2021 - TransWilts cancellation and amendment log

[whole diary]

[grahame]

A new year, but an old story

Cancellations to services between Swindon and Westbury

Due to a shortage of train crew between Swindon and Westbury the line towards Melksham is disrupted.

Train services running through these stations have been cancelled. Disruption is expected until 23:59 03/01
.
Customer Advice
Replacement road transport is in place between Chippenham, Melksham, Trowbridge and Westbury in both directions.

Replacement road transport services are conveying passengers between Chippenham and Westbury via Melksham in both directions until further notice.

Further Information

An update will follow within the next 2 hours.

Customers are requested to check station signs and wait for replacement road transport at the designated stop.

Customers are advised that the replacement road transport may run later than the advertised train times owing to the additional time taken by road between stations and the time required for loading and unloading at each stop.

If you hold a valid single, return, or weekly ticket, you will be able to claim compensation for delays of 15 minutes or more. Please keep your ticket and visit GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway).com/DelayRepay

Last Updated:01/01/2021 01:50

07:37 Westbury to Swindon due 08:20
08:45 Swindon to Westbury due 09:26
09:45 Westbury to Swindon due 10:34
12:16 Westbury to Swindon due 13:01
14:16 Westbury to Swindon due 15:01
16:25 Westbury to Swindon due 17:08
18:39 Westbury to Swindon due 19:21

I am suspecting that return trips from Swindon to Westbury will also be cancelled in due course

07:37 Westbury to Swindon due 08:20
07:37 Westbury to Swindon due 08:20 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.
Additional Information
Replacement road transport is in place to operate between Westbury and Chippenham calling at Trowbridge and Melksham.

Customers travelling between Westbury/Trowbridge and Chippenham/Swindon, may travel via Bath Spa. Tickets routed 'Via Melksham' will be honoured via Bath Spa today.
Further Information

If you hold a valid single, return, or weekly ticket, you will be able to claim compensation for delays of 15 minutes or more. Please keep your ticket and visit GWR.com/DelayRepay
Last Updated:01/01/2021 02:17

[grahame]

I am suspecting that return trips from Swindon to Westbury will also be cancelled in due course

Yep - just added (or is that subtracted?)

11:06 Swindon to Westbury due 11:47
13:15 Swindon to Westbury due 13:56
15:14 Swindon to Westbury due 15:55
17:36 Swindon to Westbury due 18:17
20:45 Swindon to Westbury due 21:26

[grahame]

Much better [than previous days] in that bus times are on the online journey tracker





Though with the odd unrealistic timing (or a new-fangled warp speed bus!)



From Trowbridge, instruction says that "Customers travelling between Westbury/Trowbridge and Chippenham/Swindon, may travel via Bath Spa. Tickets routed 'Via Melksham' will be honoured via Bath Spa today." but GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway)'s system still sells you the higher price ticket unless you take the bus ...



MUCH better overall.   

"Three cheers" will be my report when it's the train it's supposed to be ... but at least the times of the buses are now published and (I would hope in a couple of hours) will appear on the online tracker - and that makes the service findable and useable ... we're now better - from a passenger viewpoint - than no cheers - shall we say 1.5. That will rise to 2 cheers if the "you may use the "via Melksham" fare gets amended to an offer to actually sell that fare for journeys at similar times to the cancelled trains.

Noting too "Disruption is expected until 23:59 03/01" so - hopefully - that means that we'll be back to trains on Monday ...

[grahame]

Good to see buses appearing alongside replaced trains on the trackers including http://melksh.am/trains . It also appears that the bus leg from Trowbridge to Westbury has had some time added and is now practical.   Probably as good as we'll get today - THANK YOU GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) for putting replacement measures in place; not how we wanted to start 2021, but it is usable.

Computer view:


Phone view:

[grahame]

Good to see trains running today ... map overlay showing which stations have ticket machines for a change!

from http://www.mrug.org.uk/newcomer.html :


from http://new.passenger.chat/map/_CAADAACCAA.jpg :

[grahame]

05:17 Westbury to Swindon due 05:59
05:17 Westbury to Swindon due 05:59 has been cancelled.
This is due to a fault on this train.

06:11 Swindon to Southampton Central due 08:08
06:11 Swindon to Southampton Central due 08:08 will be started from Westbury.
It will no longer call at Swindon, Chippenham, Melksham and Trowbridge.
This is due to a fault on this train.

[bobm]

Not strictly true - but the end result the same.   A unit failed in the sidings at Westbury blocking in the unit for the 05:17.  This was resolved in time for the return working to start at Westbury for Southampton.   

The failed unit has been sent for repairs and a Portsmouth service was split to provide a unit for the 07:05 Westbury to Cheltenham Spa via Melksham and Swindon.

[RA]

The 17:50 Gloucester to Southampton Central service (via Swindon) service will be starting at Westbury as the unit for the service at Gloucester has a fault.

[grahame]

Hmmm ... an amendment rather than a cancellation - and perhaps an un-amendment (reversal of a previous amendment we missed?)?

11:03 Weymouth to Swindon due 13:24
Facilities on the 11:03 Weymouth to Swindon due 13:24.
Toilet facilities are available as normal.

13:41 Swindon to Weymouth due 15:51
Facilities on the 13:41 Swindon to Weymouth due 15:51.
Toilet facilities are available as normal.

[bobm]

They were advertised as unavailable for about ten minutes.

[grahame]

11:03 Weymouth to Swindon due 13:24
Facilities on the 11:03 Weymouth to Swindon due 13:24.
Will be formed of 2 coaches instead of 3.

13:41 Swindon to Weymouth due 15:51
Facilities on the 13:41 Swindon to Weymouth due 15:51.
Will be formed of 2 coaches instead of 3.

Sadly, a none-issue at present passenger volumes. 

[grahame]

17:50 Gloucester to Southampton Central due 20:36
17:50 Gloucester to Southampton Central due 20:36 has been cancelled.
This is due to the train driver being taken ill.

[grahame]

22:04 Chippenham to Westbury due 22:30
Facilities on the 22:04 Chippenham to Westbury due 22:30.
Will be formed of 3 coaches instead of 2.

For the absence of doubt, we don't usually have a train on the TransWilts quite that late at night anyway, though we would LOVE one.

I suspect it's that late tonight to allow for a connection from Swindon as our services are cut back to Chippenham to leave capacity at Swindon during engineering works for other ("more important") services.  Don't get me wrong - no problem with the changes that have been publicised ahead of time.

Now ... from Real Time Trains I see at Melksham:

pass - Westbury Dmu Sidings - 3M44 - GW^» (Great Western - used as an abbreviation for the area / lines under the Great Western franchise, as opposed to FGW which includes "First", the company operating them too. For tickets - about) - Chippenham - 2153

In other words - an empty train headed up to form that 22:04 off Chippenham. It's usual for the 21:36 off Swindon which the 22:04 off Chippenham replaces tonight to be fed by an empty train.  Why on earth does it not take passengers (this and every) Saturday?   A final train in passenger service at about half past six from Westbury on normal Saturdays ruins any day out opportunities to the south - simply have to come back too early!

[bobm]

as our services are cut back to Chippenham to leave capacity at Swindon during engineering works for other ("more important") services. 

Not this time.  The main line closure this weekend is extended from the last two weeks to run from just west of Didcot to just east of Chippenham.   South Wales services are diverted via Bath and West of England via the Berks & Hants.

The only train services using Swindon are those to and from Cheltenham Spa.

There is a shuttle to Bristol Temple Meads from Chippenham.

[grahame]

19:32 Westbury to Chippenham due 19:57
20:00 Chippenham to Westbury due 20:26

Facilities on the 20:00 Chippenham to Westbury due 20:26.
Disabled toilet facilities are not available

No great issue for most of the very few passenger around at present.  Would love to have that 19:32 as a regular train at normal times as I suspect it would make a day out in Weymouth possible on a Saturday!