December Timetables

[whole diary]

[CyclingSid]

If I am reading it correctly, the Saturday Reading to Basingstoke service is still one an hour. Unfortunately the "wrong" half and a 50 minute wait at Basingstoke for the service(s) I use does not add to the attractions of a trip. So no improvement there.

The reversion to three tph Slough to Windsor will be an encouragement for cycling to and round Windsor area.

[DaveHarries]

Another one I have just come across this evening.

2C93 (2100 Cardiff Central - Exeter St. Davids, due 2329), which leaves Bristol Temple Meads at 2153, is split into two separate workings starting 13th December which will be:

2C93 (2100 Cardiff Central - Bristol Temple Meads, due 2150)
2C99 (2200 Bristol Temple Meads  - Exeter St. Davids, due 2350)

Interesting that 2C99 is scheduled to take 21 minutes longer for the Bristol Temple Meads to Exeter St. Davids trip when you consider that it will leave Bristol Temple Meads only 7 minutes later than 2C93 does at present. From what I can tell there will be an ECS^▸ (Empty Coaching Stock) from Warminster which is scheduled to arrive in Platform 8 at Bristol Temple Meads at 2051 and then form 2C99.

Dave

[BBM]

It looks like the peak hour semi fasts from PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains) to MAI^▸ (Maidenhead station) are being transferred from GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) to TfL^» (Transport for London - about). An example is 1N44 from PAD at 1727 which will become 9N51 with additional stops at EAL^▸ (Ealing Broadway Station) and WDT:

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:G91995/2021-12-13/detailed

[didcotdean]

Also

1826 London Paddington to Reading

1856 London Paddington to Reading

Couple in the morning from Reading too at 07:30 and 08:00

[IndustryInsider]

Makes sense.  Will these develop into trains through the Crossrail tunnels when yhe eventually open?  Or is it a temporary move as TfL^» (Transport for London - about) have loads of spare trains and crew?

[stuving]

Makes sense.  Will these develop into trains through the Crossrail tunnels when yhe eventually open?  Or is it a temporary move as TfL^» (Transport for London - about) have loads of spare trains and crew?

The plans for the final service we were looking at in 2018 (when they were meant to have happened long before now, of course) did include two of these so-called "semi-fast" trains per hour in the peaks.  So there is no reason to think they will vanish.

I've never though they were more than quarter-fast - 50 minutes PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains)<>RDG^‡(resolve), and always on the Relief Lines. But one thing the new trains do is give a slightly quicker option for off-peak ticket holders out of London in the evenings.

What never was clear is whether the number of GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway)'s proper semi-fasts would be reduced. I don't think we know that even now.

[DaveHarries]

GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) timetables effective 12th December 2021 are now available for download.
https://www.gwr.com/travel-information/train-times

Dave

[IndustryInsider]

Confirmation that many of the services are returning from December.  One question…where are the trains and crew for them?

[DaveHarries]

Another change to add to the list. An extra service is introduced from Bristol Temple Meads to Swindon - dep. 2330, arr. 0024 - on Saturday evenings. Looks likely to be run using an IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train) with the Chippenham call being to set down only.

Dave

[Timmer]

The winter edition of the National Rail Timetable is now available with a new look:
https://www.networkrail.co.uk/running-the-railway/the-timetable/electronic-national-rail-timetable/

[Gordon the Blue Engine]

For the Thames Valley local services the new NRT^▸ (Network Rail Telecoms) separate Tables 122 and 123 are a great improvement on the old Table 116, and Table 123 seems to cover all of GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway)’s T8 and T10, which duplicate each other to a large extent could perhaps be combined next time.

The new NRT typeface and layout is also much better and easier to read.

[Ralph Ayres]

Those new table numbers will take some getting used to, having been familiar with many of the old ones for 40+ years.  The individual timetable pdf files are quite usefully named though.

[IndustryInsider]

Yes, overall an improvement - better clarity (and if you believe Barry Doe) more accurate.

I still wonder where all the trains and crew are going to come from with GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) (and quite a few other operators, XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) being one of the obvious exceptions) largely reinstating all of their services that were running pre-COVID.  Especially in the run up to Christmas, when staff availability is always tested and we still have a very prevalent virus on our hands.

Don't be surprised if there's lots of cancellations.

[grahame]

The winter edition of the National Rail Timetable is now available with a new look:
https://www.networkrail.co.uk/running-the-railway/the-timetable/electronic-national-rail-timetable/

I don't know whether to laugh or cry at the various updates.   Lovely to see changes and improvements ... which means I have a degree of w-o-r-k to build it and the links into the various data feeds from this site.   I also have the rail stats to build it - now back home, and recovered from the Spanish Flu Portugese Cold I brought back with me ... catching up on meetings and events put back until I was home and so perhaps next week or two.   Will also relocate Okehampton from somewhere off the Sillies to Devon on the train running map, as I'm sure there will be the very occasional late changes there!

[bradshaw]

Is there any significance to the West Of England service being in Western rather than Wessex?