Severn Beach Line - services and incidents (merged posts)

[whole diary]

[Red Squirrel]

Ah, that's interesting... one of the other threads is not relevant, but I note that kempis was aware of the change - though a recent conversation with Mrs kempis suggested that she wasn't!

[froome]

I was alerted recently via x/twitter of a passenger receiving a penalty fare for boarding at Clifton Down station without a ticket.

Upon investigating, it became apparent that the Severn Beach line (with the exception of Severn Beach, St Andrews Road, Avonmouth, Shirehampton, Sea Mills and Stapleton Rd - i.e. just over half the stations on the line) is now a Penalty Fares line - and has been since January 2023.

I'd be very interested to know how aware other people were of this change:

• Did you know about this?
• How did you find out?
• When?

Shouldn't Lawrence Hill be on that list? I'm not aware of anywhere you can buy a ticket there, certainly not on the southbound line.

(It is probably a few months since I last used this station, so perhaps this has changed?)

To be clear, I absolutely support better revenue protection on this line - ticketless travel has undoubtedly suppressed recorded passenger numbers over the years. I'm just trying to find out how well this change was communicated.

Edit to clarify quoting - grahame

[froome]

Just noticed the format of my reply has come out rather oddly. My reply concerned Lawrence Hill station, and whether it should also be on the list.

[grahame]

Just noticed the format of my reply has come out rather oddly. My reply concerned Lawrence Hill station, and whether it should also be on the list.

Yeah - quoting and formatting looked a bit odd (easy for that to happen with nested tags).  I have edited it for clarity to show as I think you intended. 

[Red Squirrel]

...
Shouldn't Lawrence Hill be on that list? I'm not aware of anywhere you can buy a ticket there, certainly not on the southbound line.
...

Lawrence Hill is a penalty fare station (see https://bristolrailcampaign.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/GWR-Penalty-Fares-Map-From-23-January-2023-v2.pdf). I don't remember seeing a ticket machine there, but it is most likely to be on Platform 1 - so for passengers heading towards Temple Meads, it is only accessible if you can negotiate two flights of steps.

[johnneyw]

...
Shouldn't Lawrence Hill be on that list? I'm not aware of anywhere you can buy a ticket there, certainly not on the southbound line.
...

Lawrence Hill is a penalty fare station (see https://bristolrailcampaign.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/GWR-Penalty-Fares-Map-From-23-January-2023-v2.pdf). I don't remember seeing a ticket machine there, but it is most likely to be on Platform 1 - so for passengers heading towards Temple Meads, it is only accessible if you can negotiate two flights of steps.

The GWR online page for Lawrence Hill Station says yes to there being a ticket machine there but no to prepaid ticket collection.  Could it be an older model there than the ones at Redland and Montpelier Stations that do.....when they work....provide this service?

https://www.gwr.com/stations-and-destinations/stations/lawrence-hill

[infoman]

due to flooding I presume at Sea Mills on Friday 20 September 2024.

Still think its a better option to use taxis(and instantly) than trying to resource coach's at sort notice

[grahame]

due to flooding I presume at Sea Mills on Friday 20 September 2024.

Still think its a better option to use taxis(and instantly) than trying to resource coach's at sort notice

Clifton to Severn Beach, maybe ... Severn Beach back to Clifton I suspect that there would be a problem getting enough taxis for the morning commute.

Is there a logical (and planned) bustitution scheme in place using the interchange at Portway Parkway - shuttle train Severn Beach to Portway and Clifton Down to Temple Meads and beyond?

[grahame]

I should really read before I post ...

Due to a predicted high tide flooding the railway, on the Severn Beach Branch GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) is operating services between Bristol Temple Meads and Clifton Down only, we are unable to run trains between Clifton Down and Severn Beach until approximately 12:00 20/09/2024
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Train tickets are being accepted on First Bus Bristol routes 1, 2, 3 and 4 between Bristol City Centre and Avonmouth via Clifton Down, Sea Mills and Shirehampton. For more information on First Bus services, please visit www.firstbus.co.uk/bristol-bath-and-west.
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Stagecoach West are also accepting train tickets on bus routes 10 and 12 between Severn Beach / St Andrews Road and Bristol Parkway. For more information on Stagecoach Bus services, please visit www.stagecoachbus.com/about/west.
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We have arrangaged for taxis to shuttle between Clifton Down and Severn Beach calling all stations. Please check the stations Onward Travel Information poster and wait for the replacement road transport at the designated stop.

Please note, these will not run to the times of train services.