Cotswold Line - 2018 cancellation and amendments log

[whole diary]

[Worcester_Passenger]

2018 got off to a good start yesterday, with only one pair of cancellations - the 16:22 Paddington - Great Malvern being terminated at Oxford, and the 19:44 return working cancelled throughout, both on account of train crew problems.

But today is worse, so Grahame's keeping of a log may be a sensible idea...

05:47 London Paddington to Worcester Foregate Street due 08:15 will be started from Reading.
This is due to a shortage of train drivers.

06:52 London Paddington to Great Malvern due 09:37 will be terminated at Oxford.
This is due to a shortage of train drivers.

08:21 London Paddington to Hereford due 11:40 will be cancelled.
This is due to more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time.

09:54 Great Malvern to London Paddington due 12:28 will be started from Oxford.
This is due to a shortage of train drivers.

12:09 Hereford to London Paddington due 15:27 will be cancelled.
This is due to more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time.

[charles_uk]

Happy New Year:

Due to a fault with the signalling system between Charlbury and Oxford trains have to run at reduced speed on the line towards Oxford.
Train services running through these stations may be delayed by up to 30 minutes. Disruption is expected until 10:30 03/01.

The 05:28 Hereford to Paddington and 07:10 Moreton-in-Marsh to Paddington both lost about half an hour between Ascott-under-Wychwood and Oxford. The 06:53 Worcester Foregate Street to Didcot Parkway arrived at Oxford 66 late and was terminated, and the 06:42 Hereford to Paddington departed Oxford 50 minutes late.

And a cancellation (at least as far as Cotswold Line is concerned):

09:50 Moreton-in-Marsh to London Paddington due 11:30 will be started from Oxford.
It will no longer call at Moreton-in-Marsh, Kingham, Charlbury and Hanborough.
This is due to a fault with the signalling system.

[edit to add details of later delays/cancellations]

[charles_uk]

Yesterday GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) at least managed to get this service as far as Oxford:

16:22 London Paddington to Great Malvern due 19:26 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train drivers.

and the return 19:42 from Great Malvern.

[Worcester_Passenger]

15:22 London Paddington to Great Malvern due 17:58 will be terminated at Oxford.
This is due to train crew being delayed.


18:34 Great Malvern to London Paddington due 21:31 will be started from Oxford.
This is due to a shortage of train drivers.

[charles_uk]

15:22 London Paddington to Great Malvern due 17:58 will be terminated at Oxford.
This is due to train crew being delayed.


18:34 Great Malvern to London Paddington due 21:31 will be started from Oxford.
This is due to a shortage of train drivers.

Which, with the cancellation of the 16:22 PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains):GMV, meant a three hour gap of down services beyond Moreton-in-Marsh. Customers on the 15:22 at Oxford were advised to go to the main concourse where road transport was being sourced.

However complex running a franchise might be, it does get to the stage when any sort of goodwill and understanding does evaporate. My partner gave up using GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) services in the summer and now drives to Reading.

[bobm]

Not sure how much it has been publicised but via Evesham tickets are being accepted via Swindon this evening.

[charles_uk]

There is something very very wrong with GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway), imo:

06:52 London Paddington to Great Malvern due 09:37 will be terminated at Oxford.
It will no longer call at Hanborough, Charlbury, Kingham, Moreton-in-Marsh, Honeybourne, Evesham, Pershore, Worcester Shrub Hill, Worcester Foregate Street, Malvern Link and Great Malvern.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

and the return 09:54

16:22 London Paddington to Great Malvern due 19:26 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

and the return 19:42

If I understand it correctly both these services - the former was also cancelled yesterday, the latter hasn't run at all this week - are supposed to be IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train).

[Malvern hill]

I was going down to take a look at this new train, but it only got to Oxford.
1W14/1P25, didn't run yesterday either. Once so far.

 We in Malvern have the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) (any of them) services lopped off, (even if they get to Worcester) so often.
It's a 'crapshoot' will they come or will they not?

[IndustryInsider]

All IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train) services along the Cotswold Line are supposed to be crewed by the new Worcester depot IIRC^▸ (if I recall/remember/read correctly), which has had a less than successful start - the depot manager has recently left after only a few months in the job. 

Not sure why they are short?  Possibly a case of relying on a small depot that is more likely to be affected by sickness or other issues that affect availability?

[Worcester_Passenger]

10:22 London Paddington to Hereford due 13:47 will be terminated at Worcester Foregate Street.
This is due to a fault on this train.
Further Information
Customers are advised to travel on the next available train service between Worcester Foregate Street and Hereford.

This train arrives Foregate Street at 12:47. Next WM train to Hereford is at 13:32.

15:14 Hereford to London Paddington due 18:29 will be started from Worcester Foregate Street.
This is due to a fault on this train.
Further Information
Customers at Hereford travelling to Reading and London Paddington are advised to travel to Newport on Arriva train 15:51 Hereford to Tenby service and change at Newport for London Paddington.
Customers between Hereford and Worcester Shrub Hill travelling to London Paddington are advised to travel on the London Midland 15:39 Hereford to Birmingham New Street service and change onto Virgin West coast 17:30 Birmingham New Street to London Euston. Arrangements have been made for Great Western rail tickets to be accepted for these journeys.

[ChrisB]

.....and the 1622 ex-PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains) stopper along the Cotswold Line cancelled yet gain, with the return too obviously. Hasn't yet run in this timetable?

[charles_uk]

Given all the cancellations, it seems a little petty to point out that the 15:22 Paddington to Great Malvern has been short-formed all week - it's been confirmed it will be a Turbo again today. Presumably this short-formation is going to be a medium term pragmatism given lack of other available stock.

[ChrisB]

It would be good to hear from Hitachi (through GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) obviously) as to why they aren't putting out the contracted number of trains at lengths that should be appearing. THey are also contracted to have units on standby that can be put out in place of those failing, and don't appear to be doing this.

[IndustryInsider]

Given all the cancellations, it seems a little petty to point out that the 15:22 Paddington to Great Malvern has been short-formed all week - it's been confirmed it will be a Turbo again today. Presumably this short-formation is going to be a medium term pragmatism given lack of other available stock.

I think that, and the 11:22 PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains)-WOF and return are now booked to be Turbos until the next tranche of 800 operated trains are added in a few months.  Though it would be nice if they could manage to provide more than a third of trains in the first tranche!  We're steadily heading towards that tipping point I've been mentioning...

[Worcester_Passenger]

15:22 London Paddington to Great Malvern due 17:58 will be terminated at Worcester Foregate Street.
It has been delayed at Reading and is now 28 minutes late.
This is due to a tree blocking the railway earlier today.


18:34 Great Malvern to London Paddington due 21:31 will be started from Worcester Foregate Street.
This is due to a tree blocking the railway earlier today.