Great Western Coffee Shop

Judging from my own experiences and those of others, the new timetable is producing some curiosities.

Thus it was this afternoon, when I arrived at Reading Station to catch the 1523 to Tilehurst. I got to Platform 13 at 1517 to find a likely-looking train standing there; I assumed that this was the stopping service from Paddington. The doors were locked and a dozen or so passengers were hanging around; perhaps a few were confused by the protracted warning on the info display that they were to stand back as a fast train was approaching...

Eventually the doors were unlocked, our train being announced as a "continuation service", and we got on, departing a couple of minutes late. (Was it my imagination, or were more passengers than usual asking "is this the train to ..."  At least one wondered if the "fast train" warning meant that he was on a service that would stop next at a station far beyond his local destination.)

Checking the National Rail website retrospectively, I see that the train was due to arrive at Reading at 1514 but had in fact done so at 1520 - though it was standing at the platform before that. Presumably 1520 reflects the time that the driver got on board and turned things on. I'm not sure what happened to passengers from Twyford etc who were travelling beyond Reading - presumably they'd been asked to get off and stand by the unstaffed train - a further nuisance added to their longer journey time-wise?

This particular service had a set swap, so the train from Reading had come from the depot to form the continuation of what would normally be a through service from Paddington. This is also what would have caused some confusion for the automated screens.

If there is one train into Reading and a different one onwards from Reading on a daily basis, should the timetable not clearly show one service into Reading and then a different one from there?

It would usually be a through service and wouldn't normally involve a change of trains.

Ah - sorry - I misunderstood your previous post.    Took it as being an hourly (?) service with one particular hour having this swap each day, and not as an exception to daily procedure.

Ollie, that's reassuring, thank you. So far under the new timetable I haven't ventured eastward beyond Reading on a stopping - or any other - service so have yet to see if it's as mildly less convenient as I suspect it may be.

Marlburian