Successive cancellation leave 6 hour gap - crew shortages continue.

[whole diary]

[grahame]

12:34 London Paddington to Paignton due 15:47
14:34 London Paddington to Exeter St Davids due 17:02
16:57 Paignton to London Paddington due 20:06
17:32 Exeter St Davids to London Paddington due 20:39

17:32 Exeter St Davids to London Paddington due 20:39 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

So that's a gap from 11:37 to 17:36 Westbound ... As I write, no alternative offered except getting my money back!

Edit - to correct - one of the eastbound return trains lost is the (only?) remaining train via Bristol and Swindon -...

[Timmer]

Yes, sadly it’s usually the SW semifasts that get canned whenever there aren’t enough train crew to go round on the London to the Southwest line which does make sense rather than cancel the fasts, provided they stop at the stations to cover the services cancelled.

This will get more serious once again in the Summer when these trains play a supporting role in conveying the expected large number of passengers to and from the SW wishing to holiday in Devon and Cornwall as well as providing Pewsey, Westbury and Castle Cary with their London services.

Anyway, back to today, and I suspect the 13.04 and 15.04 Paddington to Plymouth will make extra stops to cover the 12.34 and 14.34 westbound with the 15.18 Penzance to Paddington covering the 16.57.

The 17.32 is one of the SW services to run via Bristol, one which is very busy in the Sunday ‘evening peak’ conveying Bristol, Bath and Chippenham passengers back to London. If an alternative isn’t found, with the service being able to start at Bristol, this will leave a two hour gap for these three stations to London and we’ve seen the trouble that can cause.

[ChrisB]

I’m fortunately booked on the previous train - 1800 of BRI^» (Bristol Temple Meads - next trains)

[TaplowGreen]

As we move into BBQ season I really hope lessons have been learned from previous years and that adequate staff will be made available to run all advertised weekend services this summer.

With the fall in business demand for the railways and the need to attract more leisure passengers this year could be make or break - a good summer may encourage more people to feel that they can rely on the railways as an alternative to the M5/A38, another bad one with multiple (especially) weekend cancellations and ridiculous overcrowding will push it the other way.

Let's hope that all concerned have got their acts together this year.

[bobm]

See what comes out of the strike ballot first.

[bobm]

Anyway, back to today, and I suspect the 13.04 and 15.04 Paddington to Plymouth will make extra stops to cover the 12.34 and 14.34 westbound with the 15.18 Penzance to Paddington covering the 16.57.

As predicted by Timmer extra stops have been put in at Pewsey, Westbury and Castle Cary for the above three services.

[TaplowGreen]

See what comes out of the strike ballot first.

I'd forgotten about that - heaven help us!!!

Have the pistols for the RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) reps to shoot themselves in the foot been issued yet?

[Timmer]

See what comes out of the strike ballot first.

I'd forgotten about that - heaven help us!!!

Have the pistols for the RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) reps to shoot themselves in the foot been issued yet?

This what concerns me, that the staff the railways do have end up going on strike!

[Timmer]

I’m fortunately booked on the previous train - 1800 of BRI^» (Bristol Temple Meads - next trains)

Just as well Chris. As yet nothing has shown up on Journeycheck that there will be a 1900 starting at Bristol in place of the cancelled 1732 ex Exeter. The 2000 service, starting at Taunton, could be very busy indeed. Good job it’s down as a 9 coach.

[ChrisB]

The 1800 was pretty busty too.....and the 1900 didn't run. Glad I wasn't delayed getting away.

Frankly, it needs 30-minute services at the time....never mind hourly.

[JayMac]

The 1800 was pretty busty too...

[chuffed]

Couldn't help thinking that the Train Manager said 'Oooooh, driver,take her away!!'.

[Timmer]

The 1800 was pretty busty too.....and the 1900 didn't run. Glad I wasn't delayed getting away.

Frankly, it needs 30-minute services at the time....never mind hourly.

It used to be a 30 minute frequency pretty much throughout the day between Bristol TM^▸ (Train Manager, or possibly Ticket Machine, depending on context) and London. There’s only a handful of extra trains departing Bristol at 30 minutes past the hour at certain times of the afternoon.

[ChrisB]

Quite. Certaibly around late afternoon, that 30 minute interval is necessary