Delays on Devon services - merged posts, ongoing discussion

[whole diary]

[GBM]

Cancellations to services between Exeter St Davids and Exmouth
Following checking reports of an obstruction on the line between Exeter St Davids and Exmouth all lines will be reopened shortly.
Train services running to and from these stations will be cancelled. Disruption is expected until 10:00 02/03.
Customer Advice
A retaining wall close to the railway line is at risk of collapse and until it can be repaired is not safe to run trains.

Structural engineers are currently on site reinforcing the wall, but it is not expected to be complete until at least 09:00, from which point we will make a decision on when we can start running trains.

In the meantime, customers can use the tickets on local buses at no extra cost. Details below.
Stagecoach route 57: Exeter (Bus Station), Topsham (Station), Exton (Stop on A376), Lympstone (Stop on A376), Exmouth (Parade), Stagecoach route B: Marsh Barton, Exeter St Thomas (Leisure Centre), Exeter (High St), St James Park (Pennsylvania Rd), Stagecoach route H: Exeter (St David's), Exeter (Central), Digby & Sowton (Station) and Stagecoach route I, J: Exeter (High St), Polsloe Bridge (Tarbet Ave), Digby, Newcourt (Newcourt Way), Exeter (High St) are conveying passengers via any reasonable route until further notice. Arrangements have been made for Great Western Railway rail tickets to be accepted for these journeys.

[Witham Bobby]

11:31 Exeter Central to Okehampton due 12:17 will be cancelled.
This is due to more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time.
Last Updated:05/03/2025 07:26

Looks like the Okehampton service has been halved today

[GBM]

Cancellations to services between Exeter St Davids and Barnstaple
Due to a points failure at Crediton all lines are blocked. Disruption is expected until 13:00 12/04.
Train services between Exeter St Davids and Barnstaple may be cancelled.
Customer Advice
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We are sorry for the delay to your journey.
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A set of points, that allow trains to move from one line to another, has failed at Crediton. Network Rail specialist staff are on site investigating the fault.

Cancellations to services between Exeter St Davids and Okehampton
Due to a points failure at Crediton all lines are blocked. Disruption is expected until 13:00 12/04.
Train services between Exeter St Davids and Okehampton may be cancelled.

A few questions now please.
Could each unit operate on it's own accord as in Crediton - Okehampton shuttle and the other unit operate as Crediton - Barnstaple shuttle?
Is signalling controlled throughout by Exeter panel, so that could prove difficult to implement with two shuttles?

[GBM]

Due to a points failure at Crediton all lines are closed. Disruption is expected until the end of the day.
Train services between Exeter St Davids and Barnstaple will be cancelled.
Customer Advice
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*You are now advised do not travel to or from any stations between Exeter St David's and Barnstaple today. Your tickets dated today (12/04/2025) will be valid for travel tomorrow (13/04/2025).*
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A set of points, that allow trains to move from one line to another, has failed at Crediton which has blocked the line. Network Rail specialist staff are on site trying to fix the fault, this is likely to take until the end of the day. As a result, the line remains closed until tomorrow.
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We are unable to run a train service between Exeter St Davids and Barnstaple and cannot source suitable replacement road transport.
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We advise you not to attempt to travel between Exeter St Davids and Barnstaple today. Do not attempt to travel from your origin station to Exeter as there will be no onward travel from Exeter towards Barnstaple.
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Your train ticket will be accepted, at no extra cost, on the following Stagecoach routes. Show your train ticket to the driver.
5 between Exeter (Central, New North Road), Newton St Cyres (Belluno) and Crediton (Station Cross).
5A between Exeter (Bus Station), Newton St Cyres (Belluno), Crediton (Station), Copplestone and Okehampton.
5B between Exeter (Bus Station), Newton St Cyres (Belluno), Crediton (Station), Copplestone, Morchard Road and Barnstaple (Station).
5C between Exeter (Bus Station), Newton St Cyres (Belluno), Crediton (Station), Copplestone, Morchard Road and Lapford.
6A between Exeter (St Davids), Exeter St Thomas (Cowick St) and Okehampton (West Street).
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Stagecoach buses depart from Crediton Railway Station to Exeter at 12:53, 13:25, 13:55, 14:33, 14:53, 14:55, 16:00, 16:39, 16:53, 17:20, 17:50, 18:44, 18:52, 19:56, 20:17, 21:17, 22:17, 23:17, 00:17.
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We will update this message with more information when we have it.
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Further Information
An update will follow within the next 2 hours.
If you require further information please speak to our staff at the station or on the train, use the Customer Help Point, message us on X @GWRHelp or call National Rail Enquiries on 03457 484 950.

If you arrive at your destination 15 or more minutes late because your GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) train was delayed or cancelled, you can claim Delay Repay compensation. Please keep your ticket and visit GWR.com/DelayRepay
Last Updated:12/04/2025 16:40

Barnstaple and Okehampton off grid for the rest of the day, 
Wrong type of point fixer(s).
Noticed no taxi service provided either.

[grahame]

We are unable to run a train service between Exeter St Davids and Barnstaple and cannot source suitable replacement road transport.

I understood that the conditions in which the TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company) was allowed to skip providing replacement transport were very limited to include weather that made the road dangerous, and industrial action.  In other situations, the TOC has folks it should be able to call on for help - a degree of contingency planning for unexpected events like this infrastructure failure.  Have I misunderstood something there?   Is the Stagecoach bus sufficient?  It does make sense for rail and road to provide backup for each other.

[ChrisB]

Everything changed on the move to management contracts. They aren't franchise agreements, to which you refer

[grahame]

Everything changed on the move to management contracts. They aren't franchise agreements, to which you refer

I was aware that the stipulations were provided in the franchised, but not aware they had been changed.  Under what conditions can a TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company) with a management contract not manage to provide an alternative?

[ChrisB]

It's not public, so whatever the TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company) & DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) agree on, I guess

[johnneyw]

Yesterday, had I not been wary of the enteral threat of potential delays down the line, I might have chanced the latest train out of Okehampton that would have got me to Totnes in time for the last "virtual branch line" bus to Kingsbridge and Salcombe.  Good job that I didn't chance it as a bridge strike delayed trains  from Exeter sufficiently to have made that last bus a near impossibility.

[stuving]

Everything changed on the move to management contracts. They aren't franchise agreements, to which you refer

I was aware that the stipulations were provided in the franchised, but not aware they had been changed.  Under what conditions can a TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company) with a management contract not manage to provide an alternative?

1. As far as I am aware, all the current contracts - including the Great Western National Rail Contract - are available on line.

2. The relevant words do appear, on examination, to be identical to those in the old franchise agreement. This was paragraph 6.2 of schedule 1.2, and is now paragraph 6.2 of section 4.2:

6.2 The Operator shall use all reasonable endeavours to provide or secure the provision of alternative transport arrangements to enable passengers affected by any disruption referred to in paragraph 6.1 to complete their intended journeys in accordance with this paragraph 6.2. In particular, the Operator shall use all reasonable endeavours to:

(a) ensure that such alternative transport arrangements are of reasonable quality, of a reasonably similar frequency to the Passenger Services included in the Timetable which such arrangements replace and fit for the purpose of the journey to be undertaken;

(b) transport passengers to, or as near as practicable to, the end of their intended journey on such Passenger Services, having particular regard to the needs of any Disabled Persons and, where appropriate, making additional arrangements for such Disabled Persons to complete their intended journey;

(c) provide adequate and prominent publicity of such alternative transport arrangements in advance, subject, in the case of unplanned disruption, to the Operator having sufficient notice of such disruption to enable it to provide such publicity;

(d) provide sufficient alternative transport capacity for the reasonably foreseeable demand for the disrupted Passenger Services; and

(e) ensure, if any planned disruption overruns, that there is a reasonable contingency arrangement for such alternative transport arrangements to continue for the duration of such overrun.

(Obviously there are a lot more words with some relevance, but secondary to this bit.)

So all you need now is an officially approved endeavour reasonableness meter.

[grahame]

Yesterday, had I not been wary of the enteral threat of potential delays down the line, I might have chanced the latest train out of Okehampton that would have got me to Totnes in time for the last "virtual branch line" bus to Kingsbridge and Salcombe.  Good job that I didn't chance it as a bridge strike delayed trains  from Exeter sufficiently to have made that last bus a near impossibility.

Rather sadly, it makes sense to always have a plan B - a fallback option.   I may write (but am busy with other stuff) about changing plans on Friday when we pulled into Temple Meads and slowed down to a halt at platform 12 just as the onward train (an "official" recommended / sold connection I had planned) pulled out of platform 8.  And in turn the next train to Totnes missed a 40 minute connection towards Buckfastleigh on a daytime only, every 2 hour service ... so 2 hours and 15 minutes in Buckfastleigh would have been reduced to just 15 minutes to head back from there on the last train of the day.

You can, of course, rely on the old Southern (well, you could on Friday if not Saturday) so I followed the Withered Arm north-of-Dartmoor route to Okehampton, Tavistock, Gunnislake and St Budeaux in turn where a mighty marathon dash between the two stations  saw me back on the old GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) line, in a train dating back to BR^▸ (British Rail(ways)) days headed into Cornwall.