2019 - TransWilts cancellation and amendments log

[whole diary]

[bobm]

17:45 ex-Cheltenham was reinstated to start from Swindon.

[grahame]

And they really should be proactive for busy trains and not wait for people to call in for replacement!

If you are travelling from an unstaffed station please use the Customer Help Point or contact National Rail Enquiries on 03457 484 950 detailing the total number of passengers in your party and your intended destination. This will enable us to get suitable replacement transport to you as quickly as possible.

Replacement should, as you say, be on site at the train time.    How long is it going to take to provide if no arrangements are put in place until passengers call.   

And it can be done ...

21:36 Great Malvern to Bristol Temple Meads due 23:18
21:36 Great Malvern to Bristol Temple Meads due 23:18 will be cancelled.
This is due to a fault on this train.
Additional Information
Replacement road transport has been arranged to run in lieu of this train service. Please check station signs and wait for the replacement road transport at the designated stop. The replacement road transport may run later than the advertised train times owing to the additional time taken by road between stations and the time required for loading and unloading at each stop.

[grahame]

12:20 Westbury to Swindon due 13:02
12:20 Westbury to Swindon due 13:02 has been cancelled.
This is due to a fault with the signalling system.
Further Information

12:49 Swindon to Frome due 13:41
12:49 Swindon to Frome due 13:41 will be cancelled.
This is due to a fault with the signalling system.
Further Information

[grahame]

14:10 Frome to Swindon due 15:07
14:10 Frome to Swindon due 15:07 has been cancelled.
This is due to a fault with the signalling system.
Further Information

[grahame]

17:36 Swindon to Westbury due 18:18
17:36 Swindon to Westbury due 18:18 will be starting late from Swindon and is expected to be 4 minutes late.
This is due to train crew being delayed by service disruption.

Thanks for letting us know ... not a problem at all!

[grahame]

Down train that forms this has had to wait around Bruton for the line to be available.  Let's watch the diagram for the day and see how the time's made up.

11:05 Weymouth to Swindon due 13:18
11:05 Weymouth to Swindon due 13:18 will be starting late from Weymouth.
This is due to engineering works not being finished on time.

Real Time trains for Dorchester West currently suggesting the 10:29 to Weymouth at 11:25, and the 11:18 to Swindon being on time.   Which as it's the same train ...

Why posting on TransWilts?   A faint whiff that the train might be turned around early somewhere. Dorchester West (hold the 11:24 at Dorchester South for 10 minutes and let people run across?) seems unlikely and would probably test the train crew under passenger pressure.  Sadly, looks ripe for TransWilts disruption though a carefully timed turnaround at Chippenham might make sense.

[bobm]

11:05 Weymouth to Swindon due 13:18

11:05 Weymouth to Swindon due 13:18 was started from Dorchester West and will be terminated at Westbury.

It will no longer call at Weymouth, Upwey, Trowbridge, Melksham, Chippenham and Swindon.
It has been delayed at Dorchester West and is now 15 minutes late.
This is due to engineering works not being finished on time.

BUT

12:36 Westbury to Swindon due 13:18

An additional train service has been planned to operate as shown 12:36 Westbury to Swindon due 13:18.

[grahame]

Thanks for that update, bobm ... looks like "they" may have recovered as best as possible in the circumstances.  Passenger already painfully late into Dorchester West dropped back to the train that was "just" (in Heart of Wessex terms) behind to complete their trip into Weymouth, and the train they were decanted off starting back - though still late - towards Westbury.   Breaking that into two services at Westbury, so that the Swindon service could leave on time. 

I have no data, but I suspect passenger numbers through Westbury on this train are not huge - so looks very much line the best of a bad job.  Once the down train was an hourly late of Castle Cary, it's hard to see a better solution and I'm glad there was stock and crew at Westbury available to do what they have done.

[bobm]

I suspect, although I don't know for certain, that there is a crew change at Westbury for that service so it was *only* a case of finding a spare unit - but we know how hard that has been at times.  In this case the unit from the incoming 11:28 from Swindon was pressed into service rather than going to the sidings.  The unit from Weymouth will then go to the sidings when it arrives.

[bobm]

12:20 Westbury to Swindon due 13:02

12:20 Westbury to Swindon due 13:02 will be cancelled.
This is due to a fault with the signalling system.

13:29 Swindon to Westbury due 14:10

13:29 Swindon to Westbury due 14:10 will be cancelled.
This is due to a fault with the signalling system.

[RA]

The 11:47 Westbury to Swindon service is currently sat on the single line at Thingley Junction because of multiple axle counter failures in the Chippenham area. It will eventually terminate at Chippenham.

[bobm]

The 11:47 Westbury to Swindon service is currently sat on the single line at Thingley Junction. It will eventually terminate at Chippenham.

Might be another case of not trusting Journeycheck then for the return working....

12:49 Swindon to Frome due 13:41

12:49 Swindon to Frome due 13:41 will be started from Melksham.

It will no longer call at Swindon and Chippenham.
This is due to a fault with the signalling system.

[RA]

The 11:47 Westbury to Swindon service is currently sat on the single line at Thingley Junction. It will eventually terminate at Chippenham.

Might be another case of not trusting Journeycheck then for the return working....

12:49 Swindon to Frome due 13:41

12:49 Swindon to Frome due 13:41 will be started from Melksham.

It will no longer call at Swindon and Chippenham.
This is due to a fault with the signalling system.

That's different! I would hazard a guess that it was originally intended to terminate at Chippenham and immediately vacate the station (to allow reversible working) by heading to Melksham to wait for the scheduled departure time of the return working.

[Robin Summerhill]

RTT^» (Real Time Trains - website) shows the 1147 ex-Westbury as RT departure from Melksham, 73 late at Thingley and 84 late into Chippenham at 1336

The return working to Frome set off from Chippenham at 1355, 84 late

So whilst a service was provided, any poor sod who had got on at Melksham just to go to Chippenham was sitting on that train from 1202 to 1336.

Similarly, any poor sod who was expecting a train at Melksham at 1313 to take them to Trowbridge, Westbury or Frome, was sitting on the platform until 1406.

Another couple of no-good advertisements for the service...

[RA]

The 14:10 Frome to Swindon and 15:19 Swindon to Westbury services are cancelled as well.