Train GraphicClick on the map to explore geographics
 
I need help
FAQ
Emergency
About .
Travel & transport from BBC stories as at 12:15 29 Mar 2024
* Delays at Dover as millions begin Easter getaway
* Attempted murder charge after man stabbed on train
- KFC Nigeria sorry after disabled diner refused service
Read about the forum [here].
Register [here] - it's free.
What do I gain from registering? [here]
 02/06/24 - Summer Timetable starts
17/08/24 - Bus to Imber
27/09/25 - 200 years of passenger trains

On this day
29th Mar (1913)
Foundation of National Union or Railwaymen (*)

Train RunningCancelled
09:30 Weymouth to Gloucester
11:57 Bedwyn to Newbury
12:17 Westbury to Swindon
12:22 Newbury to Bedwyn
12:30 London Paddington to Weston-Super-Mare
12:52 Bedwyn to Newbury
13:15 Swindon to Westbury
13:21 Newbury to Bedwyn
13:48 Bedwyn to Newbury
14:12 Newbury to Bedwyn
14:15 London Paddington to Cardiff Central
14:19 Westbury to Swindon
14:57 Bedwyn to Newbury
15:14 Swindon to Westbury
15:22 Newbury to Bedwyn
15:28 Weston-Super-Mare to London Paddington
15:50 Bedwyn to Newbury
16:15 Newbury to Bedwyn
16:23 Westbury to Swindon
16:54 Cardiff Central to London Paddington
16:55 Bedwyn to Newbury
17:36 Swindon to Westbury
18:37 Westbury to Swindon
20:13 Swindon to Westbury
21:16 Westbury to Swindon
22:30 Swindon to Westbury
Short Run
08:35 Plymouth to London Paddington
09:37 London Paddington to Paignton
10:35 London Paddington to Exeter St Davids
10:55 Paignton to London Paddington
12:35 London Paddington to Exeter St Davids
13:10 Gloucester to Weymouth
13:42 Exeter St Davids to London Paddington
13:55 Paignton to London Paddington
14:36 London Paddington to Paignton
15:42 Exeter St Davids to London Paddington
16:35 London Paddington to Plymouth
16:50 Plymouth to London Paddington
17:03 London Paddington to Penzance
17:36 London Paddington to Plymouth
18:03 London Paddington to Penzance
18:36 London Paddington to Plymouth
19:04 Paignton to London Paddington
20:03 London Paddington to Plymouth
21:04 London Paddington to Plymouth
Delayed
07:10 Penzance to London Paddington
08:03 London Paddington to Penzance
08:15 Penzance to London Paddington
09:04 London Paddington to Plymouth
09:10 Penzance to London Paddington
10:04 London Paddington to Penzance
10:20 Penzance to London Paddington
11:03 London Paddington to Plymouth
12:03 London Paddington to Penzance
12:15 Penzance to London Paddington
13:03 London Paddington to Plymouth
etc
PollsOpen and recent polls
Closed 2024-03-25 Easter Escape - to where?
Abbreviation pageAcronymns and abbreviations
Stn ComparatorStation Comparator
Rail newsNews Now - live rail news feed
Site Style 1 2 3 4
Next departures • Bristol Temple MeadsBath SpaChippenhamSwindonDidcot ParkwayReadingLondon PaddingtonMelksham
Exeter St DavidsTauntonWestburyTrowbridgeBristol ParkwayCardiff CentralOxfordCheltenham SpaBirmingham New Street
March 29, 2024, 12:16:19 *
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Forgotten your username or password? - get a reminder
Most recently liked subjects
[124] Infrastructure problems in Thames Valley causing disruption el...
[53] would you like your own LIVE train station departure board?
[49] West Wiltshire Bus Changes April 2024
[48] Reversing Beeching - bring heritage and freight lines into the...
[43] Return of the BRUTE?
[30] 2024 - Service update and amendment log, Swindon <-> Westbury...
 
News: A forum for passengers ... with input from rail professionals welcomed too
 
   Home   Help Search Calendar Login Register  
Pages: [1]
  Print  
Author Topic: CrossCountry oddities  (Read 7617 times)
simonw
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 589


View Profile Email
« on: November 14, 2016, 19:47:54 »

For the past three weeks I have taken CrossCountry services from BPW» (Bristol Parkway - next trains) to Bromsgrove, changing at Cheltenham and have observed a few oddities.

Everything is ok in the morning, but in the evening there are no coffee snack services on the trains or the stations. I am not a particularly demanding person, but I am puzzled no one is able or willing to sell me coffee/tea/water in the evening. The most surprising aspect is that the Cheltenham station Pumpkin area is shut from 4pm.

Also, the Cardiff-Nottingham service appears to vary is station list with each run. Sometimes, Bromsgrove/Ashchurch/Lydney and sometimes not. Why would they vary pickup/dropoff points on standard train runs? Is this common on Intercity/CrossCountry runs? I thought such lines wanted consistency of train patterns to maximise the number of trains that run on the line.

Logged
eightf48544
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 4574


View Profile Email
« Reply #1 on: November 15, 2016, 10:31:53 »

i wonder how much the stopping pattern depends on the locals and in particular the local MP (Member of Parliament) lobbying the DfT» (Department for Transport - about) for more trains/stops.

Th DfT doesn't like stopping trains because it costs money, so unless the locals and MP lobby hard then their station is liable to get a worse service than one up the line.
Logged
paul7575
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 5316


View Profile
« Reply #2 on: November 15, 2016, 12:25:26 »

This aspect of off pattern and odd calls is being discussed at the moment in the XC (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) December 2017 timetable consultation thread.   

In the case of Bromsgrove for example, they will stop calling there at all once the LM (London Midland - recent franchise) 3 trains per hour service starts at the end of next following electrification.

Basically extra XC calls are being provided all over the place as a sticking plaster whenever the "logical" local operator cannot provide enough capacity for the peak flows.   Bath to Bristol at stupid o'clock is a typical example of this.

Paul
Logged
simonw
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 589


View Profile Email
« Reply #3 on: November 15, 2016, 13:22:55 »

With respect to Bromsgrove, the local electrification programme will (supposedly) complete in December 2017, but within a few months of that the new Worcester Parkway station should be open, but I am not sure when CrossCountry trains will be able to stop there.

The ad-hoc stops provided by CrossCountry are very useful, but when the local franchises get extra trains and are able to run more services will this adversely effect CrossCountry timings.
Logged
ChrisB
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 12334


View Profile Email
« Reply #4 on: November 15, 2016, 14:41:38 »

Discussed this with XC (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) & Toby Rackliff of Transport West Midlands on Saturday....nothing in XC's TT consultation as apparently they're not expecting this station to open before that TT is live. XC still won't say thatthey're stopping there once open either, presumably because the DfT» (Department for Transport - about) haven't leaned on them yet - Toby R says logically, there's no one else that could.
Logged
JayMac
Data Manager
Hero Member
******
Posts: 18895



View Profile
« Reply #5 on: November 15, 2016, 16:36:01 »

Yes, logically it's only XC (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) that could stop at Worcester Parkway on the Bristol - Birmingham line as they are currently the only operator who use that stretch of line. Bar the Saturday only London Midland 2300 Birmingham - Gloucester 0019.

Of course the West Midlands franchisee could return to (or be made to) serve Gloucester with a frequent daily service calling at Worcester Parkway.
Logged

"Build a man a fire and he'll be warm for the rest of the day. Set a man on fire and he'll be warm for the rest of his life."

- Sir Terry Pratchett.
ChrisB
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 12334


View Profile Email
« Reply #6 on: November 15, 2016, 16:46:10 »

hmmm........you read my mind, which is what I was discussing with Toby!
Logged
phile
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 1382

Language spoken Welsh as well as English


View Profile Email
« Reply #7 on: November 15, 2016, 18:03:25 »

Yes, logically it's only XC (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) that could stop at Worcester Parkway on the Bristol - Birmingham line as they are currently the only operator who use that stretch of line. Bar the Saturday only London Midland 2300 Birmingham - Gloucester 0019.

Of course the West Midlands franchisee could return to (or be made to) serve Gloucester with a frequent daily service calling at Worcester Parkway.


Please correct me if I'm wrong, but could Cotswold Line trains call there with platforms on two levels ?
Logged
ChrisB
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 12334


View Profile Email
« Reply #8 on: November 15, 2016, 18:12:14 »

Only if they drop calling somewhere else. The sungle line timings are very tight. Also, they don't go to Birmingham or south to Cheltenham, but into & through Worcestercor towards London. The core travel will be north/south with some towards Oxford/London, but generally only extracted from other local stations
Logged
grahame
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 40692



View Profile WWW Email
« Reply #9 on: November 15, 2016, 19:47:43 »

Only if they drop calling somewhere else. The sungle line timings are very tight.

Once you have IEPs (Intercity Express Program / Project.) rather than HSTs (High Speed Train), with automatic rather than slam doors, won't that cut station dwell times, Chris?   And would n't that (and the timetable recast that will surely come with new trains) allow a stop?

The core travel will be north/south with some towards Oxford/London, but generally only extracted from other local stations

Strikes me that although there may be some abstraction on the Cotswold line, there may also be significant opportunity for new park and ride traffic from the area to Oxford and London.  After all, it is a Parkway.
Logged

Coffee Shop Admin, Acting Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, Option 24/7 Melksham Rep
simonw
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 589


View Profile Email
« Reply #10 on: November 15, 2016, 20:09:34 »

My understanding is that Worcester Parkway will be developed in three phases

  • Add station and parking for Cotswold line
  • Add platforms for Bristol/Birmingham line and more parking
  • Add shops, bus station and have station designated as regular stop on Bristol-Birmingham line

The local area suffers from terrible traffic gridlock every day, and the local train services suffer from no significant local parking and poor services to everywhere except Birmingham. The plan is essentially to make the station easy to access by car/bus and get more people on trains in the area.
Logged
ChrisB
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 12334


View Profile Email
« Reply #11 on: November 16, 2016, 09:27:26 »

Only if they drop calling somewhere else. The sungle line timings are very tight.

Once you have IEPs (Intercity Express Program / Project.) rather than HSTs (High Speed Train), with automatic rather than slam doors, won't that cut station dwell times, Chris?   And would n't that (and the timetable recast that will surely come with new trains) allow a stop?

GWR (Great Western Railway) are telling the CLPG» (Cotswold Line Promotion Group - about) no....that & the requirement to speed up the Cotswold Line to a 2hour Worcester-London journey.

The core travel will be north/south with some towards Oxford/London, but generally only extracted from other local stations

Strikes me that although there may be some abstraction on the Cotswold line, there may also be significant opportunity for new park and ride traffic from the area to Oxford and London.  After all, it is a Parkway.

Indeed - and there's another currently being used by Worcester pax at Warwick Parkway! End to end journeys being quicker via there & the M42. I think this new station will become a lame duck unless & until the Cotswold Line offer 2tph, one being limited stop. That's a while off yet & needs some more redoubling first.
« Last Edit: November 16, 2016, 10:40:36 by Richard Fairhurst » Logged
simonw
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 589


View Profile Email
« Reply #12 on: November 16, 2016, 09:45:17 »

A more popular alternative for local Worcestershire people would be Evesham, not Warwick, with a regular service to London.

Logged
ChrisB
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 12334


View Profile Email
« Reply #13 on: November 16, 2016, 09:55:06 »

Then why are more going to Watrwick Parkway now than Evesham?
Logged
Do you have something you would like to add to this thread, or would you like to raise a new question at the Coffee Shop? Please [register] (it is free) if you have not done so before, or login (at the top of this page) if you already have an account - we would love to read what you have to say!

You can find out more about how this forum works [here] - that will link you to a copy of the forum agreement that you can read before you join, and tell you very much more about how we operate. We are an independent forum, provided and run by customers of Great Western Railway, for customers of Great Western Railway and we welcome railway professionals as members too, in either a personal or official capacity. Views expressed in posts are not necessarily the views of the operators of the forum.

As well as posting messages onto existing threads, and starting new subjects, members can communicate with each other through personal messages if they wish. And once members have made a certain number of posts, they will automatically be admitted to the "frequent posters club", where subjects not-for-public-domain are discussed; anything from the occasional rant to meetups we may be having ...

 
Pages: [1]
  Print  
 
Jump to:  

Powered by MySQL Powered by PHP Powered by SMF 1.1.2 | SMF © 2006-2007, Simple Machines LLC Valid XHTML 1.0! Valid CSS!
This forum is provided by customers of Great Western Railway (formerly First Great Western), and the views expressed are those of the individual posters concerned. Visit www.gwr.com for the official Great Western Railway website. Please contact the administrators of this site if you feel that the content provided by one of our posters contravenes our posting rules (email link to report). Forum hosted by Well House Consultants

Jump to top of pageJump to Forum Home Page