Train GraphicClick on the map to explore geographics
 
I need help
FAQ
Emergency
About .
Travel & transport from BBC stories as at 15:15 29 Mar 2024
* Delays at Dover as millions begin Easter getaway
- Attempted murder charge after man stabbed on train
* A view from inside ship that hit Baltimore bridge
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
14:57 Bedwyn to Newbury
15:14 Swindon to Westbury
15:22 Newbury to Bedwyn
15:28 Weston-Super-Mare to London Paddington
15:50 Bedwyn to Newbury
15:54 Cardiff Central to London Paddington
16:15 Newbury to Bedwyn
16:23 Westbury to Swindon
16:55 Bedwyn to Newbury
17:24 Newbury to Bedwyn
17:29 Bristol Temple Meads to London Paddington
17:36 Swindon to Westbury
18:04 Bedwyn to Newbury
18:26 Newbury to Bedwyn
18:37 Westbury to Swindon
18:55 Bedwyn to Newbury
19:02 London Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads
19:24 Newbury to Bedwyn
19:55 Bedwyn to Newbury
20:13 Swindon to Westbury
20:49 Newbury to Bedwyn
21:16 Westbury to Swindon
21:16 Bedwyn to Newbury
21:53 Newbury to Bedwyn
22:25 Bedwyn to Newbury
22:30 Swindon to Westbury
22:47 Newbury to Bedwyn
Short Run
13:10 Gloucester to Weymouth
13:42 Exeter St Davids to London Paddington
13:55 Paignton to London Paddington
14:36 London Paddington to Paignton
15:28 London Paddington to Weston-Super-Mare
15:42 Exeter St Davids to London Paddington
16:35 London Paddington to Plymouth
16:50 Plymouth to London Paddington
17:03 London Paddington to Penzance
17:36 London Paddington to Plymouth
18:03 London Paddington to Penzance
18:29 Weston-Super-Mare to London Paddington
18:36 London Paddington to Plymouth
19:04 Paignton to London Paddington
20:03 London Paddington to Plymouth
21:04 London Paddington to Plymouth
23:17 Bedwyn to Reading
Delayed
10:04 London Paddington to Penzance
10:20 Penzance to London Paddington
12:03 London Paddington to Penzance
12:15 Penzance to London Paddington
13:03 London Paddington to Plymouth
13:15 Plymouth to London Paddington
13:50 London Paddington to Great Malvern
14:03 London Paddington to Penzance
14:15 Penzance to London Paddington
15:03 London Paddington to Penzance
15:15 Plymouth to London Paddington
16:03 London Paddington to Penzance
16:15 Penzance to London Paddington
etc
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, 15:28:50 *
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
[211] 2024 - Service update and amendment log, Swindon <-> Westbury...
[66] Infrastructure problems in Thames Valley causing disruption el...
[49] Who needs a travel agent these days?
[36] Travel for free on the m2 metrobus - Bristol - 4,5,6 April 202...
[28] would you like your own LIVE train station departure board?
[26] West Wiltshire Bus Changes April 2024
 
News: A forum for passengers ... with input from rail professionals welcomed too
 
   Home   Help Search Calendar Login Register  
Pages: [1]
  Print  
Author Topic: Joining at Swindon  (Read 2316 times)
grahame
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 40692



View Profile WWW Email
« on: October 26, 2020, 23:04:13 »

From a Facebook group - a report of 2 IETs (Intercity Express Train) (5 cars each) joining at Swindon for the first time. Trains from Cheltenham Spa and Swansea (both via Kemble this week) linked for the journey onwards to London.

As a future with long distance flows down, this could make sense.  This week this South Wales both on divert and lockdown, minimal flows through the barriers with people off the Swanseas (I have no measure of through passengers on those trains) - far and away the busiest arrivals are from Bristol Temple Meads (and Weston and Taunton). 

I can envisage 2 incoming trains per hour from South Wales (Cardiff + Swansea), 2 per hour from Temple Meads (one from Taunton and Weston), 1 per hour from Cheltenham Spa via Gloucester and 1 per hour from Weymouth, going on as 4 trains per hour to London (every 15 minutes, all 9 or 10 car, all calling Didcot and Reading) and 1 per hour to Oxford.  The short starters from Bristol and Cardiff serving intermediate stations, especially where the line is electrified.

As an aside, noticed a scheduled 8 minute wait scheduled at Swindon for the 07:40 none-stop to Paddington.  And (checked with RTT» (Real Time Trains - website)) it arrived a further 5 minutes early.  What is the point of having a train wait at Swindon for nearly quarter of an hour just to race to London (4 minutes early at Royal Oak - 08:25; slow entry and just 2 early into the terminus) - or is that a temporary thing because of the engineering.  Can't, surely, be a reversion to the old custom of a refreshment stop at Swindon, where WHSmith is open but both platform buffets are closed (and Costa outside doing a notable trade in take away coffees|).
Logged

Coffee Shop Admin, Acting Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, Option 24/7 Melksham Rep
bobm
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 9810



View Profile
« Reply #1 on: October 26, 2020, 23:49:29 »

The joining of the two IETs (Intercity Express Train) at Swindon wasn?t planned.

The first train from Gloucester (already cut back from Cheltenham due to late running earlier) was cancelled at Swindon due to a lack of a driver to take it forward.  So the following service from Swansea was coupled to it on platform 3.

There was also another incident at the station today.  A Swansea service from Paddington booked to go via Gloucester was routed into platform 4 - but you can?t gain the Kemble line from there.  After a 45 minute delay it was reversed out, crossed over and continued its journey.
Logged
MVR S&T
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 438


View Profile
« Reply #2 on: October 26, 2020, 23:59:50 »

The joining of the two IETs (Intercity Express Train) at Swindon wasn?t planned.

The first train from Gloucester (already cut back from Cheltenham due to late running earlier) was cancelled at Swindon due to a lack of a driver to take it forward.  So the following service from Swansea was coupled to it on platform 3.

There was also another incident at the station today.  A Swansea service from Paddington booked to go via Gloucester was routed into platform 4 - but you can?t gain the Kemble line from there.  After a 45 minute delay it was reversed out, crossed over and continued its journey.

Hope that was a computer error, rather than a human error, as a member of the Swindon panel society, that is pretty much rule one, you cant go to Gloucster from the down main...
Logged
grahame
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 40692



View Profile WWW Email
« Reply #3 on: October 27, 2020, 05:56:32 »

The joining of the two IETs (Intercity Express Train) at Swindon wasn?t planned.

Yes - understood. Currently the only permissive platform is 2, and at 3 carriage length and no 153s around any more, the facility is unused.  So a "special" job yesterday.
Logged

Coffee Shop Admin, Acting Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, Option 24/7 Melksham Rep
Bmblbzzz
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 4256


View Profile
« Reply #4 on: October 27, 2020, 10:48:30 »

If nothing else I suppose it demonstrates that the 5-cars do have an advantage on occasions.
Logged

Waiting at Pilning for the midnight sleeper to Prague.
grahame
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 40692



View Profile WWW Email
« Reply #5 on: October 28, 2020, 07:32:28 »

The joining of the two IETs (Intercity Express Train) at Swindon wasn?t planned.

Yes - understood. Currently the only permissive platform is 2, and at 3 carriage length and no 153s around any more, the facility is unused.  So a "special" job yesterday.


It appears this is complex.  Platforms 1 and 3 are permissive, however they are "PP-C / PF (Penalty Fare)" whatever that stands for.  It would appear to mean that such moves are permitted, but cannot be planned for (in the timetable?  Short notice changes?)
Logged

Coffee Shop Admin, Acting Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, Option 24/7 Melksham Rep
Western Pathfinder
Global Moderator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 1528



View Profile
« Reply #6 on: October 28, 2020, 07:48:28 »

This may shine some light on your previous post Grahame
https://www.simsig.co.uk/Wiki/Show?page=usertrack:glossary:permissive_wrkg
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