Welcomes and timetables

[whole diary]

[Cynthia]

Um, that's two topics actually....  I'm new at this posting thing so please bear with me.

Thank you guys, for your welcoming replies to my first post!

Timetables make me go cross eyed.  Does anyone else suffer from this affliction?  Anyway, because I'm too lazy to read the appropriate timetable for my required journey I thought I'd just do a quick post and see whether anyone is kind enough to reply with perhaps just a theoretical answer for now.  My daughter and her partner live in Southville, Bristol and I'm wondering whether, when the new services are up and running next month, I'll be able to reach Bristol Temple Meads from Melksham (or is there a nearer station?).  Next question - trains are so relaxing to travel on, how does one avoid missing the required station on account of being asleep?!  I suppose it's a case of setting the alarm on my mobile 'phone.
Thanks very much for all your help with the timetables and suggestions folks.  I shall of course be taking Echo with me on the train (my bearded collie babe) so I'm not sure how I thought I might sleep on the train!

I haven't worked out yet how to add just part of a quote from another post (sorry, I'm an IT dinosaur) but will reply here to bignosemac by saying I need to go to Exeter Road in Southville to visit my daughter & family, so if you can make a suggestion as to where would be the closest place to alight from the train, that would be really helpful, thanks.

[JayMac]

From the 8th December you will have various options to travel from Melksham to Bristol Temple Meads with one change of train at Chippenham. If you want to get closer to Southville then another change at Bristol Temple Meads would be required for a train to either Bedminster Station or Parson Street Station dependent on where exactly in Southville your daughter lives.

The new service to/from Melksham has up to 8 trains each way per day Mon-Sat, with fewer on Sunday. How good the interchange(s) would be, and how long the journey time would be will be dependent on when, more precisely, you want to travel.

Come back nearer the time (on/after 8th December obviously!) you wish to travel from Melksham to Bristol by train, with dates and times, and we can look at the potential options then, rather than provide all the theoretical options now.

[grahame]

From the 8th December you will have various options to travel from Melksham to Bristol Temple Meads with one change of train at Chippenham.  ...

The new service to/from Melksham has up to 8 trains each way per day Mon-Sat, ...

You'll also be able to do it with one change of trains at Trowbridge, using the 8 trains going the other way - so that's 16 trains from Melksham to Bristol Temple Meads.   Monday to Friday it will look like

Melksham   Bristol
06:38    07:46   via Trowbridge (*)
07:20    08:17   via Chippenham (*)
07:48    08:45   via Chippenham
09:15    10:28   via Trowbridge
10:04    11:15   via Chippenham
11:13    12:33   via Trowbridge
12:03    13:15   via Chippenham
13:13    14:35   via Trowbridge
14:30    15:40   via Chippenham
15:53    16:48   via Trowbridge
16:31    17:41   via Chippenham
18:03    19:29   via Trowbridge
18:48    19:43   via Chippenham
19:17    20:26   via Trowbridge (* - currently 19:11)
19:47    20:44   via Chippenham (*)
20:38    21:48   via Trowbridge

Trains (*) are already running

Timetables make me go cross eyed.  Does anyone else suffer from this affliction?

Yes, lots of people do ... I've seen five official timetable formats / data presentations so far since I started looking at the best way of presenting Melksham -> Bristol, which is one of the harder ones because of the multiple routes.   And I've tried several of my own - you can see some in other threads (and you'll probably realise why I should leave it to the professionals)

Next question - trains are so relaxing to travel on, how does one avoid missing the required station on account of being asleep?!  I suppose it's a case of setting the alarm on my mobile 'phone.

Taking a dog like our Billy helps.  No sleep allowed 

[Chris from Nailsea]

Next question - trains are so relaxing to travel on, how does one avoid missing the required station on account of being asleep?!  I suppose it's a case of setting the alarm on my mobile 'phone.

Taking a dog like our Billy helps.  No sleep allowed 

Billy would indeed be one answer (I've met him ).

Alternatively, you could try these: http://www.ltmuseumshop.co.uk/gifts-and-souvenirs/souvenirs/product/wake-me-up-at-underground-sticker-set.html 

[grahame]

I should also complement the Melksham -> Bristol table with a Bristol -> Melksham:

Monday to Friday from 9th December;  times vary at holiday times and on Saturdays.

Bristol  Melksham
06:00    06:38    via Chippenham (*)
06:48    07:48    via Trowbridge
08:30    09:15    via Chippenham
09:05    10:04    via Trowbridge
10:30    11:13    via Chippenham
10:49    12:03    via Trowbridge
12:30    13:13    via Chippenham
13:22    14:30    via Trowbridge
15:00    15:53    via Chippenham
15:22    16:31    via Trowbridge
17:00    18:03    via Chippenham
17:49    18:48    via Trowbridge
18:30    19:17    via Chippenham (*)
18:52    19:47    via Trowbridge (*)
19:30    20:38    via Chippenham

Services (*) are the current service

[eightf48544]

Looking at the National Rail website for the 9th December it gives all those services. interestingly the fare seems to be the same either way ay ^9.60 single (No Rail Card)  which seems good value.

Jounrney times seem to vary between 57 mins via Chippenham and 1 22. The latter being via Westbury although both trains stop at trowbridge. It must think an 11 minute change at Westbury preferable to a longer wait at Trowbridge.

No real solution to waking up problem but phone alarm is OK so long as you aren't in the quite coach on an HST^▸ (High Speed Train), which you will be via Chippenham.

Welcome to the forum. It's good to hear of someone that intends to use the train now the service has improved.

[paul7575]

Many TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company) websites have a personal timetable gizmo, but I find the usual flaw is that they don't allow you to produce times for the whole day at once, just four hour slots.

Southern will generate a 24hr timetable though, I've attached an example below.  Could be improved if they interleaved the two routes, but you can't have everything...   

Paul

[IndustryInsider]

I should also complement the Melksham -> Bristol table with a Bristol -> Melksham:

Monday to Friday from 9th December;  times vary at holiday times and on Saturdays.

Bristol  Melksham
06:00    06:38    via Chippenham (*)
06:48    07:48    via Trowbridge
08:30    09:15    via Chippenham
09:05    10:04    via Trowbridge
10:30    11:13    via Chippenham
10:49    12:03    via Trowbridge
12:30    13:13    via Chippenham
13:22    14:30    via Trowbridge
15:00    15:53    via Chippenham
15:22    16:31    via Trowbridge
17:00    18:03    via Chippenham
17:49    18:48    via Trowbridge
18:30    19:17    via Chippenham (*)
18:52    19:47    via Trowbridge (*)
19:30    20:38    via Chippenham

Services (*) are the current service

Nice timetable.  Now if only there was a later evening service, say a 21:18 Westbury to Swindon and return at 22:11 Swindon to Westbury, then that would really be an excellent timetable.  I've picked those timings as that's what was running up until the service was curtailed in the mid 2000s, albeit with a much patchier daytime service. 

As it is it finishes a little earlier in the evening than ideal, though of course as massive improvement on the current timetable.  But if you're coming from further afield, London for example, 19:00 is still pretty early to have to leave in order to make the last train - though much better than the current 17:45!  I'm sure Graham and the team will not be resting on their laurels in that regard. 

[grahame]

Nice timetable.  Now if only there was a later evening service, say a 21:18 Westbury to Swindon and return at 22:11 Swindon to Westbury, then that would really be an excellent timetable.  I've picked those timings as that's what was running up until the service was curtailed in the mid 2000s, albeit with a much patchier daytime service. 

As it is it finishes a little earlier in the evening than ideal, though of course as massive improvement on the current timetable.  But if you're coming from further afield, London for example, 19:00 is still pretty early to have to leave in order to make the last train - though much better than the current 17:45!  I'm sure Graham and the team will not be resting on their laurels in that regard. 

My draft London timetable includes a 20:45 off Paddington, 21:45 off Swindon, by bus from Chippenham Station at 22:22 to Melksham (22:47) and Trowbridge (23:06). 

As both the bus and the train are run by First, and both the bus and the train are supported by Wiltshire Council, it would seem logical for the train tickets to be accepted for the bus journey, and for the bus to appear in official timetables.   Logic doesn't always happen, but the question is asked!

[eightf48544]

As both the bus and the train are run by First, and both the bus and the train are supported by Wiltshire Council, it would seem logical for the train tickets to be accepted for the bus journey, and for the bus to appear in official timetables.   Logic doesn't always happen, but the question is asked!

Wouldn't that be illegal? I thought buses are supposed to compete with trains. I suppose if the bus was run by First Great Western rather than First Bus Group then it might count as a train!

[Rhydgaled]

Timetables make me go cross eyed.  Does anyone else suffer from this affliction?

Not sure what you mean by cross-eyed, but I sometimes lose my place when trying to scan a timetable. My local bus operator shades every other row on their timetables, and the ATW^▸ (Arriva Trains Wales (former TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company))) (Arriva Trains Wales) timetable booklets used to shade every other column.

I decided to try combining the two. See the attachment, do you think this style is more readable?

[LiskeardRich]

As both the bus and the train are run by First, and both the bus and the train are supported by Wiltshire Council, it would seem logical for the train tickets to be accepted for the bus journey, and for the bus to appear in official timetables.   Logic doesn't always happen, but the question is asked!

Wouldn't that be illegal? I thought buses are supposed to compete with trains. I suppose if the bus was run by First Great Western rather than First Bus Group then it might count as a train!

They are meant to be competing, but anyone with a sense of logic in the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) can see they don't compete. An example down here is a route I use regularly, where the train fare is less than 50% of the bus fare and the train is 4 times quicker for the route. That isn't really competing, there is no competition which to use unless you want to go somewhere intermediate where the train doesn't stop, unless you fancy a stunt jump out of a HST^▸ (High Speed Train) window, where I have yet to find anyone to do so!

[grahame]

They are meant to be competing, but anyone with a sense of logic in the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) can see they don't compete. An example down here is a route I use regularly, where the train fare is less than 50% of the bus fare and the train is 4 times quicker for the route. That isn't really competing ...

Except ... it's twice as costly on the bus for those of us in the main segment of our life, and infinitely cheaper on the bus at the point of use for senior citizens.

[Cynthia]

Re: Travelling to Bristol from Melksham using the improved timetable: Bignosemac, you suggested I returned to the forum with this topic after the 8th December.

I was talking to my daughter about getting to her place in Southville (Exeter Road) by train, and she seems to think I'd probably have to go to Temple Meads, then get a bus into the city centre, change there for another to take me to Southville.  "Just get in the car, mum"  (Talk about waving a ciggie packet under a determined quitter's nose). I mentioned your suggestion of alighting at Bedminster but she didn't think that would be any more helpful.  However, as her and her partner don't use the rail services very much, I'm not sure they're any more qualified to work it all out than me! 

I shan't be attempting the journey until after the New Year now, so just allowing for some 'thinking time' to consider my options. Any contributions to the thought processes gratefully received.  Thank you.

[Cynthia]

My apologies to Rhygaled for not replying sooner to the posting providing an alternative type of timetable: the Fishguard service. 

Yes, the alternately coloured bands, both vertical and horizontal certainly keeps the eyes on the level, as it were.  Thanks for that.