2018 cancellation and amendment log

[whole diary]

[grahame]

Rail passengers have been delayed on more than half of all services from 10 of Britain's busiest stations this year, research has found.

The data also showed the percentage of service cancellations at each station.

Highest percentage of cancellations
London King's Cross - 6%
Manchester Oxford Road, Gatwick Airport, Cambridge - 5%
Bristol Temple Meads, Manchester Piccadilly, Manchester Victoria, Edinburgh Waverley, London Bridge, London Paddington, London St Pancras - 4%

Back of a fag packet calculation for Melksham - around 6,200 services shown to call in the GB^▸ (Great Britain) timetables at published last December and May this year, but only just over 5,000 estimated to have actually called. 

As far as passengers who (want) to use them are concerned, they would consider that to be around 20% cancellations.  No train, no alternative a few minutes away, having to drive or get on a bus or into a taxi - less convenient and much slower. The rail industry would probably describe just over a half as "engineering changes" ... and come up with a cancellation rate of around 8% to 10%; such changes are better for the passenger who can at least plan ahead, but they are still a cancellation of a service which as a result has been reduced below the SLC^▸ (Service Level Commitment) (service level commitment) in the franchise.

However - bright morning in Wiltshire ... London to Reading is "up the Swanny" but the only problem on the TransWilts is the 06:12 from Swindon being 2 carriages rather than 3.   Not an issue - though it might be later in that train's diagram as it wanders around The West

[grahame]

The more general issue of reliability - with Temple Meads comping out worst of the big stations - is now under discussion in "Bristol Commuters" - http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=20529.0 - which seems a logical place to continue it.

By all means follow up with comments on my TransWilts specific stuff here on the TransWilts board.

[grahame]

07:33 Westbury to Swindon due 08:15
07:33 Westbury to Swindon due 08:15 has been delayed at Westbury and is now 17 minutes late.
This is due to a fault on this train.

[grahame]

10:47 Swindon to Westbury due 11:28
10:47 Swindon to Westbury due 11:28 has been delayed at Trowbridge and is now 43 minutes late.
This is due to trespassers on the railway earlier in this train's journey.

11:47 Westbury to Swindon due 12:32
11:47 Westbury to Swindon due 12:32 has been cancelled.
This is due to trespassers on the railway.

12:20 Westbury to Swindon due 13:02
12:20 Westbury to Swindon due 13:02 will be starting late from Westbury.
This is due to trespassers on the railway.

12:49 Swindon to Frome due 13:40
12:49 Swindon to Frome due 13:40 will be started from Westbury.
It will no longer call at Swindon, Chippenham, Melksham and Trowbridge.
This is due to trespassers on the railway earlier today.

[grahame]

08:28 Westbury to Swindon due 09:12
08:28 Westbury to Swindon due 09:12 has been delayed at Westbury and is now 24 minutes late.
This is due to engineering works not being finished on time.

At least it's running 

[grahame]

07:04 Westbury to Cheltenham Spa due 09:05
07:04 Westbury to Cheltenham Spa due 09:05 will be terminated at Gloucester.
It will no longer call at Cheltenham Spa.
It has been delayed at Westbury and is now 79 minutes late.
This is due to a fault on this train.

[grahame]

07:04 Westbury to Cheltenham Spa due 09:05
07:04 Westbury to Cheltenham Spa due 09:05 will be terminated at Gloucester.
It will no longer call at Cheltenham Spa.
It has been delayed at Westbury and is now 79 minutes late.
This is due to a fault on this train.

Bit of a mess ... due in Swindon at 07:48 - just arriving as I write, just before 09:15.

This is the 07:20 (Melksham time) train ... it left there at 08:45.   I'm pretty sure that passengers would have dropped back to the 07:49 (Melksham time) which made it there at 08:07 ... into Swindon at 08:34, when they would been planning for 07:48.

The return train from Swindon (08:53) is also delayed - by six minutes - looks like that's because the London to Swansea service that connects into it is running quarter of an hour late. 

[phile]

07:04 Westbury to Cheltenham Spa due 09:05
07:04 Westbury to Cheltenham Spa due 09:05 will be terminated at Gloucester.
It will no longer call at Cheltenham Spa.
It has been delayed at Westbury and is now 79 minutes late.
This is due to a fault on this train.

Don't quite follow he train fault unless that was another factor contributing to delay.    The SWR^» (South Western Railway - about) hire 158 left Salisbury 19L and arrived Westbury 66L. with everything along this route heavily delayed due to sigalling problems between Salisbury and Warminster.   There was a blockage through this area over the weekend so ?  connected

[RA]

07:04 Westbury to Cheltenham Spa due 09:05
07:04 Westbury to Cheltenham Spa due 09:05 will be terminated at Gloucester.
It will no longer call at Cheltenham Spa.
It has been delayed at Westbury and is now 79 minutes late.
This is due to a fault on this train.

Don't quite follow he train fault unless that was another factor contributing to delay.    The SWR^» (South Western Railway - about) hire 158 left Salisbury 19L and arrived Westbury 66L. with everything along this route heavily delayed due to sigalling problems between Salisbury and Warminster.   There was a blockage through this area over the weekend so ?  connected

The bulk of the delay was caused by a 'wrong side' signalling issue where a preceding train 'disappeared' from the track circuits. As it is in the middle of leaf fall season, the lack of trains over the route for several days to effectively clean the railhead meant that there was substantial contamination in several places along the line. If the contamination is severe enough, this can have the effect of electrically insulating the wheels of a train from the rails, and therefore the track circuit failing to show occupied when there is a train in the section. Any train that has 'disappeared' from the track circuits will be stopped for the driver to inspect the wheelsets for contamination. Subsquent trains will be signalled through affected areas by turning the line into one long block section. A following train will be held back until the preceding train is confirmed to be clear of the affected areas and is correctly operating subsequent track circuits.

[grahame]

Whole series of these today ... not a massive issue in the run of things ... public loos on all stations served except Melksham so people can probably hold on

10:47 Swindon to Westbury due 11:28
Facilities on the 10:47 Swindon to Westbury due 11:28.
Toilet facilities are not available.
This is due to a fault on this train.
Additional Information
We apologise for the inconvenience this may cause.

[bobm]

12:49 Swindon to Frome due 13:40

12:49 Swindon to Frome due 13:40 will be cancelled.

This is due to a fault on this train.

[grahame]

19:32 Westbury to Cheltenham Spa due 21:33
19:32 Westbury to Cheltenham Spa due 21:33 will no longer call at Melksham.
It has been delayed previously and is expected to be 20 minutes late from Chippenham.
This is due to a fire next to the track.

20:08 Swindon to Westbury due 20:49
20:08 Swindon to Westbury due 20:49 has been delayed at Swindon and is now 8 minutes late.
This is due to a fire next to the track.

[grahame]

18:32 Westbury to Swindon due 19:21
18:32 Westbury to Swindon due 19:21 is being delayed at Westbury and is now expected to be 10 minutes late.
This is due to train crew being delayed.

I always shudder when I see a TransWilts line on the map at the top of these pages.   Fortunately, this is a minor issue when weighed against what else we've had to endure.

By the time it gets off the single track at Thingley East, the Southampton train should have been on its way down - a knock on delay.  However, that train's running a few late and we'll have a train ballet at Chippenham where they seamlessly flow past each other.   And the Southampton's scheduled to wait a few minutes at Westbury, so could well be back on time from there.

[grahame]

16:21 Westbury to Swindon due 17:03
Facilities on the 16:21 Westbury to Swindon due 17:03.
Toilet facilities are not available.
This is due to a fault on this train.
Additional Information
Toilets are available in coaches X.

We apologise for the inconvenience this may cause.
Last Updated:06/11/2018 09:11

[grahame]

05:17 Gloucester to Southampton Central due 08:09
05:17 Gloucester to Southampton Central due 08:09 has been delayed at Swindon and is now 26 minutes late.
This is due to a problem currently under investigation.

Wonder if it's the train or the line ...