Weymouth Line - service issues (merged posts)

[whole diary]

[Timmer]

..and now a Gloucester to Weymouth service has had to be swapped over to a new unit at Bristol Temple Meads due to vandalism on the original train.

Looking at RTT^» (Real Time Trains - website), is it the 13:10 Gloucester to Weymouth service? It looks like there is a set swap at Bristol from 166221 to 166217?

This service then forms the 17:35 from Weymouth, and, being a class 166 means 3 carriages 

[bobm]

That's the one.  166221 off to St Philips Marsh for repairs.

Also means a cancelled return trip between Temple Meads and Filton Abbey Wood later.

[Timmer]

That's the one.  166221 off to St Philips Marsh for repairs.

Also means a cancelled return trip between Temple Meads and Filton Abbey Wood later.

Along with this:

15:09 Gloucester to Weymouth due 18:27
15:09 Gloucester to Weymouth due 18:27 will be terminated at Bristol Temple Meads.
It will no longer call at Keynsham, Oldfield Park, Bath Spa, Freshford, Bradford-On-Avon, Trowbridge, Westbury, Frome, Bruton, Castle Cary, Yeovil Pen Mill, Thornford, Yetminster, Chetnole, Maiden Newton, Dorchester West, Upwey and Weymouth.
This is due to vandalism on a train earlier today.
Will be formed of 2 coaches instead of 3.

It’s easy to be critical of the railways when they cancel a service but when it’s caused by a member(s) of the public, with the fleet so stretched; sometimes there just is no choice but to cancel services.

[Wizard]

GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) don’t have enough trains. They’ve never had enough trains since 2007, and it’s unlikely that they ever will have enough trains. That’s just not how it works.

[bobm]

That's the one.  166221 off to St Philips Marsh for repairs.

Also means a cancelled return trip between Temple Meads and Filton Abbey Wood later.

Along with this:

15:09 Gloucester to Weymouth due 18:27
15:09 Gloucester to Weymouth due 18:27 will be terminated at Bristol Temple Meads.
It will no longer call at Keynsham, Oldfield Park, Bath Spa, Freshford, Bradford-On-Avon, Trowbridge, Westbury, Frome, Bruton, Castle Cary, Yeovil Pen Mill, Thornford, Yetminster, Chetnole, Maiden Newton, Dorchester West, Upwey and Weymouth.
This is due to vandalism on a train earlier today.
Will be formed of 2 coaches instead of 3.

It’s easy to be critical of the railways when they cancel a service but when it’s caused by a member(s) of the public, with the fleet so stretched; sometimes there just is no choice but to cancel services.

The incoming unit from Gloucester was used to go back on the Severn Beach line - where the substitute unit for the earlier service was found from.

[grahame]

GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) don’t have enough trains. They’ve never had enough trains since 2007, and it’s unlikely that they ever will have enough trains. That’s just not how it works.

I would agree they don't have enough trains. 

"That’s just not how it works." - why not?   Why not stand up and run a reliable, customer-loved business. Problem is - perhaps Virgin did that, stood up for what they believed in, and lost the franchises as the cost of doing so?

[broadgage]

GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) don’t have enough trains. They’ve never had enough trains since 2007, and it’s unlikely that they ever will have enough trains. That’s just not how it works.

ISTR^▸ ('I seem to recall/remember') that the wonderful new IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train - replacement for HSTs (manufactured by Hitachi in Kobe, Japan)) were going to solve the problem, not only on the routes so served, but also by freeing up loads of Turbos and and other existing trains for use elsewhere  on the network.

In fact of course large numbers of IET services are 5 car instead of an 8 car HST^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units))

[IndustryInsider]

In fact of course large numbers of IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train - replacement for HSTs (manufactured by Hitachi in Kobe, Japan)) services are 5 car instead of an 8 car HST^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units))

Of course large numbers of 7/8 car HST’s are now in the hands of 9/10 car IET’s.

[grahame]

In fact of course large numbers of IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train - replacement for HSTs (manufactured by Hitachi in Kobe, Japan)) services are 5 car instead of an 8 car HST^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units))

Of course large numbers of 7/8 car HST’s are now in the hands of 9/10 car IET’s.

It's a real old mix ... the one car services though Melksham are up to 2 or 3 ... but then the 5 and 6 car trains off Weymouth on warm Saturdays a decade ago are down to 2 or if we're lucky 3 today.   

It may surprise readers here as I started this thread, but actually the far more important thing is a year round (reliable) service that's right for every day of 363 and not just 12 in the summer.   It is important - and important worth agitating for - to make sure those 12 busiest days are right for marketing reasons.  Perhaps the could bring a castle up for those days - I'm sure we could fill it!

[Mark A]

Rather than Weymouth, after some very late running that set in after Freshford, the train has terminated at Frome. Hoping the passengers for Weymouth were put down at Westbury 'cos despite appearances Frome's rather short of facilities. (Loos for a start...)

Mark

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:C63626/2024-06-30/detailed

[bradshaw]

Reading RTT^» (Real Time Trains - website) it seems to have returned to Westbury.

Now journey check has this

  11:42 Swindon to Weymouth due 14:01 will be delayed at Westbury.
This is due to a fault on this train.

Screenshot of today so far on the Weymouth line attached below

Yet to be added is the cancellation of the 2011 Weymouth to Bristol

[grahame]

Screenshot of today so far on the Weymouth line attached below

Looks like timings at Maiden Newton.  Oops.  I will grab and post an update at the end of the day

[bradshaw]

That is right, I lived there for some years before moving to the other end of the branch. The screenshot at Maiden Newton is useful as it will only show GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) trains.

[Timmer]

Morning ‘peak’ services from Bristol and Bath down to Weymouth canned this morning meaning if you don’t make the train leaving Bristol at 08:03, it will be the long way round via Southampton to get to Weymouth.

08:09 Gloucester to Weymouth due 11:35
09:09 Gloucester to Weymouth due 12:27
15:09 Gloucester to Weymouth due 18:27

[grahame]

Morning ‘peak’ services from Bristol and Bath down to Weymouth canned this morning meaning if you don’t make the train leaving Bristol at 08:03, it will be the long way round via Southampton to get to Weymouth.

08:09 Gloucester to Weymouth due 11:35
09:09 Gloucester to Weymouth due 12:27
15:09 Gloucester to Weymouth due 18:27

The 08:45 Swindon to Weymouth IS still running - which has a slightly later connection at Westbury if you miss the 08:03 from Bristol.   The return run to Swindon is canned - it will be interesting to see how GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) handle that ...