Has anyone checked the replacement WOS/PAD time table for the works blackout

[whole diary]

[Mookiemoo]

So - we can get to London in the morning

But try getting home in the evening - either a direct journey very late at night or several hours and changes - or a BUS

If what is in the avantix machines is true - then - Virgin here I come - or I try a hereford - slough ticket and use it via newport and threaten publicity if they argue given the piss poor provision else where!

Answers to the panel .....

I need to be in slough by 9am

I can deal with getting to WOS^» (Worcester Shrub Hill - next trains) by 9:45pm

How?



P.S. BUS is not an option - id rather stay in a hotel - I throw up on BUSES

[willc]

According to the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) website journey planner, during the work the Mon-Fri 17.48 from Paddington will run through to Hereford via Worcester and is due into Shrub Hill at 20.44, but not sure how that fits in with your working times.

Also, from August 3 to 24, trains will be running between Moreton-in-Marsh and London to a near-normal timetable - ie 17.22, 17.51, 18.21, 19.22, 20.20 all run in the evening and in the morning there will be 5.48, 6.13 and 7.07 departures from Moreton to London. That would obviously mean a fair bit of extra driving beyond Worcester for you, though probably not a lot in it time-wise compared with travelling via Stroud by rail.

[Oxman]

A quick check on the National Rail website say there are three direct trains from Padd to Worcester at 17.48, 18.48 and 19.48, all with sub 3 hour journey times. From Slough, depart 17.30, change Reading, arr Worcester 20.44.

I understand that route restrictions will be eased (at least on FGW^▸ (First Great Western) services) so that Worcester - London via Stroud or BPW^» (Bristol Parkway - next trains) will be allowed, as will Hereford - London via Newport, on ATW^▸ (Arriva Trains Wales (former TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company))) services.

[Btline]

I suppose we must grit our teeth and think of the benefits the works will bring....

[Mookiemoo]

A quick check on the National Rail website say there are three direct trains from Padd to Worcester at 17.48, 18.48 and 19.48, all with sub 3 hour journey times. From Slough, depart 17.30, change Reading, arr Worcester 20.44.

I understand that route restrictions will be eased (at least on FGW^▸ (First Great Western) services) so that Worcester - London via Stroud or BPW^» (Bristol Parkway - next trains) will be allowed, as will Hereford - London via Newport, on ATW^▸ (Arriva Trains Wales (former TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company))) services.

Thats not what the advantix machine was saying!  The 1748 was the only direct one which is too early for me seeing as the first train wont get me to the office until 930!

[willc]

Seems to be a discrepancy here between what national rail site says and what the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) site - and presumably avantix - says about those trains. FGW shows only the 17.48, while National rail shows the three direct trains.

Maybe someone within FGW can try to find out, since they seem to be rather reluctant to actually make any announcement of timetable details to passengers, even with just over a month to go to the start of the work.

[eightf48544]

This is another case of were the fragmented railway cannot deliver!

Whilst the engineering works have been known about for months there are so many parties to negotiate the firm plans for blovkades special timetables alternative routes possibly involving other TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company) etc. that it's not suprising everything is still a muddle

If there was a fat controller Western Region, their staff would be in charge of the whole job. And because if there is fat controller WR there would be an even fatter controller BR^▸ (British Rail(ways)) they would be able to say OK we're shutting the Cotswold line, tickets will be valid on all feasble alternatives, e.g WCML^▸ (West Coast Main Line) from New Street, Chiltern, Newport etc plus those lines will run either extra or longer trains.

[devon_metro]

This is another case of were the fragmented railway cannot deliver!

Whilst the engineering works have been known about for months there are so many parties to negotiate the firm plans for blovkades special timetables alternative routes possibly involving other TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company) etc. that it's not suprising everything is still a muddle

If there was a fat controller Western Region, their staff would be in charge of the whole job. And because if there is fat controller WR there would be an even fatter controller BR^▸ (British Rail(ways)) they would be able to say OK we're shutting the Cotswold line, tickets will be valid on all feasble alternatives, e.g WCML^▸ (West Coast Main Line) from New Street, Chiltern, Newport etc plus those lines will run either extra or longer trains.

The problem I find with engineering is the fact they close a line for a week, and all that is achieved is a bit of pruning. If they had a mass workforce, so much more could be done, eliminating the need for substantial closures twice yearly!

[gwr2006]

The public timetable showing bus and train times should be available early next week as I'm told it is now being printed.  From what I've seen the following options are available for a Worcester-Slough commuter.

Ticket restrictions are being lifted on two routes - from Hereford via Newport and from Hereford/Worcester via Cheltenham and Swindon or Bristol Parkway (on First Great Western services). Some of the Cheltenham trains are also extended to start and finish at Worcester, Great Malvern or Hereford too.

Between 20-31 July and 24-28 August

0517 Great Malvern - Paddington via Cheltenham (From Worcester, depart 0536, change Reading, arr Slough 0820)
0459 Hereford - Paddington via Cheltenham (From Worcester, depart 0551, change Reading, arr Slough 0857)
0608 Hereford - Paddington via Cheltenham (From Worcester, depart 0704, change Reading, arr Slough 0944)

1748 Paddington - Hereford via Cheltenham (From Slough, depart 1730, change Reading, arr Worcester 2044)
1848 Paddington - Worcester via Cheltenham (From Slough, depart 1830, change Reading, arr Worcester 2134)
1948 Paddington - Great Malvern via Cheltenham (From Slough, depart 1941, change Reading, arr Worcester 2236)

There are also going to be three coaches in the morning and evening from Evesham to connect with trains at Cheltenham Spa so that is another alternative.

Between 3 - 24 August

0517 Great Malvern - Paddington via Cheltenham (From Worcester, depart 0536, change Reading, arr Slough 0820)
0707 Moreton-in-Marsh - Paddington (change Reading, arr Slough 0857)
0726 Moreton-in-Marsh - Paddington (arr Slough 0924)
0608 Hereford - Paddington  via Cheltenham (From Worcester, depart 0704, chnage Reading, arr Slough 0944)

1751 Paddington - Moreton-in-Marsh (From Slough, depart 1730, change Reading, arr Moreton-in-Marsh 1938)
1821 Paddington - Moreton-in-Marsh (From Slough, depart 1816, change Reading, arr Moreton-in-Marsh 2018)
1848 Paddington - Worcester via Cheltenham (From Slough, depart 1830, change Reading, arr Worcester 2134)
1937 Slough - Moreton-in-Marsh (arr 2103)

[Tim]

Ticket restrictions are being lifted

I am glad - a sensible common-sense move  We need to see more of this when their is engineering.  Many passengers dislike buses (why do you think they are prepared to pay to travel by train) and would prefer an extened train journey to travelling by bus.

[Mookiemoo]

The public timetable showing bus and train times should be available early next week as I'm told it is now being printed.  From what I've seen the following options are available for a Worcester-Slough commuter.

Ticket restrictions are being lifted on two routes - from Hereford via Newport and from Hereford/Worcester via Cheltenham and Swindon or Bristol Parkway (on First Great Western services). Some of the Cheltenham trains are also extended to start and finish at Worcester, Great Malvern or Hereford too.

Between 20-31 July and 24-28 August

0517 Great Malvern - Paddington via Cheltenham (From Worcester, depart 0536, change Reading, arr Slough 0820)
0459 Hereford - Paddington via Cheltenham (From Worcester, depart 0551, change Reading, arr Slough 0857)
0608 Hereford - Paddington via Cheltenham (From Worcester, depart 0704, change Reading, arr Slough 0944)

1748 Paddington - Hereford via Cheltenham (From Slough, depart 1730, change Reading, arr Worcester 2044)
1848 Paddington - Worcester via Cheltenham (From Slough, depart 1830, change Reading, arr Worcester 2134)
1948 Paddington - Great Malvern via Cheltenham (From Slough, depart 1941, change Reading, arr Worcester 2236)

There are also going to be three coaches in the morning and evening from Evesham to connect with trains at Cheltenham Spa so that is another alternative.

Between 3 - 24 August

0517 Great Malvern - Paddington via Cheltenham (From Worcester, depart 0536, change Reading, arr Slough 0820)
0707 Moreton-in-Marsh - Paddington (change Reading, arr Slough 0857)
0726 Moreton-in-Marsh - Paddington (arr Slough 0924)
0608 Hereford - Paddington  via Cheltenham (From Worcester, depart 0704, chnage Reading, arr Slough 0944)

1751 Paddington - Moreton-in-Marsh (From Slough, depart 1730, change Reading, arr Moreton-in-Marsh 1938)
1821 Paddington - Moreton-in-Marsh (From Slough, depart 1816, change Reading, arr Moreton-in-Marsh 2018)
1848 Paddington - Worcester via Cheltenham (From Slough, depart 1830, change Reading, arr Worcester 2134)
1937 Slough - Moreton-in-Marsh (arr 2103)

Thanks

If that 1848 does exist - it will work for me

[Btline]

A good move would be to take off the Didcot stops from the XX48s that are going to/from Worcester.

The stop could be inserted into the XX51 trains, which will be less busy (as they are stopping short at Oxford or Morteon).

Is this too hard to manage?

[willc]

A good move would be to take off the Didcot stops from the XX48s that are going to/from Worcester.

The stop could be inserted into the XX51 trains, which will be less busy (as they are stopping short at Oxford or Morteon).

Is this too hard to manage?

But it would be extremely confusing for anyone going to Didcot used to leaving on a Cheltenham route train at XX.48 to be told they would have to switch for all of six weeks. Plus going in and out of Didcot station would throw out the paths of the XX.51s between there and Oxford, which isn't a great idea at such a busy time of the day.

And loadings on commuter services generally are pretty light during August, due to the holidays (eg it's not unknown for the first Hereford-London train to have fewer than 100 people on board from Moreton some mornings in August), so capacity really isn't an issue.

[Timmer]

More information on alternative arrangements being made whilst work is taking place but still no timetable:
http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/Content.aspx?id=4052

[willc]

This looks to me like the overall explanatory text stripped out from the printed booklet, indeed it says "Catering on board trains is indicated in the timetable overleaf".

I have been told at Moreton-in-Marsh station that they are expecting the timetables soon, so fingers crossed.