2021 - TransWilts cancellation and amendment log

[whole diary]

[jamestheredengine]

Well, here's to £64.40 in Delay Repay. They've also cancelled the 0628 Swansea to Paddington for good measure. So even if the 0845 were running, I'd now miss it.

[brooklea]

Here we (don't) go .... AGAIN ....

07:37 Westbury to Swindon due 08:19

07:37 Westbury to Swindon due 08:19 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

However, unlike yesterday, the 06:35 Salisbury - Cheltenham Spa being terminated at Swindon today (train crew shortage), seems likely to be riding to the rescue of the 08:45 Swindon - Westbury (which is fortunate in a sense as the Worcester to Weymouth doesn’t have the luxury of two units today, as it did yesterday).

[grahame]

Well, here's to £64.40 in Delay Repay. They've also cancelled the 0628 Swansea to Paddington for good measure. So even if the 0845 were running, I'd now miss it.

See you later ;-) ... the story of the 08:45 told in another follow up.  Interesting how the one you doubted ran, and the one you did not doubt ended up cancelled, but you would probably chose another word

[Lee]

There you go, fixed that for you. Andrew Haines has grahame's phone number, and we will be expecting the call imminently.

I got to know - a little - Andrew when he was MD of Great Western Railway. That was long before he took on the wider role of Great British Railways. And I have a huge respect for him.  He has a mountain of issues to confront, which it would take me until Christmas to list, and I do not envy him that mountain.

In the UK^▸ (United Kingdom), we have a number of strong community, local, regional expertise and that community, outside of the conventional rail industry, Horseferry Road and political sphere could bring that expertise to help with perhaps radical progress if only it were allowed.  You jest, Lee, about Andrew Haines calling  and elsewhere I comment about asking Mark A to take on a role.  You yourself have more than a little to offer (and indeed you are doing so on the buses) and I could find some really excellent others - no shortage of candidates, many of whom are likely to be reading this (and I hope will know I am hinting at them!)

But ... it does require some brave decisions, and trust and a free reign to get on and do the darned job from those who have perhaps over-managed to the extent they have stifled improvement.  There are some really excellent people, but some work in really constraining systems.

Of course, we have been here before with putting forward just such a proposal shortly before the then similarly chronically reliability-challenged 5 trains each way per day TransWilts Rail service was slashed as a "quick win" back in December 2006 - see http://www.savethetrain.org.uk/open.html

Back then industry experts verified our figures as being credible, but were of the view that a locally run "Open Access" local rail service would not be possible in the then prevailing rail climate. However, our figures did end up being far closer to the actual ones recorded when a similar enhanced service was eventually introduced in December 2013 than those put forward by the official consultants.

Fast forward to December 2021, and now it's the figures that are up the swanee everywhere due to Covid, but Section 26 of the GBR^▸ (Great British Railways) White Paper says "It will be easier to design the geographic and financial size of contracts to reflect local markets and needs, and to reduce barriers to entry for new and innovative bidders where this is value for money." and "Integration could also enable multiple, smaller operators to co-exist efficiently in a way that has not previously been possible."

It's a funny old world.

[stuving]

Hope no one was travelling from Melksham to Severn Beach today.

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/search/detailed/gb-nr:SVB/2021-12-23/0000-2359?stp=WVS&show=all&order=wtt

An illustration of just what a mess there is at the moment - and how anything that involved a connection is double jeopardy at the moment.

I would suggest an emergency timetable - fewer trains, with additional trains run as staffing and "train repairs" allowed.  Something with a built in robustness which didn't fall over like a pack of cards at the first piece of disruption.   Of course, I haven't had THAT call suggested elsewhere yet  ... and everyone seems to be so busy fire-fighting that the niceties of keeping in touch with the users feels very limited at times.

Eight of those cancellations through the afternoon were down to a points failure somewhere past Avonmouth. No doubt that was the source of the misinformation about why Swansea trains diverted around the Severn Tunnel - the real cause being a points failure at Severn Tunnel Junction. Mind you, an incinerator train did get through, via Henbury. But even if that route was available for passengers, the through trans to Severn Beach probably needed cancelling anyway due to lack of staff.

[stuving]

I would suggest an emergency timetable - fewer trains, with additional trains run as staffing and "train repairs" allowed.  Something with a built in robustness which didn't fall over like a pack of cards at the first piece of disruption.   Of course, I haven't had THAT call suggested elsewhere yet  ... and everyone seems to be so busy fire-fighting that the niceties of keeping in touch with the users feels very limited at times.

Be careful what you wish for. SNCF^▸ (Societe Nationale des Chemins de fer Francais - French National Railways) have completely removed some TER services, notably five around Perpignan. When pressed, they said this was due not just to staff self-isolating but that the number of passengers had fallen too. Presumably they meant "below the level that made the service worth running at all". So far, buses are replacing them, though with passengers having less space per each. Of course that depends on the bus drivers being there ...

[Lee]

I would suggest an emergency timetable - fewer trains, with additional trains run as staffing and "train repairs" allowed.  Something with a built in robustness which didn't fall over like a pack of cards at the first piece of disruption.   Of course, I haven't had THAT call suggested elsewhere yet  ... and everyone seems to be so busy fire-fighting that the niceties of keeping in touch with the users feels very limited at times.

Be careful what you wish for. SNCF^▸ (Societe Nationale des Chemins de fer Francais - French National Railways) have completely removed some TER services, notably five around Perpignan. When pressed, they said this was due not just to staff self-isolating but that the number of passengers had fallen too. Presumably they meant "below the level that made the service worth running at all". So far, buses are replacing them, though with passengers having less space per each. Of course that depends on the bus drivers being there ...

I half agree and half disagree with stuving on this.

I must admit that when grahame posted that earlier, it sent a bit of a shiver down my spine. I would indeed be concerned that once you "temporarily" lose some TransWilts services from the timetable itself, there is a high risk that they will then be gone for good, with the remaining trains still considered low priority and thus still subject to cancellation as well. Certainly i have seen similar moves cause a spiral into terminal decline elsewhere.

On the other hand, it is important to note that what stuving describes is not typical everywhere in France. Here in Brittany we are unfortunately, as you would expect with the current Covid situation, having to cancel the odd local/regional service here and there due to staff shortages. However, we always quickly put on alternative transport and/or extra stops in other services, and it is a top priority to get the message out as quickly as possible through as many channels as possible, from station information right through to very swift Social Media posting.

However, we have no plans to remove any local/regional services from the timetable itself. For one thing, it would be counterproductive for the future given that passenger numbers have held up remarkably well on our patch.

[grahame]

18:34 Westbury to Swindon due 19:21
20:45 Swindon to Westbury due 21:26

20:45 Swindon to Westbury due 21:26 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

Never mind - there will be another one along on 27th December ... ah - that's all right - I can claim compensation:

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

[grahame]

Never mind - there will be another one along on 27th December ... ah - that's all right -I can claim compensation:

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

I wonder if someone has been reading the forum  ... 

Additional Information

Replacement road transport has been requested to run in lieu of this train service between Westbury and Swindon via stations. Please check the stations Onward Travel Information poster and wait for the replacement road transport at the designated stop. 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.

One cheer, but better than none - road transport (bus, minibus or taxi) on this basis remains much inferior to a train service in the view of most passenger.

[stuving]

Be careful what you wish for. SNCF^▸ (Societe Nationale des Chemins de fer Francais - French National Railways) have completely removed some TER services, notably five around Perpignan. When pressed, they said this was due not just to staff self-isolating but that the number of passengers had fallen too. Presumably they meant "below the level that made the service worth running at all". So far, buses are replacing them, though with passengers having less space per each. Of course that depends on the bus drivers being there ...

Of course replacing TER services by buses is something SNCF do routinely, on the grounds that "it's not worth running a train just for six people". It doesn't need disruption, and sometimes it's part of the normal timetable.

[jamestheredengine]

Well, here's to £64.40 in Delay Repay. They've also cancelled the 0628 Swansea to Paddington for good measure. So even if the 0845 were running, I'd now miss it.

See you later ;-) ... the story of the 08:45 told in another follow up.  Interesting how the one you doubted ran, and the one you did not doubt ended up cancelled, but you would probably chose another word

Yes, ironic that the most reliable of the South Wales trains was the one cancelled! But the staff at Swindon were brilliant. They issued me with a supplementary travel authority and sent me via Bath (in First Class). With how busy the train between Bath and Westbury was, I was glad to have succeeded in avoiding Bristol Temple Meads on the little trains in the present circumstances.

[brooklea]

17:50 Gloucester to Warminster due 19:44 has been cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

Posted 14 minutes after train should have departed from Gloucester.

[grahame]

07:37 Westbury to Swindon due 08:19
08:45 Swindon to Westbury due 09:26

Facilities on the 08:45 Swindon to Westbury due 09:26.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.
Will be formed of 5 coaches instead of 2.

[grahame]

Yes ... it really was 5 cars.  I was due to pop by the station just to check it was tidy and the 09:10 to Westbury was indeed a 2 car 158 leading a 3 car 158, operated single door at Melksham which was adequate for the handful off and handful on a windy, rainy Bank Holiday.



Station itself very much "switched off" - not a key day for new customers, but it needs to be a bit more open come the New Year.

[bobm]

No spare driver to split the two units and take 158958 to the sidings.   Split was done when the two came back from Swindon two hours later.