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

[whole diary]

[grahame]

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. ...

The 11:11's main traffic  is connecting passengers off the Penzance to Paddington train, and that was running late.  Don't shout too loud as it's not very fashionable, but I suspect the 11:11 was held back to maintain the connection ... passenger number making the change from the West Country onto this train can number around 50.

[grahame]

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. ...

The 11:11's main traffic  is connecting passengers off the Penzance to Paddington train, and that was running late.  Don't shout too loud as it's not very fashionable, but I suspect the 11:11 was held back to maintain the connection ... passenger number making the change from the West Country onto this train can number around 50.

Westbury departures on Monday were ...
11:15 (scheduled 11:05) to London Paddington (arrived a couple of minutes earlier from Penzance), platform 3
11:16 (scheduled 11:01) to Portsmouth Harbour, platform 1
11:19 (scheduled 11:11) to Southampton Central, platform 2

It would - probably - have been possible for fit arrivals from The West to dash under from platform 3 and get the Portsmouth train ... but there are often less mobile and more luggage-laden people making the change, and the cross platform (3 to 2) change for those off on their cruises makes sense, rather than sending out the 11:11 (with its 75 m.p.h. schedule and extra stop at Dilton Marsh) ahead of the 11:01, which might have been further delayed at Westbury as 50 people with luggage and grannies all used the lifts!

[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. ...

Don't shout too loud as it's not very fashionable,

I'm afraid I don't follow your comment about shouting - my entire post was entirely reasonable comment and in lower case. Someone else converted part of my post (above) into "bold" type.
I also stated that it "looked" as though additional passengers had joined this train - I stand by this statement - the train was extremely busy. I didn't have to opportunity to board the train and ask the passengers where they had actually started their journey.
This train was yet another example of the third rate service that has now become the norm on this route. The rolling stock was nominally 5 cars with "more seats" - but 40% of the train was locked to passengers and the remainder was overcrowded.

Perhaps a few people should "shout" about this ................

[Timmer]

I think Graham’s ‘Don’t Shout too loud’ was referring to the fact that a connection was held, something that’s not really the done thing in today’s multi company operated railway.

[grahame]

That came across wrong - sorry. Bad day.  I added the bold to show where I was offering an alternative explanation.   I felt it good that the 11:11 had been held, and my "don't shout it" was intended as a complement to whoever made the decision to hold the connection, even though it probably cost GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) more in terms of a lower "ppm" - having two trains late rather than one. "ppm" is, sadly, an operational figure based on trains delayed and not a customer figure based on passenger journeys delayed.

There is, I think, a need for a regular half hourly service right along the Cardiff - Portsmouth corridor, and the Westbury to Salisbury section is where that is missing.  The train scheduled at 11:01 from Westbury is the first one that carries on beyond Warminster for an hour so will get a very strong loading anyway ...

I think Graham’s ‘Don’t Shout too loud’ was referring to the fact that a connection was held, something that’s not really the done thing in today’s multi company operated railway.

Yes, as the gentleman suggested while I was writing.

[Timmer]

Indeed Graham, the weak link as it were on the Cardiff-Portsmouth line is between Westbury and Salisbury but there is some good news with SWR^» (South Western Railway - about) operating more services from the May TT change. Question is are they where they are needed time wise for this section of line?

[grahame]

Indeed Graham, the weak link as it were on the Cardiff-Portsmouth line is between Westbury and Salisbury but there is some good news with SWR^» (South Western Railway - about) operating more services from the May TT change. Question is are they where they are needed time wise for this section of line?

Small step in the right direction ... southbound from WARMINSTER, peaks and daytime, split hour by hour:

07:12 sou (Southampton Central)

08:12 pmh (Portsmouth Harbour)

09:10 pmh
09:48 wat (London Waterloo)

10:10 phm

11:09 pmh
11:20 sou
11:45 sal - NEW TRAIN (Salisbury)

12:09 pmh

13:09 pmh
13:39 btn (Brighton)
13:46 wat

14:09 pmh

15:09 pmh
15:50 sal - NEW TRAIN

16:12 phm
16:47 sal

17:11 pmh
17:54 sal

18:15 pmh

19:12 pmh
19:49 sou

20:17 pmh
20:23 wat (sal to 18.5)

So ...
6 hours out of 14 - just one train (was 7)
1 hour out of 14 - only other train close behind (was 2)
7 hours out of 14 - at least 2nd train in middle of hour (was 5)

Note that "sal" services are as shown on Real Time Trains - may be through carriages to Waterloo; some trains are in fact Waterloo to Waterloo via Yeovil Junction and Westbury!

Not shown above - but a big disappointment is that none of the SWR trains call at Dilton Marsh; a late change as around half of them were shown as calling in draft timetables.  If passenger numbers at a station are not good, it could be because of a poor catchment or because of a very poor service.  Dilton Marsh is has moved from the former (strictly from both) categories to the latter category and an excellent opportunity has not been taken.  But then I'm sure that though passenger would prefer to sit looking at the platform in Westbury or Salisbury on the layovers that these trains have there than lowering themselves to a stop at Dilton Marsh 

Edit to add 13:46 way which I had missed - Grahame

[Timmer]

Being somewhat pedantic here, there's also the 13.47 Bristol-Sal/Wat. Pedantic in the sense its just 8 minutes after the Brighton train.

[grahame]

Being somewhat pedantic here, there's also the 13.47 Bristol-Sal/Wat. Pedantic in the sense its just 8 minutes after the Brighton train.

I have edited that in - thanks for the correction. It rather serves to highlight the sporadic nature of extra trains above the hourly pattern ...  hours like 12:00 to 13:00 with just the one train followed by hours like 13:00 to 14:00 with three.  And let's not overlook the hours that trains are generally at their busiest - such as from 07:00, from 08:00 and from 18:00 where there is just one train.     

Passengers / members not familiar with the area may line to note that in each and every hour, a train from the Southampton area to Salisbury sits in the station at Salisbury (20 minutes run south of Warminster) for 40 minutes, and that there is a complex pattern of layovers and turn arounds at Westbury, just 10 minutes to the north of Warminster.  Some of those services - not listed above - even make the trip out to Warminster and back. It should not be beyond the wit of the train companies (GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) and SWR^» (South Western Railway - about)) to provide a 30 minute service using existing resources and growing traffic.

[WSW Frome]

To be further pedantic there is also a new SWR^» (South Western Railway - about) service in the early morning YVP to WAT, via WSB^» (Westbury - next trains) - depart WMN^» (Warminster - next trains) 0750.

[grahame]

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. ...

The 11:11's main traffic  is connecting passengers off the Penzance to Paddington train, and that was running late.  Don't shout too loud as it's not very fashionable, but I suspect the 11:11 was held back to maintain the connection ... passenger number making the change from the West Country onto this train can number around 50.

"Heart" taken out of it today. 

A train on which the majority of customers are destined for Southampton ...

11:11 Westbury to Southampton Central due 12:17
11:11 Westbury to Southampton Central due 12:17 will be terminated at Romsey.
It will no longer call at Southampton Central.
It has been delayed at Westbury and is now 31 minutes late.
This is due to a fault on this train.

... is terminated one stop short of Southampton!