Great Western Coffee Shop

Commencing 8/1 GWR will be operating a revised timetable details of which can be found here:
https://www.gwr.com/~/media/gwr/pdfs/plan-journey/timetables/2022/changes-to-train-times--8-to-14-january-2022.pdf

GWR have taken a different approach with this timetable change.

This maximises the use of crew by taking out whole diagrams rather than on a train by train basis. 

Updated version released on 6th January;
https://www.gwr.com/~/media/gwr/pdfs/plan-journey/timetables/2022/changes-to-train-times-8-to-14-january-2022-v2.pdf?la=en (https://www.gwr.com/~/media/gwr/pdfs/plan-journey/timetables/2022/changes-to-train-times-8-to-14-january-2022-v2.pdf?la=en)

For the 10th-14th January;

For the 10th to 14 January...

The 05:49 actually ran this morning (https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:L86933/2022-01-10/detailed#allox_id=0)

So did the 0734 Didcot Parkway – Reading, which is also shown as not running all week on page 8 of the GWR Changes to Train Times document.

Incidentally, can anyone explain how reducing the St Erth – St Ives shuttle to hourly saves traincrew?   

From GWR - the temporary timetable with service reductions running this week (10th to 14th January) will also run next week (17th to 21st January). GWR write:

They certainly seem to have finally gotten round to providing a reasonable level of communication about services temporarily removed.  A shame it took so long.

I'd question the identification of services to plan to cancel. The first choice should always be to cancel the West Ealing to Greenford service and arrange ticket acceptance with London Buses (which provide a much superior service to the vast majority of potential passengers in any event on that utter basket case of a line). The second choice should be to cancel the diagram that includes the 0742 Oxford to Paddington, which has a Marylebone train one minute behind it and another fast Paddington train 11 minutes later – this is exactly the commuter market that has collapsed due to WFH.

Those services have been identified with more in mind than just which impact on passengers the least. 

Other considerations include how well staffed the depot that works a particular train is, what the crew do before and after, and what the train does before and after.  I guess it could be optimised more given time, but there wasn't much time in which to draw up this plan. 

Greenford services are crewed by Paddington GWR drivers (the former LTV depot) and if you look at what other routes those drivers sign there are hardly any other cancellations they could possibly cover anyway, as the former LTV depots are in the best shape of all in terms of being able to cover the current shortages.

Taking your 07:42 Oxford to Paddington service.  That train is formed off a diagram that stables at Oxford overnight, which has previously done a quick trip to Didcot at 05:40.  You could probably justify cancelling that Didcot run as well as the 07:42 to Paddington, but what do you do with the set that has stabled overnight?  It then goes on to form the 08:50 Paddington to Great Malvern.  I suppose you could look at starting that at Oxford with the stabled set, but then you would have to find a driver to bring it out of the sidings for it.  Also the Train Manager (and Customer Hosts) both work it from Paddington to Great Malvern, so you would have to find a way of getting them on another train to Oxford (which might not be possible due to breaks) or find another Train Manager from somewhere.

It's not easy.