Weekend service

[whole diary]

[grahame]

Melksham to Swindon and back.


Saturday - train to Chippenham, bus to Swindon.

45 minute waited to / from the hourly bus at Chippenham.  Absurd.
Should take 50 minutes versus normal 29.  Acyually takes 86 to 93.   Is the cafe at Chippenham station on commission?


How it should connect - bus to bus at Chippenham, about 10 minutes ... journey time 70 minutes.

[bobm]

Goodness me.

Taking the 08:26 on Saturday as an example, it would be quicker for me to take the 55 bus from Chippenham Station (with a 10 minute connection). Despite going round the houses it would drop me closer to home and I’d be back around 10 minutes earlier after avoiding the walk home from Swindon Station!

[grahame]

Goodness me.

Taking the 08:26 on Saturday as an example, it would be quicker for me to take the 55 bus from Chippenham Station (with a 10 minute connection). Despite going round the houses it would drop me closer to home and I’d be back around 10 minutes earlier after avoiding the walk home from Swindon Station!

It's what appears to be crass / thoughtless timetabling of connections during engineering works.   But then there may be reasons.   They cynical one is the suggestion made that the services provided meet the franchise requirement, and cost money to run.  It's commercially more attractive to suppress demand so that only one bus has to be run rather than two, and a great way to do that within the rules is to make people wait 45 minutes in the middle of what would normally be a 29 minute journey. I really hope that is NOT the reason, by the way.   Other suggestions as to why would be very welcome.

[stuving]

Goodness me.

Taking the 08:26 on Saturday as an example, it would be quicker for me to take the 55 bus from Chippenham Station (with a 10 minute connection). Despite going round the houses it would drop me closer to home and I’d be back around 10 minutes earlier after avoiding the walk home from Swindon Station!

It's what appears to be crass / thoughtless timetabling of connections during engineering works.   But then there may be reasons.   They cynical one is the suggestion made that the services provided meet the franchise requirement, and cost money to run.  It's commercially more attractive to suppress demand so that only one bus has to be run rather than two, and a great way to do that within the rules is to make people wait 45 minutes in the middle of what would normally be a 29 minute journey. I really hope that is NOT the reason, by the way.   Other suggestions as to why would be very welcome.

I've not been able to find any guide or other form of standard for replacement servces such as buses during engineering possessions. There are some documents about possessions, including one from ATOC^» (Association of Train Operating Companies See - here)/RDG^‡(resolve) that looks at how to plan those to minimise disruption, but buses feature just as the necessary response when they happen.

All I can find in the current GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) "franchise" is this:

6. Obligations of the Franchisee in the event of disruption to railway passenger services

6.1 In the event of any planned or unplanned disruption to railway passenger services operated on the Routes, or on other parts of the network which are reasonably local to the Routes, the Franchisee shall:
(a) without prejudice to any other provision of this Schedule 1.2, notify the Secretary of State promptly where such disruption would materially (having regard to both duration and scale) prejudice the Franchisee's ability to deliver the Timetable or deliver the Timetable in accordance with the Train Plan;
(b) co-operate with Network Rail and other Train Operators to act in the overall interests of passengers using such railway passenger services, including using all reasonable endeavours to ensure that such disruption is not concentrated on a particular part of the network, except where such concentration either:
  (i) would be in the overall interests of passengers using such Passenger Services or railway passenger services and would not result in disproportionate inconvenience to any group of passengers; or
  (ii) is reasonably necessary as a result of the cause or the location of the disruption; and
(c) use all reasonable endeavours to provide or secure the provision of alternative transport arrangements in accordance with paragraph 6.2. 6.2 The Franchisee shall use all reasonable endeavours to provide or secure the provision of alternative transport arrangements to enable passengers affected by any disruption referred to in paragraph

6.1 to complete their intended journeys in accordance with this paragraph 6.2. In particular, the Franchisee shall use all reasonable endeavours to:
(a) ensure that such alternative transport arrangements are of reasonable quality, of a reasonably similar frequency to the Passenger Services included in the Timetable which such arrangements replace and reasonably fit for the purpose of the journey to be undertaken;
(b) transport passengers to, or as near as reasonably practicable to, the end of their intended journey on such Passenger Services, having particular regard to the needs of any disabled persons and, where appropriate, making additional arrangements for such disabled persons to complete their intended journey;
(c) provide adequate and prominent publicity of such alternative transport arrangements in advance, subject, in the case of unplanned disruption, to the Franchisee having sufficient notice of such disruption to enable it to provide such publicity;
(d) provide sufficient alternative transport capacity for the reasonably foreseeable demand for the disrupted Passenger Services; and
(e) ensure, if any planned disruption overruns, that there is a reasonable contingency arrangement for such alternative transport arrangements to continue for the duration of such overrun.

Got you string meter handy?

[grahame]

Got you string meter handy?

Yes - and thanks for that. 

Absolutely nothing in there about "at not exceeding the price that would normally be paid for such a journey at such a time.", so putting the price up to limit the need for provision for "reasonably foreseeable demand" is within the rules.   Yuk.

I note the requirement to have a contingency in place for overruns.

[grahame]

I have been alerted that due to poor forecast weather on Saturday / Sunday, in association with the diversion of all London to Bristol and South Wales trains via Trowbridge, there will be "no service between Westbury and Chippenham tomorrow" as "NR^» (Network Rail - home page) unable to provide staff for points at Thingley junction and Bradford junctions".   Message to me late last night, so means no Saturday trains. Slight paraphrasing in my quote.

[Trowres]

For the record: about 2 miles from Bradford Junction...temperature 2 degrees Celsius. Recent snow shower but melting on contact with the ground. Met Office forecast is p<10% for precipitation each hour up to 16:00; temperature above freezing until then.

[grahame]

For the record: about 2 miles from Bradford Junction...temperature 2 degrees Celsius. Recent snow shower but melting on contact with the ground. Met Office forecast is p<10% for precipitation each hour up to 16:00; temperature above freezing until then.

All green and lovely in Melksham.

Following from 02:45 this a,.m.

[grahame]

For the record: about 2 miles from Bradford Junction...temperature 2 degrees Celsius. Recent snow shower but melting on contact with the ground. Met Office forecast is p<10% for precipitation each hour up to 16:00; temperature above freezing until then.

Brutal weather in Melksham:

[bobm]

Looks ripe for a cream tea.  Oh sorry wrong thread.   

[grahame]

Looks ripe for a cream tea.  Oh sorry wrong thread.   

but not today

[GBM]

Looks ripe for a cream tea.  Oh sorry wrong thread.   

CORNISH of course! As implied from "the Palace" 

[martyjon]

Looks ripe for a cream tea.  Oh sorry wrong thread.   

CORNISH of course! As implied from "the Palace" 

Noticed on my weekly visit to my Sainsbury's they had packs of Cornish Scones on the bakery section. First time I've noticed such a product on sale there, must have been an influence of this excellent forum site.

[Trowres]

For the record: about 2 miles from Bradford Junction...temperature 2 degrees Celsius. Recent snow shower but melting on contact with the ground. Met Office forecast is p<10% for precipitation each hour up to 16:00; temperature above freezing until then.

All green and lovely in Melksham.

Following from 02:45 this a,.m.

Hmm... it appears that the Melksham route wasn't closed all day, as 1Z05 and 1Z06 (Bristol-Paddington and Weston-Paddington) used the route between 0630 and 0800.

[grahame]

Hmm... it appears that the Melksham route wasn't closed all day, as 1Z05 and 1Z06 (Bristol-Paddington and Weston-Paddington) used the route between 0630 and 0800.

Statement details elsewhere were "from 08:00" ... about 1 c.m.of snow arrived after during the evening.   Shutting the line 12 hours earlier than the arrival of any problem still seems a bit excessive and certainly gave rise to a lot of negative comment; sometimes there's a feeling that decision makers coming up with cuts don't fully realise the story of each and every person who's inconvenience and who's plans are changed by their decisions.  For sure they need to take steps that don't end up putting people in danger, but yesterday's call looks very much out of touch with the needs of the paying customer.