Later evening train to and from Falmouth

[whole diary]

[grahame]

From The Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership

Great Western Railway (GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway)) will introduce an improved timetable on the Truro to Falmouth Maritime Line from Sunday 21 May 2017.

On Mondays to Fridays, the last train on the line will run more than half an hour later. The train will depart Truro station at 22 44 instead of the current 22 08 and Falmouth Docks at 23 11 instead of the current 22 35.

On Summer Sundays, the number of trains is set to increase from 11 to 12 each way, improving service frequencies in the middle of the day. Currently seven trains operate each way before 18 00 on Sundays, this will increase to eight.

Dan Okey, Regional Development Manager (West) for Great Western Railway said:

"Dedicated to supporting the communities we serve, I am delighted to be able to announce these service improvements on the Maritime Line. We are sure the later weekday service and additional Sunday train will be of great benefit to passengers, providing more opportunities to travel."

Maritime Line Forum Chair, Richard Burningham, Manager of the Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership said:

"Hats off and many thanks to Great Western Railway for introducing the later weekday train and extra Summer Sunday service. Both of these improvements have long been sought by local people and it is great that they are happening."

The later weekday train follows requests from Cornwall Council, the Hall for Cornwall and the Maritime Line Forum; allowing people to return home by train after a performance at the Hall for Cornwall. The later evening services will also allow visitors from other parts of the country to be better able to reach Falmouth by train. The later Maritime Line service will make a connection with the Golden Hind, the 18 03 from London Paddington. Currently, the latest people can leave Paddington for Falmouth is one hour earlier at 17 03.

Congratulations on the later evening train.

We have similar requests from passengers on the Swindon -> Westbury service, where the final train on Monday to Friday is as early as 20:06 from Swindon.  As the train's then parked up at Westbury overnight, the rolling stock's available to run a 21:20 from Westbury and a 22:36 from Swindon. 

Observing trains from Bristol and Bath to Trowbridge and Westbury, there's a quiet period mid-evening, but the final train(s) get busier again.  So I'm sure this venture on the Maritime Line will go well, and help encourage other similar ventures.   And who knows - we may end up with Gladys Knight singing "Midnight train to Falmouth" in future years!

[John R]

We have similar requests from passengers on the Swindon -> Westbury service, where the final train on Monday to Friday is as early as 20:06 from Swindon.  As the train's then parked up at Westbury overnight, the rolling stock's available to run a 21:20 from Westbury and a 22:36 from Swindon. 

So latest departure from Paddington would push back from 1900 to a much more useful 2115, and evening events in Swindon (football, theatre etc) would be do-able by train.

[ChrisB]

You'd also need additional 'free' hours on a drivers turn to make that feasible. Presumably this was the case for that Falmouth train.

[grahame]

You'd also need additional 'free' hours on a drivers turn to make that feasible. Presumably this was the case for that Falmouth train.

We have similar requests from passengers on the Swindon -> Westbury service, where the final train on Monday to Friday is as early as 20:06 from Swindon.  As the train's then parked up at Westbury overnight, the rolling stock's available to run a 21:20 from Westbury and a 22:36 from Swindon. 

So latest departure from Paddington would push back from 1900 to a much more useful 2115, and evening events in Swindon (football, theatre etc) would be do-able by train.

Agreed all around.   Crew is not quiet so hard to find as a train if it were in the peak, though.   I limited initial comment so as not to dilute a Cornwall thread away to Wiltshire, but as this is a follow up I can split it off if need be, so here goes ...

I commented before that mid-eveing is quieter than late evening.  We have local bus evidence for that as well as train evidence. The 20:06 off Swindon on Wednesday carried 18 people between Chippenham and Trowbridge - not a massive number, but pretty good for the quietest train of the day when we were called on to average 20 to be deemed a success. So a 22:36 would be on the right side of the balance.

A 22:36 (or perhaps a few minutes earlier, but we need to let events finish!) off Swindon would - in addition to John R's earlier comment - also reduce the longest gap in the day on London / Swindon to Chippenham services.  Half an hour all day, then a gap of over an hour at this one point in the evening.

A 21:20 off Westbury would provide excellent connections off the 19:23 from Portsmouth Harbour, the 19:45 from Paddington and the 19:55 from Exeter St David's. None would be huge flows, but they would add up and they would encourage people who would otherwise use their cars all day onto the trains [daytime, outward leg]

Currently, the final Bristol to Melksham connection is off the 19:30 from Temple Meads (arrives 20:32). Later services would be available - 20:22 and 21:51, giving Melksham arrivals 21:37 and 23:05.  And finally it would make those long evening journeys for me home so much easier ... last connection off Birmingham New Street moving from a 17:42 departure to a 20:12 departure.

[John R]

It seems such a "no-brainer" and is not dependent on additional stock (which is so often the constraint).  Ironically, once the 153 is replaced by a 2 car unit the marginal cost will increase of running it, (fuel, track access charges), so it's a shame it hasn't been trialled before that happens to enable custom to build.

[ChrisB]

Dependent on a driver with hours available though

[John R]

Dependent on a driver with hours available though

I can't believe that is beyond the wit of those who plan such things. Indeed I would expect rostering of staff to be the least of the hurdles to jump after stock (no issue), pathing (apparently no issue) and financing (which is I guess where the real issue arises).

[grahame]

Dependent on a driver with hours available though

I can't believe that is beyond the wit of those who plan such things. Indeed I would expect rostering of staff to be the least of the hurdles to jump after stock (no issue), pathing (apparently no issue) and financing (which is I guess where the real issue arises).

Finding staff is easier than finding a train.   Financing is an interesting case and we have a number of learn-ed gentlemen looking at various elements of that.

[RailCornwall]

This'll be great for all the Falmouth Week evening events.