Severn Beach line - timetables, engineering work, closures, incidents (merged topics)

[whole diary]

[Lee]

From FOSBR^▸ (Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways) (Joe Patrick) :

As from the 1508 Bristol TM^‡(resolve) - Severn Beach and the 1522 Severn Beach - Bristol TM TODAY (Sat 3rd Feb) there will be no trains for the rest of the day - trains replaced by buses.

I've just found this on National Rail Enquiries and had no idea this was happenning. There were no posters at stations I use (to my knowledge) & it was very badly publicised. I hope nobody gets caught out, the bus from Severn Beach takes a whopping 1h 5m!

[Lee]

Update from FGW^▸ (First Great Western) website :

14:22 Severn Beach to Bristol Temple Meads due 15:00
This train will be cancelled. This is due to a member of train crew being unavailable due to sickness.

Road replacement transport has been arranged.

14:08 Bristol Temple Meads to Severn Beach due 14:45
This train will be cancelled. This is due to a member of train crew being unavailable due to sickness.

Road replacement transport has been arranged.

13:08 Bristol Temple Meads to Severn Beach due 13:45
This train will be cancelled. This is due to a member of train crew being unavailable due to sickness.

Road replacement transport has been arranged.

[MikeGTN]

Curiously this was reported elsewhere, and on Network Rail's site as Engineering Work related. Perhaps someone at FGW^▸ (First Great Western) is getting a little too used to typing certain phrases on their service issue reports!

[Lee]

From the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) website :

05/02/2007 :

09:53 Severn Beach to Bristol Temple Meads due 10:30
This train will be started from Avonmouth. It will no longer call at: Severn Beach and St Andrews Road.

06/02/2007 :

09:53 Severn Beach to Bristol Temple Meads due 10:30
This train will be started from Avonmouth. It will no longer call at: Severn Beach and St Andrews Road. This is due to a delay on a previous journey.

Passengers will be forwarded by road transport from Severn Beach.

[Lee]

RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) Bristol Rail Branch now have a section of their website dedicated to defending Severn Beach Line services (link below.)
http://www.rmtbristol.org.uk/cgi-bin/mt/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=3&search=severn+beach

[Lee]

From FOSBR^▸ (Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways) :

"0725 SVB - BRI^» (Bristol Temple Meads - next trains) Cancelled this morning
 
I asked at Temple Meads why this train had been cancelled (when I finally got there, too late for my normal connection).

I was told that there was "a problem with the lighting circuits and the lights were flashing on and off". This has to be the most pasthetic excuse I have ever heard for cancelling a train that carries 200+ people every morning. After all, we could have managed without lights - we are all used to being "kept in the dark" by FGW^▸ (First Great Western)!

There was, of course, no thought of even using an alternative unit. If FGW do things like this, how does it look to BCC^» (Bristol City Council - about) who will be paying the new subsidy come December?

And only last week I was beginning to think they were starting to do rather well. Sadly, my opinion has reverted."

"Just to let you know that the curse of 'Worst group' have come to the SBL, in that the fares are set to rise by up to 114% for a 7day ticket between Stapleton Road/Lawrence Hill and Temple Meads

For a 'Day Return' between Clifton Down/Redland and BTM^▸ (Bristol Temple Meads (strictly, it should be BRI)) the increase will be 53% Stapleton Road/Lawrence Hill and BTM the increase will be 122% how will this inflation busting increase help to help increase the usage.

F.O.S.B.R have campaigned for years for a half hourly service and with Bristol council support the move is afoot to improve the service - but it seems the passengers are paying for the 'improvements'

Within the 'development plan' is the sentance "The advantages of rail - particularly speed - mean that it should command a premium price compared to the bus."

These fares are due to be implemented in May 2007"

[Jim]

Lighting problem, are you sure that it was only interior lights, as if Tail/Headlights were not working, then the train will be cancelled

[grahame]

Bear in mind that the Pacers are said to fail once in every 3200 miles (I stand corrected from "every 2000 miles" which I mis-quoted recently) ... work our mileage on the Severn Beach line and I think you'll find that you should expect an incident most weeks.    By contrast, the new HST^▸ (High Speed Train) power car engines are said to fail just once every 44000 miles (or was it - even better - once every 44000 hours!)

[Jim]

Bear in mind that the Pacers are said to fail once in every 3200 miles (I stand corrected from "every 2000 miles" which I mis-quoted recently) ... work our mileage on the Severn Beach line and I think you'll find that you should expect an incident most weeks.    By contrast, the new HST^▸ (High Speed Train) power car engines are said to fail just once every 44000 miles (or was it - even better - once every 44000 hours!)

Assuming the new Power Cars don't go up in flames first!

[grahame]

Assuming the new Power Cars don't go up in flames first!

No - I think the statistic includes "going up in flames" as a failure 

[billyo]

From FOSBR^▸ (Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways) :


Within the 'development plan' is the sentance "The advantages of rail - particularly speed - mean that it should command a premium price compared to the bus."

First Buses are even more expensive than First Trains.  It's ^6 return from Bath to Bristol (at any time), but off-peak it's cheaper on the train.

[grahame]

It's also cheaper from Melksham to Chippenham by train ... perhaps that's why First seem to prefer to run buses, or have us drive to Chippenham, cause traffic jams there, and park there ...

[Lee]

From FOSBR^▸ (Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways) :

Known Cancellations

14/03/07 16.35

19/03/07 06.45

27/03/07 06.45

31/03/07 09.08

04/04/07 14.35

05/04/07 06.45

10/04/07 11.35

25 / 04/ 07 07.23 The train turned back at Avonmouth this morning.

[Lee]

From FOSBR^▸ (Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways) :

Saturday, 05 May 2007
Saturday Engineering work on Severn Beach line
Buses replace trains all day. For replacement bus timetable see
http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/Documents/Custom/FGW%20-%20214.pdf

Monday, 07 May 2007
Bank Holiday Monday Engineering work on Severn Beach line
Buses replace trains all day. For replacement bus timetable see
http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/Documents/Custom/FGW%20-%20214.pdf

[Lee]

From FOSBR^▸ (Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways) :

USE YOUR LOCAL STATION

Travel the Severn Beach Line for ^1 per day.

From the 16 April 2007 to the 19 May 2007 First Great Western in association with Severnside Community Rail Partnership, are offering passengers the opportunity to travel on the Severn Beach Line using a Day Ranger* ticket costing just ^1.

The Day Ranger ticket is valid after 9 am, Monday to Friday and offers unlimited travel on the day of purchase. So whether you are a regular traveller on the Severn Beach Line or tempted to become one make the most of this opportunity.

*Terms and Conditions apply - please check when purchasing your ticket.

Sarah Collins, Partnership Officer, Severnside Community Rail Partnership has requested that FOSBR help publicise the above special offer.

This clarification has been given

" The offer does not apply on a Saturday and after investigation there does not seem to be any other terms and conditions that apply to this offer."

(Isnt it strange that Saturdays are not included , when this is the ONLY day that St Andrews Road and Severn Beach stations have an all - day train service - Lee)

There has been some reaction to this :

"I assume that Day Ranger ticket is valid on Monday May 7th when a special bus service replaces trains on the line.

For replacement bus timetable see
http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/Documents/Custom/FGW%20-%20214.pdf

Seems strange to finish on Saturday 19 May if "offer does not apply on a Saturday" !"

"I'm sure we'd be happy to publicise it, but the other parties aren't!

Severnside CRP^▸ (Community Rail Partnership)'s website has no mention of any offer, and I can't find anything on FGW's site."

"Complete farce as far as I can see. Half way through the offer period and no publicity at all. Definitely no poster on Sea Mills station, for example. Not being promoted by guards on the Saturday train, possibly because it does not apply on Saturdays, and I have not heard of it through any press or flier route.

It would not have been too difficult to get an article in the Evening Post, free of charge.

My daughter was offered it when buying a ticket at Temple Meads, but this is hardly promotion."