2019 - TransWilts cancellation and amendments log

[whole diary]

[AMLAG]

Some years ago the GW^▸ (Great Western) Area Operations Manager ( basically a Train Crew Supervisor type job in old speak ) was cut out at Westbury ( along with I think the posts at Cardiff  and Oxford at roughly the same time)  with all day to day Traincrew  and Unit provision centred on the remote GW Swindon Control office.

The same short sighted Management action had happened at Exeter St D some years before, when the post title was not that of an AOM.
The result was an increase  in train cancellations and disruptions to passengers on mainly local services ...due 'Traincrew shortages'.
The remedy was to reinstate a post (of 2 shifts) ) to be known (as now) as the Exeter  Area Operations Manager. There was an immediate reduction, to almost nil, of trains being cancelled due to traincrew shortages.
Drivers and guards, particularly those killing time in the mess room, find it far more difficult to refuse a request face to face from someone they know in the adjacent office, to work other than their rostered turn and possibly extra hours., compared to a remote phone call 'from Swindon'. It is often that simple to avoid a train being cancelled.

Further local responsibility and decision making has rightly been devolved from Swindon Control to these AOM posts; which are usually occupied by experienced career railwaymen with a Traincrew background.

[bradshaw]

Journey Check tonight at 20.45. Can one presume this will continue all week?

Tue, 20 August 15:00 Frome to Warminster due 15:21
Tue, 20 August 16:21 Westbury to Swindon due 17:03
Tue, 20 August 17:36 Swindon to Westbury due 18:18
Tue, 20 August 18:32 Westbury to Swindon due 19:21
Tue, 20 August 19:49 Bristol Temple Meads to Frome due 20:49
Tue, 20 August 20:08 Swindon to Westbury due 20:49

[bobm]

Two more added

12:20 ex Westbury and 13:29 ex Swindon.

[Robin Summerhill]

Journey Check tonight at 20.45. Can one presume this will continue all week?

Tue, 20 August 15:00 Frome to Warminster due 15:21
Tue, 20 August 16:21 Westbury to Swindon due 17:03
Tue, 20 August 17:36 Swindon to Westbury due 18:18
Tue, 20 August 18:32 Westbury to Swindon due 19:21
Tue, 20 August 19:49 Bristol Temple Meads to Frome due 20:49
Tue, 20 August 20:08 Swindon to Westbury due 20:49

I was only idly musing this morning - would questions be asked in Parliament if GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) pulled the same stunt day after day on the Slough or Henley branches?

[grahame]

Journey Check tonight at 20.45. Can one presume this will continue all week?

I was only idly musing this morning - would questions be asked in Parliament if GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) pulled the same stunt day after day on the Slough or Henley branches?

No, make no presumption about it being all week.  The issue has been noticed.

No, questions would not be being asked in parliament - it's not sitting at present, and even the Marlow branch isn't worth a recall of all the MPs^▸ (Member of Parliament)

[TaplowGreen]

Journey Check tonight at 20.45. Can one presume this will continue all week?

I was only idly musing this morning - would questions be asked in Parliament if GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) pulled the same stunt day after day on the Slough or Henley branches?

No, make no presumption about it being all week.  The issue has been noticed.

No, questions would not be being asked in parliament - it's not sitting at present, and even the Marlow branch isn't worth a recall of all the MPs^▸ (Member of Parliament)

Maidenhead-Marlow & Twyford- Henley services being cancelled en masse this afternoon/evening-same reasons- so were it not for the recess you may get the chance to find out.

It really is a shower of the proverbial all round.

[phile]

Journey Check tonight at 20.45. Can one presume this will continue all week?

Tue, 20 August 15:00 Frome to Warminster due 15:21
Tue, 20 August 16:21 Westbury to Swindon due 17:03
Tue, 20 August 17:36 Swindon to Westbury due 18:18
Tue, 20 August 18:32 Westbury to Swindon due 19:21
Tue, 20 August 19:49 Bristol Temple Meads to Frome due 20:49
Tue, 20 August 20:08 Swindon to Westbury due 20:49

GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) have tweeted in response to a punter that this situation is likely to last all week

[IndustryInsider]

Maidenhead-Marlow & Twyford- Henley services being cancelled en masse this afternoon/evening-same reasons- so were it not for the recess you may get the chance to find out.

All now reinstated.  A driver has obviously been found.  I think those lot originally listed are all on the same shift.

[bradshaw]

Here is the link to that Twitter feed

https://twitter.com/gwrhelp/status/1163753152094584833?s=21

[grahame]

For the record, the tweet says

I am afraid this issue may continue for the remainder of the week. Please keep an eye online before travelling. I am truly sorry for this  - Jake
11:02 AM · Aug 20, 2019

Always wise to check, and of course there is no magic driver tree at Westbury ... but the issue may, or may not, continue.

[TaplowGreen]

……..tomorrow's cancellations already starting to be listed;

Wed, 21 August 16:21 Westbury to Swindon due 17:03

Wed, 21 August 17:36 Swindon to Westbury due 18:18

[grahame]

Quoting in full the current cancellations right across the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) area.  It seems we have a very localised shortage ...

Train Cancellations

10:49 Reading to London Paddington due 11:46
16:21 Westbury to Swindon due 17:03
17:36 Swindon to Westbury due 18:18
21:22 Southampton Central to Westbury due 22:30

21:22 Southampton Central to Westbury due 22:30 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.
Additional Information
Customers should use the next service, the 22:23 from Southampton Central to Westbury which calls at Romsey (22:34), Salisbury (23:00), Warminster (23:20), Dilton Marsh (23:24) and Westbury (23:29).

And the 18:48 from Swindon via Westbury is cut short there ... not a TransWilts cancellation.

17:41 Cheltenham Spa to Southampton Central due 20:44
17:41 Cheltenham Spa to Southampton Central due 20:44 will be terminated at Westbury.
It will no longer call at Dilton Marsh, Warminster, Salisbury, Romsey and Southampton Central.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.
Additional Information
Customers should use the next service, the 20:09 from Westbury to Portsmouth Harbour which calls at Warminster (20:17), Salisbury (20:39), Romsey (20:57) and Southampton Central (21:09).

[RA]

The 18:32 Westbury to Swindon and 20:08 Swindon to Westbury services have been added to the list.

[grahame]

The 18:32 Westbury to Swindon and 20:08 Swindon to Westbury services have been added to the list.

Oh dear ... thanks for the alert.

[CMRail]

Unfortunately it comes down to the fact that Westbury-Swindon services are easiest to cancel. I believe most are crewed in a round trip which makes things a whole lot easier to get rid of. When it comes to HSS^▸ (High Speed Services) cancellations it comes down to Cheltenham because it is mainly crewed by Reading and Paddington who do a round trip on it, where as Bristol crews tend to take it back to Stoke Gifford at Cheltenham.

Duty Cards and Schedules do amaze me!