Great Western Coffee Shop

This announcement means that returning to a position of confirming timetables to customers 12 weeks ahead where these are altered at weekends, known as informed traveller, will take longer than previously planned. The industry will be working hard to return to the full 12 weeks ahead confirmation window as quickly as possible and hopes to do so by May 2019.

Update on timetable changes for December 2018


Since before we started the South Western Railway franchise, we have been preparing for a major timetable change in December 2018 to provide customers with access to additional services and extra capacity throughout the day.
 
We are therefore disappointed that we will not be implementing any changes to the December 2018 timetable and instead rolling over the May 2018 timetable. Preparations to deliver the extra services, capacity improvements and reduced journey times started well before we took over the SWR franchise and will continue as we are determined to deliver what our customers and stakeholders expect.
 
We are mindful of the disruption to customers that happened with other major timetable changes elsewhere in May 2018 and despite SWR’s desire to deliver the increased capacity and extra services as soon as possible to customers, it has been decided at a national level that a period of stability is needed.
 
Even without timetable changes in December 2018, we are preparing to deliver additional capacity for the benefit of customers and, over the coming weeks, will be seeking to confirm plans as to how the 90 additional Class 442 vehicles which are presently being refurbished, can be progressively introduced into service in the existing timetable to allow other trains to be cascaded elsewhere on our network. As part of the refurbishment of the Class 444/450 fleets, we will also be delivering an increase in standard class seating capacity through internal reconfiguration of these vehicles which will progressively increase capacity through to Spring 2019.
 
We will continue to work with Network Rail, the Department for Transport and insight from customers and stakeholders to implement the changes to our future timetables and ensure maximum benefit with minimal disruption to our customers.

Yours sincerely,
 
Andy Mellors
Managing Director

So does that mean that 387's (to Newbury) and 800's (on Bedwyn's) from Jan'19 is delayed, or will they just run to the current timetable?

A wise decision.  Allows GWR to get staff trained so we are in a position to actually operate something like the advertised timetable.

On a purely selfish basis, I am disappointed because my promised half hourly SWR train service on evenings and Sundays will remain hourly :(

Ahhhhhhh the irony! 

……….Manana, Manana - twas ever thus!  ::)

I guess for me a delay is clearly the better of two negative outcomes.   :-\

This delay might turn out to be useful to hide SWR’s embarrassment...

along with the turn back at Bedwyn

This might be very bad news for SWR.

The new franchise was costed on an increase in services in December 2018. If the DfT don't compensate FirstGroup/MTR then the already (rumoured) shaky financial predicament the franchise is in could be exacerbated.

Stagecoach/Virgin East Coast blamed Network Rail (so, by proxy blaming the Govt) for their financial predicament after being supposedly unable to introduce more services. They then defaulted when the government refused any sort of bailout.

It's quite feasible the same could happen to SWR.

Do you honestly think the TOCs will come out of this worst off financially? You obviously don't know how Grayling makes deals....although he doesn't run the railway!

There is no doubt this has bought Network Rail extra time to get the infrastructure works completed but no one will talk about how late they are running with these just that its better to delay the introduction of the new timetable.

When is the last mainline HST due to stop running GWR services? I always thought that if it wasn't until sometime during 2019, then a complete revision of the timetable couldn't be brought in anyway.

Think this confirms my thoughts above:

Modern Railways Roger Ford on Twitter:

Electrification to Cardiff has been delayed to June/July 2019.

So don’t be surprised if the May 19 timetable change comes and goes with no major timetable change on the GW network.

Mark Hopwood informed us this afternoon that electrification through to Cardiff has been put back, possibly to June/July 2019. The IET and 802 delivery plan will stay on schedule with considerably more diesel mileage than planned.

This might be very bad news for SWR.

The new franchise was costed on an increase in services in December 2018. If the DfT don't compensate FirstGroup/MTR then the already (rumoured) shaky financial predicament the franchise is in could be exacerbated.

Stagecoach/Virgin East Coast blamed Network Rail (so, by proxy blaming the Govt) for their financial predicament after being supposedly unable to introduce more services. They then defaulted when the government refused any sort of bailout.

It's quite feasible the same could happen to SWR.

Half the problem with a disintegrated railway, hopefully the new plan of TOC's running track and trains might help, but full privatisation is the best answer.