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

[whole diary]

[Timmer]

Sadly (for the customers at least) it seems that GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) BBQ season is now underway.

Yes, after a good few months of very few cancellations and short running, ‘normal service’ was very much resumed today across the board. Once again, Sundays are best avoided.

[IndustryInsider]

I can only imagine how the timetable would be affected across the country if ASLEF^» (Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen - about) and/or the RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) invoke ‘action short of a strike’ or full strike action over all weekends during the summer.

[ChrisB]

With voluntary Sunday working already causing disruption, it would only take action on Saturdays....

[bobm]

The situation may well be worse than we can see from our armchairs.

I went to catch one of the 387 shuttles from London Paddington to Bristol Parkway at Didcot Parkway this afternoon.

After six minutes of sitting going nowhere it was cancelled as there was no guard available.

It hasn’t appeared on Journeycheck yet.

[IndustryInsider]

With voluntary Sunday working already causing disruption, it would only take action on Saturdays....

Voluntary Sunday working is currently helping to reduce disruption on Sundays quite substantially.

On a separate note, certain depots had plenty of drivers above what they needed to cover their work today.  Sunday disruption would be reduced if route knowledge was increased.  The current set up with NRC’s mean that the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) would need to authorise the cost of that learning, so I doubt it’ll happen.

[Electric train]

With voluntary Sunday working already causing disruption, it would only take action on Saturdays....

Voluntary Sunday working is currently helping to reduce disruption on Sundays quite substantially.

On a separate note, certain depots had plenty of drivers above what they needed to cover their work today.  Sunday disruption would be reduced if route knowledge was increased.  The current set up with NRC’s mean that the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) would need to authorise the cost of that learning, so I doubt it’ll happen.

I wonder if GBR^▸ (Great British Railways) will help alleviate this problem, that's providing DfT / Treasury do not sink GBR 

[TaplowGreen]

Glastonbury related? Crew being used elsewhere?

Cancellations to services between Taunton and Bristol Temple Meads
Due to a shortage of train crew between Taunton and Bristol Temple Meads the line towards Bristol Temple Meads is blocked.

Train services running through these stations may be cancelled. Disruption is expected until 10:30 26/06

[Timmer]

Glastonbury related? Crew being used elsewhere?

Cancellations to services between Taunton and Bristol Temple Meads
Due to a shortage of train crew between Taunton and Bristol Temple Meads the line towards Bristol Temple Meads is blocked.

Train services running through these stations may be cancelled. Disruption is expected until 10:30 26/06

Above message continues...

Due to a shortage of train crew, several trains running between Penzance and Cardiff Central have been cancelled. This has affected north bound services in Bridgwater, with no direct train for nearly three hours. Road transprt is in place to take customers towards Highbridge & Burnham, and Weston Super Mare, where connections towards Bristol are available. Road transport is also operating from Taunton towards all stations to Weston-super-Mare. Customers can travel to Taunton and change onto Cross Country services direct to Bristol Temple Meads.
UPDATE: Some road transport that is being provided has been reported to be running late, particularly those starting at Bridgwater. Current ETA from Bridgwater is 09:20.

For a Monday morning that's embarrassing. Though perfectly normal for users of Transpennine Express services.

[GBM]

11:14 Newquay to London Paddington due 15:57
11:14 Newquay to London Paddington due 15:57 will be terminated at Plymouth.
It will no longer call at Newton Abbot, Exeter St Davids, Reading and London Paddington.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

This one seems to have become the 'Melksham' service to be curtailed, especially at weekends.
Latterly either curtailed completely or curtailed at Plymouth.

Weekends looking increasingly bleak for shortage of crew.
Interesting that this thread has been going since September 2017 and GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) are still short (of staff AND trains)!

[GBM]

The failed Looe unit was repaired and normal services resumed.
Unfortunately, staff shortages are curtailing some evening runs.
Also shortages on the Newquay and Falmouth branches now appearing.

[bobm]

The failed Looe unit was repaired and normal services resumed.

Sort of.  The failed unit (150244) went back to Plymouth and a fresh unit (150234) sent down to resume service with the 10:36 to Looe.

[a-driver]

Weekends looking increasingly bleak for shortage of crew.
Interesting that this thread has been going since September 2017 and GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) are still short (of staff AND trains)!

They aren’t short of staff.  They are short of people with experience and knowledge when it comes to diagramming. 

Most companies strive for increased productivity and flexibility, GWR have gone, for some strange reason, in totally the opposite direction.  It’s not uncommon now for crew, especially drivers, to spend more time travelling as passengers than actually driving.  Your typical Paddington to Penzance service, use to require just one crew change at Exeter or Plymouth.  Now there can be 3 or 4 changes of crew, Reading, Westbury, Taunton, Exeter, Plymouth and Par seem to be favoured.  The more crew changes you have, the more issues you have with relieving crew not being in the right place during disruption add to that you crew losing route knowledge and you end up in a similar situation to TPE^▸ (Trans Pennine Express). 

As for the trains, the IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train) simply aren’t going to cope. You either need an extension of electrification to keep the IETs off diesel or to ditch the IET fleet altogether.  There’s currently in excess of 20 sets running with at least one engine isolated.  The rate of returns with the engines is at such a rate, the factory repairing them can’t cope with the workload.

[TaplowGreen]

No doubt due to ASLEF^» (Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen - about)'s action but an especially bad one to have to cut short today with Boardmasters on.............

08:03 London Paddington to Newquay due 12:58
08:03 London Paddington to Newquay due 12:58 will be terminated at Plymouth.
It will no longer call at Par and Newquay.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

[broadgage]

As for the trains, the IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train) simply aren’t going to cope. You either need an extension of electrification to keep the IETs off diesel or to ditch the IET fleet altogether.  There’s currently in excess of 20 sets running with at least one engine isolated.  The rate of returns with the engines is at such a rate, the factory repairing them can’t cope with the workload.

What happened to the "essential requirement" that an IET with an engine out should be able to maintain the specified level of performance ?

And what happened to the requirement that IETs should be able to work reliably on the GW^▸ (Great Western) network as currently existing, and without  being reliant on possible future electrification.

[grahame]

What happened to the "essential requirement" that an IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train) with an engine out should be able to maintain the specified level of performance ?

Was "with an engine out" specified against a level of performance?  As I vaguely recall it was that the train had to be able to carry on with an engine out.

And what happened to the requirement that IETs should be able to work reliably on the GW^▸ (Great Western) network as currently existing, and without  being reliant on possible future electrification.

From a passenger viewpoint, they are working.  The specification is reliability (able to run) and they can. No level of performance specified in what I am quoting.

I am perhaps coming across as an apologist for the rail industry here, but the failure to complete the electrification to Bristol and Oxford is crazy and the consequences of that decision on the wear and tear of the diesel systems doesn't seem to have made it onto my radar. Was this considered as part of the decision to truncate, and if so what measures were put in place to mitigate any issues arising?