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Author Topic: 2021 - TransWilts cancellation and amendment log  (Read 59918 times)
grahame
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« Reply #165 on: July 22, 2021, 07:31:55 »

Slight compensation - the diverted 17:36 London Paddington to Paignton called at Swindon at 19:04 and Westbury at 19:40.

I am afraid I must highlight the word "slight".  Here are the ten flows within the TransWilts area and I have highlighted the one that the diverted express served.

Swindon to Chippenham
Swindon to Melksham
Swindon to Trowbridge
Swindon to Westbury
Chippenham to Melksham
Chippenham to Trowbridge
Chippenham to Westbury
Melksham to Trowbridge
Melksham to Westbury
Trowbridge to Westbury

That's a simplification.

* Swindon to Chippenham and Trowbridge to Westbury have other services at about that time and there were good fallbacks. 

* Swindon to Westbury itself was substituted, but Swindon to SOUTH OF Westbury broken - with the starting short run train leaving Westbury at 19:37 (noting that the train from Swindon arrived at 19:40!) - was broken for a few minutes.

* Swindon itself to Westbury was substituted, but NORTH OF Swindon for Westbury broken. Through passengers will have arrived in Swindon at 19:09 off the next train (Cheltenham Spa to London) ... noting that's 5 minutes after the express to Westbury left.

* Passengers from Swindon  and Chippenham to Trowbridge could have arrived at 20:00 (change at Bath Spa) and from Chippenham to Westbury could have arrived at 20:08 (i.e. 32 minutes late). In the circumstances, "via Melksham" tickets would have been accepted, but I wouldn't like to guess whether prospective passengers were informed of that.  And with a 32 minutes late arrival, they could then get some money back.

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« Reply #166 on: July 22, 2021, 08:31:50 »

grahame - What kind of impact would you say this is having on passenger numbers, and how are the (un)reliability/cancellation stats looking compared to the years leading up to December 2006?

There is an order or magnitude more passengers around / using the line that there were in the lead up to December 2006, and the impact on passenger numbers is significantly more than in December 2006 / early 2007. What a shame on a line that was the fastest-growing star on GWR (Great Western Railway)'s crown, and which needs so little relative attention to make it grow again. Expect Melksham as a town to grow dramatically over coming years - lots of houses being built as I write ...

The comparison is not an easy one, though. We are in an unstable journey number environment at present, with covid restrictions, changes to those restrictions, and changes to people's habits and reasons for travelling too.  Commuter train numbers are decimated; some of the off peak services, though, have (or had) bounced back - at times there being more passengers leaving and joining these trains at Melksham even than before coronavirus - some amazing flows noted. But that leisure traffic, I would guess, is both weather dependent and seasonal.

I can also report that with our traffic moving from commuter (have to use the train to get to work and put up with the hassles, same people every day) to leisure (optional journeys, lots of different people), our passengers can be much more easily put off, and there are far more people involved to tell all their friends and family what a problem they have had.  There are three further factors ....

1. The typical occasional passenger is less informed about the details of travel in times of disruption and needs better support at such times - and our poll on this site says that such customer support is more in need of improvement that just about any other GWR facet.

2. At Melksham, there has been an improvement in the last couple of months with the opening of the Hub, with passengers in panic / cancellation mode sometime popping in there and the cafe manager providing a human voice to speak to; not advertised, but I know of occasions that **** has been helpful - thank you. But this week, the hub has been closed - Covid "ping" related, but "until further notice" as publicised has a very negative feeling about it, and you would have thought that someone (other staff member? operating company director? volunteer?) could be found to sit in.

3. Also from Melksham, people are driving to Chippenham and Westbury rather than parking at Melksham. "If I have to pay to park, I may as well pay at a station with a frequent service" I have heard, or even "if I'm driving out of Melksham, I may as well drive all the way to my destination - parking there is easier now as there are plenty of spaces".  There is also a passenger loss issue there because of penalties being levied on people who make a mistake in parking. I took a number of irate calls over last winter when my name was erroneously published as a TransWilts contact (even though I resigned 3 years ago). Those calls ceased when my name was eventually taken off the web site, but in the past couple of weeks I have heard of several more, and current, people upset at being "fined" and I believe there is an ongoing problem - witness signs on the Hub door (when it's open) saying something like "please ask us if you need help with parking".

GWR wrote to me on train reliability (on 18th July) "The government have at the moment said this policy will be in place until mid August despite lifting restrictions tomorrow so we are in for a difficult few weeks yet."  The question of which services to cull which I asked has not been addressed, and I'm not holding my breath.  The Hub has been advertising for an extra staff member - and indeed as someone who's run a business in Melksham that included daily catering, I can appreciate that they do need a team of at least 3 or 4 people who can open/run the place if they want it to be robust in hours. Car parking penalties - I have been assured these are teething troubles and a few people will try it on and make a lot of noise at first - "it will pass". But that was a while back and it doesn't appear to have passed yet.
 
Lee - I hope that provides you with a view of the impact on passenger numbers on the current problems at Melksham as I see them;  the data above is my view, from the best of my information but I am very happy to be filled in further and post follow ups emailed by none-members, and to correct any errors.  I am not speaking of through traffic; my personal travel is slashed at present to the extent of my own data being spotty and unworthy of repetition.



« Last Edit: July 22, 2021, 09:44:50 by grahame » Logged

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« Reply #167 on: July 22, 2021, 08:38:57 »

And to return this thread to normality ...

Quote
06:34 Salisbury to Cheltenham Spa due 09:03
Facilities on the 06:34 Salisbury to Cheltenham Spa due 09:03.
This is due to a fault on this train.
Will be formed of 2 coaches instead of 3.

It really doesn't matter ... That train's peak loading is Swindon to Stroud for school traffic and when the schools are open, a drop to 2 carriages in recent months has made it the most overcrowded train on GWR (Great Western Railway) - but the schools are on summer break at the moment.  The other big traffic has been commuters into Swindon, and into Gloucester.

On a bright note, I am delighted to note the step in the right direction of a though train from Salisbury, Warminster and Dilton Marsh to Chippenham and Swindon.  Warminster to Chippenham / Swindon at that time of the morning is really useful (well, not sure how it is post-covid) - though journey in place of previously unreliable connection.



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« Reply #168 on: July 23, 2021, 07:14:55 »

Quote
15:14 Swindon to Westbury due 15:55
16:25 Westbury to Swindon due 17:08

16:25 Westbury to Swindon due 17:08 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

Further Information

If you hold a valid single, return, or weekly ticket, you will be able to claim compensation for delays of 15 minutes or more. Please keep your ticket and visit GWR (Great Western Railway).com/DelayRepay
Last Updated:23/07/2021 01:10

Pity it's that 15:14 off Swindon on POETS (As in "Poets day". Friday. (Push Off Early - Tomorrow's Saturday).) day!   That's the train that really built up slowly on when introduce in December 2013, but has since powered along and really built up a good clientele and is especially popular on Fridays.

"If you are going to criticise, Graham, be constructive and suggest alternative".   OK - "if you MUST cancel that train, put some alternative transport in place or tell people what they can do.  You have had five thirteen hours already since posting the above to describe what passengers can do instead."

Here's a suggested template (note - there are arrangements with Faresaver and TransWilts that need to into place, and a switched off screen at Melksham turned back on, for this to work)

Quote
Passengers from Swindon should catch the xx:xx train (destination Bristol Temple Meads from platform 4). This calls at Chippenham, where Chippenham and Melksham passengers should alight, and Bath Spa where Trowbridge and Westbury passengers should alight.  Passengers for Melksham should join the xx:xx bus (route x34 towards Frome, from the forecourt of the station, southern exit) which will additionally call at Melksham Station, or you can alight at any other stop within Melksham if you prefer. Passengers for Trowbridge should catch the onward train from Bath Spa at xx:xx (you'll need to change to platform x in Bath) - train destination Portsmouth Harbour - which calls at Trowbridge at xx:xx and Westbury at xx:xx.

Passengers from Chippenham to Trowbridge and Westbury should join the train at xx:xx towards Bristol Temple Meads and change at Bath Spa - details as per "Passengers from Swindon" in the previous paragraph. If you're headed to Melksham, please catch the x34 bus from the station forecourt.

Passengers from Melksham should await the x34 bus which will call at the station at xx:xx for Trowbridge (you may alight at any stop in Trowbridge) and Westbury (change at Trinity Church, Trowbridge onto the train from Trowbridge Station onto the train at xx:xx to Westbury. Melksham Station is unstaffed, but you can see a live update to track the bus on the main display screen that overlooks the drop off car park, or get help at the Melksham Hub cafe, which is run by the Community Rail Partnership.

Passengers from Trowbridge intending to catch the xx:xx train to Westbury should travel on an alternative - there are trains at xx:xx and xx:xx

If you have a "via Melksham" ticket and intended to catch the train that has been cancelled, your ticket will be accepted via Bath Spa at no extra charge.  Train tickets will also be accepted on the x34 bus for passengers joining at Chippenham or Melksham stations.

If you hold a valid single, return, or weekly ticket, you will be able to claim compensation for delays of 15 minutes or more. Please keep your ticket and visit GWR.com/DelayRepay
 

I have steered clear of adding comments on what passengers with cycles and dogs to / from Melksham should do.

Edit - changed - "You have had five hours to ... tell passengers what to do" into "You have had thirteen hours to ... tell passengers what to do"
« Last Edit: July 23, 2021, 14:15:41 by grahame » Logged

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« Reply #169 on: July 23, 2021, 09:24:56 »

Quote
17:50 Gloucester to Southampton Central due 20:36
Facilities on the 17:50 Gloucester to Southampton Central due 20:36.
This is due to a fault on this train.
Will be formed of 2 coaches instead of 3.

NP
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« Reply #170 on: July 23, 2021, 14:17:15 »

Edit - changed - "You have had five hours to ... tell passengers what to do" into "You have had thirteen hours to ... tell passengers what to do"

Following up the edit by posting the change for members who rely on "recent posts" and "unread posts" ...
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« Reply #171 on: July 23, 2021, 16:29:02 »

16:25 ex-Westbury now reinstated but the 14:16 was cancelled.
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« Reply #172 on: July 23, 2021, 16:43:40 »

16:25 ex-Westbury now reinstated but the 14:16 was cancelled.

Good news for Phil - assuming he didn't see the cancellation this morning and drive instead!
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Phil
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« Reply #173 on: July 23, 2021, 22:01:32 »

16:25 ex-Westbury now reinstated but the 14:16 was cancelled.

Good news for Phil - assuming he didn't see the cancellation this morning and drive instead!

I'm afraid I drove. Sorry! Fingers crossed for Monday...
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« Reply #174 on: July 24, 2021, 06:46:38 »

16:25 ex-Westbury now reinstated but the 14:16 was cancelled.

Good news for Phil - assuming he didn't see the cancellation this morning and drive instead!

I'm afraid I drove. Sorry! Fingers crossed for Monday...


Phil, I would likely have made exactly the same decision with the train showing "Cancelled" when I woke in the morning, and double so with the lack of proper passenger care when it happened last week.   Sadly but rightly, you have provided real evidence that the current spate of cancellations is severely damaging line use and customer credibility, even amongst our most ardent of supporters.

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grahame
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« Reply #175 on: July 24, 2021, 08:01:31 »

Quote
06:38 Weymouth to Swindon due 09:06

06:38 Weymouth to Swindon due 09:06 has been delayed between Dorchester West and Maiden Newton and is now 9 minutes late.
This is due to a tree blocking the railway earlier today.

JourneyCheck suggests 9 minutes late at Melksham too, but really a "no problem" and thank you for removing that tree and running the train.
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« Reply #176 on: July 24, 2021, 19:15:18 »

Quote
18:35 Westbury to Swindon due 19:24
18:35 Westbury to Swindon due 19:24 has been cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.
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« Reply #177 on: July 24, 2021, 20:03:34 »

Followed by

Quote
21:07 Swindon to Westbury due 21:49

21:07 Swindon to Westbury due 21:49 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.
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« Reply #178 on: July 25, 2021, 12:23:12 »

Quote
14:47 Westbury to Swindon due 15:29

14:47 Westbury to Swindon due 15:29 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

Quote
15:41 Swindon to Frome due 16:31

15:41 Swindon to Frome due 16:31 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

Quote
16:41 Frome to Swindon due 17:35

16:41 Frome to Swindon due 17:35 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

Quote
17:45 Swindon to Westbury due 18:26

17:45 Swindon to Westbury due 18:26 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.
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« Reply #179 on: July 26, 2021, 05:47:33 »

Quote
07:35 Westbury to Swindon due 08:17
08:45 Swindon to Westbury due 09:26

08:45 Swindon to Westbury due 09:26 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.
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