North Cotswold line delays and cancellations - 2025

[whole diary]

[Oxonhutch]

..., today there are problems with the overhead wires at Hereford:

 

[ChrisB]

Suspect no wires at Hereford - might be those at Stoke Gifford, if that's where the stock originates?

[IndustryInsider]

Internal notes suggest it was overnight cabling works which overran.  Perhaps someone in the dead of night misread that as overhead cabling works?

That set stables overnight in the Down Siding at Hereford.  The one that comes up from Stoke Gifford now forms the 07:13 GMV^▸ (Great Malvern station)-PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains).

[Worcester_Passenger]

Internal notes suggest it was overnight cabling works which overran.  Perhaps someone in the dead of night misread that as overhead cabling works?

That set stables overnight in the Down Siding at Hereford.  The one that comes up from Stoke Gifford now forms the 07:13 GMV^▸ (Great Malvern station)-PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains).

That seems more likely! 

[Witham Bobby]

13:18 Hereford to London Paddington due 16:24 has been cancelled.
This is due to a fault with the signalling system.
Last Updated:01/04/2025 13:56

Yet another great day for the Hereford service

[Worcester_Passenger]

13:18 Hereford to London Paddington due 16:24 has been cancelled.
This is due to a fault with the signalling system.
Last Updated:01/04/2025 13:56

Yet another great day for the Hereford service

The outward journey, 1W01 09:52 London Paddington to Hereford (12:46) was on time until Ledbury, but arrived Hereford +27.

The second return trip, 1W02 11:52 London Paddington to Hereford (14:44) was cancelled after Worcester Shrub Hill "due to a fault with lineside cabling (II)".

15:18 Hereford to London Paddington due 18:29 will be started from Worcester Shrub Hill.
This is due to a fault with the signalling system.
Last Updated:01/04/2025 13:55

Later:

16:58 London Paddington to Great Malvern due 19:25 will be started from Worcester Shrub Hill.
This is due to a points failure.
Last Updated:01/04/2025 16:12

But even later:

16:58 London Paddington to Great Malvern due 19:25 has been cancelled.
This is due to a points failure.
Last Updated:01/04/2025 17:36

17:57 London Paddington to Worcester Foregate Street due 20:11 will be cancelled.
This is due to a points failure.
Last Updated:01/04/2025 17:26

19:45 Great Malvern to London Paddington due 22:24 will be started from Worcester Shrub Hill.
It will no longer call at Great Malvern, Malvern Link and Worcester Foregate Street.
This is due to a points failure.
Last Updated:01/04/2025 17:38

20:56 Worcester Foregate Street to London Paddington due 23:40 will be cancelled.
This is due to a points failure.
Last Updated:01/04/2025 17:28

The 17:34 Paddington - Hereford is still operating.

[Worcester_Passenger]

Sunday April 6

Today's problems are at Foregate Street:

08:15 Worcester Foregate Street to London Paddington due 10:35 will be started from Worcester Shrub Hill.
It will no longer call at Worcester Foregate Street.
This is due to a shortage of station staff.
Further Information
If you're travelling from Worcester Foregate Street there is a bus leaving at 08:00 from the bus stop outside the Odeon then change at Shrub Hill for the train.
Last Updated:06/04/2025 02:00

08:58 Great Malvern to London Paddington due 11:29 will no longer call at Worcester Foregate Street.
This is due to a shortage of station staff.
If you're travelling to Worcester Foregate Street please stay on the train to Shrub Hill and change for a bus leaving at 09:31 from the bus stops on Shrub Hill Road back to Foregate Street.
If you're travelling from Worcester Foregate Street there is a bus leaving at 09:00 from the bus stop outside the Odeon then change at Shrub Hill for the train.
Last Updated:06/04/2025 02:00

08:46 Oxford to Great Malvern due 10:15 will no longer call at Worcester Foregate Street.
This is due to a shortage of station staff.
Further Information
If you're travelling to Worcester Foregate Street please leave the train at Shrub Hill and change for a bus leaving at 10:11 from the bus stops on Shrub Hill Road to Foregate Street.
If you're travelling from Worcester Foregate Street there is a bus leaving at 09:40 from the bus stop outside the Odeon then change at Shrub Hill for the train.
Last Updated:06/04/2025 02:00

19:50 London Paddington to Great Malvern due 22:18 will no longer call at Worcester Foregate Street.
This is due to a shortage of station staff.
Further Information
If you're travelling to Worcester Foregate Street please leave the train at Shrub Hill and change for a bus leaving at 22:21 from the bus stops on Shrub Hill Road to Foregate Street.
If you're travelling from Worcester Foregate Street there is a bus leaving at 21:50 from the bus stop outside the Odeon then change at Shrub Hill for the train.
Last Updated:06/04/2025 02:00

The buses are being supplied by Stagecoach (from their Cheltenham depot?), so it feels like this is being arranged by West Midland Trains (rather than First's Worcester depot).

[ChrisB]

WMR^» (West Midlands Railway - website) station, so that would be effecting their services too - so they are responsible for arranging onward transport.

[Witham Bobby]

09/04/25 20:52 London Paddington to Great Malvern due 23:13 will be terminated at Worcester Shrub Hill.
It will no longer call at Worcester Foregate Street, Malvern Link and Great Malvern.
This is due to engineering works not being finished on time.
Last Updated:08/04/2025 13:07

Interesting that GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) knew yesterday lunchtime that engineering works this evening would not be completed in time.  Very odd

[Chris from Nailsea]

To be fair, GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) may have been alerted that, "When we started work, we discovered there is much more actually needing to be done than we had planned, so it won't all be done within the original timescale".

I'm perhaps being charitable here. 

[Worcester_Passenger]

Feels more like "this is due to engineering work that will have to start earlier than expected" - but we haven't got a code for that.

Two WMR^» (West Midlands Railway - website) trains are shown as being changed - last one into Foregate St from Birmingham, and the first one out of Great Malvern tomorrow morning. But that's due to "problems with the signalling system".

[Worcester_Passenger]

Thursday April 10

Problems with points:

Due to a points failure between Worcester Shrub Hill and Oxford fewer trains are able to run on some lines.
Train services running through these stations will be delayed. Disruption is expected until 09:00 10/04.

We're sorry for the delay to your journey this morning. Due to a points failure in the Worcester area, trains are being delayed between Worcester Shrub Hill and Oxford. There is also congestion in the Worcester area as a result of this points failure as fewer lines are available for trains to use.

Last Updated:10/04/2025 07:44

resulting in

1P11 05:16 Worcester Shrub Hill to London Paddington (07:24) departed +17 and arrived +15.

05:23 Hereford to London Paddington due 08:23 will be terminated at Worcester Shrub Hill.
This is due to a short-notice change to the timetable.
Will be formed of 5 coaches instead of 9.
Last Updated:10/04/2025 03:14

Additional 06:10 Worcester Shrub Hill to London Paddington due 08:23 will be diverted between Worcestershire Parkway Hl and Reading.
It has been previously delayed, is being further delayed between Worcestershire Parkway Hl and Reading and is now expected to be 49 minutes late.
This is due to a short-notice change to the timetable.
Last Updated:10/04/2025 06:33

This means that the 05:23 Hereford - Paddington was sent round via Stroud this morning.

06:43 Worcester Shrub Hill to London Paddington due 08:44 has been delayed at Worcestershire Parkway Hl and is now 46 minutes late.
This is due to a points failure.
Last Updated:10/04/2025 07:44

1P18 0713 Great Malvern to London Paddington was held at Shrub Hill and at Norton (+26).
In consequence, 1W11 05:53 London Paddington to Great Malvern (08:38) is being held at Evesham. Likely to be +20.

11:52 London Paddington to Hereford due 14:44 will be starting late from London Paddington.
This is due to a points failure.
Last Updated:10/04/2025 07:41

[Worcester_Passenger]

To summarise:

1P11 05:16 Worcester Shrub Hill to London Paddington (07:24) : departed +17, arrived +15.
1P02 05:23 Hereford to Paddington : 5 cars, diverted from Worcester Shrub Hill via Stroud, arrived +25.
1P16 06:43 Worcester Shrub Hill to London Paddington (08:44) : departed +42, held Charlbury (+59), arrived +58.
2E80 07:00 Worcester Shrub Hill to Didcot Parkway (08:46) : departed +9, arrived +9.
1P18 07:13 Great Malvern to London Paddington (09:42) : held Shrub Hill (+18), Norton (+26) and Charlbury (+34), arrived +24.
1P20 08:15 Worcester Shrub Hill to Paddington (10:23) : departed +35, held Norton (+43) and Charlbury (+55), arrived Reading +51 and cancelled thereafter.
1P22 08:56 Great Malvern to London Paddington (11:24) : started from Worcester Foregate Street.

1W11 05:53 London Paddington to Great Malvern (08:38) : held Evesham (+21) and Parkway (+32), arrived Worcester Foregate Street +38 and cancelled thereafter.
1W21 10:53 Paddington to Worcester Shrub Hill (13:01) : started from Reading.
1W33 16:58 Paddington to Great Malvern (19:25) : started from Reading (+15), arrived +13.

[Worcester_Passenger]

Friday April 11

At 04:30, JourneyCheck had 148 'Train Formation Updates', including this pair:

Facilities on the 05:16 Worcester Shrub Hill to London Paddington due 07:24.
Will be formed of 5 coaches instead of 9.
Last Updated:11/04/2025 03:40

Facilities on the 05:53 London Paddington to Great Malvern due 08:38.
Will be formed of 9 coaches instead of 5.
Last Updated:11/04/2025 03:37