Rail Replacement bus - OK, but I prefer the train.

[whole diary]

[grahame]

Engineering works have closed Westbury station up to and including 23rd January, and most of our trains are replaced by buses for the duration. On a beautiful day today, I took a trip to Westbury to see at first hand how it was working, and to refresh my picture library for 2025.

Well - it got me there and worked as it was designed to do, but it makes me very thankful for the much faster and smoother journeys by rail, and having a loo available along the way.   The coach seats were more comfortable than the seats on the train, and the seat pitch felt luxurious.

[Phil]

I'm actually MUCH preferring the rail replacement bus. There seems to be much less chance of last minute cancellations to services to and from Melksham. Timings might be a little bit erratic but at least there's a service. Bus crews actually turn up for duty, amazingly enough. Buses leaving Chippenham seem to be much less prone to suddenly veer off at Thingley and go straight to Trowbridge via Bathampton, Freshford, Bradford on Avon etc. missing out Melksham altogether. Buses leaving Westbury don't suddenly dump passengers at an unstaffed Trowbridge station and instruct them to find taxis or alternative buses to Melksham because they are now apparently heading for Chippenham via Bradford on Avon, Freshford, Bathampton etc.

[Kempis]

We travelled from Salisbury to Bristol on Sunday afternoon, taking the rail replacement service from Salisbury to Trowbridge. Everything worked well and ran to time (the coach making quite prolonged stops at Warminster and Westbury), and the train at Trowbridge was waiting at the platform, ready for us to board when the coach arrived. Since we had many bags, I was relieved that the vehicle was a coach, with a luggage compartment under the seats, rather than a bus.

[LiskeardRich]

The 4 vehicles my employer are supplying from down here in Devon for this rail replacement do have toilets! You just got unlucky having one without a loo I guess

[grahame]

The 4 vehicles my employer are supplying from down here in Devon for this rail replacement do have toilets! You just got unlucky having one without a loo I guess

Maybe - or maybe I didn't look enough.  Whole variety of coaches at Trowbridge and I suspect the one with loos may have been in use on the longer (Salisbury) runs.

[JayMac]

Last time I got on a rail replacement service at Westbury it was a very comfortable executive coach whose day job was as Taunton Town FC^‡(resolve)'s team transport.

[TaplowGreen]

Were you expected to jog up & down and sign autographs after disembarking? 

[LiskeardRich]

The 4 vehicles my employer are supplying from down here in Devon for this rail replacement do have toilets! You just got unlucky having one without a loo I guess

Maybe - or maybe I didn't look enough.  Whole variety of coaches at Trowbridge and I suspect the one with loos may have been in use on the longer (Salisbury) runs.

The white Truronian Mercedes in your photo doesn’t have a toilet.

Ours are the blue Megabus branded Interdecks. Toilet is located on the middle stair case. 

[matth1j]

I thought I'd try the replacement Melksham-Chippenham 0650 bus this morning instead of the Faresaver 271 bus service. And I'm converted

It was a couple of minutes late, and made an unscheduled stop shortly after turning onto the A350 to let out the couple of lads who had thought they were going to Trowbridge (scheduled for 0701)

But it still got to Chippenham over 5 minutes early, which meant I could catch the 0711 Penzance service instead of the 0734 Weston I was expecting to wait for (and would normally catch, if lucky). And the nice and comfy Beeline coach was virtually empty, unlike the packed 271.

Any chance the engineering work will overrun?

[grahame]

I thought I'd try the replacement Melksham-Chippenham 0650 bus this morning instead of the Faresaver 271 bus service. And I'm converted

It was a couple of minutes late, and made an unscheduled stop shortly after turning onto the A350 to let out the couple of lads who had thought they were going to Trowbridge (scheduled for 0701)

But it still got to Chippenham over 5 minutes early, which meant I could catch the 0711 Penzance service instead of the 0734 Weston I was expecting to wait for (and would normally catch, if lucky). And the nice and comfy Beeline coach was virtually empty, unlike the packed 271.

Any chance the engineering work will overrun?

We should really look to getting the train service RIGHT - running, and suffiicinlty on time to make connections.

I note that the bus at 06:50 these weeks is half an hour earlier from Melksham than the normal 07:21 train ... that's an extra 30 minutes on your day.

[matth1j]

I note that the bus at 06:50 these weeks is half an hour earlier from Melksham than the normal 07:21 train ... that's an extra 30 minutes on your day.

Yes - I meant to mention that, and it is definitely a drawback. But I'm an early bird, and would be very happy (and surprised ) if the 07:21 train was brought forward enough to make catching the 07:11 at Chippenham reasonably likely, or at least make the 07:34 a safe bet instead of what is currently an outside chance (the official connection is the 08:09).

[grahame]

I note that the bus at 06:50 these weeks is half an hour earlier from Melksham than the normal 07:21 train ... that's an extra 30 minutes on your day.

Yes - I meant to mention that, and it is definitely a drawback. But I'm an early bird, and would be very happy (and surprised ) if the 07:21 train was brought forward enough to make catching the 07:11 at Chippenham reasonably likely, or at least make the 07:34 a safe bet instead of what is currently an outside chance (the official connection is the 08:09).

Here is the official set of connections from Melksham to Bristol Temple Meads once the trains are running again



Onto that official timing I have added in red:
The 07:21 will get you to Bristol at 08:03 if you manage a short connection at Chippenham (33 minutes faster)
The 09:10 will get you to Bristol at 09:53 if you manage a short connection at Trowbridge  (36 minuted faster)

We have asked GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) about a one minute change on the 07:21's connection and even though it was shown to work during engineering changes, we have been denied the change because it would delay more important flows by 1 minute.   The 09:10's connection is more problematic needing a couple of minutes change to a train which would upset things on congested lines.

GWR do listen - and that green time I have added to the diagram is an example of that.  The 06:32 used to run a couple of minutes later and just failed to connect at Trowbridge.   The journey is now shorter, giving you a 20 minute gain into Bristol.

[matth1j]

Here is the official set of connections from Melksham to Bristol Temple Meads once the trains are running again

Onto that official timing I have added in red:

Yes, thanks - those look like the pre-engineering work times. I've been commuting between Melksham and Bristol by train (mostly) for over 5 years now.

The 06:32 used to run a couple of minutes later and just failed to connect at Trowbridge.

Well... it was possible if both trains were on time, even with the pedestrian bridge crossing; I managed it a few times (although the 07:21 is my usual)

The journey is now shorter, giving you a 20 minute gain into Bristol.

Yep, although it means leaving the house 45 mins earlier so I don't do it often.