GWRF2020-10 Other service enhancements

[whole diary]

[grahame]

Consultation Question 10

What other train service enhancements do you believe should be considered for inclusion in the next franchise?
Why?


Explanatory text

No extra text supplied here - question followed directly after 9 which refers to seasonal and special event provision, and 8 which refers to through trains.


See http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=19037 for the background to this topic

[grahame]

Consultation Question 10

What other train service enhancements do you believe should be considered for inclusion in the next franchise?
Why?

The "seven day, 24 hour railway" mantra seems to have quietly disappeared over the last handful of years, but enhancements to operating hours are worth a logical look.  With signalling now controlled from a very few locations, all of which are staffed 24 x 7, there's no longer the need to keep signal boxes staffed all along the way for a single night train, and the trains themselves are available anyway; electric trains (especially) have reduced overnight service requirements.

One of the biggest shouts I hear is for later trains ... not sure how late ... but I am going to fly a kite asking about extending midnight, 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. services from London Paddington to Reading and Didcot on through the whole length of the electric line to Cardiff, calling at almost all stations - even consider Severn Tunnel Junction

Much less of a "kite" but under timetables ... to meet the calls for later trains from Bristol to Chippenham and Swidon (where the service is currently the tail on the back of the London to Bristol dog, and is poorly fitted at the ends of the day).   And a proper all evening on the TransWilts rather than the absurd business of the service finishing before the late evening subsidiary peak.

[grahame]

Adding - though mentioned on other section - the Swindon to Oxford passenger flow.

[tomL]

Could the Swindon to Oxford flow be linked to the later service from Bristol/Bath/Chippenham to Swindon? On to Didcot to connect with the Oxford and TV services? 

[ellendune]

Adding - though mentioned on other section - the Swindon to Oxford passenger flow.

This not only provides a valuable local link between two main centres - with a considerable number of travel to work journeys, but it would also provide a better link into the Reading to Birmingham Cross country trains.

An intermediate station at Wantage/Grove could be added later also providing strong travel to work traffic. 

[grahame]

Interesting feedback from the South Wales DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) meeting - looking for better Cardiff to Bristol commuter / daily work / local services - people living in South Wales and looking to work in the Bristol region.

[devonexpress]

Improvements to the "fast" services to Devon/Cornwall, with the Cornish Riviera and Royal Dutchy removing the stops at Newton Abbot both ways, and the Eastbound RD not stopping at Tiverton or Taunton either.

GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) services to Oxford now being run by 5 car 800's being extended to Banbury, High Wycombe or maybe even up to Birmingham Snow Hill during the peaks taking pressure of XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) services from Reading to Birmingham, and providing connections to Paddington for Crossrail, Heathrow services.

[IndustryInsider]

GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) services to Oxford now being run by 5 car 800's being extended to Banbury, High Wycombe or maybe even up to Birmingham Snow Hill during the peaks taking pressure of XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) services from Reading to Birmingham, and providing connections to Paddington for Crossrail, Heathrow services.

From what I hear, ambitions for Stratford-Upon-Avon certainly aren't dead in the water yet.

[WelshBluebird]

I think the two obvious things of later last services and more frequent services are what I would say. Things like a later service between Cardiff, Bristol and Bath, more frequent stopping services between Bristol and Bath (the peak service is actually pretty good but then it falls down to roughly hourly after that), a later London to Bristol via Bath service etc. Probably a pipe dream really but you can hope (and there is precedent for some of these things, e.g. the last London to Leicester service is 00:15, compared to 23:30 for the last London to Bristol service).