Question. Lawrence Hill and Stapleton Road to Bristol Parkway, lost connectivity - problem caused by "having to" turn Weston trains back at Filton Abbey Wood. How does stopping outbound trains via Yate additionally at Lawrence Hill and Stapleton Road rate as a solution from a passenger viewpoint?
Something that I thought would be fixed in the December TT was Severn Beach line trains skipping Lawrence Hill. I presume this continues because it improves the chances of getting a train from
CFN▸ to
BRI» and back in 40 minutes, which is the core frequency on this route.
We still have a reliability problem on this line. In January there were 24 cancellations and 307 services running more than 5 minutes late (out of 1427). I suspect that these delays are often caused by extended dwell times, particularly on the Clifton Down to Temple Meads section where peak hour trains are packed with school children and cyclists.
It's probably too much to hope that anything much can be done to improve this in May. I am, I should say, in awe of the people who write the timetables; it amazes me to see how the units that ply up and down the Clifton Extension get to turn up in Malvern, Taunton, Westbury and goodness knows where else...
