Of course neither line was blocked - quite the opposite.  There were no trains available to run on them - so they were totally clear. 

 
How does taking routes off traincrew save money?

 

Yes, I’m aware. I had routes taken off me too. I believe only the LTV depots didn’t lose routes in May.

 

They’ve taken routes off several depots….. and immediately felt the consequences!  Staff questioned this with management at the time and they were told this was a “decision based on the needs of the businsss”.   

That level of decision making is what cost First Group the TPE franchise.

 

Interestingly the banner headline on GWR seems to imply multiple failings on GWRs part.

1) failed to have enough serviceable staff
2) failed to update journey planners in timely way
3) failed to hire in replacement buses (or coaches, or charter train)
4) what trains they run will be busy because not lengthening them

And what do they mean by "Your comfort and safety are our priority.  Please check live updates...."   is that PR speak for we can't be bothered to get you there.

https://www.gwr.com/sunday-disruption

 


Yes, but guards only, and there are only a few of them down there. Taking Weymouth (and Gloucester) off Bristol drivers and Melksham off Gloucester drivers certainly raised a few eyebrows in May.

 
And:
https://x.com/chimewhistle/status/1943983000024142016?s=61
Anyone able to explain the benefits of GWR doing this from a PASSENGER point of view? So far since the summer timetable change in May, the Heart of Wessex line reliability has gone down with trains either starting or terminating at Westbury.

See: https://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=30417.msg363068
and https://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=30356.0

 

No

 
From Twitter/X
(https://x.com/chimewhistle/status/1943976506255921278?s=61&t=VlafMC5gF9tidw36b1Y8JQ)

Is there still a GWR crew depot at Weymouth?

 
UPDATE: Both lines are now open.

 

Indeed - but the word "should" can cover a whole host of evils.  They "should" have enough staff in the right place, at the right time, with the right route knowledge and other training, and enough working trains, to provide a full service in all but the most exceptional circumstances.

 
Being the last train of the day AND knowing there will be day trippers from Weymouth, onward travel from Westbury should be made available?

 

The lines may have been open but certainly around 1900 when I arrived trying to reach West Drayton, nothing was running on the relief lines with TfL having given up completely. Only reported delay was west of Reading, and nothing had been mentioned in the banner on the NRE app or I'd have taken a very different route from my starting point of Alton having already had to detour thanks to two successive GWR cancellations on the line from Gatwick.  The information booth seemed to know less than I could work out from the departure screens and kept telling people to ask gateline staff; I'd expected the booth would at least have a feed of the signal diagram showing actual locations, train running info etc.  Eventually got on an eastbound IET which I'm sure was shown as calling additionally at Slough to get me closer, but ran non-stop to Paddington. By that time Lizzie trains were running west to Heathrow via Hayes so took that option followed by a bus. Fortunately I was in no hurry and the trains had working air conditioning.

 

Our risk assessment has been NOT to market day trips from Melksham to Weymouth at present due to the significant risk of people having a severely upset trip in one or both directions.  The other part of the risk assessment related to how bad the effect of the risk would be.   The next train from Westbury to Melksham as I understand it is 34 hours later;  robust passengers who know what they are doing could travel on to Bath and catch the 23:20 bus into Melksham at midnight.  And in theory there will be/ would be station staff around to help with onward transport, which in the evening sometimes involves a wait of 90 minutes.

I wish our decision had not been vindicated. And a corollary question is to ask what to do - as a community where we want to use the train -  about this state of affairs. 

 

But don't forget, as we are repeatedly told, apparently there is no shortage of staff 

 
Gosh, never mind tomorrow, not much of a service today.

 
16:23 Westbury to Swindon due 17:05
16:23 Westbury to Swindon due 17:05 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew

17:35 Swindon to Westbury due 18:18
17:35 Swindon to Westbury due 18:18 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

18:35 Westbury to Swindon due 19:17
18:35 Westbury to Swindon due 19:17 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

19:38 Weymouth to Swindon due 22:00
19:38 Weymouth to Swindon due 22:00 will be terminated at Westbury.
It will no longer call at Trowbridge, Melksham, Chippenham and Swindon.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

19:44 Swindon to Westbury due 20:29
19:44 Swindon to Westbury due 20:29 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

22:12 Swindon to Westbury due 22:55
22:12 Swindon to Westbury due 22:55 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

 
Friday July 11

The late running continued into the evening, though little was reported on JourneyCheck.

1P24 09:56 Great Malvern to London Paddington (12:23) : delayed approaching Paddington, arrived +24
1P26 10:59 Great Malvern to London Paddington (13:25) : held Oxford (+14), arrived +27.
1P30 13:16 Worcester Shrub Hill to London Paddington (15:22) : departed +10, held Didcot (+24), arrived +25.
1P04 13:18 Hereford to London Paddington (16:24) : held Reading (+20), arrived +20.
1P05 15:18 Hereford to Paddington (18:29) : departed +56, arrived Oxford +76 and cancelled thereafter.
1P38 16:32 Great Malvern to London Paddington (19:29) : departed +29, held Norton, saved 16-minute stand at Moreton, arrived +34.
1P39 17:26 Worcester Foregate Street to London Paddington (19:52) : held Norton (+26), saved 10 at Moreton, held on Didcot avoiding line (+25), arrived +29.
1P40 18:02 Worcester Foregate Street to London Paddington (20:29) : held Norton (+22), Charlbury (+41), arrived +53.
2E16 18:51 Evesham to Oxford : held Charlbury (+35), arrived +31.
1P42 19:02 Great Malvern to London Paddington (21:26) : started from Shrub Hill, held Charlbury (+15), arrived +27.
1P44 19:45 Great Malvern to London Paddington (22:24) : started from Shrub Hill (+21), saved 8 at Charlbury, arrived +12.
1P46 20:56 Worcester Foregate Street to London Paddington (23:29) : started from Worcester Shrub Hill.

1W01 09:52 London Paddington to Hereford (12:46) : delayed before Oxford (+18), arrived +23.
1W21 10:53 London Paddington to Worcester Shrub Hill (13:01) : delayed before Oxford (+16), arrived +17.
1W02 11:52 London Paddington to Hereford (14:44) : held Oxford (+16), Great Malvern (+31), Ledbury (+53), arrived +66.
1W27 13:50 London Paddington to Great Malvern (16:15) : departed +19, arrived +28.
1W29 14:53 London Paddington to Worcester Foregate Street (17:04) : delayed before Oxford (+11), arrived +16.
1W30 15:23 London Paddington to Worcester Foregate Street (17:47) : held Evesham (+14), arrived Shrub Hill +13, Foregate Street +7.
1W31 15:52 London Paddington to Great Malvern (18:26) : departed +11, held Evesham (+27), arrived +27.
2E14 17:04 Didcot Parkway to Evesham (18:23) : arrived +16.
1W33 16:58 London Paddington to Great Malvern (19:25) : delayed before Didcot, held on avoiding line (+77), arrived Worcester Shrub Hill +77 and cancelled thereafter.
1W03 17:34 London Paddington to Hereford (20:25) : delayed before Reading (+25), +49 at Oxford, held Wolvercote (+56), arrived +70.
1W34 17:57 London Paddington to Worcester Foregate Street (20:11) : delayed before Didcot, Oxford +31, held Wolvercote (+40), arrived Shrub Hill +58 and cancelled thereafter.
1W36 18:57 London Paddington to Great Malvern (21:18) : cancelled throughout.
1W41 20:52 London Paddington to Great Malvern (23:13) : departed +43, arrived +34.

 
I’ll take a guess at air con (or air cooling) failures on an already extremely stretched fleet. 

 
Less 150s seem to be available. There are up to 5 turbos now operating on the Devon Metro.

Maybe all the 150s elsewhere being scrapped need cannibalising.

 
Can someone explain what's going on? Has routine/planned maintenance been suspended? Seems to be an increasingly common phenomenon (alongside daily crew shortages)

As always (it seems) numerous Reading-Gatwick services cancelled for the same reason

Cancellations to services between Liskeard and Looe

Due to more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time between Liskeard and Looe all lines are blocked.
Train services running to and from these stations will be cancelled. Disruption is expected until the end of the day.

Customer Advice
The line between Liskeard to Looe is suspended until further notice. This is due to more trains than usual needing repair.

Cancellations to services between Plymouth and Gunnislake

Due to more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time between Plymouth and Gunnislake all lines are blocked.

Train services running to and from these stations will be cancelled. Disruption is expected until the end of the day.

Due to more trains than usual needing repairs, the lines between Plymouth to Gunnislake ( both ways) will be suspended until further notice

 
Saturday 12th July


Sunday 13th July


Faresaver buses leave Chippenham Railway Station on Sunday at 09:25, 10:25, 11:25, 12:55, 13:55, 14:55, 16:25, 17:25 and 18:25 for Melksham Market Place (26 minutes later) and all up to and including the 17:25 continue to Trowbridge (Manvers Street).   

Return buses leave Manvers Street in Trowbridge at 09:20, 10:20, 11:20, 12:50, 13:50, 14:50, 16:20, 17:20 and 18:20.. All call at Melksham Market Place 28 minutes later and all up to and including the 16:20 bus continue to Chippenham Railway and the bus stations. There is an extra bus from Melksham to Chippenham at 08:48.

Sunday buses on route x34 do NOT serve Trinity Church which is adjacent to Trowbridge Railway Station - they terminate in Manvers Street (behind Sainsburys) which is a few minutes walk away if you are able bodied and know where you are going.    They do not serve Melksham Railway Station, but call (nearest stops) at Broughton Road and on the main Chippenham road outside Aldi / McDonalds

A maximum fare of £3 per individual journey applies on these buses, but to my knowledge there is no rail ticket acceptance in place.

 

That is not "disruption" - it's a complete cancellation of all trains on certain lines.   I see no exceptional circumstances offered in the explanation and I am appalled - by of course my appellation does no good what so ever for the passengers.

 

I was reminded of the original post in our previously merged topic on the subject of HS2 - so I've now merged the latest discussion into this one, in the interest of continuity.

 
We now know how the plane crashed. Whether we get the 'why' remains to be seen.

I've attached the interim report to this post. It is compressed so the embedded images may not be clear. Alternatively it can be downloaded from India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau.

https://aaib.gov.in/What's%20New%20Assets/Preliminary%20Report%20VT-ANB.pdf

 
Reported elsewhere too. From the MSN extract from the Telegraph:

 
BREAKING NEWS.
No significant faults found with the aircraft or the engines.
Both fuel controls found to be shut off. (according to flight data recorder)
One of the pilots can be heard asking the other pilot why were the switches turned off ? (according to cockpit voice recorder)

Source was BBC TV news at 22-00, Friday evening.

 
https://www.gwr.com/sunday-disruption

 
If there have been, they haven’t appeared on the Tiger Departure Board this afternoon/evening or Journeycheck saying Cardiff-Portsmouths making additional stops.