Chippenham - facilities, improvements, parking, events and incidents - merged posts

[whole diary]

[ChrisB]

'Reversing' at Gloucester doesn't actually involve very much, if any of the line in from the south to go north.

[paul7575]

It wouldn't be NR^» (Network Rail - home page), as they don't plan services, they run the infrastructure.
My understanding of this however, and it's XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) suggesting it, is to run one of the two services from Reading from Oxford up the EWR^▸ (East West Railway (Oxford to Bedford), or possibly East Worthing station, depending on context) to the West Coast and onto Birmingham. I would expect the service that runs direct from Leamington to Birmingham. Thus both their hourly services serve Birmingham airport.

It is the Western Route Study (pub. NR, Sep 2015) that mentions an additional 'cross country' service from Manchester to Basingstoke,  it is clear that it would provide a third service between Reading and Oxford:

C2: Additional cross-country service
The Western Route Study 2019 ITSS anticipates an additional crosscountry
service on the Reading – Basingstoke Route Section to
create 3tph. This service is anticipated to run between Basingstoke
and Manchester Piccadilly via the East West Rail route, offering a
significant improvement in journey time between Reading, Oxford
and Manchester. However, it would further add to capacity
utilisation between Southcote Junction and Oxford Road Junction
and at Reading Station

I'm sure that references to the proposed service that appear elsewhere also refer to it running via the Trent Valley, i.e. missing Birmingham.  Surely Oxford > Milton Keynes > Coventry > Birmingham via EWR is a significant time penalty to existing XC users?

Obviously a lot may have changed since 2015 - not least the delays to EWR - but I don't think it is fair to squash the concept.  NR are supposed to consult the industry and DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) on Route Study proposals after all.

Paul

[ChrisB]

ok, agreed - except that XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) would need to find the stock (I think we've been here on other threads,.....)

[grahame]

ok, agreed - except that XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) would need to find the stock (I think we've been here on other threads,.....)

I think we've been via alternatives such as open access on other threads too. 

[ChrisB]

Franchisees aren't able to use open access

[paul7575]

ok, agreed - except that XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) would need to find the stock (I think we've been here on other threads,.....)

It wouldn't need to be operated by the current XC franchise though.   Especially if it didn't go via New St.   Back in 2015, with wiring plans being what they were then, it may have been reasonably assumed to be 110 mph EMU^▸ (Electric Multiple Unit) operated.

"Cross Country" and "cross country" may have subtly different meanings...

Paul

[grahame]

'Reversing' at Gloucester doesn't actually involve very much, if any of the line in from the south to go north.

Considerable difference from a passenger viewpoint, of course.   Looking forward to when the Bristol Parkway work are completed ...

1L58 at 12:36 from Cheltenham Spa. Calls at Gloucester.  Passes Standish Junction 13:02.   26 minutes

1V52 at 13:00 from Cheltenham Spa.  Avoids Glouester. Passes Standish Junction 13:12. 12 minutes

Add quarter of an hour's gain if Swindon to Cheltenham Spa had direct services and perhaps quarter of an hour saved at a Swindon change, and you've knocked 30 minutes off Chippenham to Birmingham.

[froome]

I've only just seen this thread. Referring to the discussion earlier on about connections from Chippenham to Birmingham and the north, why do most of the trains from Swindon to Stroud and Gloucester appear to leave Swindon just a couple of minutes before the train from Bath Spa and Chippenham arrives in Swindon (and onto an adjacent platform)? It makes what should be a short journey from Bath or Chippenham to Stroud into a long journey because of the frustrating wait. As it happens, I had hoped to do a journey up through Birmingham from Bath tomorrow avoiding the diversion around Bristol Parkway by going via Swindon instead, but it doesn't even appear to be a permissable route, despite being the shortest (instead I will be travelling via Reading and then back through Oxford, which seems ridiculous to me).

How many trains pass through Swindon each hour? How do you suggest the STroud train connects with all of these trains? How do you choose which ones it will connect with? The strength of the flow will definitely be one - and I suspect those coming from PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains) far exceed those from Chippenham & Bath.

I understood that the shortest journey between any two stations was *always* a permitted route. Are you sure that this is?

Having looked at the map, you may be right that it isn't quite the shortest route between Bath and Cheltenham, although it feels like it should be when travelling. However, in terms of strength of flow, Paddington to Stroud already has one direct train every hour along this route, so there isn't such a need for the service that starts at Swindon to also meet this need, whereas there are no direct services from Bath and Chippenham to Stroud, Gloucester and Cheltenham.

[froome]

Having posted the above, I've just realised that there are of course direct services on the Great Malvern route from Bath (though this is a slow service for the length of journey), but not to Stroud.

[grahame]

This topic seems to have generated a lot of talk and interest ... perhaps an indication that a Chippenham Rail User Group will have some things to talk about!

1. I and a couple of others will be handing out flyers for the event tomorrow and / or Monday, afternoon and early evening.  Asking anyone here in "Frequent Posters" if you can help ... planning to adjourn for a curry (on the house) mid evening

2. Anyone like to come along on 21st?   

Flyer for 21st at http://atrebatia.info/chrug_launch.pdf

Leafletting details and draft agenda at http://atrebatia.info/chrug_setup.pdf

[grahame]

Updated agenda (printable) at http://www.transwilts.org/chrug_agenda.pdf

17:00 onward – informal discussions with passenger dropping in


19:00 - Intro and who are TransWilts / Peter Blackburn (TransWilts CIC^» (Community Interest Company - about))
19:05 - GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) at and via Chippenham / Dan Okey (GWR)
19:10 - Current topics we know about at Chippenham / Graham Ellis
19:15 – Local Council involvements / David Phillips (Wiltshire Council)
19:20 - Looking forward at Chippenham  / Paul Johnson
19:25 - Setting up Rail User Groups and Friends / Bob Morrison
19:30 - Wider Wiltshire and South West context / Graham Ellis
19:35 - Initial Question Panel (General Issues)
19:45 - Where do we go from here?    Volunteers / setup / admin / next meeting
20:00 - Formal close

Then informal discussions

[grahame]

Holding page (with links to various useful places) - http://www.chrug.org.uk

[grahame]

Early issues raised with us prior to tonight's meeting noted at

http://www.chrug.org.uk/earlyissues.pdf

May be on the breakfast show on BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) Wiltshire too (yeah, up early to prepare!)

Look forward to seeing anyone who can join us this evening - or indeed who comes to the 07:30 radio interview / live broadcast at Chippenham Station

[bobm]

Come and join us tonight!

[ChrisB]

Early issues raised with us prior to tonight's meeting noted at

http://www.chrug.org.uk/earlyissues.pdf

the switch on will continue in stages as far as Thingley Junction to the west of Chippenham.

Isn't Thingley Junction to the East of Chippenham? Where the line joins the main line west of Swindon?