Great Western Coffee Shop

Looking at RealTimes there is no Waterloo service during May at least and Barnstaple trains are terminating at Central running empty to Pinhoe and reversing. So it looks like the siding is out of use.

Can anybody find an engineering notice or replacement bus notice? I've looked.

I’m assuming you’ve looked at the Exeter area, but there are no SWR services at all in Realtimetrains yet.  Still to be loaded into the underlying systems..
Even Waterloo station itself is completely blank on May 17th...

Paul

There is an aspiration that the Barney services will start and end at Pinhoe rather than St James Park. The timings have been loaded into RTT as a placeholder and nothing more. When the actual service position is known, RTT will be updated. More than likely revert to the 'current' position come May.

I didn't know the waterloo trains are not yet added but the reversing at Pinhoe is shown with id codes for empty stock. I thought this might actually because Exmouth siding is being upgraded, maybe restoring the second siding.

I've taken a look at the May planned improvements pages on SWR. It appears that Waterloo is open every day but with a partial closure on 23rd May.

From SWR (https://www.southwesternrailway.com/plan-my-journey/planned-improvements/may-2021-works)

The London trains have been added to realtimes but the Barnstaple trains still run empty to Pinhoe from Exeter Central, not St James, and reverse. So I still think this must be to do with work on the siding(s) at Exmouth.

I will repeat what I have said twice now............ GWR have an aspiration to run the Barnstaple trains out to Pinhoe rather than St James Park. These (Q) slots in RTT are merely placeholders for when the full service commences. GWR need to do a couple of tasks before the service can commence....... i) driver/guard familiarisation; and ii) gauging the 165/166s.

It will be a major signalling exercise to reinstate the second siding at Exmouth Junction.

If I go to the GWR ticket site to buy a ticket from Barnstaple -St Jame's Park. it recommends changing at St David's as the train is going into the Bay (platform 2), for a Paignton- Exmouth train.

Ie; Leave Barnstaple 10.35 arrive St David's 11.41. Leave there at 12.15 arrive St James park 12.21

RealTime still has it going to Central then empty to Pinhoe.

It cannot do both??? The actual timetable should be out next week.

The journeys I have looked at on RTT have the Barnstaples arriving at Platform 1 at St Davids then going on to Central p3, the Paigntons likewise.
Thus it would seem that you can change at either Exeter location but the timetable will recommend only one of these, St Davids. Which is what the National Rail Enquries gives.
The Barnstaples then run on to Pinhoe to turn back.

Edit - data for May 20

I did work that out in my post but why cut out St James Park? When the original service did terminate at St James I did query the suitability of the station for turfing out passengers who want to go further.

My comment here is going to be highly speculative ... others may know better, and please tell me.

1. What is the cost of putting in an extra stop - even if the train is passing through?

2. What were the passengers numbers on the service at St James Park - was the extra service used?

3. Was the stop in the franchise (i.e. DfT sponsored) or a commercial add on by GWR (not DfT sponsored) - and if the latter, with current passenger levels should it be subsidised?

4. RTT tends to show things that get changed later on - are we discussing something not yet fully decided?

5. As suggested by others - is there a problem (more than was expected) from over-riders being left there, even with the recent station improvements?

Another  puzzle from the 12 April Realtime is showing the trains running empty from St James to Pinhoe and from the 17 May empty from Central to Pinhoe.