2021 - TransWilts cancellation and amendment log

[whole diary]

[grahame]

06:54 Westbury to Southampton Central due 08:08
06:54 Westbury to Southampton Central due 08:08 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

That's usually the 06:11 from Swindon (06:36 at Melksham) - not scheduled to run from Swindon today because it's a Bank Holiday; similar lack of 05:17 from Westbury to Swindon (05:33 at Melksham).

The whole question of bank holidays, service changes on them, and indeed weekend changes is an interesting one. Our (Lisa and I) first day full day back from Holiday yesterday - Bank Holiday Sunday. Never the less, a great deal of activity and it gets increasingly hard to tell weekdays and weekends apart.

[grahame]

497 trains scheduled to call at Melksham in August 2021. 339 ran on time and 84 were slightly late - that's 423 "good" trains - an 85% performance measure. A further 38 ran significantly late, and the final 36 were cancelled - that's a 7.2% cancellation rate when the target is just 1%.

At least nine of the trains that ran were reported via online systems as being cancelled, but were later re-instated. As passengers are advised to "check before they travel", a train reported as "cancelled" but which then runs is as good as cancelled to the customer ... so that's really 45 cancelled - a cancellation rate of 9.1%

There ARE signs of the cancellation rate coming down later in August (another week or two of data needed to be sure that's a lasting change), and noting that there has been somewhat better alterative bus services than there have been in the past.  Long way to go on getting information out about the buses, and at times having them run even close to train times - I know of one that was an hour after the train was due, and with no real time data on the buses not really useful.  The real solution, of course, is to run the trains as they're supposed to run.

Some TransWilts service extensions (south of Westbury, north of Gloucester) also cancelled - short running services that did call at Melksham. In most cases, other trains were available within a reasonable time. No problem when cancelled outbound from Melksham. Inbound, connection misses are as bad as cancelling the train at Melksham - only such train noted was the 06:54 from Salisbury.

[grahame]

12:10 Westbury to Swindon due 13:02
13:15 Swindon to Westbury due 13:56

13:15 Swindon to Westbury due 13:56 will be cancelled.

This is due to a person hit by a train.
Additional Information
Customers at Swindon and Chippenham travelling to Trowbridge or Westbury should travel on the 13:57 Bath Spa from Swindon (14:09 from Chippenham) and change at Bath Spa for the 14:32 service towards Frome which calls at Trowbridge (14:53) and Westbury (15:01). Tickets routed via Melksham will be accepted via Bath Spa.

Customers travelling to Melksham should change at Chippenham and speak to station staff.

If you are travelling from Melksham station please use the Customer Help Point or contact National Rail Enquiries on 03457 484 950 detailing the total number of passengers in your party and your intended destination.

Person hit by train is NOT on the TransWilts ... we've been taken over by important trains again.  But in all seriousness, this availability is why our line survived in passenger use and we appreciate these things happen occasionally (dynamic loop or redoubling would be nice, mind you!)

Noting much better customer information that we have been used to - THANK YOU - even if a 13:56 arrival gets pushed back over an hour to 15:01 ...

18:39 Westbury to Swindon due 19:21
20:47 Swindon to Westbury due 21:28

20:47 Swindon to Westbury due 21:28 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.
Additional Information
Customers at Swindon and Chippenham travelling to Trowbridge or Westbury should travel on the 20:57 Bristol Temple Meads service from Swindon (21:09 from Chippenham) and change at Bath Spa for the 21:40 service towards Portsmouth Harbour which calls at Trowbridge (21:59) and Westbury (22:06). Tickets routed via Melksham will be accepted via Bath Spa.

Customers travelling to Melksham should change at Chippenham and speak to station staff.

Customers at Melksham will be provided road transport from the station car park.

Oh dear ... again, better customer follow up than in the past.  But really cancelling the last train of the day is less than fortunate

[grahame]

 

14:10 Westbury to Swindon due 15:02
 15:14 Swindon to Westbury due 15:55

15:14 Swindon to Westbury due 15:55 will be starting late from Swindon and is expected to be 5 minutes late.
This is due to congestion.

14:10 was 19 minutes late.   We need a second track 

[grahame]

18:39 Westbury to Swindon due 19:21
20:47 Swindon to Westbury due 21:28

20:47 Swindon to Westbury due 21:28 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

17:50 Gloucester to Southampton Central due 20:36
17:50 Gloucester to Southampton Central due 20:36 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.

[grahame]

18:35 Westbury to Swindon due 19:17
18:35 Westbury to Swindon due 19:17 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.
Additional Information
Customers at Westbury and Trowbridge travelling to Chippenham or Swindon may travel on the 18:59 Bristol Temple Meads service (19:04 from Trowbridge) and change at Bath Spa for the 20:14 service to London Paddington which calls at Chippenham (20:26) and Swindon (20:38). Tickets routed via Melksham will be accepted via Bath Spa.

Road transport has been requested to run between Westbury and Swindon, calling at Trowbridge, Melksham and Chippenham. Once confirmed details will be provided here.

19:29 Swindon to Westbury due 20:11
19:29 Swindon to Westbury due 20:11 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.
Additional Information
Customers at Swindon may travel on the 19:25 Weston-super-Mare service and change at Chippenham.

From Chippenham road transport has been requested to convey customers to Melksham, Trowbridge and Westbury. Once confirmed details will be provided here.

[bobm]

Quick as a flash they are both re-instated and two others briefly cancelled are also back!

[TaplowGreen]

Quick as a flash they are both re-instated and two others briefly cancelled are also back!

BBQ cancelled due to last minute sausage shortage?

[grahame]

18:35 Westbury to Swindon due 19:17
19:29 Swindon to Westbury due 20:11
20:20 Westbury to Swindon due 21:04
21:13 Swindon to Westbury due 21:53

21:13 Swindon to Westbury due 21:53 will be reinstated and will now run as scheduled.

Thank you!   Hope not too many people got put off their day trips while they were shown as cancelled!

[GBM]

To me, that is the essence of the problem.
Journeycheck shows x,y,z are cancelled.
Why should I then have to keep on checking back to see if it's reinstated or short running, etc.

Easier to say 'Sod it, I'll drive, or go another day'.

[bobm]

09:45 Westbury to Swindon due 10:34
09:45 Westbury to Swindon due 10:34 will be cancelled.

This is due to a fault on this train.
Additional Information

Customers at Westbury and Trowbridge travelling to Chippenham or Swindon should travel on the 10:11 Cardiff Central service (10:17 from Trowbridge) and change at Bath Spa for the 10:43 service to London Paddington which calls at Chippenham (10:56) and Swindon at 11:09.

Customers at Westbury and Trowbridge travelling to Melksham should contact station staff or use the Customer Help-Point.

If you are travelling from Melksham station please use the Customer Help Point or contact National Rail Enquiries on 03457 484 950 detailing the total number of passengers in your party and your intended destination.

11:05 Swindon to Westbury due 11:46
11:05 Swindon to Westbury due 11:46 will be cancelled.

This is due to a fault on this train.
Additional Information
Customers at Swindon and Chippenham travelling to Trowbridge or Westbury should travel on the 11:29 Bristol Temple Meads service from Swindon (11:41 from Chippenham) and change at Bath Spa for the 12:03 service towards Weymouth which calls at Trowbridge (12:25) and Westbury (12:31).

Customers travelling to Melksham should change at Chippenham and speak to station staff.

If you are travelling from Melksham station please use the Customer Help Point or contact National Rail Enquiries on 03457 484 950 detailing the total number of passengers in your party and your intended destination.

[grahame]

09:45 Westbury to Swindon due 10:34 will be cancelled.

11:05 Swindon to Westbury due 11:46 will be cancelled.

This is due to a fault on this train.

Jeeze - I was just on the phone chatting with an MTUG^» (Melksham Transport User Group - site) member about our decision NOT to have a stall at the River and Food festival at the weekend.   It was heartbreaking not to have a stand there; the MTUG decision was based on not wanting to marking what is a less than reliable service at present to newcomers who would be put off by significant disruption (and a single cancellation IS significant on such a sparse service).  Cancellations rather vindicate the decision - hate to "target" others, but could not the train for the 10:11 Westbury to Warminster have been commandeered, resuming its path at Warminster soon after 12 O'Clock?   Extra stops at DMH^» (Dilton Marsh - next trains) on 2 CDF^» (Cardiff - next trains)->PMH and 1 PMH->CDF train and no big gaps left.

The 10:02 at Melksham has been one of the busiest trains of the day of late, picking up lots of people at Trowbridge and around 20 at Melksham. It is an unfortunate cancellation to say the least.

[bobm]

17:50 Gloucester to Southampton Central due 20:36

17:50 Gloucester to Southampton Central due 20:36 has been reinstated.

It will be started from Westbury.

It will no longer call at Gloucester, Stonehouse, Stroud, Kemble, Swindon, Chippenham, Melksham and Trowbridge.

This is due to a fault occurring when detaching a part of this train.

[grahame]

From Melksham log at http://www.mtug.org.uk/record.html (because I missed the earlier one on Jouneycheck!)

06:36   Southampton Central   0655   engineering works not being finished on time
05:33   Swindon   0557   engineering works not being finished on time

and

06:11 Swindon to Southampton Central due 08:08
06:11 Swindon to Southampton Central due 08:08 will be starting late from Swindon.
This is due to engineering works not being finished on time.

[grahame]

16:25 Westbury to Swindon due 17:08
16:25 Westbury to Swindon due 17:08 has been delayed at Westbury and is now 5 minutes late.
This is due to a fault on this train.