Great Western Coffee Shop

03/09/2007.

With the peak holiday season now over tne 0710 Bristol Temple Meads to London Paddington reappears in the timetable and on the departure screens at all stations it is timetabled to serve as also does the familiar single word CANCELLED against this service on this the first day of the ' new term '.


05/09/2007.

First Great Western is sorry to report 07.10 Bristol Temple Meads to London Paddington has been cancelled due to a broken down train.


10/09/2007.

The 0710 Bristol TM to Paddington has been cancelled due to resourcing difficulties. As a result of this the 0600 Swansea to Paddington will call additionally at Didcot Parkway.


19/09/2007

Cancelled due to a train fault according to the e-mail timed at 05:44.
 
Cancelled due to resourcing difficulties on the e-mail timed at 07:23.

Service is scrapped from the Dec 2007 TT

I understand that the set will run at 06:40 and via Bath. That's the effect of the SLC change that was around for "consultation" a couple of months ago, which allows it to start after 06:30 (not after 07:00) and cust out the need for it to call at BPW.

You'll notice that I have put the word "consultation" in quotes in this case.  I have actually been impressed by how FGW have listened to most consultations, especially when compared with the notorious SRA one that - intentionally - got the minimum legal level of exposure it needed and resulted in last December's travesty on the TransWilts. However, the consultation on SLC changes was poorly publicised, and to my knowledge no receipts were even sent out to confirm that inputs were received.  I certainly felt that it was a lost opportunity to add an appropriate TransWilts service back into the specification framework, and to confirm a specification basis for improvements to Avonmouth and Severn Beach - both of which have had a lot of hard work done on them, but in the end have come to virtually nothing.

The shame of this change is the the original 07:10 BTM - LPD was started to relieve pressure at BPW, not Bath or Chippenham.

Although it doesn't happen often, on busy mornings some passengers have to stand from BPW through to London. This extra train, when it occassionally ran, did make a difference to this!

In response to Graham's post two above this one, is there anywhere online (DFT or FGW website or otherwise) that shows what the new SLC will be from December 2007?  I guess this will be SLC3?!

My understanding was that the 0710 BTM - PAD was a service IN ADDITION TO the SLC, thats why it was cancelled so frequently. With the 180's going back to the leasing company is it any wonder that the service is being withdrawn.

Hope FGW have included a stop at Didcot in at least one of the services that run either side of this GHOST TRAIN otherwise my friends who work at Oxford WILL BE PLEASED (tongue in cheek).

Cancelled today, train fault, 0600 stopping at Didcot

19/09/2007


Two e-mails this morning which contradict one another ;-

Cancelled due to a train fault according to the e-mail timed at 05:44.
 
Cancelled due to resourcing difficulties on the e-mail timed at  07:23.


Brings to mind something about hands not knowing what t'other is doin', eh.

FGW SLC change proposals can be found in the link below.
http://www.saveseverntunnel.co.uk/FirstGW%202007%20Draft%20Timetable%20for%20comments.pdf

No contradiction - the resource that they had difficulty finding was a working train by the sound of things  ;D

Control for you!

Well the new man at the top NEARLY achieved A FIRST in his first week at the helm with a 100% record of running this service until this morning (28/09/2007) when it showed up on the morning e-mail as cancelled.

If this service had run this morning it would have been the first time since last Decembers TT change, according to my records, that this service would have run everyday (Monday - Friday) since December.

Anyone take up the challenge and quote a week since last December when this service has indeed run everyday, Monday - Friday, since last December.

 

Cancelled this morning

I take it when this service becomes the 6.40 train via Bath it will still be the reserve set and end up being cancelled? So instead of disapointing two sets of passengers at both Bristol stations it will affect Bath and Chippenham passengers as well as BTM?

Remind me to check in December 8)

Has this service been withdrawn and thus a casualty as a result of last Saturdays powercar fire east of Westbury.

Not a mention of it on todays (23/10/2007) morning e-mail bulletins but it certainly did not run this morning and was not on the Paddington Arrivals page when I checked at 0800hrs. 0600hrs Swansea to Paddington down on the morning e-mail bulletin to call additionally at Didcot Parkway.

Also it does not appear on the journey planner for tomorrow morning 24/10/2007 either, although it does for 25-26/10/2007. It may be that for the future this service is a planned cancellation, cancelled at 24 hours notice.

Will check tomorrow.

It's not that hard to find...
http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/Content.aspx?id=1812 (http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/Content.aspx?id=1812)

Now that's one place I didn't think to look, but then who would have thought that engineering work between Liskeard and Bodmin Road in deepest Cornwall would lead to the cancellation of a Bristol to London service for the duration.

Oh I forgot, we are dealing with FGW, aren't we.

Surprises me too. AFAIK no HSTs are in Cornwall.

It *may* have something to do with the powercar fire on Saturday

TWO hst's are in Cornwall.

The sets stuck in Cornwall caused the planned cancellation of the service

Both full plastic sets as well weren't they?

No. One was a fully refurb set in low density configuration and the other was un refurb execpt a high density E. Both had MTU's at both ends.

WHO are you trying to convince, the village idiot.

In normal circumstance they would be at least 2 HST sets in Cornwall at any time there are services operating, one down to Penzance from Plymouth and one up, from Penzance. so with X sets in the fleet X-2 sets are available for use on the other parts of the FGW empire.

2 sets stuck in Cornwall due to the engineering blockade STILL makes X-2 sets available for use elsewhere, no difference, even that sum the village idiot could work that out.

Well, he does appear to have attracted your attention... :P

 Well IF you bother to look at this properly it makes perfect sense!!

 On a weekday morning there are SIX HST departures from Penzance before the first inward HST arrives from London Paddington. So, with the line closed SIX HSTs have to start from Plymouth, but with TWO stuck in Cornwall where are the SIX from Plymouth going to come from??? Look a bit deeper and there is actually logic there.....

 You will find that as Plymouth is closer to Paddington than Penzance only FIVE of the what would be Penzance starters leave Plymouth before the first inbound working for Paddington. Therefore with TWO stuck Cornwall and FIVE needed at Plymouth (SEVEN) when the normal amount needed from Penzance is SIX does it not appear we would be ONE set short?? Hmmmmmmmm 07:10.........

Thank you for setting it out like that, couldn't be bothered to do the maths the other night, so perhaps the person who thinks I think there the village idiot could perhaps take that back!

31/10/2007.

07:10 Bristol Temple Meads to London Paddington due 08:55
This train has been diverted.It will no longer call at: Bristol Parkway, Swindon and Didcot Parkway.This is due to over-running engineering works.

Should be plenty of seats on this service this morning from Reading to pacify the commuters from Oxford and intermediate stations to Reading.

This has to be the funniest thing that with all the chaos because of the overunning engineering work, that the service that usually gets cancelled is ACTUALLY running. Hope they make it stop at Bath and Chippenham.

Running via Berks and Hants line so Chippenham a definite no-go. Left BRI 0723, 13 late.

Arrived at Paddington a nice 47 minutes late.

All good fun

Did it call at Bath or any other places between BRI and RDG.

I watched it on the NRES site but it seemed stuck between Bristol Temple Meads and Stapleton Road as it was awaiting a report from a monitoring point between the two points until it disappeard from the NRES site at about 0910, the Reading departure time not having been reported.

No. Fast via B&H

It should have gone via BPW!

With the 0631 cancelled, it was standing room only on leaving BPW!

Today 1L19 is 180 vice HST

01/11/2007.



Yeh !

I know the morning e-mail says "07.10 Bristol Temple Meads to Paddington service will run formed as 5 carriages instead of 8."


Yeh !

I know the Service Incidents reports "This train has run short formed with 5 carriages" at 0800 when its not due to arrive at Paddington until 0855



B-B-B-B-But !

NRES site shows the service as cancelled throughout.


A-A-A-A-And !

FGW Live Departures and Arrivals website page shows the service as cancelled throughout.


Someone still got a hangover from last night and seeing Ghost Trains running this morning !!!!!

It ran, but failed to call at any stations according to my info...

Strange to say the least!

Truely a ghost train then the morning after the night before.

This mornings 07:10 BRI - PAD services arrival at Paddington this morning marked a FIRST for FGW. This week 05/11/2007 - 09/11/2007 is the first week since last Decembers TT change that this peak hour Monday to Friday service has actually run every day as scheduled and to celebrate this the service was actually reported as arrived at Paddington at 08:50, 5 minutes ahead of the scheduled Paddington arrival time.

Pity it disappears from this Decembers TT, no more moaning morning commuters at Bristol Parkway unless FGW can come up with something which they really excel in, producing another unreliable morning commuter service to regularly cancel.

Ah ha, at last!