Triple blow for Holiday Rail Services

[whole diary]

[Timmer]

The Bristol Evening Post reports that there are no plans to run a loco service to Weymouth this summer, the Bristol-Minehead service won't be running and concerns for people wishing to take the bikes on Cross Country services to the South West:

http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=145365&command=displayContent&sourceNode=145191&contentPK=20396752&folderPk=83726&pNodeId=144922

[devon_metro]

What is there source regarding no Weymouths. None running is not what I have heard!

[Jim]

What is there source regarding no Weymouths. None running is not what I have heard!

There is nothing in the timetable for them! Infact, this year the second down Weymouth is later than usual, leaving arrivals at 10.54 and 12.08. Anyone for a 2car 150 on the 10.54!

[Timmer]

FGW^▸ (First Great Western) have had plenty of time since last summer to getting something sorted regards loco-coaches for the coming summer season. I don't see it happening myself 

[vacman]

It has gone all quite on the loco front in FGW^▸ (First Great Western) towers lately, was pretty sure it was a done deal though???

[BRADNOCK]

I do not know if FGW^▸ (First Great Western) are in the business of making money or if they consider that its just not worth the hassle of arranging Bristol Weymouth specials or (anywhere else for that mater) at a sensible arrival and departure times for the summer period it just does not make sense to me. It would encourage people to use the trains for a day out if they were advertised properly and comprised of suitable stock and heaven forbid actually given a reduced fare. Weymouth in the summer period is a night mare by car. So the removal of that agro would be an advantage. and an added bonus. 

[grahame]

I do not know if FGW^▸ (First Great Western) are in the business of making money or if they consider that its just not worth the hassle of arranging Bristol Weymouth specials or (anywhere else for that mater) ....

My understanding is that under the current financial regime it would cost FGW more to hire in an extra train for the day; the only trains available - loco and coaches - cost about 6 grand a day, so they would need to sell 300 extra tickets at 20 pounds a head just to break even.  But an Adult cheap day return from Bath to Weymouth is just 13.90 (Saturday 21st June as an example), and with a "groupsave" 4 adults together would pay just 27.80, plus (I think) a pound for each child; 31.80 for 8 people in a group of 4 adults and 4 children.  At those rates, you would have a severly overcrowded train before your broke even.

There could be very interesting omens here for then the Olympic yachting comes to Weymouth. My understanding froma  talk I heard by the Olympic Transport organisers a coupld of weeks ago is that they want the train companies to keep old trains in service (perhaps mothballed for a couple of years and brought back for a week or two) so that they have two generations of stock available over the few weeks of the games.   Same thing with staff - retain retiring crew for a year or two so that they have extra capabiity at the critical period.   I find it hard to square these aspiraions with the economics of what's happening in summers at the moment.

[Graz]

Any idea why on earth they cost so much, and how could Wessex afford those prices when they used to run their loco Weymouth trains?

[Shazz]

Any idea why on earth they cost so much, and how could Wessex afford those prices when they used to run their loco Weymouth trains?

iirc wessex owned there coaches outright

[CliveD]

As far as I am aware, the Class 31 locos and coaches used by Wessex on the Brighton / Weymouth services were hired on a rolling contract from the now defunct Fragonset / FM Rail spot hire company. I also believe ^ but stand to be corrected if anyone knows different ^ that the SRA^» (Strategic Rail Authority - about) at the time provided the funding to Wessex to run them. On the demise of FM Rail, Victa WestLink Rail took over some of the stock which were used on last years  Butlin^s trains, but they also seem to have bit the dust.

I had my suspicions when I noted the 1510 Weymouth was retimed to depart at 1610 on Saturdays until Sept 6 that the possibility of a loco-hauled additional was now unlikely. If there is a climb down and one does run, I can only see it running between Westbury and Weymouth which probably makes it not cost justifiable.

[swlines]

From 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):

The press have jumped the gun on this - nothing has been finalised.  There is a clear need to run a 5-coach 'bucket and spade' service from Weymouth on High Summer Saturdays; the question is whether we can provide this reliably without hiring in (very expensive) external resource.

[devon_metro]

Might be an idea to borrow 2x158s from First Scot Rail for the summer season, which I would presume is less busy in damp Scotland 

[swlines]

That's hiring expensive resources!

Although they are a sister company, each individual TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company) is forced to make money for itself - there is no primary pool of money for all TOCs. Hence I would suggest that leasing units off another operator is unlikely. Although they may be able to sublease a 159 off SWT^▸ (South West Trains) as per their current "Saturday lease a unit" agreement.

[BRADNOCK]

I know it a daft question and i will most likely be shot down but perhaps there may be an 180 still knocking around  Fgw somewhere. or perhaps there is some reason they cannot use on this line

[swlines]

I don't think they are cleared down through Maiden Newton but I will check in my SA later, plus they have limited speeds when travelling on third rail routes.