2025 - Service update and amendment log, Swindon <-> Westbury

[whole diary]

[grahame]

Here we (don't) go again

05:11 Gloucester to Southampton Central due 08:09

05:11 Gloucester to Southampton Central due 08:09 was terminated at Westbury.
It will no longer call at Dilton Marsh, Warminster, Salisbury, Romsey and Southampton Central.
This is due to a fault on this train.

At least it says "this" train - so it's not been theived off the Southampton service to run the Weymouth train from Westbury this time

[grahame]

And again ....

05:11 Gloucester to Southampton Central due 08:09

05:11 Gloucester to Southampton Central due 08:09 will be terminated at Westbury.
It will no longer call at Dilton Marsh, Warminster, Salisbury, Romsey and Southampton Central.
This is due to a fault on this train.

[grahame]

16:23 Westbury to Swindon due 17:05

16:23 Westbury to Swindon due 17:05 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

[grahame]

And again ....

05:11 Gloucester to Southampton Central due 08:09

05:11 Gloucester to Southampton Central due 08:09 will be terminated at Westbury.
It will no longer call at Dilton Marsh, Warminster, Salisbury, Romsey and Southampton Central.
This is due to a fault on this train.

That is very odd indeed ...



So it was capped at Westbury due to a fault on the train, but then 5 minutes later conveniently able to form a train to Weymouth?   Yes - there is a fault on the train (no loos reported on the Weymouth train) but it very much looks to me that "this is due to a fault on this train" is NOT why it didn't continue to Southampton - it was "hijacked" to form the Weymouth service.  Am I reading this wrong?   Are we being fed porkies?

[TaplowGreen]

16:23 Westbury to Swindon due 17:05
16:23 Westbury to Swindon due 17:05 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

17:35 Swindon to Westbury due 18:19
17:35 Swindon to Westbury due 18:19 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

[John D]

Clearly not telling public the truth.

Train is announced as terminating early at Westbury (but the alleged fault allows it to continue from time of announcement through to Westbury, so if it could continue that far, could have got to Southampton).

Train is miraculously fixed at Westbury, and can be used to form another service missing a train. 

2V58 the return train from Southampton is showing as cancelled for reason M8 (problem with the train), ie it's not available, although codes YR or YU (tactical unit swaps) sound more likely

[grahame]

17:35 Swindon to Westbury due 18:19

17:35 Swindon to Westbury due 18:19 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

Busiest train of the day ... no alternative suggested except "get your money back and have a free journey on the next train" as it's over an hour later.  Why chose this train to cancel if you're short of crew?

[bobm]

Strangely, it seems to have disappeared from Real Time Trains altogether.

[Trowres]

Strangely, it seems to have disappeared from Real Time Trains altogether.

On RTT^» (Real Time Trains - website), it has acquired "VCN" status, so you need to select the "CAN" option to view cancelled services. The reason given is ZW - unknown cause.

Also bearing a VCN status and ZW code on RTT is 2M34, the 20:14 Swindon-Westbury. There's nothing on Journeycheck about this service, and it is currently (at 19:22) shown on TIGER as "on time". Watch this space! 

Incidentally, the 18:37 Westbury-Swindon was delayed at Trowbridge for about 25 minutes (due to a "broken down train"). It lost a further 5 minutes due to missing its slot on the single line through Melksham.

[Trowres]

2M24 (see above) is running. 

[grahame]

14:47 Westbury to Swindon due 15:34
15:44 Swindon to Westbury due 16:25

15:44 Swindon to Westbury due 16:25 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

[grahame]

08:06 Warminster to Swindon due 08:58

08:06 Warminster to Swindon due 08:58 was terminated at Melksham.
It will no longer call at Chippenham and Swindon.
This is due to earlier engineering works not being finished on time.

09:08 Swindon to Westbury due 09:49

09:08 Swindon to Westbury due 09:49 will be started from Melksham.
It will no longer call at Swindon and Chippenham.
This is due to earlier engineering works not being finished on time.

[grahame]

08:06 Warminster to Swindon due 08:58

08:06 Warminster to Swindon due 08:58 was terminated at Melksham.
It will no longer call at Chippenham and Swindon.
This is due to earlier engineering works not being finished on time.

09:08 Swindon to Westbury due 09:49

09:08 Swindon to Westbury due 09:49 will be started from Melksham.
It will no longer call at Swindon and Chippenham.
This is due to earlier engineering works not being finished on time.

Nothing on journey check about what passengers should do - purely "feature" not "benefit" which I was taught was not the way to do it in my sales training.

There is an x34 bus at 08:48 from Melksham to Chippenham (railway station if required) that goes past the top of station approach in Melksham - doesn't actually stop there normally, but it [sh/c]ould.

There is an x34 bus at 09:25 from Chippenham railway station to Melksham and Trowbridge (on Sunday, of course, it does not go to the stop near Trowbridge station, and even by the time it reaches Melksham and passes close to the station, the train will have left.

Lots of things illustrated by these goings on ...

[GBM]

08:06 Warminster to Swindon due 08:58

08:06 Warminster to Swindon due 08:58 was terminated at Melksham.
It will no longer call at Chippenham and Swindon.
This is due to earlier engineering works not being finished on time.

09:08 Swindon to Westbury due 09:49

09:08 Swindon to Westbury due 09:49 will be started from Melksham.
It will no longer call at Swindon and Chippenham.
This is due to earlier engineering works not being finished on time.

That has to be a first for Melksham?
A train terminating, then starting there!

[TaplowGreen]

Alterations to services between Westbury and Swindon via Melksham

Due to engineering works not being finished on time at Swindon all lines are closed. Disruption is expected until 10:30 23/02.

Train services between Westbury and Swindon via Melksham may be delayed by up to 45 minutes or revised.
Customer Advice
As a result of engineering work not being finished on time there will be severe delays / disruption to services on this route this morning. Please accept our aplogies for any inconvenience this may cause.