Great Western Coffee Shop

After a very acceptable improvement in the capacity of trains on the locals around Bristol recently, today train 2U18 13:08 TAU - CDF was operated by a single 153 from TAU to BRI at least.  I only travelled to Yatton from Weston-super-Mare (WSM) so cannot say what happened after that. On leaving WSM there was actually sufficient room for all with some spare seats, but suitcases were piled onto seats because a number of travellers seem to prefer to block the luggage racks than sit next to strangers and there is a reluctance for people to leave their possessions so far away from them.  It's a good distance down the length of a 153 if you can't get a seat near the luggage area.

No explanation was offered as to the reason for this now unusually short formation (can you form a single carriage into a train?) but things must have been desperate to run in such a way on busy route and I wonder if anyone saw what happened later on in the journey.  The train ran late throughout according to RTT.

Hate to say it ... but in these parts we regard you as lucky to have even one carriage this week.

If you missed the 06:12 off Swidnon this morning, your next TransWilts train is at 12:47 ... and we haven't had a full scheduled service run any day since 19th December.


GWR may be facing all sorts of issues with provision to them by Network Rail and what they're allowed to do by the Department for Transport and by their own First board ... but the travelling public doesn't really care when they buy a service and are let down whether its the supplier they've bought the service from or one of their subcontractors.    They simply want a train that runs 98% of the time when "they" say it will or within a short while thereafter,  with sufficient space to get on and travel in safety and with a modicum of comfort.

GWR are currently failing to provide what they are contracted to provide.  Further, when they fail to provide, they are falling down badly on providing any suitable alternative.

We are promised a miraculous improvement in the New Year.   I look forward to seeing it, but I frankly have my doubts.  Some promises have been kept - but others such as 2 carriages from last May, and the 08:30 (Sundays, Westbury) starting back at Warminster from January 2018, have been broken. Looking at the cancellations this morning, once again, it's TransWilts that disproportionately suffers. We're being treated as the scum again ...

Unfortunately, they'll be looking at how few they might let down when cancelling a service, and Transwilts 30-50 a lot fewer than other services might carry (or not, if cancelled)

Our last day with a complete service was 19th December and it's now 29th.  GWR are failing to meet their contracted obligations as the norm ...  I guess letting 30 to 50 people down ( x 4 as it's 4 services gone again) on a daily basis is acceptable?

I would very much like to be able to draw a line under these problems ...

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and start the new year with cancellations down from between 20% and 25% as they are at present to under 5% in January and under 3% thereafter.  And I don't think that's unreasonable - the overall reliability target is 99% (1% cancellation max) isn't it?

Indeed, and I hope so too. But unfortunately, letting 30-50 down is always better than letting double that or more down?

Yes.   And the best solution is to arrange things so that you don't have to routinely let ANYONE down!

Of course....the training ought to be all but over one would expect, so improvements shouldn't be too far off.

Mañana, Mañana

Stung by trainers criticism yesterday, GWR now seems to be overdoing things the other way!

11:04 Taunton to Cardiff Central due 13:23
Facilities on the 11:04 Taunton to Cardiff Central due 13:23.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.
Will be formed of 8 coaches instead of 3 between Bristol Temple Meads and Cardiff Central.
Additional Information
Customers will be required to change trains at Bristol Temple Meads today.
This train will be formed of a High Speed Train between Bristol Temple Meads and Cardiff Central. Customers should please be aware that this train is longer than most platforms on this route and to listen carefully to on board announcements regarding which carriages will stop adjacent to the platform at your required station.