Having to provide alternative transport arrangements on the very frequent occasions when the sleeper doesn't use the TransWilts would not be particularly conducive to ensuring and retaining regular usage by passengers.
Yep, flagged up in my post. I suspect that the big problem is the Sunday night train, which is also the least important because ...
For the same reasons is why the Night Riviera doesn't stop for passengers at Swindon, Newbury, Westbury, Bristol, Yatton, Nailsea & Backwell, Bridgwater... all could have as much of a call on er.. calls as Melksham.
The call is for a late service from London although Cynthia's origin post looked at heading west. Swindon and Bristol already have the 23:30 - just 15 minutes ahead, so the sleeper would provide little extra. There's a pretty late Exeter train via Nailsea too. But the final Melksham train is a connection off the 19:00 - not 15 but 285 minutes earlier.
I'm not sure that the sleeping pax would appreciate extra stops the 'wrong side' of 0230!
I always awake at Exeter & that's too early frankly...i'd be wuite happy for first stop after Reading to be Plymouth...
Yep, noted as a potential issue in my original post. Interesting you talk about waking at Exeter where there's an extended stop, rather than on the brief pause at Taunton. Perhaps you wouldn't notice another couple of quiet stops? I know I don't when on the (Caledonian) sleeper, but it's personal thing.
Non-stop Reading to Plymouth is a bit of a red rag at the moment; faster journey times (get you to Plymouth at 4 a.m.?) in place of loosing intermediate traffic. Daytime there are very big flow indeed from Westbury to the west ... I was astonished at the crowds at about 19:30 on Sunday joining the Plymouth (or was in Penzance?) train.
