GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) have published info for 1st & 2nd Feb

Track renewal work will affect trains between Westbury and Bath Spa, Chippenham, Frome or Warminster.

Replacement buses are planned via Westbury between:

Bath Spa and Frome
Bath Spa and Warminster
Chippenham and Frome

So basically going to reopen Westbury for 8 days (24-31 Jan) then close it again.   Wonder why didn't just add 2 days to the long closure rather than interrupting the restored service 9 days later.

Then following three Sundays, 9, 16, 23 February
Line via Frome is closed

Replacement buses are planned between Westbury and Frome/Castle Cary, between Castle Cary and Taunton, plus between Pewsey and Swindon.

Trains between London and the south west will use an alternative route between Reading and Taunton via Bristol Temple Meads.

New comparison, taking weekday fares, booked 7 days and 28 days in advance finds GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) charges 2.5 the average in EU^» (European Union - about) according to campaign group Transport and Environment (T&E)

https://hellorayo.co.uk/hits-radio/cornwall/news/gwr-fares-two-and-a-half-times-higher-eu-average/

https://www.transportenvironment.org/articles/rail-ranking

I guess the very complicated fare structure (which DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) seems to allow) is part of the problem

I thought it was wet snow that sticks, not dry powder snow which the draft from passing train just blows around.

Apparently the current snowfall for midlands and north was on the Met office week ahead forecast since last Wednesday and was specifically warned about, so anyone saying it has come as a shock clearly hasn't checked weather for days.

TfW have issued a Press release that the 756s enter service from 18 Nov

They will enter passenger service first on the Merthyr and Aberdare lines, followed by the Treherbert line. In a phased introduction, they will replace TfW’s older trains, with fourteen set to be in service by Spring next year (2025). 

hese trains will be introduced over the coming months onto the Merthyr, Aberdare and Treherbert lines, replacing older trains, with 14 units in total in service by Spring 2025. 

These trains will run along these lines until late 2025 when they will begin to move over to the Rhymney and Vale of Glamorgan lines as the brand-new Tram-Trains enter passenger service.  

From then, the 756s will travel from Coryton and Caerphilly to Penarth, and from Rhymney to Barry Island and Bridgend.

https://news.tfw.wales/news/first-electric-trains-to-be-introduced-to-south-wales-metro

Quote from yesterday's (11 Nov) Parliamentary debate (relates to GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) staffing

 Rebecca Smith (South West Devon) (Con) -  View Speech -  Hansard -
 -  - Excerpts
It has recently been brought to my attention that in Great Western Railway, which serves my constituency in Devon, drivers do not have contracts that ensure a seven-day-a-week service—the contracts do not include Sundays, so trains are regularly cancelled. In fact, four trains were cancelled yesterday, so one lady had been forced to catch the first train today instead. What plans does the Secretary of State have to equalise driver contracts under Great British Railways, to ensure that routes such as Paddington to Devon are fully staffed seven days a week, so that she can fulfil her promise to passengers?

 Louise Haigh Portrait Louise Haigh -  View Speech -  Hansard -
 -  - Excerpts
The hon. Lady is absolutely right, and unfortunately that is the picture across too much of our railways. The workforce terms and conditions are simply not fit for purpose. Part of our inheritance is that we do not have a workforce that can deliver a modern and efficient railway. We are working with Great Western Railway to address that egregious issue, and we will come back to the House shortly to set out our progress.

Later in the debate...

Wera Hobhouse (Bath) (LD) -  View Speech -  Hansard -
 -  - Excerpts
GWR, which serves my Bath constituency, has been performing in the most disappointing way, to say the least. Especially on Sundays, cancellations and delays are the new norm. Engineering works are among the problems, but the train driver shortage is the biggest problem. What exactly will resolving what the Secretary of State calls the rest day working issue mean for my constituents? When does she expect them to see tangible change?

 Louise Haigh Portrait Louise Haigh -  View Speech -  Hansard -
 -  - Excerpts
The problem across the entire railway is that we do not have sufficient drivers or staff, so too many parts of the railways are reliant on rest day working agreements. We should not have to rely on people volunteering to come on shift in order to run a Sunday service, but unfortunately that is the case at Great Western Railway. We will not be harmonising contracts or terms and conditions at Great British Railways, as we have established, but we need to get drivers and conductors on modern terms and conditions that reflect the railway that we need. We are attempting to address the specific issue at Great Western Railway; as I say, we will come back to the House soon with an update on progress.

https://parallelparliament.co.uk/debate/2024-11-11/commons/commons-chamber/rail-performance

In a way, GWR don't operate the contract stipulated by DfT because there is a published DfT Business requirements specifying first and last trains and frequency for each route, associated with the contract, and that is not being met.

Possibly the contract daftly (DfT-ly ?) makes it cheaper to not operate minimum, and accept any penalty, than trying to deliver it.

Someone will have to explain to me why more trains needing repairs, means all trains have to run at reduced speed on all lines.

Are they all suddenly not certified for normal speed, it is not like they are substituting with a slower train.   

I also don't like reference to all lines, is that all England, all UK^▸ (United Kingdom), or simply a badly worded that route only.

Surely if it is due to we have flattened some wheels why not say so, or explain why they can't swap in some good ones (have insufficient spares) and although it happens every year, explain why never bought extra wheel lathe (having sufficient serviceable trains in not a priority), or whatever the reason is.

GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) have issued an update on disrupted Newbury area services next week, and towards the end have included buses between Chippenham and Westbury

https://news.gwr.com/news/rail-journeys-affected-by-major-engineering-work-in-the-newbury-area

An old friend of mine (when I was in London) used to hire a small (car size) van, because public Transport was so rubbish near his relatives out in country and journey back to London between Boxing Day and New Year so regularly messed up by engineering works.

Many firms and contractors have 2 week break, and van hire firms offered them at cheap rates as sitting around, but car hire rates and Advance rail fares were often higher around Christmas

Nowadays rail is even worse as there are inevitably staff shortages and no attempt to incentivise sufficient staff with required levels of overtime to get sufficient to volunteer to work uncovered shifts.

It must be embarrassing to work in Human Resources

You have one job, provide enough humans so service operates, ... failed that task

Grahame, are you sure you have inflation correct.

The Bank of England inflation calculator shows £1 in 1844 is now £106.73.  So one old penny (240 to a pound) is 44.5 new pence.

If you are using 66p per mile then you are third too much.

No was just a sunny day, but our split tickets were mix of off peak day returns and anytime day returns.  So no real control of volumes sold.

Incidently we had to stand Bath-BoA^» (Bradford-on-Avon - next trains) on return because it was just a 3car turbo with people already standing when it arrived at Bath, and was very busy with rugby fans as match had recently ended at Bath.  And yes had one of those pointless counted place reservations that basically get you a bit of standing space.

More a case of weekend leisure journeys can see more passengers when good weather is forecast, but GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) doesn't have sufficient stock to lengthen trains.

Thought I would give my experience of using the service (early October).  Travelled from Bradford on Avon (change at Bath), ticket split at Chippenham

Bit of scrum at Bath, reservations not working (train manager said not programmed), our group got scattered finding available seats, handful had to stand.  Rather more standing from Chippenham.  No advertised trolley service either,

The destination displays also displaying Reading.   Apparently since announcing the service in January haven't yet found time to add the route to train computers !

No ticket checks and at at Oxford the exit gates near the footbridge were open so no revenue check on whole outbound journey.

Return train was quieter, but got delayed behind a late crowded 2car turbo on southbound stopping service leaving Oxford, so ran 12-16 minutes late.  Arrived Bath 12 minutes late. Missed booked connection (now just 1 minute to get it) . Had to get next train. Arrived BoA^» (Bradford-on-Avon - next trains) 28 minutes late.  Submitted delay repay but rejected 2 weeks later as booked train was on time, had to appeal pointing out missed connection, then they decided to pay out for 12.5% of 2 of 3 tickets on submitted 3 tickets of groupsave. 

Overall 10/10 for potential free travel on outward train
0/10 for reservations and destination displays
10/10 for train managers announcements
9/10 for journey convenience
0/10 for advertised catering
1/10 for delay repay team

Would love service to be a success, but feel there is too much not working well that would make me happy to use it again. 

And todays rail replacement of Bath-Westbury had a problem.

Stallard Street (outside Trowbridge station) was closed, and A363 Woodmarsh (the bus route between Trowbridge and Westbury) was also completely closed.   Trowbridge had lots of big traffic queues around lunchtime today, Sunday

Although the thread is specifically on Westbury area works, it appears that Cardiff-Portsmouth is disrupted for about half of next 4 months

Yesterday Southampton area, diverted via Eastleigh
Today suspended Bath-Westbury, diverted via Eastleigh
Tomorrow-Thursday suspended Bath -Bristol
2 Nov suspended Warminster - Salisbury
3 Nov suspended Warminster - Southampton
9 Nov Southampton area, diverted via Eastleigh
10 Nov suspended Southampton - Portsmouth
23 - 24 Nov Southampton area, diverted via Eastleigh
15 Dec suspended Westbury - Warminster
25 - 26 Dec no service
27 Dec - 23 Jan suspended Trowbridge - Salisbury
1 - 16 Feb suspended Fareham - Portsmouth

Not actually that many days in next 4 months where this service operates normally.  How many passengers will this lose ?