Train GraphicClick on the map to explore geographics
 
I need help
FAQ
Emergency
About .
Travel & transport from BBC stories as at 04:35 29 Mar 2024
- Bus plunges off South Africa bridge, killing 45
* Easter getaway begins with flood alerts in place
- Easter travel warning as millions set to hit roads
Read about the forum [here].
Register [here] - it's free.
What do I gain from registering? [here]
 02/06/24 - Summer Timetable starts
17/08/24 - Bus to Imber
27/09/25 - 200 years of passenger trains

On this day
29th Mar (1913)
Foundation of National Union or Railwaymen (*)

Train RunningCancelled
07:00 Bedwyn to Newbury
07:22 Newbury to Bedwyn
08:13 Newbury to Bedwyn
08:46 Bedwyn to Newbury
09:54 Bedwyn to Newbury
10:22 Newbury to Bedwyn
11:29 Newbury to Bedwyn
11:57 Bedwyn to Newbury
12:52 Bedwyn to Newbury
Short Run
04:54 Plymouth to London Paddington
05:12 Reading to Bedwyn
05:33 Plymouth to London Paddington
05:55 Plymouth to London Paddington
06:00 Bedwyn to London Paddington
06:37 Plymouth to London Paddington
07:03 London Paddington to Paignton
08:35 Plymouth to London Paddington
10:35 London Paddington to Exeter St Davids
Delayed
21:45 Penzance to London Paddington
23:45 London Paddington to Penzance
05:03 Penzance to London Paddington
06:05 Penzance to London Paddington
07:10 Penzance to London Paddington
08:03 London Paddington to Penzance
08:15 Penzance to London Paddington
09:04 London Paddington to Plymouth
09:37 London Paddington to Paignton
10:04 London Paddington to Penzance
11:03 London Paddington to Plymouth
PollsOpen and recent polls
Closed 2024-03-25 Easter Escape - to where?
Abbreviation pageAcronymns and abbreviations
Stn ComparatorStation Comparator
Rail newsNews Now - live rail news feed
Site Style 1 2 3 4
Next departures • Bristol Temple MeadsBath SpaChippenhamSwindonDidcot ParkwayReadingLondon PaddingtonMelksham
Exeter St DavidsTauntonWestburyTrowbridgeBristol ParkwayCardiff CentralOxfordCheltenham SpaBirmingham New Street
March 29, 2024, 04:37:55 *
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Forgotten your username or password? - get a reminder
Most recently liked subjects
[98] West Wiltshire Bus Changes April 2024
[97] would you like your own LIVE train station departure board?
[86] Return of the BRUTE?
[74] Infrastructure problems in Thames Valley causing disruption el...
[53] If not HS2 to Manchester, how will traffic be carried?
[23] Reversing Beeching - bring heritage and freight lines into the...
 
News: A forum for passengers ... with input from rail professionals welcomed too
 
   Home   Help Search Calendar Login Register  
Pages: [1]
  Print  
Author Topic: rail coach replacement not good  (Read 3278 times)
infoman
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 1286


View Profile
« on: September 26, 2020, 09:50:24 »

We always here about they try to keep passengers away from coach replacement services.

Saturday 26 september

Route Bristol Parkway to Southampton via Bath train/BUS/train/train

Route Bristol parkway to Southampton via Swindon with just two trains.
Logged
grahame
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 40690



View Profile WWW Email
« Reply #1 on: September 26, 2020, 10:05:13 »

We always here about they try to keep passengers away from coach replacement services.

Saturday 26 september

Route Bristol Parkway to Southampton via Bath train/BUS/train/train

Route Bristol parkway to Southampton via Swindon with just two trains.

Bristol Parkway to Wiltshire (and beyond?) is not a valid route via Swindon, though travel via Swindon is valid from Wiltshire to South Wales (also travelling through Bristol Parkway).   That's even if the journey is faster via Swindon.

Who (for today / tomorrow) is recommending the routing involving the bus?   Really should be an exception offered today if anyone thinks "let's offer the passengers the best journey in the circumstances", but it's likely in the "too difficult" box.
Logged

Coffee Shop Admin, Acting Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, Option 24/7 Melksham Rep
rogerw
Global Moderator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 1336



View Profile
« Reply #2 on: September 26, 2020, 10:35:10 »

GWR (Great Western Railway) journey planner only offers via Swindon
Logged

I like to travel.  It lets me feel I'm getting somewhere.
ellendune
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 4452


View Profile
« Reply #3 on: September 26, 2020, 11:47:08 »

Despite rumors to the contrary, Swindon is still geographically and ceremonially in Wiltshire.
Logged
grahame
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 40690



View Profile WWW Email
« Reply #4 on: September 26, 2020, 11:55:40 »

Despite rumors to the contrary, Swindon is still geographically and ceremonially in Wiltshire.

Organisationally it's not ... please read my previous email as "Stations within the Wiltshire administration area".   You can tell it they are regarded as separate by the name of bodies such as the "Swindon and Wiltshire Local Enterprise Partnership" and the "Swindon and Wiltshire history centre".

GWR (Great Western Railway) journey planner only offers via Swindon

In some cases ... in others, it's the opposite.   If I were headed for Bristol Parkway in the next half hour, I would be advised:





Where in practise I would advise catching that same 12:28, change just once at Swindon, and arrive at Parkway some 40 minutes earlier that the journey planner suggested.

Should I ask for a journey beyond Bristol Parkway, GWR's site is quite happy to route me via Swindon ...


« Last Edit: September 26, 2020, 12:02:50 by grahame » Logged

Coffee Shop Admin, Acting Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, Option 24/7 Melksham Rep
TaplowGreen
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 7746



View Profile
« Reply #5 on: September 26, 2020, 16:40:18 »

I wonder how social distancing is being enforced on rail replacement buses?

I should imagine they are at best able to be around 30% full, with lengthy gaps between them I can imagine some lively discussions with the driver if people are being turned away?
Logged
ellendune
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 4452


View Profile
« Reply #6 on: September 26, 2020, 19:27:20 »

Despite rumors to the contrary, Swindon is still geographically and ceremonially in Wiltshire.

Organisationally it's not ... please read my previous email as "Stations within the Wiltshire administration area".   You can tell it they are regarded as separate by the name of bodies such as the "Swindon and Wiltshire Local Enterprise Partnership" and the "Swindon and Wiltshire history centre".

Not completely. It is still "Wiltshire Police", "Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service".

And GWR (Great Western Railway) refers to the station as Swindon (Wilts). 
Logged
Surrey 455
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 1229


View Profile
« Reply #7 on: September 26, 2020, 19:45:47 »

I wonder how social distancing is being enforced on rail replacement buses?

I should imagine they are at best able to be around 30% full, with lengthy gaps between them I can imagine some lively discussions with the driver if people are being turned away?

I got on a rail replacement double decker a few weeks back at the start of its journey. Two others boarded at the same time. There seemed to be signs on every seat downstairs saying Do Not Sit Here. Upstairs almost every seat had the same signs. I did not count how many available seats there were but it wasn't many. The two other men, who did not know each other, then decided to agree how in their view facemasks were useless and we were all being repressed by the government to wear them. Obviously they were not wearing masks although I think they were when they got on. I was sitting several rows in front of them with all the windows open and was glad I was only going one stop.
Logged
Adelante_CCT
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 1314



View Profile
« Reply #8 on: September 26, 2020, 19:49:26 »

Quote
I should imagine they are at best able to be around 30% full,

Reading buses operating at 50% full, with some services that are normally used by students being re-assigned as a school only bus, allowing 100% usage. Whether the same for coaches I dont know.
Logged
infoman
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 1286


View Profile
« Reply #9 on: September 28, 2020, 18:11:35 »

Most passengers would except what the various time table information services supply.

A couple of years ago I wanted to travel from BTM (Bristol Temple Meads (strictly, it should be BRI)) to Brighton.

First route BTM to london and then train from london to three bridges and then bus from three bridges to Brighton

second route BTM to reading and then reading to three bridges using two trains then bus from three bridges to Brighton

So I looked at the route along the coast BTM to Fareham by train and Fareham to Brighton by train
At one of the stations the person in charge of the train between fareham and Brighton announced
we will be delayed here GROAN
P/A announcement alight here for the fast non stop express train to Brighton
I did liked that person in charge of our orgional train.
Reminded me of the times stood at Swindon en route to London waiting for the red Dragon to appear and disapper
and the person in charge of the train announcing if you want a fast non stop train to London alight here at Swindon.
Logged
Do you have something you would like to add to this thread, or would you like to raise a new question at the Coffee Shop? Please [register] (it is free) if you have not done so before, or login (at the top of this page) if you already have an account - we would love to read what you have to say!

You can find out more about how this forum works [here] - that will link you to a copy of the forum agreement that you can read before you join, and tell you very much more about how we operate. We are an independent forum, provided and run by customers of Great Western Railway, for customers of Great Western Railway and we welcome railway professionals as members too, in either a personal or official capacity. Views expressed in posts are not necessarily the views of the operators of the forum.

As well as posting messages onto existing threads, and starting new subjects, members can communicate with each other through personal messages if they wish. And once members have made a certain number of posts, they will automatically be admitted to the "frequent posters club", where subjects not-for-public-domain are discussed; anything from the occasional rant to meetups we may be having ...

 
Pages: [1]
  Print  
 
Jump to:  

Powered by MySQL Powered by PHP Powered by SMF 1.1.2 | SMF © 2006-2007, Simple Machines LLC Valid XHTML 1.0! Valid CSS!
This forum is provided by customers of Great Western Railway (formerly First Great Western), and the views expressed are those of the individual posters concerned. Visit www.gwr.com for the official Great Western Railway website. Please contact the administrators of this site if you feel that the content provided by one of our posters contravenes our posting rules (email link to report). Forum hosted by Well House Consultants

Jump to top of pageJump to Forum Home Page