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

[whole diary]

[TaplowGreen]

2004 full, standing & hugely overcrowded off Paddington......imagine what that'll be like all the way to Plymouth.

Made worse by all the extra Christmas luggage.

[broadgage]

.......on the Friday before Christmas......got to be one of the most brainless ones to cancel.

18:04 London Paddington to Penzance due 23:07
18:04 London Paddington to Penzance due 23:07 has been cancelled.
This is due to train crew being delayed by service disruption.

I am so glad that I now live permanently in the west country with no need for regular travel between London and the west.
Back in the good old days, I would wait in the first class lounge at Paddington, walk across the platform to take my reserved seat in the Pullman, often on the 18-03 as it then was.

These days the "Golden Hind" no longer departs from platform one, not a big issue but still a backward step for a named train.
Reservations are no longer reliably available,  The location of the Pullman is random, accommodation therein is reduced, and the whole journey is to be endured rather than enjoyed.
Tonight's debacle  resulted in no train and appalling crowding on alternative services.

Reports elsewhere suggest a train fault, as an alternative or contributory cause. Very poor show.

[Timmer]

You wouldn’t have enjoyed your experience very much in the First class lounge this evening Broadgage. My sister in law said it was absolutely packed with people sitting on the floor.

[broadgage]

You wouldn’t have enjoyed your experience very much in the First class lounge this evening Broadgage. My sister in law said it was absolutely packed with people sitting on the floor.

Oh dear, glad that I use the trains less.

[Timmer]

A quick look at RTT^» (Real Time Trains - website) this morning for this coming Sunday. Compared to this time last week pretty much a full service scheduled apart from a handful of Paddington-Cardiffs cancelled late morning/early afternoon and Cheltenham-Paddington services terminating at Swindon in the morning so it looks much better as it stands.

edited for clarification of Cheltenham-Paddington services terminating at Swindon morning only.

UPDATE

Following on from Caroline’s post yesterday, another look at RTT this morning does now indeed show the xx.17 Paddington to Cardiff/Swansea and return services cancelled with an hourly service to/from South Wales.

Paddington to Bristol five cancellations 1600, 1700, 1800* 1900 and 2000. And return from Bristol with the 1630, 1730, 1830, 1930 and 2030 cancelled.

To confirm what we already knew that the South Cotswolds Line will operate between Cheltenham and Swindon only in the morning.

The good news is as things stand there is a full service on the WoE and North Cotswolds lines.

*Service to Plymouth starts at Bristol TM^‡(resolve)

[TaplowGreen]

Today's situation seems to be getting worse every time you look, with last night, today and more chaos inevitably in store tomorrow it makes a mockery of GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway)'s message to travel by the 23rd.

I still don't see anything prominent on their website about alterations tomorrow.

[TaplowGreen]

Given that today is part of the "working week", one shudders to think what tomorrow will be like - all cancelled or foreshortened due to "crew shortage"- the message is, when they are most needed, you cannot rely on the railways or those who operate them.


13:15 Plymouth to London Paddington due 16:30
13:49 Cardiff Central to London Paddington due 15:43
13:58 Cheltenham Spa to London Paddington due 16:00
13:59 London Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads due 15:37
14:40 Cardiff Central to London Paddington due 16:41
14:57 Bristol Temple Meads to London Paddington due 16:38
15:12 Falmouth Docks to Truro due 15:40
15:17 London Paddington to Cardiff Central due 17:14
15:40 Cardiff Central to London Paddington due 17:40
15:43 Truro to Falmouth Docks due 16:06
15:43 Exeter St Davids to London Paddington due 18:09
15:46 Plymouth to Penzance due 17:40
16:12 Falmouth Docks to Truro due 16:40
16:27 Exeter St Davids to Penzance due 19:40
16:32 Westbury to Swindon due 17:24
16:50 Cardiff Central to London Paddington due 18:44
16:59 London Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads due 18:37
17:03 London Paddington to Penzance due 22:18
17:12 St James' Park to Barnstaple due 18:39
17:33 Swindon to Westbury due 18:15
17:50 Cardiff Central to London Paddington due 19:44
18:43 Barnstaple to St James' Park due 20:00
19:38 Paignton to Exeter St Davids due 20:32
20:52 Frome to Westbury due 21:02
21:32 Southampton Central to Bristol Temple Meads due 23:30
10:50 Penzance to Cardiff Central due 16:23
12:27 Cardiff Central to Portsmouth Harbour due 15:50
13:00 Cardiff Central to Penzance due 18:40
13:02 London Paddington to Penzance due 18:14
13:18 Hereford to London Paddington due 16:25
13:30 Cardiff Central to Portsmouth Harbour due 16:50
13:47 London Paddington to Swansea due 16:40
14:02 London Paddington to Penzance due 19:13
14:17 London Paddington to Cardiff Central due 16:16
14:29 London Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads due 16:04
14:43 Great Malvern to Weymouth due 19:08
14:47 London Paddington to Swansea due 17:37
15:20 Paignton to Exmouth due 16:52
15:40 Barnstaple to St James' Park due 17:01
16:55 Great Malvern to Southampton Central due 20:40
17:23 Portsmouth Harbour to Cardiff Central due 20:46
17:56 Exmouth to Paignton due 19:34
18:42 Gloucester to Frome due 20:43
20:16 St James' Park to Barnstaple due 21:31

[Timmer]

Yes TG it hasn’t been the best of days right from the off and not only IC^▸ (Inter City) services, local services have also seen cancellations and short run services, just ask Graham.

And as today is part of the working week on the railways, one can only think its down to high levels of sickness.

[PhilWakely]

Given that today is part of the "working week", one shudders to think what tomorrow will be like - all cancelled or foreshortened due to "crew shortage"- the message is, when they are most needed, you cannot rely on the railways or those who operate them.


13:15 Plymouth to London Paddington due 16:30
13:49 Cardiff Central to London Paddington due 15:43
13:58 Cheltenham Spa to London Paddington due 16:00
13:59 London Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads due 15:37
14:40 Cardiff Central to London Paddington due 16:41
14:57 Bristol Temple Meads to London Paddington due 16:38
15:12 Falmouth Docks to Truro due 15:40
15:17 London Paddington to Cardiff Central due 17:14
15:40 Cardiff Central to London Paddington due 17:40
15:43 Truro to Falmouth Docks due 16:06
15:43 Exeter St Davids to London Paddington due 18:09
15:46 Plymouth to Penzance due 17:40
16:12 Falmouth Docks to Truro due 16:40
16:27 Exeter St Davids to Penzance due 19:40
16:32 Westbury to Swindon due 17:24
16:50 Cardiff Central to London Paddington due 18:44
16:59 London Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads due 18:37
17:03 London Paddington to Penzance due 22:18
17:12 St James' Park to Barnstaple due 18:39
17:33 Swindon to Westbury due 18:15
17:50 Cardiff Central to London Paddington due 19:44
18:43 Barnstaple to St James' Park due 20:00
19:38 Paignton to Exeter St Davids due 20:32
20:52 Frome to Westbury due 21:02
21:32 Southampton Central to Bristol Temple Meads due 23:30
10:50 Penzance to Cardiff Central due 16:23
12:27 Cardiff Central to Portsmouth Harbour due 15:50
13:00 Cardiff Central to Penzance due 18:40
13:02 London Paddington to Penzance due 18:14
13:18 Hereford to London Paddington due 16:25
13:30 Cardiff Central to Portsmouth Harbour due 16:50
13:47 London Paddington to Swansea due 16:40
14:02 London Paddington to Penzance due 19:13
14:17 London Paddington to Cardiff Central due 16:16
14:29 London Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads due 16:04
14:43 Great Malvern to Weymouth due 19:08
14:47 London Paddington to Swansea due 17:37
15:20 Paignton to Exmouth due 16:52
15:40 Barnstaple to St James' Park due 17:01
16:55 Great Malvern to Southampton Central due 20:40
17:23 Portsmouth Harbour to Cardiff Central due 20:46
17:56 Exmouth to Paignton due 19:34
18:42 Gloucester to Frome due 20:43
20:16 St James' Park to Barnstaple due 21:31

Add both the 1703 and 1803 PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains) - PNZ to the above list. I hope the 1903 survives!

[Timmer]

1803 Reinstated but will be pretty full carrying passengers booked on the cancelled 1703.

[IndustryInsider]

Yes TG it hasn’t been the best of days right from the off and not only IC^▸ (Inter City) services, local services have also seen cancellations and short run services, just ask Graham.

And as today is part of the working week on the railways, one can only think its down to high levels of sickness.

I did fear (and go on record on here saying) that launching the extra services in the new timetable before the maxed out holiday period in December was over was asking for trouble, though I understand why it happened.

I was pleasantly surprised how few cancellations there were during the week, but on the flip side I’m surprised just how many there are today.  Hopefully it’ll be a pleasant surprise again tomorrow and only the advertised cancellations will happen.

It will settle down considerably in the new year, but that’s no consolation to those affected today.

[TaplowGreen]

Yes TG it hasn’t been the best of days right from the off and not only IC^▸ (Inter City) services, local services have also seen cancellations and short run services, just ask Graham.

And as today is part of the working week on the railways, one can only think its down to high levels of sickness.

Hopefully those afflicted today will rise, Lazarus like from their sickbeds & turn in tomorrow if that is indeed the reason (rather than too much leave being authorised or similar)...........there are grounds for cautious optimism......the medicinal & curative effect of the prospect of double time payments can work miracles........🙄

[IndustryInsider]

Generally it you’re off sick on Saturday you can’t resume for duty on Sunday.

[SandTEngineer]

There was an interesting comment made on the WNXX^▸ (Stored Unserviceable, Mainline Locos HQ All Classes) Forum by an GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) 'insider' ......

It would seem that there was sort of issue with Integrale which meant that there were a number of diagrams missing at rostering stage.

This led to the belief that there was good coverage until the error was realised overnight, obviously by then it was too late!

Clearly there has been a mistake somewhere in the system.

Perhaps II can enlighten us as to what INTEGRALE is?

[stuving]

There was an interesting comment made on the WNXX^▸ (Stored Unserviceable, Mainline Locos HQ All Classes) Forum by an GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) 'insider' ......

It would seem that there was sort of issue with Integrale which meant that there were a number of diagrams missing at rostering stage.

This led to the belief that there was good coverage until the error was realised overnight, obviously by then it was too late!

Clearly there has been a mistake somewhere in the system.

Perhaps II can enlighten us as to what INTEGRALE is?

If you were more pally with Google ... you might find this from Railway Strategies (whoever they are):

...
Integrale is a data analytics tool developed by Worldline that predicts events across the rail network and flags early to train controllers for effective resource planning and timetables. It gives controllers real-time access to operating information across the network so they can respond and resolve issues that occur much faster.

The main areas in which Great Western will realise the benefits of adopting Integrale are through better management of staff and resources, early handling of potential issues and streamlining of control processes.
...
"The new digital platform gives real time information on train operations for the Great Western controllers across the entire network which should help manage the network, especially during times of disruption; it better links the three main functions of running the network – stock, crew and journey. Integrale enables Control to have greater daily plan transparency across the business and the flexibility to cope with upcoming fleet cascades.”
...

(It's quite long). Of course II might give you a more objective view...