Great Western Coffee Shop

Edit by grahame - 17.1.2022

I have split off this post and subsequent ones from http://www.passenger.chat/25368 which is a very long running thread concerning the axing last month by SWR of all their services to stations from Trowbridge to Bristol Temple Meads, as this their other service west from Salisbury - to Exeter - appears to have suffered a substantial and unwelcome cut and now needs its own thread

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The original post from Mark A:

Can't check their website as it's down, but have South Western Railway ceased running through services west of Salisbury for the time being?

Hope it's not an hour's wait at Salisbury for Exeter.

Mark

[Edit: belay that: seems to be a Twitter rumour...]

Ah, yes. Not in the National Rail web site yet.

Also 'Until further notice'. Mostly 2 hourly west of Exeter? And a twenty minute to half hour wait at Salisbury. When this happened to the Bristol services, one of the three trains didn't reappear.

Apologies. Deleted my post as it was quoted. The timetable info within it was posted elsewhere on this board.

http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=25817.0

Nick Hurrell from the salisbury to exeter rail user group had a small item on BBC spotlight local south west of England news at 17:00pm on Sunday.
Talking about the cuts.

 
Good to learn that former SWT Senior Manager and now West Dorset MP Chris Loder
(and someone in authority who actually knew and cared for the Exeter to Waterloo line and its passengers) is taking up these forthcoming severe weekday cuts to services with SWR Clare Mann.

I would also now expect Grant Shapps MP to be issuing an urgent 'report to my office at 0900 Monday for a please explain'  to SWR Clare Mann.

Interesting to see Nick Hurrell pointing out that very few services had been cancelled in recent weeks. Looking at RTT regularly that was the impression I had. So is Covid really the reason behind the changes?
The result is about 20 minutes wait at Salisbury followed by another 15 minutes at Yeovil, where the trains pass each other.

Background data:

1. For TODAY, here is the journey from Exeter to Waterloo with SWR:
14:56 - Exeter St Davids
( 15:00 Exeter Central )
16:01 - 16:15 Yeovil Junction
17:03 - 17:21 Salisbury - CHANGE TRAINS HERE
( 18:05 Basingstoke )
18:57 - Waterloo
Runs every 2 hours, change at Salisbury, single fare £49.80

2. The timetable planner will offer you for TODAY (Single £57)
15:15 - Exeter St Davids
17:29 - 17:44 London Paddington - CHANGE TRAINS HERE
18:05 - Waterloo
and it only offered me the train labelled "1." if I specified "via Salisbury"

3. If you specify "avoid Paddington" The timetable planner will offer you for TODAY (Single £54.50)
15:15 - Exeter St Davids
17:01 - 17:12 Reading - CHANGE TRAINS HERE
18:36 - Waterloo
with alternatives at the same price via Westbury / Salisbury, and via Reading / Basingstoke

4. As a "Control" - here is the direct journey with SWR as it was 2 years ago this week
http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/nrtt20/Table%20160.pdf
15:25 - Exeter St Davids
( 15:30 Exeter Central )
16:27 - 16:29 Yeovil Junction
17:16 - 17:20 Salisbury
( 17:54 Basingstoke )
18:49 - Waterloo
Ran every hour, through train

- is this a result of the amended timetable introduced due to COVID, other timetable amendments/changes to services, or both?

Officially, this is an amended timetable due to Covid, but rather than plan it in the same way as GWR and strip out just a few diagrams, they have re-introduced the first emergency Covid timetable brought in during the first lockdown when nobody was travelling.

Plus a further 10 minute wait at Pinhoe for some Down services.

I have invited SWR to comment:


Confirming my earlier post, here is what the SWR website offers me for Exeter St Davids to Waterloo journeys this afternoon:

(http://www.wellho.net/pix/swr_go_away_20220117.jpg)
(Which is a 14.5% fare increase over direct trains that were offered last week!)

Journey planners are programmed to offer the shortest journey time, hence with the changes now made to the SWR services, all journeys are now quicker via GWR services and the tube, rather than via Salisbury/Basingstoke - so one needs to force the route choice using the via/avoid option.

Travellers not used to needing to do this will simply think all those SWR services have been (temporarily) withdrawn…along with the cheaper fares. This needs attention & might be something Transport Focus could be involved in?

Tomorrow's Transport Select Committee meeting should be interesting as, in addition to Chris Loder, both Simon Jupp (Con, East Devon) and Ben Bradshaw (Lab, Exeter) sit on said committee.

Is this going to be streamed live?

Press release from Railfuture

I cannot find it on any listings as a live broadcast. BBC Parliament has a 'Select Committees'  summary on Saturday afternoon.

I was walking the pooch passed Pinhoe station this morning at about 9:20am. A couple, complete with suitcases, had just arrived onto the London-bound platform. Under the revised timetable, the 09:25 EXD-WAT (due Pinhoe at 09:35) is replaced by a 08:55 EXD-SAL (due at Pinhoe at 09:10).

I was rather concerned as they showed no sign of having missed their train, so asked them where they were heading. They had tickets for the 09:35 to travel to Gatwick Airport, via Salisbury andClapham Junction. When I mentioned the revised timetable, they were somewhat surprised and disappointed to hear that the next available service would not be until 11:05. They have no access to the internet and had not seen or heard anything about it. To make matters worse, there are no posters up at Pinhoe station advertising the revised timetable and, as has been reported on here previously, the CIS on the Up platform has not been working for more than 18 months.

I don't know whether they had a flight to catch, but I suggested that they got hold of a complaints form and let SWR know their feelings. Sadly, they would not be entitled to any delay-replay compensation.

I have been researching this, and I understand that a staff shortage due to Covid is unlikely to be the reason.   Rather, with passenger numbers being low the opportunity is being taken to services, and reduce overtime and rest day working from normal (whatever they are) to minimal levels, and indeed also provide a small buffer of "rostered spare" crew in case of late absence.  So if we are told "it's because of Covid" that could be right - in that passenger numbers are low enough for "them" to get away with a reduced service, and those numbers are low because of ongoing covid concerns.

With costs being "king" ... fewer services, less track access charges, less overtime to pay, the "saving costs" objective is helped.  Whether the cost saving is greater than or less than the income lost, I would not know, and whether a cost saving in the short term results in an income loss over a substantially longer period, I would not know.   I would not know, either, if and how Network Rail is going to be making up the loss of TOC income from reduced track access charges.

From the BBC (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-60024712)


and later in the same article


and that says something different to the headline - it admits as I read it that SWR are reducing the timetable because there are not enough people using the trains to justify the provision and expense of a full service.

c2c (quoted) and Greater Anglia further down the article both talk of cuts in response to lower passenger numbers (rather than lack of staff) and other TOCs are quoted with lower service specs without reason given - SWR are the only ones quoting staff absence  ;D ;D

I haven't posted on this board for ages, but as someone who uses this service from time to time I'm pretty hacked off about this. It's not really down to Covid; there's a chap in our user group who monitors performance, and in recent weeks SWR have hardly cancelled anything on this line due to staff shortages. (Since they withdrew the Bristol services in fact, presumably because they've now got a glut of crews.) Last week there were no staff-related cancellations.

If it's down to reduced passenger numbers, why not just terminate every other Exeter train at Salisbury? Making people change trains introduces an element of risk, with the possibility of missing the connection, or the twenty minute delay if all goes well. Plus they've introduced stonking great delays at Yeovil Junction and Pinhoe (Exeter bound). It all seems designed to put passengers off using the line, so they can say "Look, no-one's using the trains, let's cancel some more".

Correct me if I'm wrong, but there's no restriction on weekday leisure travel, is there? Surely people should be encouraged to be using trains for longer journeys rather than driving up and down the A303. Wan't our PM in Glasgow recently lecturing other countries on how they should be doing more to reduce carbon emissions, or was I dreaming all that?

Many thanks to Andrew at SWR for a prompt reply - and much more substantial that just a holding letter too.   Much appreciated!


I will follow up the fares issue - explaining what was a passing reference in my original letter - in a separate post.

From Claire Mann, MD of SWR to the Salisbury Journal (https://www.salisburyjournal.co.uk/news/19853079.railfuture-slam-new-south-western-railway-covid-timetable-changes/)


There needs to be a balance. Short notice cancellations can be minimised "to extremis" by culling fare more trains than really necessary, and, gosh, that must be so tempting if demand is low and you are being bullied to keep costs as low as you can.   Problem is that if you provide a naff service frequency, even if it's reliable, you drive demand ever lower in a spiral.

Over the few weeks that it should apply to staff shortage/illness, I don’t think it’ll have much long-term affect frankly. Only if the DfT insists they continue for longer will that fear materialise.

In the short term, far worse is GWR & other TOCs week-to-week changes such that planning a trip with constraints on arrival and/or departure time (if for an evening out, requiring last train) sre far more difficult, if nigh on impossible.

I suspect SWR will find some way of providing that last departure from BRI to Westbury.

New thread at http://www.passenger.chat/25888

If, as both Andrew and Claire at SWR appear to be saying, it is purely a staffing issue, then .....

Why is SWR able to run a full service with full-length trains today (Saturday) without too much trouble, when they say they can't run a virtually identical timetable on weekdays?

From SWR (copied on to me with "request so share widely" ... and I happen to be on BBC Radio Wiltshire this afternoon too, though talking buses, so I will slip it in if I can.    No feedback on the promised last train of the evening nor on fares from EXD; both may be sorted but I have not had a chance to look and re-research!

I'm out and about for the next couple of days doing some mystery shopping. I've just changed trains at Salisbury. Going to the south coast so it was a necessary change.

What I've just noticed though is a lack of facilities today (could be a one off) which isn't good when so many folk have to change trains here currently.

Gents on P4 closed. Waiting room on P2/3 closed. Costa Coffee on P2/3 closed. Cafe Ritazza in booking hall closed. All told it makes for a not particularly nice place to change trains.

Praise be for the trolley on my GWR train to Portsmouth. Shiraz and Mini Cheddars to see me through!

I'm mystery shopping a couple of stations. Good job for SWR that one of them isn't Salisbury!

The Bristol to Westbury extra was promised from 13th December by GWR and is being provided.  The Westbury to Salisbury section was promised by SWR and they have NOT found a way of providing it.  10 days after my initial enquiry, and with my contact on leave from tomorrow, I chased it up:


Basically, too busy to even have a look for the best part of two weeks.

Two months ago, SWR ran around 15 trains a day from Exeter to London, and around 3 trains a day from Bristol to London.  Now they run just one a day (at 05:09) from Exeter to London, and none at all from Bristol.

Has the combination of SWR, the DfT and Covid succeeded where Beeching and British Rail (Western Region) failed in making GWR the only rail route from London to the West?   Is the next step the "localisation" of the Salisbury operation as part of a greater Wessex regional organisation, covering southern Wessex lines and with trains running to the boundary of third rail territory, from where London passengers will change into the electric trains of the South West Home Counties operation?

I overheard an interesting conversation a few days back. There is absolutely no firm evidence to back up the comments, so it is probably just 'wibble' to be taken with rather more than just a pinch of salt, but it would not surprise me if there is a tiny element of correct speculation. The comments were essentially that GWR would take over Exeter to Axminster services completely with SWR running Gillingham to Basingstoke. Two trains (one Up and one Down) per day would run from Exeter to Salisbury to enable the line to remain open for diversionary purposes.

I sincerely hope it never comes to that, but I do fear a repeat of the mid-1960s now that one company has control over both routes to the westcountry.

That one company being the Dft?  First Group (or any of the operators) don’t have any control anymore.

Given the recent 'duplication of services' argument relating to Bristol to Salisbury, the comment still applies regarding the service end points (i.e Exeter and London) whoever has control.

Definitely "wibble".   Certainly, when - and I do say when, not if - there is an additional passing loop between Whimple and Cranbrook, GWR will run the extra hourly service between Exeter and Axminster.  That's not even news.  The Waterloo - Exeter service will stay hourly - it's been a great success since the Axminster dynamic loop opened in 2009 and that came as a result of its success since the introduction of the 159s in 1993.

Can you imagine trying to reduce Templecombe, Sherborne, Yeovil Jn and Crewkerne to effectively a Parliamentary service!   Definitely "wibble" but a sign of the times (hopefully shortlived times) that someone actually voiced such a view.

The normal hourly through Exeter service is showing in RTT from 16th May. 

GWR are not live yet, if they’re adding any short workings I expect we’ll see them within a few more days...

Have we started to think about the unthinkable? To question the future of successful lines and services in their current or any form? Does the very act of asking put them on the radar and agenda of others who may not have the same view of the future that we do?

Two years ago - January 2020 - indications were that SWR's through services from Bristol, Bath and West Wiltshire to London Waterloo were a success. South West Trains had seen them grow into well used and loved services, and South Western Railway had taken over the mantle.  Service had grown to departures at 08:49, 12:49, 15:50 and 19:35 from Bristol, with a short working to Salisbury at 22:25.  Departures from London at 09:20, 12:20, 16:20 and 19:20 as well as a short working from Salisbury at 06:40. A service on the upward trajectory, and all seemed rosy.  Then Covid struck and, rightly, a number of train services were temporarily suspended.  Except - was it temporary?

One year ago - January 2021 - and the world was taking far longer to "bounce back" than had been allowed for in the early, crisis reaction days.  Pen was being put to paper (or rather finger to keyboard) to see how expenditure could be reduced, and discussions started between South Western Railway and the Department for Transport. Priority at both organisations was commuters and school children, and a beady eye fell on this service - very successful though it had been (and probably would be again when some sort of normality returned), it was identified y a collaboration of DfT and SWR employees as something they could - with minimum fuss, they felt, cull.  As far as we can tell, they didn't ask the passengers. They didn't ask the local transport authorities it served. They didn't ask passenger groups such as the West Wilts Rail User Group or TravelWatch SouthWest. They didn't even ask their own Transport Focus 'watchdog". The did, in due course, ask Network Rail if withdrawing these trains would cause them a problem, and they did co-ordinate with their First Group colleagues at GWR who were in the process of pulling out some other trains.

So - this time last year, all looked Rosy. Some of the Bristol - Waterloo trains had come back and there was good growth in them and the leisure market they were serving - and indeed they went on growing (in percentage use) back far, far better than SWR's commuter traffic.  But - it turned out - that didn't matter; it had looked rosy, but it was blighted under the covers.

Someone, somewhere, had seen a way of cutting costs and of ticking boxes. Someone noted that there were other trains on the same line and labelled them "duplication". Someone felt that 'core business' is commuters, and these were not commuter services.  An organisation that majors on "frequent" services saw an opportunity to rid itself of an infrequent one that needed different staff management of route learning skill. And the area served was mostly senior government safe seats, so they would get away with political lip service if they cut it.

So - this time, this year. The service that we thought was a success (and it was) two years ago is gone.  Passengers have been shifted to less good, more expensive alternatives if they travel at all. And a lesson as been learned.

We should have been asking questions earlier - a year ago. No use waiting until the plans had been made and were dribbled out in mid summer.

We should be asking questions NOW about remaining services operate by SWR to the west of Salisbury. Not all the same metrics, but if GWR start running east from Exeter, is that not duplication?   There are difference, but there are also frightening similarities - starting with the same people being involved. I will admit to having a crisis of confidence and I now treat everything that they say with three pinches of salt not one.

I am not, I hope, a total profit of doom. There are modernisation options that are "left field" and could be operated - a 30 minute local service Exeter to Yeovil Pen Mill by GWR for example, with onward (London) service from Yeovil Junction with SWR? No-one mentioned this so far?  I wonder if there are crayonistas in the DfT just as there are here (heck, I'm one today!) only they owe their income to their crayoning to the satisfaction of their bosses upstairs and at the treasury.

So - we should ask ourselves, and others, the questions. Indeed, if we know what questions to ask, we should do so, trying to pre-empt that tradition of FOI requests that they find answers only after it's too late to do anything about what they reveal.

Should this be referred to the Competition and Markets Authority in view of their comments when First Group took over the SW Trains franchise.

No, it's temporary owing to Covid (so far, and that's the answer you will definitely get)

I'm not sure which of the two comments you are answering, Chris.    The answer you will get if you ask, I agree, is "it's just temporary".  The problem I have with that is that less than two years ago we were told the the SWR Bristol service was only temporarily gone.  Bits of it came back and it looked like it was heading the right way, but we were then told it was just a temporary return of a few of the services and it was permanently gone - with no consultation because it could be done without under Covid.    Putting it another way - we trusted what we were told about it only being gone temporarily but that turned out to be not exactly the case, and this by the very same people who (as you would expect) are giving re-assurances on the Exeter services, and who have already pulled the one adjustment they promised.   And they now "have a lot on their plate" so haven't even looked at continuing to (re)provide it.

Sure, I look through very cynical glasses.  Problem is, almost everything that's happened tells me that's the attitude I need to take with these people, and it's desperate hard to break the cycle now.

It’s not just west of Salisbury that’s causing concern:

https://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/19876584.train-timetable-changes-causing-chaos-dorset-commuters/

Continues…

The two extremities of the SWR network which appear to be unfairly picked on. One question I see frequently asked on articles about cuts on both lines is how come they can run a near normal timetable of direct services on weekends but not weekdays?

I am - ever so slightly - stand in SWR defense here and offer a partial explanation / suggestion.

Were I looking to be in charge of running a TOC network at present and with limited resources out of my control (whether I was very short on staff, or very short of money to pay for day to day operation), I  would look to be providing a good service to match current demand as far practical - and that relates to journey opportunities and reliability.

Taking the West of England 'section' ...
* A. From Exeter, a base service every two hours all the way to London (Waterloo), calling at nearly all stations as far as Basingstoke then Woking, Clapham Junction and Waterloo
* B. From Exeter, a second service every two hours - "Metro", probably to Honiton or Axminster, and picking up any / few stations missed by A.
* C. From Salisbury, a second service every two hours, all stations to Basingstoke then Woking, Clapham Junction and Waterloo.

During "peak" hours ... some extras.  Staffing in not an art I am totally familiar with, but let's plan for a surge in shift starts a couple of hours before morning and evening peaks, providing more drivers and train managers during those busy periods (including shoulders) so we can offer some of those extras.   Rolling stock wise these extras are not highly efficient - in fact we're back to the dreaded "used only for commuters" units that have been held up as being so expensive over the years.

Note that I have prioritised frequency of service to all stations and through trains over speed - however, I'm conscious that a slower service probably means another train / unit in the cycle.  I have also run trains "over" Salisbury, but am aware that will mean extra staff there to help add / remove carriages (is an issue with providing staff for these purposes why people are being asked to change from a 159 to another 159 at present?). And I would wish to ensure that first and last trains run pretty much close to "how they used to be".

Now - I don't know whether or not the real issue at SWR is (i) Staff shortage (ii) Short term funding shortage (iii) An opportunity to restructure or try out things for the future.  I would suspect a mixture, and I'm not totally sure how much it matters if a decent, though thinner, service that meets customer needs is running this winter.   Weekend services better than weekday under this scheme too?   Yes - it may make sense to match the staff and money resource by having more shifts and more trains out at the weekend while it's busy.

Funny, isn't it, how we can slag off SWR but then when we look to come up with a suggestion of how we would do ut under similar constraints, there is a similarity in our suggestions to what they are doing.   Differences "it it were me" ... I would really look to continue to offer through trains (and excellent connections - a 10 minute pause at Salisbury to couple / uncouple is also an opportunity for the Cardiff to Portsmouth train to swap passengers, for example), I would be open with listing the reasons to the public, rather than being partial in such a way that I'm clearly not telling the full story, I would maintain first and last trains, I would be making very strong representations to my funders in relation to how we must regrow and not be on a spiral of decline (SWR may be doing this).

My comment above that Graham queried was about the referral to the CMA.

Graham said:-I am not, I hope, a total profit of doom. There are modernisation options that are "left field" and could be operated - a 30 minute local service Exeter to Yeovil Pen Mill by GWR for example, with onward (London) service from Yeovil Junction with SWR? No-one mentioned this so far?  I wonder if there are crayonistas in the DfT just as there are here (heck, I'm one today!) only they owe their income to their crayoning to the satisfaction of their bosses upstairs and at the treasury.
 
There is a similar rumour locally, but that GWR service runs from Exeter to Reading via Yeovil Junction & Pen Mill. SWR start/terminate at Yeovil Junction.

Also hear that from May, Salisbury to Waterloo services will divert after Basingstoke to terminate at Reading with only core Exeter trains running to Waterloo. Whether this applies to the services starting at Yeovil I do not know.

Not sure which, but one of the new GWR Exeter to Axminster trains runs on as a route learner to the Yeovils and Castle Cary.

I do wonder if the eventual intention is for Paddington to become the sole station for the West Country?

I agree with Graham that questions should be asked now, rather than in a couple of years time!

BBC Spotlight local news for the South West,on its lead story on Fridays tea time news an update about the Exeter to Salibury plans.

Persons interviewed

Bruce Duncan Salisbury to Exeter rail user group at Axminster station

Stewart Palmer director of rail future

Bryony Chetwode Travel watch south west

BBC local news availble for TWENTY FOURS ONLY on the i-player catch up thingy

Politics south west on Sunday morning should have an expanded version of the news item 

Thank you - and to stress that positive change is to be encouraged.  I worry about the recent track record of the people and organisations who would be involved, in both what they have done and how they have gone about it. If they are reading this (stranger things have happened), we would really appreciate working with them in good time, openly, and demonstrably fully to come up with the best modernisation - services that:
* meet people's need and desires with quality
* encourage (far) more people to use the trains
* Work operationally and robustly
* result in a net reduction of the contribution needed from the public purse
* people feel they own and will nurture through their communities, of which they become an even more vital part

And who best to provide steer and thoughts on this than to help tune it that - well -

None of the above are borne out by the May 2022 timetables as released earlier this week.

I strongly suspect that the whole timetable for May has not yet been loaded. What is 5L97 (Axminster to Axminster) for instance? I guess that an Exeter TMD to Axminster and Axminster to Barnstaple are yet to be loaded ??

Agreed. But there's no hint of Salisbury to Reading services instead of Salisbury to Waterloo. Nor Exeter to Reading services via the Yeovils.

As I write there are now Salisbury to Reading services showing on Sundays, but morning and afternoon only, they’re showing in RTT on 15th May.  But they revert to Waterloo for the evening. 

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/search/detailed/gb-nr:SAL/to/gb-nr:RDG/2022-05-15/0200-0159?stp=WVS&show=all&order=wtt&toc=SW

I think pre-Covid this was explained as providing capacity towards London while the Waterloo approaches are undergoing weekly maintenance closures.  But there is only one passenger run towards Reading during Monday to Thursday evenings - it goes back empty.

Paul

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51851106935_3e52c94e77_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mZUtCk)16 may 2022 2L (https://flic.kr/p/2mZUtCk) by Robert (https://www.flickr.com/photos/revupminster/), on Flickr

2L92 Barnstaple -Axminster is on real time from 16 may. This replaces the SWR 1746 to Axminster in the pre covid timetable.


The hourly Okehampton service is also on real time.

I did say 'instead of'. A handful of services from Salisbury to Reading. Not a wholesale change to that destination instead of Waterloo.

Apologies if that came across wrong, I was trying to highlight that they are the same Sunday services that were already in place a couple of years ago, for entirely non-Covid purposes.

So they’re still not a symptom of some sort of SWR or DfT service reduction conspiracy…

Paul

I have posted some general thoughts on most appropriate (most useful) discussion and campaigning at http://www.passenger.chat/25953sanityneeded which included a hefty chunk on "The Mule".  I am not crossposting the whole thing here, but to take a look, by all means quote here, and let's leave all the options on the table and discuss them .... now ....

YES - available for 29 days ((here)) (https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m00143qp/politics-south-west-30012022) - from 9 minutes in to 18 minutes.

Starring ...

(http://www.wellho.net/pix/psw_bru.jpg)(http://www.wellho.net/pix/psw_ste.jpg)(http://www.wellho.net/pix/psw_bry.jpg)

It would appear that Journey Planners have the 'normal' timetable loaded from next Monday.

I had a very brief chat about the likely reintroduction of the 'normal' timetable with the TM on my train back from Exeter to Pinhoe yesterday. He was very frank and open with his comments. He said "I was told services would be back to normal by mid-February, but we all have our doubts".  He then went on to say that SWR are not particularly happy having to operate the route 'in such challenging conditions'. By that, he meant operating on long sections of single track, prone to landslips and flooding. He did like the 159s though.

‘Back to normail’…,

That’s not to full timetable, but the 85/92% timetable previously in use. The remaining services represent the 10% savings that the DfT have demanded

Remember that you could have said exactly the same last week, and the "17th January" timetable was not uploaded for this week until last Friday. The relevant page for SWR (https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/service_disruptions/287321.aspx) on the NR site says:

GWR intent on keeping their emergency timetable until mid-Feb I believe.

From my mailbox with request "to share" ...

Also on YouTube, via Chris Loder’s Twitter account
https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=uAlJDBbLzkM

"To Dec 2021 level" - now is that the initial Covid timetable or the published timetable for Dec21? Did that latter timetable ever get introduced properly in December? I can't remember

I think the Dec 21 level of service is what you’d see with a query now, (2nd Feb), on RTT for next week.

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/search/detailed/gb-nr:SAL/2022-02-07/0600-2000?stp=WVS&show=all&order=wtt&toc=SW

They cancel most of them and add the smaller number of running trains back in by STP action.

Presumably the resumption of this hourly service on 21st (claimed as from 19th on the usual "claim anything you can even if it's not new" basis) means that the whole timetable will revert on 20th to what it was at some time in the interval 12th December -16th January. So the current "cut the timetable to below what is ever likely to be needed and add some back if we can" will revert to "timetable what we and the DfT think we ought to run and then cancel the trains we can't run on the day".

Or at my station - Bookham it's 50% service Dec 2021 compared to Dec 2019.
Oh well, if RTT is correct and the Waterloo trains run 30 mins earlier / later, I can stay in bed for another 30 mins again. :)

Paul Clifton, BBC, on Twitter has another possibility.
https://twitter.com/paulcliftonbbc/status/1488925941346807811?s=21

I've received an email from SWR Customer Relations this evening (in response to an email I had written to Claire Mann complaining about the service pattern) which makes no reference to the fact that the through service to Exeter is being reinstated from 21st February. It's basically saying the same thing as they've said to Paul Clifton. Either the PM is winging it, or SWR's right hand doesn't know what its left hand is doing. Or perhaps both of the above.

These comments are telling, because I think there's a problem within SWR management (in its First MTR incarnation; I'm not suggesting it was the case under Stagecoach) that they see themselves as a suburban commuter railway and that their long distance services are just a nuisance. Having said that, I get the impression they're not much cop at running a suburban commuter railway these days .....

I take that to confirm what I thought about that PM's answer at the time - he's leaned on DfT (prop. G Shapps) to help with his current project to curry favour with Tory MPs, and they have told SWR that they will restart this service on 21st. The general return to full service levels is still planned for that date, but not yet agreed and signed off by all parties so can't be mentioned by TOCs.

Just received from SWR:


Good - happy with that.  Outcome we were always told to expect; hypothetical to ask if the outcome would have been the same if there had been little or no public concern at the reduced services and splits, and I'm sure I will be accused of being churlish if I even dare to ask that question.

What was the outcome of SWR's December 2022 consultation?   Are these back for good, or back for the year, or will be see them being strengthened further from December?
 

Outcome? That doesn't need to come out until much nearer to December 2022, does it?

By then, I expect that how far passenger numbers have come back up again, and the body count in the Treasury, will matter more than the consultation inputs.

NOW is the time for community groups to be working with the train operators, their masters in government, local transport authorities and Transport Focus to ensure that the best outcomes are achieved for passengers, and for operators, and for financiers and regulators.  Minute by minute timetables, and perhaps even whether trains run in certain paths, could perhaps be delayed until the autumn.

It was about this time last year that South Western Railway and the Department for Transport were in email correspondence, without reference to the other groups mentioned (local transport authorities, Transport Focus, community partnerships and passenger groups) ... and the result was detached, poor, and much resented decisions.  Or if I translate that, loss of loved services that need not have been lost, and diabolical connections between the leftovers when that could have been so much better.  By the time the bodies I mentioned heard about the plans, it was, we were told "too late", and indeed further delays on responding to FOI requests and in finding suitable dates to meet timed us out.   I have no intention of walking blind into the same trap again this year should it be being reset for reuse, nor have the other involved.

This is an SWR thread.  The situation with GWR is much, much better and various meetings and involvements are ongoing.  For sure, less than perfect but that's bound to be the case where objectives across parties and indeed communities vary but an order of magnitude better than SWR.  I have been scratching my head to work out just why the situation has been so different with the two TOCs, bearing in mind that both are First group companies, both are contracted to run services via the Department for Transport.  On the positive side, that does suggest to me that SWR have room to move to an engagement position similar to that taken by GWR, and indeed they may - just may - be beginning to see that.  Fingers crossed, but not relying on that crossing of fingers, nor just sitting back and waiting to see.

This possibly needs to be put elsewhere.

On the subject of duplication of services and cutting them, as I was leaving Paddington today I thought about when the Elizabeth Line comes into operation. How long will three (?) separate services from Paddington to Heathrow servive? Plus the Piccadily line. Or maybe anything goes if it enables ministers to jet off.

Three? HeX yes, and the Elizabeth line which will include the occasional starter from PAD. That’s two

Sorry I hadn't clicked that the "Heathrow stopper" (with orange side panels) had already stopped.

Come on Sid, keep up!

Does this belong here?

Due to a shortage of available train crew between 28 March and 01 April, there will be fewer services running than usual.

The following train alterations will take place on 28/03 - 01/04:

West of England
- 1547 Salisbury to Waterloo is cancelled
- 1750 Waterloo to Yeovil Pen Mill will start from Salisbury
- 1939 Basingstoke to Yeovil Pen Mill will terminate at Salisbury
- 2130 Yeovil Pen Mill to Yeovil Junction is cancelled
- 2145 Yeovil Junction to Salisbury is cancelled

​Lymington to Brockenhurst
​All services between Lymington and Brockenhurst are cancelled. We are currently in the process of recruiting replacement transport and an update will be provided one this is in place.

The following train alterations will take place on 28/03 only.

Island Line
- 0605 Ryde St Johns Road to Ryde Esplanade is cancelled
- 0614 Ryde Esplanade to Shanklin is cancelled
- 0648 Shanklin to Ryde Esplanade is cancelled
- 0714 Ryde Esplanade to Shanklin is cancelled
- 0748 Shanklin to Ryde Esplanade is cancelled
- 0814 Ryde Esplanade to Shanklin is cancelled
- 0848 Shanklin to Ryde St Johns Road is cancelled
- 1518 Ryde St Johns Road to Shanklin is cancelled
- 1548 Shanklin to Ryde Esplanade is cancelled
- 1614 Ryde Esplanade to Shanklin is cancelled
- 1648 Shanklin to Ryde Esplanade is cancelled
- 1714 Ryde Esplanade to Shanklin is cancelled
- 1748 Shanklin to Ryde Esplanade is cancelled
- 1814 Ryde Esplanade to Shanklin is cancelled
- 1848 Shanklin to Ryde Esplanade is cancelled
- 1914 Ryde Esplanade to Ryde St Johns Road is cancelled

Following these cancellations, the Island Line will still be operating an hourly service. This will run at XX:15 from Shanklin and XX:45 from Ryde Pier Head

Please note that due to the fluid nature of this situation, further train alterations may take place. We strongly advise that you check your journey before you travel.

We are very sorry for any delay that this may cause to your journeys.