Didcot Parkway - timetable changes, incidents, barriers and forecourt improvements

[whole diary]

[willc]

Buried away in timetable alterations on the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) website is the news that from next Monday, the 07.30 from Oxford to Paddington will no longer call at Didcot Parkway, with Didcot passengers instead advised to join a service originating at Swansea, also due to depart at 07.44. Not quite so many empty seats on that one, I'd guess.

http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/Content.aspx?id=2128

[smokey]

Pain in the A*** for passengers from Oxford going to Didcot

[Btline]

And will the journey time be decreased?

No! Yet more slack that makes no difference! And increased overcrowding on other services!

[Btline]

Why does Didcot get more Down HST^▸ (High Speed Train) services (3-4 per hour) than Up HST services (2-3 per hour)

Basically, why do the HSTs from Swansea stop, but the HSTs to Swansea don't stop?

What's wrong with a bit of consistency....

[Btline]

Does noone know?

[eightf48544]

Best guess some clever carriage roster clerk has discovered that if you don't stop the down Swansea you can save a unit over the day.

Up to December 07 at Taplow we had the same on the off peak London Suburban services.

Trains to Padd ran nearly all stations  Oxford to Slough   then Hayes (some Southall) Ealing Broadway.

This was followed by a Reading Twyford Maidenhead Slough most staions to Padd this was formed off the previous down Reading train as below,

Taplow trains from Padd ran Ealing B, Southall Hayes West Drayton Iver? Langley? then Slough and all stations Reading.

This was followed within 5 minutes by a Padd Ealing B Hayes Slough Maidenhead all stations Oxford which formed the up stopper for Taplow Padd a couple of hours later.

Allegedly this save one unit over the whole service. However it made realiablity a nightmare,  if a Taplow stopper was late this made the following OXford stopper late which made it late coming back to Taplow.

You can be too clever running a railway. After all the South Western pioneered regular interval fixed stoppping pattern services on electrification in the early 1900s. They also used to split and divide trains at places like Staines evry half hour. It worked then it still works now the clever bit is getting the stopping pattern right.

Asymmetry doesn't work.

[Btline]

I am still a little confused...

So does it call on the down to eliminate the need for another stopper (Turbo)?

[eightf48544]

No,

So does it call on the down to eliminate the need for another stopper (Turbo)?

No, it's probably to save an HST^▸ (High Speed Train) set on the Padd - Swansea runs.

The Thames Valley offpeak service is now symmetrical so there is no missing of stops in one direction to save journey time and reduce number of Turbos required.

[John R]

Maybe it doesn't call because if it did it would conflict somewhere further down the route. Westerleigh Jn, Parkway/Patchway, Severn Tunnel, Newport, and beyond are all potential places where it needs to be in the right place at the right time.

[Btline]

Ar, I see. It is less of "up trains calling additionally" but more "down trains missing out stops."

Thanks.

Still seems a bit silly - a symmetrical consistent timetable would be better.

But then again, FGW^▸ (First Great Western) released a leaflet talking about the increase in refreshed HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) calling at Didcot. In the figures, they quoted the number of trains TO London which (because of the inconsistent timetable, that is the subject of this post) makes it look like just as many return journeys!

Or perhaps demand in is spread a lot more than demand out (less likely, but possible).

Thanks again for giving me some possible answers! 

[grahame]

Thanks again for giving me some possible answers! 

I know I'm a bit late on this thread - but I have a thought. Perhaps there's an answer in this:

http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=2330.0

Perhaps the pattern is designed to give excellent fast Paddington to Didcot service, but to ensure that a healthy proportion of services either to or from each station further west do NOT call.

[Btline]

This some seem possible but probably no, because it is the down Swindon trains that call in addition.

This is really bugging me - and others.

Do any others on this board (who perhaps have more timetable knowledge etc.) know why Didcot has an additional HST^▸ (High Speed Train) (the up Swindon service)?

Thanks.

[Chris from Nailsea]

Police horses will patrol Didcot town centre on Friday night. Thames Valley Police's mounted section will be on duty from 7pm to 1am. Pc Chris Ball said: "It will raise the police profile and act as a deterrent for people. We also hope it will highlight our approach to antisocial behaviour, underage drinking and lower- level antisocial problems, which we will be tackling this summer."

See http://www.oxfordmail.net/news/headlines/display.var.2397198.0.horse_patrol_ordered.php

[Lee]

A long-awaited ^5.4m revamp of Didcot^s railway station forecourt looks set to be given the thumbs-up (link below.)
http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/4046991.Decision_due_on_station_revamp/

Transport officers have recommended that the project to transform the forecourt of the station is given the support of Oxfordshire county councillors at a meeting on Tuesday.

This would mean that a planning application can be submitted next month to South Oxfordshire District Council.

The scheme, which will be paid for by the county council, aims to create a gateway for the town with better facilities for walkers, cyclists and bus users.

Redundant buildings on the forecourt will be demolished so that there is separate space for buses, taxis, bikes and cars.

There will be a central pedestrian area flanked by a dedicated bus and delivery area and a larger taxi rank.

More cycle parking will be provided, along with a drop-off point for cars.

[inspector_blakey]

So, plenty of room for the hordes of rail replacement buses when track circuit failures stop the job then?