2021 - TransWilts cancellation and amendment log

[whole diary]

[bobm]

08:48 Westbury to Swindon due 09:30 has been delayed at Melksham and is now 16 minutes late.

This is due to a fault on this train.

09:40 Swindon to Weymouth due 11:55 will be starting late from Swindon.

This is due to a fault on this train.

[grahame]

16:25 Westbury to Swindon due 17:08
16:25 Westbury to Swindon due 17:08 will be diverted between Trowbridge and Chippenham.
It will no longer call at Melksham.
It is being delayed between Trowbridge and Chippenham and is now expected to be 10 minutes late.
This is due to a fault with the signalling system.

Additional Information
If you are travelling from Melksham 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]

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 fault with the signalling system.
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 21:37 service towards Portsmouth Harbour which calls at Trowbridge (21:56) and Westbury (22:04).

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.

[grahame]

17:50 Gloucester to Southampton Central due 20:36
17:50 Gloucester to Southampton Central due 20:36 will no longer call at Melksham.
This is due to a fault with the signalling system.

[Phil]

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.

I got caught up in all this returning from Westbury to Melksham at 16:24. The train got as far as Trowbridge, whereupon all the Melksham passengers were invited to leave the train as it was no longer going via that route (presumably passengers for Chippenham and Swindon would be asked to change at Bath). The train pulled out 6 minutes late, minus about 8 people. Spoke to the Help Point who (a) told us the station was staffed on Platform 1 and to ask someone there for help [it wasn't staffed - the entire place was locked up - and anyway we were all stood on Platform 1] then (b) suggested we got a train to Swindon and would be able to return to Melksham that way [not true, besides which it would have left passengers in an even worse predicament], (c ) suggested we waited for the next direct service [also got cancelled] then when pushed hard the gentleman informed us that [d] road transport would definitely be arriving in ten to 15 minutes time, sir. 30 minutes later there was no sign of it. I flagged down a passing taxi [there weren't any of those on the station forecourt either] and took the hit, but there's probably still people waiting for the promised road transport at Trowbridge even now....

[bobm]

I will take this up with GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway).

Just to note the 17:36 from Swindon did run via Melksham with a pilot man for the single line.

[grahame]

20:06 Westbury to Cheltenham Spa due 22:05
20:06 Westbury to Cheltenham Spa due 22:05 will no longer call at Melksham.
This is due to a fault with the signalling system.
Additional Information
If you are travelling from an unstaffed 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]

I got caught up in all this returning from Westbury to Melksham at 16:24. The train got as far as Trowbridge, whereupon all the Melksham passengers were invited to leave the train as it was no longer going via that route (presumably passengers for Chippenham and Swindon would be asked to change at Bath). The train pulled out 6 minutes late, minus about 8 people. .... ((Following sad story of "support" snipped))

Into the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) system ... I have an acknowledgement and it's being taken up further to be looked at.  Premature, as I write, to comment on the quality and effectiveness for the future of that follow up.  Prompt acknowledgement appreciated - would be nice if something was done to consign this sort of story to history, rather than (as it has been) be part of a repeated pattern.

[TaplowGreen]

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.

I got caught up in all this returning from Westbury to Melksham at 16:24. The train got as far as Trowbridge, whereupon all the Melksham passengers were invited to leave the train as it was no longer going via that route (presumably passengers for Chippenham and Swindon would be asked to change at Bath). The train pulled out 6 minutes late, minus about 8 people. Spoke to the Help Point who (a) told us the station was staffed on Platform 1 and to ask someone there for help [it wasn't staffed - the entire place was locked up - and anyway we were all stood on Platform 1] then (b) suggested we got a train to Swindon and would be able to return to Melksham that way [not true, besides which it would have left passengers in an even worse predicament], (c ) suggested we waited for the next direct service [also got cancelled] then when pushed hard the gentleman informed us that [d] road transport would definitely be arriving in ten to 15 minutes time, sir. 30 minutes later there was no sign of it. I flagged down a passing taxi [there weren't any of those on the station forecourt either] and took the hit, but there's probably still people waiting for the promised road transport at Trowbridge even now....

I'd recommend putting in a claim to GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) for your taxi fare as there were so many points of failure on their part.

[grahame]

09:45 Westbury to Swindon due 10:34
09:45 Westbury to Swindon due 10:34 will be cancelled.
This is due to the train driver being taken ill.

11:05 Swindon to Westbury due 11:46
11:05 Swindon to Westbury due 11:46 will be cancelled.
This is due to the train driver being taken ill.

[grahame]

20:06 Westbury to Cheltenham Spa due 22:05
Facilities on the 20:06 Westbury to Cheltenham Spa due 22:05.
Will be formed of 2 coaches instead of 3.

No problem ... two's plenty at that time of the evening - at the moment 

[grahame]

17:50 Gloucester to Southampton Central due 20:36
17:50 Gloucester to Southampton Central due 20:36 will be cancelled.
This is due to a fault on this train.

[grahame]

18:39 Westbury to Swindon due 19:21
18:39 Westbury to Swindon due 19:21 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

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
Replacement road transport has been arranged to run in lieu of this train service between Chippenham and Westbury, calling at Melksham and Trowbridge. Please check station signs 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.

Customers at Swindon and Chippenham travelling to Trowbridge or Westbury should travel on the 20:57 Bristol Temple Meads service from Swindon (21:08 from Chippenham) and change at Bath Spa for the 21:37 service towards Portsmouth Harbour which calls at Trowbridge (21:56) and Westbury (22:04).

[grahame]

So far this month ...

1st - 5 cancelled (at Melksham)
2nd - 2 cancelled
3, 4, 5 - OK
6th - 1 cancelled
7th - 2 cancelled

10 out of 113 - Cancellation rate 9%.  You might find little negative customer feedback at present if 9% of the trains on a frequent flow (e.g. on the Picadilly line in the middle of London) were lost, but where the advice cannot be "catch the next one, which will be along in a few minutes", a cancellation rate of even 2% should be an embarrasment to the train operator, as should service failure most days in any week.

[TaplowGreen]

It's been alluded to on another thread in the context of the final, but one wonders if there may be a correlation between tonight's events at Wembley and a crew shortage tonight?

Transwilts isn't the only branch affected.

Clearly if it IS coming home, it isn't travelling by train.