More bad news for travellers between Salisbury and Exeter

[whole diary]

[grahame]

It's likely that the Emergency Speed Restriction between Gillingham and Tisbury will be reduced from 40mph to 20mph. Hopefully that won't effect the emergency timetable due to published shortly

It's about 9 miles ... so that puts up the run time from around 10 minutes to 30 minutes if the restriction is the whole way between the two. .

[bradshaw]

Engineering allowances in timetable
Tisbury to Gillingham 7 min
Gillinham to Templecombe 8 min
Yeovil Jct to Crewkerne 6 minutes

[grahame]

And in contrast:

From Manchester Evening New

Trains cancelled and lines closed after thousands of gallons of water submerges tracks

[JayMac]

I've never seen an Authority to Travel before; what form/layout does it take?

Catch all phrase for anything in writing from a member of railway staff allowing travel other than that permitted by tickets already held.

In my case a 'Back on Track Voucher' from SWR^» (South Western Railway - about):

[Worcester_Passenger]

This may be a stupid question but ... if this is a geological problem why does it not affect other lines where this clay outcrops? Which should be all the way round the western edge of the chalk.

[bradshaw]

Now a track fault at Yeovil PM has blocked the line to Westbury so SWR^» (South Western Railway - about) only running to Junction, while Weymouth line running to Pen Mill, and Castle cary to Westbury.
Buses inbetween

Tracksy shows a T3 possession at Tisbury, presumably the reason behind the plan to go via Westbury.

[Timmer]

Now a track fault at Yeovil PM has blocked the line to Westbury so SWR^» (South Western Railway - about) only running to Junction, while Weymouth line running to Pen Mill, and Castle cary to Westbury.
Buses inbetween

Tracksy shows a T3 possession at Tisbury, presumably the reason behind the plan to go via Westbury.

It never rains but it pours…

Alterations to services between Salisbury and Yeovil Junction

Due to a safety inspection of the track between Salisbury and Yeovil Junction the line via Westbury is blocked.

What's Going On:
Train services running through these stations may be delayed or revised. Disruption is expected until 12:00 03/09.

What We're Doing About It:
We have been informed of a track defect at Yeovil Pen Mill, this means that trains are unable to run between Yeovil Junction and Salisbury via Yeovil Pen Mill. We have replacement bus services due to planned engineering work running between Yeovil Junction and Salisbury via Tisbury.
We have requested additional replacement buses to run non-stop between Yeovil Junction and Salisbury.

[grahame]

Now a track fault at Yeovil PM has blocked the line to Westbury so SWR^» (South Western Railway - about) only running to Junction, while Weymouth line running to Pen Mill, and Castle cary to Westbury.
Buses inbetween

The two trains that were due to pass at Yeovil Pen Mill at around 07:30 turned around into each other's paths - from Weymouth up to Yeovil Pen Mill went back to Weymouth and at Castle Cary from Westbury back via Westbury.  Operationally sensible; I wonder about how it was from a passenger viewpoint - whether through passengers were bussed quickly enough to make it.  Noting the Yeovil to Weymouth service set off 17 minutes late ...

[JayMac]

Network Rail saying, as of 0846, that normal running between Pen Mill and Castle Cary has resumed.

I'm just about to head home to Templecombe from Milton Keynes. Wish me luck!

[grahame]

I'm just about to head home to Templecombe from Milton Keynes. Wish me luck!

Hmm ... if I was going there, I wouldn't be starting from here 

Direct route - X5 bus to Oxford, S6 bus to Swindon, then train changing at Westbury and Yeovil (one or both stations).

[JayMac]

I'm just about to head home to Templecombe from Milton Keynes. Wish me luck!

Hmm ... if I was going there, I wouldn't be starting from here 

Direct route - X5 bus to Oxford, S6 bus to Swindon, then train changing at Westbury and Yeovil (one or both stations).

Despite what RealTime Trains and some online journey planners were saying, the diverted SWR^» (South Western Railway - about) services weren't making passnger calls at Westbury. Doors kept closed. Taking your suggestion would actually have meant:

X5 to Oxford
S6 to Swindon
GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) to Westbury
GWR to Yeovil Pen Mill
Local bus to Yeovil Junction
Rail Replacement Bus to Templecombe. Or SWR Exeter - Gillingham shuttle train if timings worked out.

And all at additional cost bearing in mind I'd already purchased a TMC-MKC^▸ (Milton Keynes Central) Off Peak Return.

Journey tale of woe to follow...

[JayMac]

My return from Milton Keynes to Templecombe went smoothly.

... until I got into SWR^» (South Western Railway - about) land of course.

Two choices today once I got to Clapham Junction. Train to Salisbury, then Rail Replacement to Gillingham, then train to Templecombe. Or, train to Yeovil Junction (via Westbury) then Rail Replacement to Templecombe.

After conferring with the guard on the 1157 from CLJ, I settled on the second option as it was one less change. Guard called ahead to YVJ to check if Finn would be allowed on the Rail Replacement service. Answer came back affirmative.

Arrived at YVJ and headed to waiting coach. A nice Mercedes Benz executive jobby. "Sorry, I can't take dogs" says driver. "Please" says I. Driver calls his boss. Answer remains no. Incidentally coach came from Slough to do the RRB^▸ (Rail Replacement Bus) duties today.

Back to speak to ticket office clerk on the station. It wasn't him who took the call from the guard on the train from CLJ. Previous shift clerk. Who presumably talked to a different RRB driver, who may very well have been from a different bus/coach company. Good customer service would have had clerk clocking off do a handover to colleague explaining the call they'd taken. In my years in hospitality I would never end a shift without handing over unresolved customer service issues.

So now I'm looking at a near two hour wait for the next Exeter-Gillingham SWR shuttle train service, or hoping clerk can arrange a taxi. He calls control to see about taxi They say at least two hours to get one to Yeovil Junction. Seems they don't hire locally.

I'm well aware of the difficulties SWR are facing at the moment due to Network Rail's failure to maintain the line between Salisbury and Exeter, but SWR need to seriously up their customer service game during this disruption. There was no additional staff member at Yeovil Junction to assist the clerk with the RRBs. That's unacceptable. Managers should be getting off their asses and helping out the frontline staff.

I was close to losing my temper. That's not a good thing and I recognised that taking out my frustrations on the poor put upon clerk or the RRB driver would have got me nowhere. I took a walk down the approach road and shouted a stream of expletives into the air to relieve some tension.

I go back to the clerk, who is now talking to the coach driver. Both make calls. Outcome is Finn is allowed to board. Yay!

Coach driver leaves on time. Stops in Sherborne for 20 minutes to get something to eat and drink. Requires directions from me to Templecombe station. His snack break ruins any chance of any passengers on board wanting to make the scheduled connection at Salisbury for Andover, Basingstoke, Woking, Clapham or Waterloo. Idiot.

But, at least I got home. Feeling sorry for those continuing eastward though. A few more passengers that SWR have pissed off today.

[grahame]

And all at additional cost bearing in mind I'd already purchased a TMC-MKC^▸ (Milton Keynes Central) Off Peak Return.

Indeed - but is shouldn't be additional cost.  Public transport tickets valid via any reasonable route, and that means any reasonable route on the day.   Hopefully sorting out that sort of thing will be one of the first actions of a united GBR^▸ (Great British Railways) - bringing all trains and local bus services (those on with ENCTS^▸ (English National Concessionary Travel Scheme. Bus passes for senior/disabled persons) cards are valid) under the same fare and connection guarantee / compensation scheme.

[JayMac]

Indeed - but is shouldn't be additional cost.  Public transport tickets valid via any reasonable route, and that means any reasonable route on the day.   Hopefully sorting out that sort of thing will be one of the first actions of a united GBR^▸ (Great British Railways) - bringing all trains and local bus services (those on with ENCTS^▸ (English National Concessionary Travel Scheme. Bus passes for senior/disabled persons) cards are valid) under the same fare and connection guarantee / compensation scheme.

That's not GBR. That's Utopia. Or a chemically induced fever dream.

[Fourbee]

And all at additional cost bearing in mind I'd already purchased a TMC-MKC^▸ (Milton Keynes Central) Off Peak Return.

Indeed - but is shouldn't be additional cost.  Public transport tickets valid via any reasonable route, and that means any reasonable route on the day.   Hopefully sorting out that sort of thing will be one of the first actions of a united GBR^▸ (Great British Railways) - bringing all trains and local bus services (those on with ENCTS^▸ (English National Concessionary Travel Scheme. Bus passes for senior/disabled persons) cards are valid) under the same fare and connection guarantee / compensation scheme.

Totally agree Graham. That was what prompted me to ask JayMac about the Authority to Travel on the outbound leg. My understanding is Back on Track vouchers generally are not used to authorise travel on other TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company), including London Underground - but I'm pleased they were passed without muster at the relevant points.