As always with these things there are winners and losers. If the scheduled timetable runs as planned there are more through trains to the West of England from Swindon than usual. As it happens I will already be in Cornwall so it won't benefit me!
The good news is that there will be more trains through Melksham than usual. The bad news is than none of them will be stopping ... and to add icing to that cake (or insult to injury), there is no rail replacement bus service and no arrangement for train tickets to be accepted on service buses either.
Sometimes the feeling is "tails you loose, heads you don't win". When
SWR» took off the services from Bradford-on-Avon to Waterloo, they gave the excuse that there was little commuter or school traffic on them (mostly leisure and personal/business use). Now
GWR▸ are canning our trains - much used by commuters and with school traffic on them too in favour of leisure trains for such things as Glastonbury, and longer distance traffic which is predominantly personal business use. Why can't First companies be consistent??
These are exceptional circumstances Graham, people are being advised not to travel and if memory serves special arrangements have always been made for events such as Glastonbury - it is of course an unfortunate coincidence (I'm sure!) that the
RMT▸ have decided to strike in the coming week when there are so many events taking place which traditionally stretch the railway to the limit - perhaps you could enquire of Mr Lynch and his colleagues as to why this week was chosen? (any explanation other than to cause the maximum possible disruption and inconvenience would be enlightening!)
Whilst some commuters will no doubt be adversely affected, the large number now able to work from home in addition to those who already work a hybrid pattern since the pandemic will greatly mitigate that impact.
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