Punctuality....why does it suffer and how can it be improved??

[whole diary]

[dog box]

I have read time and time again about this train or that train is late...so why do you think the train you are waiting for is late and what the answer to this problem

[smithy]

I have read time and time again about this train or that train is late...so why do you think the train you are waiting for is late and what the answer to this problem

many possible causes.

train fault,crew difficulties,passenger loadings,assisting disabled passengers on to trains,awaiting signal because another service running late.

allowing the service more station time could help but to be honest it is one of them things that is always going to happen in my opinion.

[vacman]

Passengers not closing doors, people who don't get up until the last minute and spend ages getting luggage off!

[Ollie]

passengers not paying attention, train just about to pull out, they realise and pull the passcomm

[dog box]

precisely....most of its down to passengers....saw one person attempting to get on the train who had 2 suitcases which were no word of a lie as big a domestic washing machine!!!!!!

[ruthg]

My experiences on the 07:02 from Westbury-Cheltenham are that we either have to wait for a driver/conductor/train, or we have to wait to let the late running London Paddington train through. There was one morning a couple of weeks ago when we had to wait for a conductor coming from Gloucester on a train that was due in after we were due out. That's not something you can blame on passengers. 

[devon_metro]

People not being able to read.

Once had to stop a woman pushing the 'Door Unlocked' symbol, as obviously from London on holiday had never used a mk3!

[smokey]

The whole railway system is (or at least large areas of it) is becoming choked up with services, some single lines (former doubles) have been redoubled, but only in the trent valley (WCML^▸ (West Coast Main Line)) are EXTRA lines being added to take extra traffic.

Now if it was four lines London to Bristol you could have loads of local stations, local services and express services, How many HST^▸ (High Speed Train)'s stop at the small stations between London and Reading (taking Slough out of the question).

HST's stop at shacks in Cornwall and take 2 Hours to cover less than 80 miles, and FGW^▸ (First Great Western) call them HIGH SPEED SERVICES.

Four lines like London-Reading are much more flexible in operation of services.

[woody]

HST^▸ (High Speed Train)'s stop at shacks in Cornwall and take 2 Hours to cover less than 80 miles, and FGW^▸ (First Great Western) call them HIGH SPEED SERVICES.

Thats why FGW are loosing longer distance passengers big time to alternative road and  air competition from Plymouth and Cornwall,personally I think its only a matter of time before both Crosscountry and FGW are forced by financial consideration and the inadequate rail infrastructure in Devon and Cornwall to terminate their services at Exeter with just a local service linking Exeter,Plymouth and Penzance.After all FGW is little more than a commuter railway the market the HST refurb is clearly aimed,not their traditional longer distance services to the far south west
 West Coast and East coast main lines aside the Government generally sees the wider railways function in this country  as moving people over the shorter/medium distance with road and air taking care of the rest hence the above.

[Conner]

Terminating HSS^▸ (High Speed Services) at Exeter will only further deter people from using trains.
The proposition of spending 4 hours on a 150 witch will be crammed full with luggage lying around everywhere is not very inviting.
HST^▸ (High Speed Train)'s pick up passengers at stops in Cornwall, they are used so why take them away?

[devon_metro]

I happen to disagree, as usual. The HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) are a vital link and are WELL used. Very rarely do I see empty trains. Trains often enter Exeter with 0 spare seats so it would be uterly idiotic to terminate them all at Exeter. There are always plenty of passengers at Plymouth, a few at Totnes and plenty at Newton Abbot - why do you think they hold HSTs for units at Newton Abbot? Perhaps because Torbay, (larger than Plymouth) has a big population and needs a long distance train service, the devon roads are awful once you leave the oh so great 2 lane A38 

[smokey]

Terminating HSS^▸ (High Speed Services) at Exeter will only further deter people from using trains.
The proposition of spending 4 hours on a 150 witch will be crammed full with luggage lying around everywhere is not very inviting.
HST^▸ (High Speed Train)'s pick up passengers at stops in Cornwall, they are used so why take them away?

It's not a problem when HST's stopping at a few shacks but some stop every station on the Cornish Main Line.
Besides the expensive Golden Hind the HST is no longer a High Speed Service in Cornwall they take longer to get Plymouth-Penzance than the local units.

Due to the nature of the line Plymouth-Penzance has never been fast but it would be good if some HST's took 1hour 40minutes or less.

[Conner]

Terminating HSS^▸ (High Speed Services) at Exeter will only further deter people from using trains.
The proposition of spending 4 hours on a 150 witch will be crammed full with luggage lying around everywhere is not very inviting.
HST^▸ (High Speed Train)'s pick up passengers at stops in Cornwall, they are used so why take them away?

It's not a problem when HST's stopping at a few shacks but some stop every station on the Cornish Main Line.
Besides the expensive Golden Hind the HST is no longer a High Speed Service in Cornwall they take longer to get Plymouth-Penzance than the local units.

Due to the nature of the line Plymouth-Penzance has never been fast but it would be good if some HST's took 1hour 40minutes or less.

This would be bad for FGW^▸ (First Great Western) in general as most cornis stations will lose there aprroximately hourly service and FGW will lose profits.
It is never going to happen as FGW make money on local services in Cornwall and people prefer to use HST's. Also if you can get directly to your chosen destination on one train more people will use it.

[vacman]

HST^▸ (High Speed Train)'s stop at shacks in Cornwall and take 2 Hours to cover less than 80 miles, and FGW^▸ (First Great Western) call them HIGH SPEED SERVICES.

Thats why FGW are loosing longer distance passengers big time to alternative road and  air competition from Plymouth and Cornwall,personally I think its only a matter of time before both Crosscountry and FGW are forced by financial consideration and the inadequate rail infrastructure in Devon and Cornwall to terminate their services at Exeter with just a local service linking Exeter,Plymouth and Penzance.After all FGW is little more than a commuter railway the market the HST refurb is clearly aimed,not their traditional longer distance services to the far south west
 West Coast and East coast main lines aside the Government generally sees the wider railways function in this country  as moving people over the shorter/medium distance with road and air taking care of the rest hence the above.

What you say woody is true, it happens now, the HSS^▸ (High Speed Services) service ends at Plymouth BUT the same train continues down through Cornwall as a local service,so everyone is catered for, in Cornwall there is more local traffic than long distance, and over the last two years i've actually noticed MORE people travelling long distance than before, and i've worked on the railway for a few years! at the end of the day there are only actually a handful of HST's that actually stop at the Cornish shacks, from PNZ the 0541, 0643 and 0743 are the only ones that stop at SGM and STS on the up.

[woody]

I happen to disagree, as usual. The HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) are a vital link and are WELL used. Very rarely do I see empty trains. Trains often enter Exeter with 0 spare seats so it would be uterly idiotic to terminate them all at Exeter. There are always plenty of passengers at Plymouth, a few at Totnes and plenty at Newton Abbot - why do you think they hold HSTs for units at Newton Abbot? Perhaps because Torbay, (larger than Plymouth) has a big population and needs a long distance train service, the devon roads are awful once you leave the oh so great 2 lane A38 

Taken from Network Rails 2007 Business plan "Between 2000 and 2006 rail passenger demand has grown by up to 20 percent for journeys from Exeter and Taunton to London, and up to 40 percent to the Midlands. However, this is in contrast to the minimal growth for journeys to similar locations from Plymouth, and west thereof."
 The A30 into Cornwall is now a very fast way into the county now since the  Goss Moor dualling opened last year(as a friend of mine discovered when FGW^▸ (First Great Western) taxied him from St Austell to Exeter recently/much quicker than rail),the A38 between Plymouth and Exeter has always been much quicker than rail,add to that expanding air services from Newquay.The point I am making is while the railways here stagnate the transport world around them is moving on.
 My point about terminating HSTs at Exeter was with reference to Plymouth and points west,not Torbay.