Cotswold Line - 2018 cancellation and amendments log

[whole diary]

[TaplowGreen]

......have you noticed how the "Building a Greater West" propaganda campaign has been quietly dropped?

[Timmer]

......have you noticed how the "Building a Greater West" propaganda campaign has been quietly dropped?

That was probably from the previous advertising agency. Whatever happened to using in-house talent? Everything seems to be outsourced these days.

[Worcester_Passenger]

I don't believe that these new trains exist. 

Since the beginning of January I have been using a fairly random selection of early-mid morning trains into oxford and evening/late evening trains back and haven't yet even seen one. If the train has even run, it has been formed of a HST^▸ (High Speed Train) or turbo.

Imaginary Elusive Trains...

[Worcester_Passenger]

Saturday's cancellations start early:

05:18 London Paddington to Great Malvern due 08:02 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train drivers.
Last Updated:10/03/2018 03:16

08:43 Great Malvern to London Paddington due 11:29 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train drivers.
Last Updated:10/03/2018 03:18

17:22 London Paddington to Worcester Foregate Street due 19:44 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train drivers.
Last Updated:10/03/2018 03:19

20:04 Worcester Foregate Street to London Paddington due 22:29 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train drivers.
Last Updated:10/03/2018 03:20

[Worcester_Passenger]

...but things got worse as a result of the derailment that's discussed in another topic:

13:22 London Paddington to Great Malvern due 16:04
Facilities on the 13:22 London Paddington to Great Malvern due 16:04.
This is due to a derailment within the depot.
Will be formed of 2 coaches instead of 8. Catering is not available. There are no reservations on this service.
Last Updated:10/03/2018 13:08

Facilities on the 14:22 London Paddington to Great Malvern due 17:00.
This is due to a derailment within the depot.
Will be formed of 2 coaches instead of 8. Catering is not available. There are no reservations on this service.
Last Updated:10/03/2018 13:09

Facilities on the 16:22 London Paddington to Hereford due 19:45.
This is due to a derailment within the depot.
Will be formed of 3 coaches instead of 8. Catering is not available. There are no reservations on this service.
Last Updated:10/03/2018 14:59

Facilities on the 16:35 Great Malvern to London Paddington due 19:26.
This is due to a derailment within the depot.
Will be formed of 2 coaches instead of 8. There are no reservations on this service.
Last Updated:10/03/2018 07:38

Facilities on the 17:45 Great Malvern to London Paddington due 20:27.
This is due to a derailment within the depot.
Will be formed of 2 coaches instead of 8.
Last Updated:10/03/2018 08:09

Facilities on the 20:20 Hereford to London Paddington due 23:51.
This is due to a derailment within the depot.
Will be formed of 3 coaches instead of 8. Catering is not available. There are no reservations on this service.
Last Updated:10/03/2018 14:59

[Timmer]

I know it’s only a small crumb of comfort but the 16.22 to Hereford and 20.20 return were originally down as two coaches so a slight improvement it’s now three.

[Worcester_Passenger]

And Sunday March 11:

08:00 London Paddington to Great Malvern due 10:54 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train drivers.
Last Updated:11/03/2018 05:30

11:14 Great Malvern to London Paddington due 14:07 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train drivers.
Last Updated:11/03/2018 06:55

14:42 London Paddington to Hereford due 17:56 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train drivers.
Additional Information
Customers should use the next available service to Worcester Foregate Street and change there for connections to Hereford.
Last Updated:11/03/2018 08:09

18:30 Hereford to London Paddington due 22:13 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.
Last Updated:11/03/2018 07:33

19:42 London Paddington to Great Malvern due 22:26 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train drivers.
Last Updated:11/03/2018 07:41

[Worcester_Passenger]

plus an odd couple of extras:

14:32 Hereford to London Paddington due 18:05
14:32 Hereford to London Paddington due 18:05 will no longer call at Kingham, Charlbury and Hanborough.
This is due to a shortage of train drivers.
Additional Information
Customers should use the 16.28 Worcester Foregate Street to London Paddington service which calls at Kingham at 17.20, Charlbury 17.31 and Hanborough 17.41.
Last Updated:11/03/2018 12:38

which would be all very well except that

16:28 Worcester Foregate Street to London Paddington due 19:04
16:28 Worcester Foregate Street to London Paddington due 19:04 will be terminated at Worcester Shrub Hill.
It will no longer call at Pershore, Evesham, Honeybourne, Moreton-in-Marsh, Kingham, Charlbury, Hanborough, Oxford, Didcot Parkway, Reading, Slough and London Paddington.
This is due to a shortage of train drivers.
Further Information
Passengers are requested to utilise the next available service.
Last Updated:11/03/2018 13:41

I can't see the logic of cutting out some stops, on a train that isn't (yet) running late, on account of a shortage of drivers.

And I think that the gap in the London-bound timetable at Kingham, Charlbury and Hanborough (where it's four hours, from 15:36 to 19:38) isn't going to be popular.

[IndustryInsider]

I can't see the logic of cutting out some stops, on a train that isn't (yet) running late, on account of a shortage of drivers.

Driver needed back at Oxford as soon as possible apparently, though I can see no obvious reason why that should need to be the case!

[Worcester_Passenger]

A bit later...

The 16:28 has been cancelled in its entirety and the message about the 14:32 from Hereford has been changed to

14:32 Hereford to London Paddington due 18:05 will no longer call at Kingham, Charlbury and Hanborough.
This is due to a shortage of train drivers.
Additional Information
Customers for Kingham, Charlbury and Hanborough should circulate via Oxford.
Last Updated:11/03/2018 14:39

... though at this time on a Sunday its the passengers from Kingham, Charlbury and Hanborough that you need to worry about.

[TaplowGreen]

They've reinstated one of the Cardiff-London trains, probably the busiest post match one of all at 1722 so I'm guessing they must have pinched a driver from elsewhere to run that one?

[charles_uk]

And just to add to the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) Cotswold Line experience today:

13:32 Hereford to London Paddington due 17:06 will be terminated at Reading.
It will no longer call at Slough and London Paddington.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.
Last Updated:11/03/2018 16:19

By my reckoning, that means there will be no direct service from Hanborough to Paddington between 14:42 and 19:38.

Leaving aside the politics of whether the buck stops with GWR, DafT, or Network Rail, passengers deserve a statement explaining what the issues are, why they've happened, what's being done to resolve them and when a near normal service might be expected, and - if necessary - emergency timetables issued so there is a level of service that customers can realistically expect.

[Worcester_Passenger]

I can't see the logic of cutting out some stops, on a train that isn't (yet) running late, on account of a shortage of drivers.

Driver needed back at Oxford as soon as possible apparently, though I can see no obvious reason why that should need to be the case!

According to RTT^» (Real Time Trains - website), into Oxford 7 minutes early. I do hope it was worthwhile.

[Timmer]

Leaving aside the politics of whether the buck stops with GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway), DafT, or Network Rail, passengers deserve a statement explaining what the issues are, why they've happened, what's being done to resolve them and when a near normal service might be expected, and - if necessary - emergency timetables issued so there is a level of service that customers can realistically expect.

I agree, even by GWR standards today has been very poor across the board all the way down to Penzance. I said a few months ago, if they can’t run the current timetable then a new emergency timetable for services at weekends needs to be produced which they can run with spare staff on hand to cover sickness etc.

I cannot see how GWR/Dft can allow this to continue. It’s so unfair on those who have to use the GW^▸ (Great Western) network.

[Adelante_CCT]

They've reinstated one of the Cardiff-London trains, probably the busiest post match one of all at 1722 so I'm guessing they must have pinched a driver from elsewhere to run that one?

They terminated the 15:51 from Swansea at Cardiff instead of it running through to Paddington at 16:49, it was then used to form the 17:22, so no extra train, just retimed