Your Feedback for the 2009 Summer Timetable

[whole diary]

[Super Guard]

We've been contacted for feedback, both good and bad on the current summer timetable as the 2009 summer timetable is in its 'design' stage, and FGW^▸ (First Great Western) are looking for improvements to consider for next summer.

So any (sensible) feedback that you'd like forwarded to FGW please post here and i'll forward what I can.

[devon_metro]

Can we please have destinations in writing rather than in notes?

Facilities: 1+]
Notes: GH
Train starts at: Penzance (instead of P or whatever random letter then come up with)


For example...

Otherwise I quite like the layout.

[Super Guard]

I should have made it a little clearer.... I meant feedback in times/frequencies of services etc 

[devon_metro]

They want such detailed feedback???

I'm impressed :p

[eightf48544]

Do we put feedback on here?

If so, Sunday services at Taplow, with the Relief line speeds now 90 this would cause no problems at all.

[Btline]

Why do FGW^▸ (First Great Western) print the timetable vertically all of the time.

They could save so much paper -and ink - by switching to horizontal occasionally (esp the Reading summary table!!!).

And I agree with D/M, less letters and more words.

[swlines]

Hourly Weymouth via Castle Cary's - requires less units and would mean a 67 shuttle is put to better use rather than waiting in Jersey Sidings all the time.

Pembroke Dock services to operate as adex at xx45 instead of extension of Swansea, likewise Newquay at xx36.

[John R]

I've mentioned it before on this Forum, but the first arrivals from London and Bristol into Plymouth are much too late.  (Yes there are early stopping services from Bristol but they take much too long for business traffic.)  The first ex London service doesn't get in until gone 11am, having gone the long way around.

The reason for this would appear to be that any earlier arrivals (say 0930-0945)then don't have a logical working back, as at that time of the morning all the northbound services from Plymouth have worked up from Penzance. So I accept that introducing such a service would be problematic in terms of rolling stock resourcing. But if you compare Plymouth with other cities such as Newcastle, Leeds, Manchester, Sheffield, Liverpool, you can get to all of them from London before 10am, let alone 11am. Between XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) (from Bristol) and FGW^▸ (First Great Western) it shouldn't be impossible to sort this.     

[Timmer]

Some suggestions for the Bristol-Weymouth line for next summer:

Separate the Bristol-Weymouth from Bristol-Gloucester/Worcester services. Having these services joined together is producing delays and late running services on the Weymouth line.

Have some services start from Cardiff during the summer so passengers from South Wales don't have to change at Bristol.

Run the loco service Mon-Sat during the summer on timetabled services rather than as an additional service freeing up some 150/158s to bolster summer services elsewhere. You are then virtually guaranteed a return on the hiring of the loco set as the service will pretty much always be well loaded.

[woody]

I've mentioned it before on this Forum, but the first arrivals from London and Bristol into Plymouth are much too late.  (Yes there are early stopping services from Bristol but they take much too long for business traffic.)  The first ex London service doesn't get in until gone 11am, having gone the long way around.

The reason for this would appear to be that any earlier arrivals (say 0930-0945)then don't have a logical working back, as at that time of the morning all the northbound services from Plymouth have worked up from Penzance. So I accept that introducing such a service would be problematic in terms of rolling stock resourcing. But if you compare Plymouth with other cities such as Newcastle, Leeds, Manchester, Sheffield, Liverpool, you can get to all of them from London before 10am, let alone 11am. Between XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) (from Bristol) and FGW^▸ (First Great Western) it shouldn't be impossible to sort this.     

That^s why Air South Wests 4 daily Newquay/Plymouth/Gatwick flights are locally regarded as vitally important to the Plymouth economy.In a recent survey of the Plymouth business community, not surprisingly 2 out 3 businesses said rail did not serve their needs.The problem FGW face from Plymouth is that road and air links have improved at a much faster rate than rail.The slow and sinuous rail route between Exeter and Plymouth still being a major handicap.As a result of this Plymouth is perceived as being much further from London by rail than it actually is when compared to road and
Air.

[G.Uard]

Some suggestions for the Bristol-Weymouth line for next summer:

Separate the Bristol-Weymouth from Bristol-Gloucester/Worcester services. Having these services joined together is producing delays and late running services on the Weymouth line.

Delayed services from Weymouth also cause problems. Whether this is a knock on from earlier problems north of Bristol, I am not sure, but  early afternoon Gloucester services originating from Weymouth often miss stops north of Bristol due to late arrival of trains at BTM^▸ (Bristol Temple Meads (strictly, it should be BRI) but BTM is a commonly used alternative)).

[John R]

I've mentioned it before on this Forum, but the first arrivals from London and Bristol into Plymouth are much too late.  (Yes there are early stopping services from Bristol but they take much too long for business traffic.)  The first ex London service doesn't get in until gone 11am, having gone the long way around.

The reason for this would appear to be that any earlier arrivals (say 0930-0945)then don't have a logical working back, as at that time of the morning all the northbound services from Plymouth have worked up from Penzance. So I accept that introducing such a service would be problematic in terms of rolling stock resourcing. But if you compare Plymouth with other cities such as Newcastle, Leeds, Manchester, Sheffield, Liverpool, you can get to all of them from London before 10am, let alone 11am. Between XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) (from Bristol) and FGW^▸ (First Great Western) it shouldn't be impossible to sort this.     

That^s why Air South Wests 4 daily Newquay/Plymouth/Gatwick flights are locally regarded as vitally important to the Plymouth economy.In a recent survey of the Plymouth business community, not surprisingly 2 out 3 businesses said rail did not serve their needs.The problem FGW face from Plymouth is that road and air links have improved at a much faster rate than rail.The slow and sinuous rail route between Exeter and Plymouth still being a major handicap.As a result of this Plymouth is perceived as being much further from London by rail than it actually is when compared to road and
Air.

From Bristol Virgin ran a service departing at 0708 arriving Plymouth 0909 in the first year of Operation Princess. The equivalent FGW service today leaves at 0646 and arrives at 0924, so 37 minutes longer. It's true though that the late first arrival from London appears a well established failing - having sampled timetables back over the last 20 years or so.

[swlines]

I think it would be of benefit to run an additional service to Penzance very early morning from Paddington ... perhaps something like this:

0503 London Paddington
0522 Slough
0540 Reading
0555 Newbury
0616 Pewsey
0635 Westbury
0652 Castle Cary
0717 Taunton
0730 Tiverton Parkway
0746 Exeter St Davids
0800 Newton Abbot
0813 Totnes
0840 Plymouth

or

0430 London Paddington
0449 Slough
0507 Reading
0522 Didcot Parkway
0541 Swindon
0555 Chippenham
0610 Bath Spa
0625 Bristol Temple Meads
0645 Weston-super-Mare
0705 Taunton
0718 Tiverton Parkway
0734 Exeter St Davids
0750 Newton Abbot
0803 Totnes
0830 Plymouth

[Timmer]

Delayed services from Weymouth also cause problems. Whether this is a knock on from earlier problems north of Bristol, I am not sure, but  early afternoon Gloucester services originating from Weymouth often miss stops north of Bristol due to late arrival of trains at BTM^▸ (Bristol Temple Meads (strictly, it should be BRI) but BTM is a commonly used alternative)).

They do indeed, which is mentioned by willc in his post regarding hourly Worcester-Gloucester services from December with his concern about reliability of services originating from the South Coast:
http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=3251.msg25100#msg25100

[alexander b]

I think it would be of benefit to run an additional service to Penzance very early morning from Paddington ... perhaps something like this:

0503 London Paddington
0522 Slough
0540 Reading
0555 Newbury
0616 Pewsey
0635 Westbury
0652 Castle Cary
0717 Taunton
0730 Tiverton Parkway
0746 Exeter St Davids
0800 Newton Abbot
0813 Totnes
0840 Plymouth

or

0430 London Paddington
0449 Slough
0507 Reading
0522 Didcot Parkway
0541 Swindon
0555 Chippenham
0610 Bath Spa
0625 Bristol Temple Meads
0645 Weston-super-Mare
0705 Taunton
0718 Tiverton Parkway
0734 Exeter St Davids
0750 Newton Abbot
0803 Totnes
0830 Plymouth

My idea of an early train running towards Plymouth would be this;

London Paddington 05:57
Reading 06:24
Taunton 07:40
Tiverton Parkway 07:53
Exeter St. David's 08:11
Newton Abbot 08:32
Totnes 08:46
Plymouth (Arr) 09:14

Train Would Continue For Stations To Penzance