Severn Beach Line; trains, performance, tickets and usage

[whole diary]

[grahame]

Are there any scheduled plans to increase the frequency of trains on this line? And improve track to allow this?

A service of every 45minutes seems ridiculous to me, surely 15 minutes at peak and 30 minutes at the rest of the day.

The line has become a scheduler's nightmare as service has built up from the occasional train on a sleepy branch in the 1970s. Single track sections mean that you have to have trains pass each other at specific places, and the mainline interaction means that you've got to dovetail in with other services coming from as far as Penzance, Aberdeen, Brighton and Cardiff.

Of course, if you ran a loop service - in the morning out via Abbey Wood and Hallen and back via Avonmouth and Clifton Down, it would only be signalling that needed upgrades ... reverse direction in the evening, Avonmouth to Severn Beach to become a shuttle.     But there would be plenty of reasons it couldn't happen ...

[simonw]

Ah, so the Henbury loop would have been a major bonus!

Lets hope the new WoE Mayor can magic up the extra money to turn the spur into a loop!

[John R]

I noticed this afternoon that the 1603 from BRI^» (Bristol Temple Meads - next trains) wasn't a turbo. I was under the impression that apart from the first working of the day the branch has completely moved to turbos, so wonder whether I've got that wrong?

[bobm]

Just for clarity I have moved the posts about problems seeing some pictures on this thread to the existing topic we have on Photobucket - http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=18408.0

[phile]

I noticed this afternoon that the 1603 from BRI^» (Bristol Temple Meads - next trains) wasn't a turbo. I was under the impression that apart from the first working of the day the branch has completely moved to turbos, so wonder whether I've got that wrong?

It's not you that's wrong.  What's wrong is that there was a Turbo failure

[Kempis]

Yes -- it was back to the old order on the 18.47 tonight, which was a 150, and 15 minutes late at Clifton Down. On my outward journey, the 8.16 Turbo from Clifton Down departed on time and was about 5 minutes late at Temple Meads -- not unusual for that train.

[TaplowGreen]

I noticed this afternoon that the 1603 from BRI^» (Bristol Temple Meads - next trains) wasn't a turbo. I was under the impression that apart from the first working of the day the branch has completely moved to turbos, so wonder whether I've got that wrong?

It's not you that's wrong.  What's wrong is that there was a Turbo failure

You'll get used to it.......we all did (and still do!) on LTV^▸ (London [and] Thames Valley)!

[JayMac]

Chatting with a driver today I was told that the Turbos are being limited to 5mph at Bristol TM^‡(resolve) and Montpelier. They have to be down to that speed before the platform ramp.

[stuving]

Chatting with a driver today I was told that the Turbos are being limited to 5mph at Bristol TM^‡(resolve) and Montpelier. They have to be down to that speed before the platform ramp.

What, never finished the gauge clearance work, then?

[JayMac]

This driver said that Turbos were cleared for all platforms at line speed back when they ran Bristol-Oxford services.

There has been no platform work done as far as I know. But maybe track profiles have changed since the Turbos were last in Bristol in 2003.

[grahame]

This driver said that Turbos were cleared for all platforms at line speed back when they ran Bristol-Oxford services.

There has been no platform work done as far as I know. But maybe track profiles have changed since the Turbos were last in Bristol in 2003.

If that is the case, it's not the only place where things have changed. We've discussed the Isle of Wight (Ryde Tunnel) situation here, and it was absurd (or premature) to do works at Salisbury that have resulted in the banning of class 153 units from platform 3 there.  We end up day after day with the 11:11 Westbury to Southampton showing as "cancelled" on Journey Check, with a new train at 11:11 running from - err - Westbury to Southampton.    As the 11:11 provides an important connection from the West Country to Southampton, the train's not a quiet one but a 153 will have enough seats for everyone  most days (shock, horror - people may have to sit next to a stranger or have their bag give up its seat!) but a wonder how many are put off by the rather unfortunate way the public are told that the train is CANCELLED when (from a passenger view point) it's just a bit more social with fellow passengers.

In a world of more specialism, we seem to loose the ability to mix and match if things get changed around ...

[chuffed]

I see Chris Grayling is at Temple Meads today to ride the Severn Beach Riviera Express. Can anyone on this forum, and on his train, put in a plea for the Portishead line, the Henbury loop, electrification (lack of), and raise any other rail related matters with him. He needs to know our strength of feeling on these issues.

[John R]

Chatting with a driver today I was told that the Turbos are being limited to 5mph at Bristol TM^‡(resolve) and Montpelier. They have to be down to that speed before the platform ramp.

What, never finished the gauge clearance work, then?

That's shockingly poor if that's the case. NR^» (Network Rail - home page) has had how many years to plan this work, and indeed there has been a delay in the Turbos arriving because of electrification delays.  By now they should have been operating all over the area. 

[chuffed]

Just saw and heard Chris Grayling sat on a stationery Turbo at Temple Meads, on Points West, where he said he wants to 'sort out Portishead' and as good as admitted that we have been poorly served as a region in recent years. I hope we get a longer soundbite in the evening bulletin.

[Red Squirrel]

Lets hope the new WoE Mayor can magic up the extra money...

No magic - it's central government having the magnanimity to allow us to spend some of our own locally-raised taxes locally!

Chatting with a driver today I was told that the Turbos are being limited to 5mph at Bristol TM^‡(resolve) and Montpelier. They have to be down to that speed before the platform ramp.

When I got on at Montpelier yesterday I noticed that they'd repainted the edge and the 'Mind the Gap' markings. Shame if they have to come back adjust it! It was quite nice not to have to step over a yawning gap.