2023 - Train update and amendment log - Swindon <-> Westbury

[whole diary]

[TaplowGreen]

16:35 Westbury to Swindon due 17:17
16:35 Westbury to Swindon due 17:17 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

17:44 Swindon to Westbury due 18:25
17:44 Swindon to Westbury due 18:25 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

[grahame]

16:35 Westbury to Swindon due 17:17
17:44 Swindon to Westbury due 18:25

17:44 Swindon to Westbury due 18:25 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

[ChrisB]

Graham's speechless!

[GBM]

Graham's speechless!

Unusual.....

[grahame]

Here we don't go again

17:44 Swindon to Salisbury due 18:55

17:44 Swindon to Salisbury due 18:55 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

16:43 Frome to Swindon due 17:34

16:43 Frome to Swindon due 17:34 will be terminated at Westbury.
It will no longer call at Trowbridge, Melksham, Chippenham and Swindon.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

[ChrisB]

That's the same out & back service.

[grahame]

That's the same out & back service.

Indeed.

From an operation viewpoint, it's just one trip cancellation.
From a customer viewpoint, it's two services cancelled.

Sometimes, we see the same thing, but from a different perspective.

I'm out west for the day and from Bristol I have a train back at 15:30 and then nothing until 18:15.  The two in between are lost at 15:41 (close to 15:30, I admit) and 17:30.   There's a 16:30 that a joined up public transport network could offer - change at Bath Spa onto the b-u-s. 

[grahame]

16:52 Westbury to Chippenham due 17:33
An additional bus service has been planned to operate as shown 16:52 Westbury to Chippenham due 17:33.

18:10 Chippenham to Westbury due 18:53
An additional bus service has been planned to operate as shown 18:10 Chippenham to Westbury due 18:53.

Around 60 people (I kid you not) got off the 08:38 Melksham to Swindon this morning, and there must have been almost that number waiting to go back on the return service.  Talking with a regular passenger, he was planning to return on the 17:44 ... until he learned of it being cancelled. 

He also reports the 22:30 from Swindon that started at the end of May is already into double figures (good) and that it's being held for the London connection at Swindon on a regular basis (good, though it really should not be needed if the London trains were on time).

I was reminded of the old picture "passenger view" and "DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) view" from years back this morning:



The top two pictures were taken within 2 minutes of each other - one as the train waited and the second a couple of minutes earlier just after it arrived.

The lower two pictures are on my onward train on the South Cotswold line, and on Portsmouth->Cardiff yesterday evening.

[grahame]

18:10 Chippenham to Westbury due 18:53
An additional bus service has been planned to operate as shown 18:10 Chippenham to Westbury due 18:53.

I happened to be back to connect into that at Chippenham (from Bristol) ... four passengers to Melksham, all got off and 4 more got on there.  Bus left Chippenham about 5 minutes late waiting for the 18:07 train which arrived at 18:12 and (yes) the delay got extra custom.  Not a lot of people but we know that there's an order of magnitude shrinkage of traffic when the "train" gets roaded.

[grahame]

Mon, 7 August 17:50 Gloucester to Salisbury due 20:06

07/08/23 17:50 Gloucester to Salisbury due 20:06 will be terminated at Swindon.
It will no longer call at Chippenham, Melksham, Trowbridge, Westbury, Dilton Marsh, Warminster and Salisbury.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

Mon, 7 August 20:06 Westbury to Cheltenham Spa due 22:05

07/08/23 20:06 Westbury to Cheltenham Spa due 22:05 will be started from Swindon.
It will no longer call at Westbury, Trowbridge, Melksham and Chippenham.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

[grahame]

Mon, 7 August 17:50 Gloucester to Salisbury due 20:06

07/08/23 17:50 Gloucester to Salisbury due 20:06 will be terminated at Swindon.
It will no longer call at Chippenham, Melksham, Trowbridge, Westbury, Dilton Marsh, Warminster and Salisbury.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

Mon, 7 August 20:06 Westbury to Cheltenham Spa due 22:05

07/08/23 20:06 Westbury to Cheltenham Spa due 22:05 will be started from Swindon.
It will no longer call at Westbury, Trowbridge, Melksham and Chippenham.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

17:36 Swindon to Westbury due 18:20

17:36 Swindon to Westbury due 18:20 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

16:23 Westbury to Swindon due 17:08

16:23 Westbury to Swindon due 17:08 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

[grahame]

From Rail Advent

From Wednesday to Friday, extra trains will run between London Paddington and Newquay and between Plymouth/Par and Newquay. Extra trains will akso run, and for return journeys on Monday 14 August.

Very nice, but when will you (GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway)) be running the trains in your regular committed timetable?  The passengers to Newquay for Boardmasters will be here this week and gone next week, but your customers from where I write in Wiltshire are here this week, next week, and the week after.  You need to look after your loyal customer base.

[TaplowGreen]

I note the Boardmasters trains are advertised as "reservations mandatory"......I wonder how that will be enforced?

[IndustryInsider]

I note the Boardmasters trains are advertised as "reservations mandatory"......I wonder how that will be enforced?

With a bit of flex I should imagine.

[TaplowGreen]

I note the Boardmasters trains are advertised as "reservations mandatory"......I wonder how that will be enforced?

With a bit of flex I should imagine.

Probably need cable rather than flex with those numbers!