A measure of sentiment - when do you expect near-full services to be running?

[whole diary]

[grahame]

Not necessarily all 800s and 802s - but when do you expect a near-full service to be back?   The poll is a test of sentiment ... snapshot just running for 24 hours.  If your thought is somewhere between two of the options, please choose the nearest / most likely offered.

[grahame]

Hmmm ... great minds thing alike.    We seem to have two similar polls.

See also http://www.passenger.chat/24988 which is asking about IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train) returning to near normal service rather that services in general with no specification of the stock in use

[Bmblbzzz]

Whereas Broadgage's poll refers specifically to IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train), it's not clear to me whether yours is referring to "full services" as in "before the IETs were taken out of service" or "before the pandemic". Or indeed, and perhaps most likely, something else.

[grahame]

Whereas Broadgage's poll refers specifically to IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train), it's not clear to me whether yours is referring to "full services" as in "before the IETs were taken out of service" or "before the pandemic". Or indeed, and perhaps most likely, something else.

I asked the question from a passenger viewpoint - thinking about what the service should be back to - what was planned for the summer.    Very quick poll - just running it for 24 hours and having train services the majority of the time when you want them - IET, HST^▸ (High Speed Train), 387 to Cardiff, Voyager, Tangmere, Vegex. Intended to be strong on sentiment rather than specific on how it's done!

[Bmblbzzz]

On that basis I've voted October 2021 but actually expect it to be September, as that's when the Bristol East Junction work should be over (I think), giving a "full enough for me" service, as I'm not planning any long-distance trips yet so less bothered about the 800s, personally. Probably...

[ChrisB]

If the new timetable is not withheld on Sunday 16th, they need 70 out of the 93 IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train) in service

[grahame]

Quick Poll closed (broadgage's related one at http://www.passenger.chat/24988 looking specifically at IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train) remains open until next month)

When do you expect GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) long distance services will be back to near (90%) normal?  (Voting closed: Today at 08:15:06 am)

Next Week   - 0 (0%)
Next Month   - 5 (16.1%)
for August 2021   - 5 (16.1%)
for October 2021   - 6 (19.4%)
for the December timetable change   - 5 (16.1%)
Not until sometime in 2022   - 10 (32.3%)
Not until 2023 or later   - 0 (0%)

Sentiment, then, seems cautious and almost everyone expect an interesting summer from a passenger viewpoint.

We are presently in the very early days of a crisis (if I may call it that) and it's far from clear where and what form will resolve it.   Even as I write this review, I note suggestions that the least bad units could be back in service soon, and conversely that a unit fix rate of 3 to 4 days per unit will push it out through 2022.   I did not offer you a "too early to know" option when you voted ... thank you everyone for sticking your necks out (though it is a secret vote!) and taking a stab at answering.

One thing for sure - the rail industry is going to need to do things out of the ordinary (it is doing already; let's hope it does enough), and going to need friends / advocates to help promote it (and let's hope they don't do things that are counterproductive).