Shortage of train crews on Great Western Railway since September 2017 - ongoing discussion

[whole diary]

[phile]

I've left it until this time now to post this but there have been no cancellations today.   Even Cheltenhams all  ran

[bobm]

There was on return trip from London Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads cancelled this afternoon due to no driver. 

[phile]

There was on return trip from London Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads cancelled this afternoon due to no driver. 

Missed that one.   Checked in the morning and again evening.

[IndustryInsider]

Should be pretty quiet on this thread until the build up to Christmas I would have thought.  I have a feeling GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) might have been better postponing their new timetable a couple of weeks until the first week of January, but time will tell on that one!

[grahame]

Should be pretty quiet on this thread until the build up to Christmas I would have thought.  I have a feeling GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) might have been better postponing their new timetable a couple of weeks until the first week of January, but time will tell on that one!

Some teething troubles are almost inevitable with the major changes - and will be seen initially from 15th December.  If things are noted / dealt with quickly, the "restart" in the new year may be pretty clean.  In that scenario, the lesson we take away may be that the changes should have been in the new year - and we may be very wrong indeed in that lesson because it was the chance given (and taken) to overcome the initial issues in the last fortnight of 2019 set us up for a really good start to 2020.

[TaplowGreen]

Should be pretty quiet on this thread until the build up to Christmas I would have thought.  I have a feeling GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) might have been better postponing their new timetable a couple of weeks until the first week of January, but time will tell on that one!

Some teething troubles are almost inevitable with the major changes - and will be seen initially from 15th December.  If things are noted / dealt with quickly, the "restart" in the new year may be pretty clean.  In that scenario, the lesson we take away may be that the changes should have been in the new year - and we may be very wrong indeed in that lesson because it was the chance given (and taken) to overcome the initial issues in the last fortnight of 2019 set us up for a really good start to 2020.

What sort of "teething problems", and why do you consider that they are inevitable?

[grahame]

What sort of "teething problems", and why do you consider that they are inevitable?

You're putting words in my mouth - I said almost inevitable.   

But, not splitting hairs, there may be odd situations ... such as happened on the Thames Valley at Twyford with connections to Henley at the last significant change.  There may be other customer related issues too, some of which may have an operational knock-on.  Things like trains turning up on different platforms to people expect.   I would not be surprised if there are a few robust exchanges of views between ticketing staff and passengers who are used to paying for an off peak ticket, an find that the nearest train to their "traditional" one is now peak.  Customers will also need to get used to slicker station calls - having had the luxury of longer dwell times with slam door trains in the past, with that luxury somewhat extended with the IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train) running, thus far, to a timetable very much slacker than what they can typically do.

The latter of these issues is very much acknowledged by GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) - witness the call for suggestions in the summer.  However,  I note that my suggestion of putting up signs that say "Melksham" that can be read from a train that's just pulled in to Melksham from the south have not (yet?) been acted on; that's the sort of thing that should be cheap and will speed up the slowest ("where am I?   Never used the train before!") customers.

[IndustryInsider]

Yes, it’ll take little time for staff and passengers to get used to a new timetable after few changes over the last couple of decades.  To add to Graham’s list I would expect the odd diagramming error for crew, the odd Automatic Route Setting error in the data sent to the signalling systems, the odd passenger alarm activation at Paddington when someone realised their train is next stop Bristol Parkway and they want Reading.  All of which will knock performance.

In September 2011 Chiltern introduced their delayed Mainline timetable which was a similar upheaval of their own services.  Punctuality dropped noticeably, I remember questioning myself whether they had tried to do too much, and things like this started to appear in the local press:

https://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/news/9269787.beaconsfield-commuters-say-new-chiltern-line-is-misery/

But over the following weeks and months they got it back together again to restore their enviable satisfaction ratings, so let’s hope any GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) dips are quickly addressed.  I’ll be watching the performance figures closely!

[TaplowGreen]

How on Earth is this allowed to happen? Working day in the evening rush hour.....plenty of similar cancellations elsewhere too for the same reason.....

Cancellations to services between West Ealing and Greenford
Due to a shortage of train crew between West Ealing and Greenford all lines are closed.
Train services running to and from these stations will be cancelled. Disruption is expected until 19:30 28/10

[TaplowGreen]

Well, this is impressive......all cancelled due to crew shortage, including a number of very busy LTV^▸ (London [and] Thames Valley) rush hour services. Trick or treat?

16:09 London Paddington to Maidenhead due 16:43

16:32 Reading to London Paddington due 17:33
16:33 Didcot Parkway to London Paddington due 18:01
16:45 Maidenhead to Marlow due 17:08
16:48 Reading to London Paddington due 17:53
16:56 London Paddington to Maidenhead due 17:36
17:06 Oxford to Reading due 17:56
17:12 London Paddington to Reading due 18:09
17:17 Marlow to Bourne End due 17:24

17:30 Bourne End to Marlow due 17:37
17:42 Maidenhead to London Paddington due 18:28
17:47 Marlow to Bourne End due 17:54
17:57 London Paddington to Reading due 18:58
18:00 Bourne End to Marlow due 18:07
18:11 London Paddington to Reading due 19:11
18:17 Marlow to Bourne End due 18:24

18:30 Bourne End to Marlow due 18:37
18:46 Maidenhead to Bourne End due 18:57
18:47 Marlow to Bourne End due 18:54
18:55 London Paddington to Maidenhead due 19:30
18:59 London Paddington to Newbury due 20:37
19:00 Bourne End to Marlow due 19:07
19:01 Bourne End to Maidenhead due 19:12
19:16 Maidenhead to Bourne End due 19:27
19:17 Marlow to Bourne End due
19:30 Bourne End to Marlow due 19:37
19:31 Bourne End to Maidenhead due 19:42
19:46 Maidenhead to Bourne End due 19:57
19:47 Marlow to Bourne End due 19:54
19:57 London Paddington to Reading due 20:52
20:00 Bourne End to Marlow due 20:07
20:01 Bourne End to Maidenhead due 20:12
20:16 Maidenhead to Bourne End due 20:27
20:17 Marlow to Bourne End due 20:24
20:30 Bourne End to Marlow due 20:37
20:31 Bourne End to Maidenhead due 20:42
20:46 Maidenhead to Bourne End due 20:57
20:47 Marlow to Bourne End due 20:54
21:00 Bourne End to Marlow due 21:07
21:01 Bourne End to Maidenhead due 21:12
21:10 Marlow to Maidenhead due 21:33
21:11 Reading to Newbury due 21:37
21:12 Newbury to Reading due 21:43
21:18 London Paddington to Oxford due 22:17
21:27 London Paddington to Didcot Parkway due 22:57
21:51 Newbury to Reading due 22:24
22:07 Reading to Newbury due 22:33
22:44 Newbury to Reading due 23:13
22:48 Reading to London Paddington due 00:01
23:01 Oxford to London Paddington due 00:21
23:14 Reading to London Paddington due 00:14
23:21 Didcot Parkway to Reading due 23:46
00:34 London Paddington to Reading due 01:34

[nickswift99]

Curious to see that ex Bourne End services are shown twice, one minute apart, with a Marlow destination and a Maidenhead one. Anyone explain that?

[stuving]

Curious to see that ex Bourne End services are shown twice, one minute apart, with a Marlow destination and a Maidenhead one. Anyone explain that?

Because that's when they run (when not cancelled). During the evening they are not through trains, it's one for each half and change at Bourne End.

[grahame]

Curious to see that ex Bourne End services are shown twice, one minute apart, with a Marlow destination and a Maidenhead one. Anyone explain that?

Because that's when they run (when not cancelled). During the evening they are not through trains, it's one for each half and change at Bourne End.

Thanks, Stuving - I've drawn a diagram as to show how Bourne End works for those not familiar with it  - http://www.passenger.chat/22396

[nickswift99]

Thanks.

Looks like another bad day today with North Downs Line and LTV^▸ (London [and] Thames Valley) stoppers taking the brunt of the cancellations.

[TaplowGreen]

All cancelled - once again GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) unable to manage its workforce - the preceding local train to the (cancelled) 1658 Paddington to Reading is shortformed as well so a pretty miserable peak in store for many.


15:48 Reading to London Paddington due 16:46

16:32 Reading to Gatwick Airport due 17:51

16:58 London Paddington to Reading due 18:00

18:00 Gatwick Airport to Reading due 19:29

18:18 Reading to London Paddington due 19:16

18:31 Reading to Gatwick Airport due 19:50

19:17 Reading to London Paddington due 20:16

20:34 Redhill to Reading due 22:00

20:48 Reading to London Paddington due 21:46

21:11 Reading to Newbury due 21:37

21:51 Newbury to Reading due 22:24

21:57 London Paddington to Didcot Parkway due 23:39

22:01 Reading to London Paddington due 23:13

22:35 Reading to Guildford due 23:19

23:27 London Paddington to Didcot Parkway due 00:53