'Train operator to reduce its service between Worcester and Gloucester'

[whole diary]

[John R]

Good news is I've read on another forum that this service will have an extra coach added from the December timetable.   

[Steve Bray]

XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) has a service that follows this train by a couple of minutes; there's probably a few spare seats on this service. Can they stop at Yate?

[Btline]

XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) has a service that follows this train by a couple of minutes; there's probably a few spare seats on this service. Can they stop at Yate?

No. They are an Intercity operator, with slow enough journey times without adding calls. They also have a clockface timetable,, which would be destroyed by additional stops.

And I doubt there are ANY free seats at this time of the morning.

[John R]

Although Yatton and Nailsea got a stop for a couple of years. 

[devon_metro]

XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) has a service that follows this train by a couple of minutes; there's probably a few spare seats on this service. Can they stop at Yate?

No. They are an Intercity operator, with slow enough journey times without adding calls. They also have a clockface timetable,, which would be destroyed by additional stops.

And I doubt there are ANY free seats at this time of the morning.

Pardon? Considering the Voyager follows the unit by 1 minute into Bristol Parkway, and the fact that Voyagers are allowed 13 minutes to get to Temple Meads, I see no reason why an extra stop couldn't be facilitated. Plus, i've got a feeling its an HST^▸ (High Speed Train) (don't quote me) so seats wouldn't be an issue.

[laird]

The difficulty for Cam & Dursley and Yate is that they accomodate only four coaches so using a five coach voyager is likely to fall foul of a policy or two.

[John R]

XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) has a service that follows this train by a couple of minutes; there's probably a few spare seats on this service. Can they stop at Yate?

No. They are an Intercity operator, with slow enough journey times without adding calls. They also have a clockface timetable,, which would be destroyed by additional stops.

And I doubt there are ANY free seats at this time of the morning.

Pardon? Considering the Voyager follows the unit by 1 minute into Bristol Parkway, and the fact that Voyagers are allowed 13 minutes to get to Temple Meads, I see no reason why an extra stop couldn't be facilitated. Plus, i've got a feeling its an HST^▸ (High Speed Train) (don't quote me) so seats wouldn't be an issue.

If it is an HST then it wouldn't have grandfather rights to stop at a short platform unless the XC sets have SDO^▸ (Selective Door Opening).

[devon_metro]

XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) have SDO^▸ (Selective Door Opening) at a few door panels, but not all.

[bemmy]

The difficulty for Cam & Dursley and Yate is that they accomodate only four coaches so using a five coach voyager is likely to fall foul of a policy or two.

This reminds me of an occasion a few years ago in Virgin days when I was taking a Voyager from Penzance to Temple Meads. It was already busy in Cornwall so the Guard announced that they were attaching another set at Plymouth, meaning that passengers (such as me) who were currently sat in seats that were reserved from points up the line could get off at Plymouth and join the extra coaches which were all unreserved.

Then as we approached Plymouth he announced that this was in fact not going to be possible, because due to planned engineering works the train was going via the Severn Tunnel and timetabled to stop at "Bristol Patchway" instead of Bristol Parkway (we knew this from his announcements, but it sounded like someone responsible had only just noticed/remembered). The platform wasn't long enough at Patchway for a 9 car train, so the extra set would have to run empty till after the stop at Patchway -- he said it was for reasons of Health and Safety, in case anyone tried to get out where there wasn't a platform. I said to the bloke next to me, "Is this the first day they've run a train service?"

However, a couple of minutes before we left Plymouth, he announced that the problem had been solved  -- they were going to miss out Patchway, so anyone for Patchway should now change at Temple Meads. Then there was a mad scramble while half the passengers, including those who'd just got on the train, retrieved their luggage and found seats on the empty set.

So that's how I learnt that Voyagers don't have SDO^▸ (Selective Door Opening).

[Not from Brighton]

Rocket science it is not... 

[stebbo]

Could I just join in the praise for the cappucino van at Ashchurch. My wife takes my daughter to Ashchurch in term time for my daughter to catch the (Great Western) train to school in Worcester and is full of praise for the coffee van (as is my daughter who gets a hot chocolate on Fridays!)

[anthony215]

I have heard that London Midland are planning on re-instating its services between Worcester & Gloucester with a possible extension to Bristol.

[Btline]

I have heard that London Midland are planning on re-instating its services between Worcester & Gloucester with a possible extension to Bristol.

That would be sensible. The stupid FGW^▸ (First Great Western) 2 hourly service to Worcester and the sparse LM^▸ (London Midland - recent franchise) service to Gloucester could be combined to an hourly Worcester Bristol service, preferably using 100 mph air conditioned stock - no 153s.

[anthony215]

Noted yesterday running between Worcester & Cheltenham Spa according to reports on UK^▸ (United Kingdom) railforums was a London Midland class 170.

A bit strange unless London Midland have suddenly decided to have another go a running a service  between Worcester & Gloucester.

The only other option i can think of is that are they training some new drivers for the late night  fridays only Biirmingham - Gloucester service.

Other than that   i cannot think of any proper reasons why a London Midland unit would be running that route.

[Not from Brighton]

To tease potential passengers?