More spin - but no "more seats".....

[whole diary]

[Clan Line]

Just where are all these 5 car trains, with all the extra seats, that we have been promised since time immemorial ?   I have been a regular passenger/visitor at Warminster station over the last few weeks, I have not seen a single 5 car train. They seem to be as rare as rocking horse manure - even on CISS.

To make it even worse there is now totally confusing information both on platform CISS and painted on the platforms. We have "zones" which are meaningless with 3 car (or less) trains. Passengers are told that 3 car trains will stop in Zones 2 to 4 - no one seems to have told the drivers - they, quite correctly, still stop at the "3 car stop" sign...........the train then doesn't line up with the "zones" !!  CISS also informs us where to stand for 1st Class .....

To round it off there is yet even more verbal diarrhoea issuing from the station loudspeakers telling passengers where to stand, to add to all the other junk therefrom.

....and, of course, the 3 car trains are still packed solid !

As my daughter was waiting for the train this morning, she commented that her small "wheely" suitcase was in its 20th year. She bought it to travel to/from University in Southampton - her prime requirement when she bought it was not how much it held, but how comfortable it was to sit on, as she could never get a seat on the trains !!! Nothing has improved over the past 20 years.

[IndustryInsider]

Sets 119/219 were working one diagram today, and 129/211 on the other - I think there's only two of the daily diagrams that are booked to be 5-car at the moment still as per the thread here - http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=20063.0 

It is planned that all Portsmouth<>Cardiff services will be 5-car from the December timetable change, though how quickly the ramp up from two diagrams will be until then I don't know.  I suspect it will depend on getting IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train)'s on the Paddington to Bedwyn's and 769s on the North Downs and Marlow's and Henley's to release the Turbos.  Neither of which I would like to be precise about at the moment!

[rogerw]

1530 from Cardiff Central is only 5 carriages as far as Westbury.  The rear twocome off there and form the 1711 to Warminster

[Clan Line]

It is planned that all Portsmouth<>Cardiff services will be 5-car from the December timetable change,

Glad you put "planned" in italics - we seem to have heard that a few times in the past  I have checked CIS^▸ (Customer Information System) several times over the last few weeks and there did appear to be only one 5 car train operating on many of the days that I looked - which did seem to confirm my visual (admittedly random) observations.

I note that the first post in the thread that you refer to is some 8 months old...is it unreasonable to expect something else to have happened since then ? Just one more 5 car train perhaps ? Where are all the 166s ?
I have a horrible feeling that come December we will be told "5 car trains at the May 2020 timetable change".

1530 from Cardiff Central is only 5 carriages as far as Westbury.  The rear two come off there and form the 1711 to Warminster

.....which then forms the 1728 to Gt Malvern - first stop Westbury ! Less than half an hour after the last service to Westbury. I cannot get my mind round this sort of bizarre scheduling.

[Timmer]

The 1728 stops at Dilton Marsh before Westbury.

[Clan Line]

touché !   

[phile]

It is planned that all Portsmouth<>Cardiff services will be 5-car from the December timetable change,

Glad you put "planned" in italics - we seem to have heard that a few times in the past  I have checked CIS^▸ (Customer Information System) several times over the last few weeks and there did appear to be only one 5 car train operating on many of the days that I looked - which did seem to confirm my visual (admittedly random) observations.

I note that the first post in the thread that you refer to is some 8 months old...is it unreasonable to expect something else to have happened since then ? Just one more 5 car train perhaps ? Where are all the 166s ?
I have a horrible feeling that come December we will be told "5 car trains at the May 2020 timetable change".

1530 from Cardiff Central is only 5 carriages as far as Westbury.  The rear two come off there and form the 1711 to Warminster

.....which then forms the 1728 to Gt Malvern - first stop Westbury ! Less than half an hour after the last service to Westbury. I cannot get my mind round this sort of bizarre scheduling.

Some 166s are delayed from LTV^▸ (London [and] Thames Valley) due to door sighting mirror problems on IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train) on the Bedwyn services necessary for DOO^▸ (Driver-Only Operation (that is, trains which operate without carrying a guard)) operation.so 3 166s have had to be retained for now.    Also the conversion of HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) to operate in 2+4 formation on Cardiff to Taunton and beyond delayed to release further 166s for the Portsmouth route

[Clan Line]

Guess what I saw today ?

[MVR S&T]

A 153 on a peak Portsmouth to Cardiff, or a 80x on one.

[Western Pathfinder]

Guess what I saw today ?

Quick,Nurse the Screens !!..

[Timmer]

A rather frustrated colleague just walked up to my desk late for work scowling 'GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway)!!!!!!!!' I suspect a fair few people commuting from Wiltshire to Bath and Bristol did so too when arriving at work this morning.

A two carriage train showed up at Trowbridge instead of the usual three. Needless to say the service was absolutely rammed. At Bradford the Train Manager tried to encourage those who could wait to get off and wait for the Portsmouth-Cardiff train that was 15 minutes behind. Arrived at Bath only to be told the train (understandably) won't be stopping at Oldfield Park and Keynsham because it was so full. Needing Oldfield Park, he had to get off and wait for the Cardiff train which was running late due to picking up passengers left behind from the previous two carriage service.

Looking at Journeycheck every so often shows the arrival of some of the Turbo fleet has yet to improve things for those who use West local services, in fact it looks like it's getting worse. Why? Because GWR have had to give up their 150/1s and 153s as the Turbos have arrived. I suspect there is a maintenance backlog that is causing services to be shortformed.

[phile]

A rather frustrated colleague just walked up to my desk late for work scowling 'GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway)!!!!!!!!' I suspect a fair few people commuting from Wiltshire to Bath and Bristol did so too when arriving at work this morning.

A two carriage train showed up at Trowbridge instead of the usual three. Needless to say the service was absolutely rammed. At Bradford the Train Manager tried to encourage those who could wait to get off and wait for the Portsmouth-Cardiff train that was 15 minutes behind. Arrived at Bath only to be told the train (understandably) won't be stopping at Oldfield Park and Keynsham because it was so full. Needing Oldfield Park, he had to get off and wait for the Cardiff train which was running late due to picking up passengers left behind from the previous two carriage service.

Looking at Journeycheck every so often shows the arrival of some of the Turbo fleet has yet to improve things for those who use West local services, in fact it looks like it's getting worse. Why? Because GWR have had to give up their 150/1s and 153s as the Turbos have arrived. I suspect there is a maintenance backlog that is causing services to be shortformed.

GWR had to give up 150/1s and 153s as the lease had run out.    The problem is the late arrival of Turbos from LTV^▸ (London [and] Thames Valley) due to the Bedwyn IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train) problem and no 769s arrived for the North Downs.   

[Celestial]

If that's the problem then why not put into service a couple more short HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) than make passengers suffer? We have had years of promises that things are going to get better, and patience is running thin.

[Clan Line]

My daughter went for the 1109 Warminster to Salisbury on Monday - that eventually turned up 15 mins late. For some strange reason (lack of platforms at Soton ?)  they held the 1111 Westbury to Soton until the late running Portsmouth train had gone through. It looked as though a lot of passengers who would have got the Southampton train got the earlier (delayed) Portsmouth one - that was OK, as it it was a 5 car Turbo..............well it would have been OK - if the 165 on the rear hadn't been locked and empty !

At least SWR^» (South Western Railway - about) did the decent thing and held the 1147 Waterloo train at Salisbury until the Portsmouth train had finally arrived.

[Timmer]

If that's the problem then why not put into service a couple more short HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) than make passengers suffer? We have had years of promises that things are going to get better, and patience is running thin.

One word...Money. Don't disagree with you though.

The West local services are the problem child for First as it doesn't make much if any money but they have to operate the local services since its part of the overall franchise.