Great Malvern FGW Services

[whole diary]

[phile]

I have noticed that many Great Malvern services do not reach there, turning round at Worcester.  The most common reason due to signalling problems.  I was wondering if anybody had any thoughts why there appears to be a hoodoo on this route.

[ChrisB]

Single line working on the Cotswolds.....I'm sure there are other threads here already discussing this?

Hint for nmewcomers - it might be worth trawling around the various boards to see what's already been discussed over the last, say, 6 months - and resurrecting one of those tyhreads if there's still something one needs answering....

[JayMac]

ChrisB. Is it not possible that phile is referring to the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) services that go to Great Malvern from Bristol?

The thread's board location would rather suggest that. Reference to the Cotswolds single line is thus irrelevent.

[ChrisB]

Indeed, You're likely right.

How about answering cirrectly while you were posting? :-)

Those Malvern tetminators come from Weymouth/Portsmouth pasdimg through complicated junctions & conurbations, all adding to possible delays.

London Midland are route owners & major service suppliers, so FGW^▸ (First Great Western), whi carry little traffic from the south, turn around short to allow the return journey to get away on time. Very few passengers are detrained to wait for the next Malvern

[JayMac]

How about answering cirrectly while you were posting? :-)

Because I don't know everything and rarely travel through to Gt Malvern from Bristol/Gloucester. If a service is terminating short at Worcester, that's fine for me. I'm usually heading for Worcester!

However your explanation about the complex routes makes sense, except to say that none of the weekday services to Great Malvern come from Portsmouth or Weymouth. Services to Great Malvern via Gloucester come from Warminster, Southampton and Brighton.

[phile]

I posted the thread on this Board as it refers to an FGW^▸ (First Great Western) service travelling from Bristol via Gloucester direction rather than on the Cotswold Board which I thought would be more for trains from Oxford direction.

[Chris from Nailsea]

Quite right, and thanks for that confirmation, phile!

Chris 

[fatcontroller]

Generally services get turned round short at Worcester because although delayed, there is still time to get to Great Malvern but not to go to Malvern Wells and change ends.

Also whilst changing ends it prevents any following services from also terminating or going through to Hereford.

So although minimal delay can cause the termination.

[grahame]

I think the extension of these services from Worcester to Great Malvern was something to do with an arrangement between Wessex Trains (or was it even Wales and West) and Central trains, whereby units that had come up to Worcester from Cheltenham and had layovers were extended, saving Central Trains a unit.  So not huge through traffic expected, and (presumably) a filler service designed to up the local frequency that's so delayed it will hold up the next train as it reverses isn't going to delay passengers too much if they're dropped back to that following service.

I've looked at the 16:49 from Great Malvern to Southampton and wondered about it the return train as "day out" potential - it would get me (without changes) to my home station of Melksham at 19:11.  Unfortunately, in the other direction the only possible northbound train leaves at 07:17, turns around at Cheltenham, and leaves a long wait there that makes the total journey time an hour longer. The layout / arrangement of the lines, and some really "interesting" limits in the franchise such as the dreadful frequency called on for the Swindon - Westbury segment of the 16:49's journey and Dilton Marsh's stopping pattern, make it very hard to timetable some of these longer distance return trips, and indeed I understand that the study of day return trips and the effect of poor outward options on return loading hasn't been a field in which much study has been done.    It also made it very difficult for us on the forum when we first divvied up the lines on to different boards.   In all honesty, I don't know exactly where I would have posted this subject - but Phile made a very good point in what's an appropriate part of the site - I too would have wondered where on earth to put it.

[Trowres]

Well, I am a potential user of the through services to G Malvern; however I am put off by the reliability issues and uncertainty about the type of train used (it's a rather slow journey; OK in a 158 but tedious in a 150 or 153).

As services from the south to Worcester GM etc have been poor for many years, I wonder how many people realise that there is a through service? I can't recall seeing a jot of publicity.

[Lee]

I dont recall there being much publicity either. However, one such example can be found at http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/NewsItem.aspx?id=555

[phile]

The 16 49 Great Malvern to Southampton, the one seemingly mostly affected,  only started back from December last.   Previously this was a 17 02 from Foregate St.
Another problem could perhaps be one of congestion due to the 2 tracks through Worcester Foregate St not being double track but 2 Single lines.

[Mookiemoo]

There is no station at Malvern Wells!

Its Malvern Link (chav part of Malvern) then Great Malvern (nice part of Malvern up the hill)

[willc]

No, there isn't a station, but the signal box and the crossover which allow trains to turn back towards Worcester are at Malvern Wells, not at Great Malvern station.

[Lee]

Interesting Gloucester short workings today..

08:23 Southampton Central to Great Malvern due 12:34

This train will be terminated at Gloucester.It will no longer call at: Cheltenham Spa, Ashchurch For Tewkesbury, Worcester Shrub Hill, Worcester Foregate Street, Malvern Link and Great Malvern.This is due to a member of train crew being unavailable. Road transportation sourced from Gloucester to Worcester Forgate Street. Then onward to Gt Malvern on connecting rail services.

12:51 Great Malvern to Weymouth due 17:10

This train will be started from Gloucester.It will no longer call at: Great Malvern, Malvern Link, Worcester Foregate Street, Worcester Shrub Hill, Ashchurch For Tewkesbury and Cheltenham Spa.This is due to a member of train crew being unavailable. Road transportation has been requested from Worcester Forgate Street to Gloucester. Passengers from Gt Malvern to use connecting rail service to Worcester Foregate Street.