmouth Harbour due 11:53 will be started from Chippenham.

It will no longer call at Swindon.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

There should have been Bath shuttle from Swindon due into Chippenham a few minutes before which would have provided a life-line for anyone from Swindon who got to the station early enough for the 09:18 - but that was cancelled too.

[martyjon]

Whether the bus comes from the bus company based in Chippenham who have 40 vehicles and drivers and use few if any of them on Sundays, ....

How dare you say that Grahame, disturbing those drivers when their having their weekly Sunday morning lie-in when they work jolly hard the rest of the week providing a reliable bus service from Melksham to surrounding villages and nearby towns something the local rail operator is incapable of doing.

[bobm]

Just noticed this..

20:08 Portsmouth Harbour to Swindon due 22:39

20:08 Portsmouth Harbour to Swindon due 22:39 will be diverted between Trowbridge and Chippenham.

It will call additionally at Melksham.

This is due to a shortage of train drivers.

[bobm]

17:08 Portsmouth Harbour to Swindon due 19:42

17:08 Portsmouth Harbour to Swindon due 19:42 will be terminated at Westbury.

It will no longer call at Trowbridge, Chippenham and Swindon.

This is due to a fault on this train.

20:19 Swindon to Portsmouth Harbour due 22:52

20:19 Swindon to Portsmouth Harbour due 22:52 will be started from Westbury.

It will no longer call at Swindon, Chippenham, Melksham and Trowbridge.

This is due to a fault on this train.

[grahame]

21:14 Westbury to Chippenham due 21:39
21:14 Westbury to Chippenham due 21:39 will be reinstated and will now run as scheduled.

21:42 Chippenham to Westbury due 22:08
21:42 Chippenham to Westbury due 22:08 will be reinstated and will now run as scheduled.

Always useful when the last train of the day runs 

The usual last train on a Saturday is 18:32 from Westbury ... extra added today. Then cancelled. Then re-instated.  The last train from Swindon on a Saturday is 21:06.   Now what would be good as regular is that 21:14 coming back from Swindon at 22:14.

I gave the train a miss this evening ... 20:10 bus from Bath.   Full.  Shows that people do want to get to Melksham of a Saturday evening.

[grahame]

09:48 Westbury to Swindon due 10:33
09:48 Westbury to Swindon due 10:33 will be cancelled.
This is due to a points failure.
Last Updated:17/04/2018 09:21

10:47 Swindon to Westbury due 11:31
10:47 Swindon to Westbury due 11:31 will be cancelled.
This is due to a points failure.
Last Updated:17/04/2018 09:21

[grahame]

09:48 Westbury to Swindon due 10:33
09:48 Westbury to Swindon due 10:33 will be cancelled.
This is due to a points failure.
Last Updated:17/04/2018 09:21

10:47 Swindon to Westbury due 11:31
10:47 Swindon to Westbury due 11:31 will be cancelled.
This is due to a points failure.
Last Updated:17/04/2018 09:21

12:20 Westbury to Swindon due 13:03
12:20 Westbury to Swindon due 13:03 will be cancelled.
This is due to a broken down train earlier today.

13:29 Swindon to Westbury due 14:12
13:29 Swindon to Westbury due 14:12 will be cancelled.
This is due to a broken down train earlier today.
Last Updated:17/04/2018 10:25

Two different failures on the same day, or same problem and someone selected the wrong excuse from a set of options?

[TaplowGreen]

Don't forget Graham, good news is around you! 

[grahame]

Don't forget Graham, good news is around you! 

Indeed ... little steps back and big steps forward.   Remember just how much quicker and frequent  trains are between Reading and London now that they were 100 years ago, and smile and say "oh never mind" when 1 or 10 are cancelled or take an hour or two longer that they should!   

[grahame]

Never rains but it pours!!

Due to a fault with the signalling system between Trowbridge and Chippenham the line towards Melksham is blocked.
Train services running through these stations may be cancelled. Disruption is expected until the end of the day.

Train Cancellations
11:47 Westbury to Swindon due 12:34
12:16 Greenford to West Ealing due 12:29
12:20 Westbury to Swindon due 13:03
12:32 West Ealing to Greenford due 12:44
12:47 Swindon to Frome due 13:41
13:29 Swindon to Westbury due 14:12
14:04 Frome to Swindon due 15:03
15:18 Swindon to Westbury due 16:01
16:21 Westbury to Swindon due 17:04
17:36 Swindon to Westbury due 18:19
18:32 Westbury to Swindon due 19:21

[grahame]

Never rains but it pours!!

Due to a fault with the signalling system between Trowbridge and Chippenham the line towards Melksham is blocked.
Train services running through these stations may be cancelled. Disruption is expected until the end of the day.

Tweet to @GWRHelp

Noting line Trowbridge towards Chippenham blocked and 17:36 Swindon to Westbury (other way) cancelled. Please run up train via Bathampton rather than needlessly cancelling peak service. Thank You

Should be plenty of time - train has half an hour in Swindon, and as I understand it problem's with the crossover onto the branch at Trowbridge, so southbound can run.

[phile]

As usual, GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) Journey Check doesn't give any travel advice for passengers

[grahame]

As usual, GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) Journey Check doesn't give any travel advice for passengers

Further Twitter chat (still no advice, but discussion complete) ...

Noting line Trowbridge towards Chippenham blocked and 17:36 Swindon to Westbury (other way) cancelled. Please run up train via Bathampton rather than needlessly cancelling peak service. Thank You

Hi. Sorry for the disruption. If operationally possible this would be looked at. Lewis

 Thanks - can you clarify - does that mean "we will take a look" or "we have taken a look and not possible"?  If you look and it is possible, would you actually then do it?

If possible it would be done but at the moment if doesn't look operationally possible. If this changes details will be updated on our website. Lewis

OK ... odd ... been done before.  Lots of taxis from Chippenham tonight then ;-)

[brooklea]

The issue with your sensible suggestion Grahame is almost certainly the lack of a train to form the service; a fault on a Turbo headed for Weymouth this morning resulted in the morning Transwilts unit being utilised to cover this failure (this train being otherwise idle due to the fault at Bradford Junction), with the unit which would have worked the afternoon Transwilts services being redeployed on the Westbury - Bristol Parkway - Bath - Parkway - Westbury circuit.

Of course, if the broken Turbo could be repaired then your proposed work-around would potentially work...