2018 cancellation and amendment log

[whole diary]

[bobm]

Have you asked GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway)? As you know the reason given for delays/cancellations/alterations etc often has very little to do with reality.

Asking more out of interest in case anyone might know.  Further though suggests it might be a crew issue - either a need to swap over crew on the way at Bristol (hence the stop) or a route knowledge issue.

For the engineering works, we requested GWR to help local traffic by stopping a couple of the west country expresses that run via the TransWilts and have 'allowances' built into their schedules.  Very selective and careful requests, but "not possible" for reasons I'm not totally clear on.   At least that denial means we don't have a "real" cancellation today!

This has now appeared under Additional Information on JourneyCheck

Additional Information
Due to a timetabling conflict on the single track line between Westbury and Chippenham, it is not possible to run this train via Westbury this morning without causing significant delay to multiple services in the Westbury area. In order to minimise the impact to as few customers as possible the decision has been taken to divert this train away from its originally timetabled route. As such the train will not be able to stop at Westbury. This alteration is expected to apply all week.

The cause of this timetabling conflict is still being investigated.

Customers due to travel from Westbury to Reading and London Paddington are advised to travel on the 11:10 Westbury to Cardiff Central service, and change at Bath Spa for onward rail connections to Reading and London.

Customers travelling to Westbury are advised to change at Bristol Temple Meads and travel on the 11:22 Bristol Temple Meads to Portsmouth (via Westbury) service.

Customers who arrive at their destination more than 60 minutes after originally scheduled as a result of this alteration may be eligible for delay compensation. Please retain tickets and visit the GWR website for further details.

According to RTT^» (Real Time Trains - website) the train ran via Bristol yesterday (but didn't call) but did run via Westbury on Monday.

[martyjon]

06:47 Penzance to London Paddington due 13:00
06:47 Penzance to London Paddington due 13:00 will be diverted between Taunton and Reading.
It will no longer call at Westbury but will call additionally at Bristol Temple Meads.
This is due to a problem currently under investigation.
Last Updated:11/07/2018 05:07

Now a fuller explanation ;-

Additional Information
Due to a timetabling conflict on the single track line between Westbury and Chippenham, it is not possible to run this train via Westbury this morning without causing significant delay to multiple services in the Westbury area. In order to minimise the impact to as few customers as possible the decision has been taken to divert this train away from its originally timetabled route. As such the train will not be able to stop at Westbury. This alteration is expected to apply all week.

The cause of this timetabling conflict is still being investigated.

Customers due to travel from Westbury to Reading and London Paddington are advised to travel on the 11:10 Westbury to Cardiff Central service, and change at Bath Spa for onward rail connections to Reading and London.

Customers travelling to Westbury are advised to change at Bristol Temple Meads and travel on the 11:22 Bristol Temple Meads to Portsmouth (via Westbury) service.

Customers who arrive at their destination more than 60 minutes after originally scheduled as a result of this alteration may be eligible for delay compensation. Please retain tickets and visit the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) website for further details.

[bobm]

This certainly does count as a cancellation....

19:15 Frome to Cheltenham Spa due 21:33

19:15 Frome to Cheltenham Spa due 21:33 will no longer call at Melksham.
This is due to congestion.

[grahame]

This certainly does count as a cancellation....

19:15 Frome to Cheltenham Spa due 21:33

19:15 Frome to Cheltenham Spa due 21:33 will no longer call at Melksham.
This is due to congestion.

or does it?

19:15 Frome to Cheltenham Spa due 21:33
19:15 Frome to Cheltenham Spa due 21:33 is now running as scheduled.
Last Updated:11/07/2018 19:34

Yes,  in my view that counts as a cancellation.   Having told people "find another way" ... to turn it back on after i was due to set out ....

[bobm]

..and again re-instated!

[martyjon]

06:47 Penzance to London Paddington due 13:00
06:47 Penzance to London Paddington due 13:00 will be diverted between Taunton and Reading.
It will no longer call at Westbury but will call additionally at Bristol Temple Meads.
This is due to a problem currently under investigation.
Last Updated:11/07/2018 05:07

Now a fuller explanation ;-

Additional Information

Due to a timetabling conflict on the single track line between Westbury and Chippenham, it is not possible to run this train via Westbury this morning without causing significant delay to multiple services in the Westbury area. In order to minimise the impact to as few customers as possible the decision has been taken to divert this train away from its originally timetabled route. As such the train will not be able to stop at Westbury. This alteration is expected to apply all week.

The cause of this timetabling conflict is still being investigated.

Customers due to travel from Westbury to Reading and London Paddington are advised to travel on the 11:10 Westbury to Cardiff Central service, and change at Bath Spa for onward rail connections to Reading and London.

Customers travelling to Westbury are advised to change at Bristol Temple Meads and travel on the 11:22 Bristol Temple Meads to Portsmouth (via Westbury) service.

Customers who arrive at their destination more than 60 minutes after originally scheduled as a result of this alteration may be eligible for delay compensation. Please retain tickets and visit the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) website for further details.

Again today, why investigate today what we already knew yesterday.

[bobm]

07:21 Westbury to Swindon due 08:05

07:21 Westbury to Swindon due 08:05 will be cancelled.
This is due to the fire alarm sounding in a signalbox earlier today.

08:28 Swindon to Westbury due 09:14

08:28 Swindon to Westbury due 09:14 will be cancelled.
This is due to the fire alarm sounding in a signalbox earlier today.

Additional Information
Customers at Swindon and Chippenham travelling to Trowbridge or Westbury should travel on the 09:01 Bristol Temple Meads service from Swindon (09:15 from Chippenham) and change at Bath Spa for the 09:36 service towards Portsmouth Harbour which calls at Trowbridge (09:54) and Westbury (10:01).

Customers travelling to Melksham should change at Chippenham and speak to station staff.

Customers at Melksham will be provided road transport from the station car park.

[grahame]

07:21 Westbury to Swindon due 08:05

07:21 Westbury to Swindon due 08:05 will be cancelled.
This is due to the fire alarm sounding in a signalbox earlier today.

08:28 Swindon to Westbury due 09:14

08:28 Swindon to Westbury due 09:14 will be cancelled.
This is due to the fire alarm sounding in a signalbox earlier today.

There are only two trains cancelled across the whole of the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) area.   Why should incidents such as this have such a narrow effect?   Melksham Box closed in the 1960s, and Bradford Junction box in 1990. Thingley was gone around that time too.

[grahame]

There are only two trains cancelled across the whole of the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) area.   Why should incidents such as this have such a narrow effect?   Melksham Box closed in the 1960s, and Bradford Junction box in 1990. Thingley was gone around that time too.

Further report suggests it's Westbury panel box where the alarms went off - all signals back to danger / all trains stopped while they investigated.    Source currently believed to be external to railway - Westbury is / was "blanketed in smoke from Salisbury Plain where the army have been carrying out an exercise".

[stuving]

There are only two trains cancelled across the whole of the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) area.   Why should incidents such as this have such a narrow effect?   Melksham Box closed in the 1960s, and Bradford Junction box in 1990. Thingley was gone around that time too.

Further report suggests it's Westbury panel box where the alarms went off - all signals back to danger / all trains stopped while they investigated.    Source currently believed to be external to railway - Westbury is / was "blanketed in smoke from Salisbury Plain where the army have been carrying out an exercise".

It's not just the exercises per se, but the army have set fire to the plain itself. The report talks about smoke spreading to Steeple Ashton, Trowbridge, Bradford on Avon, Frome, Shepton Mallet and Wells

Standard policy is not to attempt fire-fighting on live firing ranges, for obvious reasons. However this may have consequences that haven't been through through, such as "in very dry weather, don't do exercises likely to ignite vegetation".

[Timmer]

It's not just the exercises per se, but the army have set fire to the plain itself. The report talks about smoke spreading to Steeple Ashton, Trowbridge, Bradford on Avon, Frome, Shepton Mallet and Wells

Standard policy is not to attempt fire-fighting on live firing ranges, for obvious reasons. However this may have consequences that haven't been through through, such as "in very dry weather, don't do exercises likely to ignite vegetation".

It's been absolutely awful at times these past two weeks whenever the wind comes in from the east. The fire brigade cannot intervene and would be dangerous for them to do so as it's MOD land.

I totally support the army doing training exercises whatever the weather but using live ammunition when the ground is tinder dry is not a good idea. Causing many people issues with smoke when we've got to have our windows open because it's so warm.

[bobm]

Yes the MOD advice on Twitter for affected residents to stay indoors and close windows and doors provoked a predictable, and very understandable, response.

[Clan Line]

Standard policy is not to attempt fire-fighting on live firing ranges, for obvious reasons. However this may have consequences that haven't been through through, such as "in very dry weather, don't do exercises likely to ignite vegetation".

Any sort of Military exercise where things "go wrong" are of much more use than one where everything goes like clockwork. This is when we might actually find out that our optical equipment, on our guns/tanks, doesn't work very well in grass smoke - despite the manufacturer saying that it would !
Are we to assume that a potential enemy would only attack when vegetation wont catch fire; or when it's not muddy ? I seem to recollect one adversary setting fire to all the oil wells - our forces couldn't see a thing !!  I bet we never thought of that one in advance - now, had there been oil wells around Imber.........who knows ?
I know it's not very pleasant - I have just shut my windows - but are our armed forces expected to train only when there is absolutely no possibility of  "upsetting the neighbours" ?  For a few days every 20 years - surely not that unreasonable ?

[bobm]

I don't think the majority of people would disagree with you.  I think people were more incensed that having set fire to the heathland it was left to burn over last weekend after training had been suspended.  Clearly fire fighting on foot was not an option but many have suggested dropping water from the air.  Who knows that could form a basis for different training which could then be put to use on places like Saddleworth Moor where the forces were recently drafted in.

[Timmer]

MOD have recently tweeted:
https://twitter.com/mod_dio
We have reviewed the risks of continuing live firing on Salisbury Plain training area and have made the decision to cease artillery live firing on the Salisbury Plain training area until further notice.  We will continue to monitor the situation and share updates.