Train GraphicClick on the map to explore geographics
 
I need help
FAQ
Emergency
About .
Travel & transport from BBC stories as at 13:55 28 Mar 2024
- Man held over stabbing in front of train passengers
- How do I renew my UK passport and what is the 10-year rule?
* Jet2 launches first flight from Liverpool airport
- 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
28th Mar (1992)
MOD Kineton tour, branch line society (*)

Train RunningCancelled
12:15 London Paddington to Cardiff Central
13:00 Bristol Temple Meads to London Paddington
13:15 Swindon to Westbury
13:26 Weston-Super-Mare to London Paddington
13:28 Weymouth to Gloucester
13:30 London Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads
14:13 Par to Newquay
14:19 Westbury to Swindon
15:10 Newquay to Par
15:14 Swindon to Westbury
Short Run
08:03 London Paddington to Penzance
10:55 Paignton to London Paddington
11:23 Portsmouth Harbour to Cardiff Central
11:29 Weymouth to Gloucester
11:48 London Paddington to Carmarthen
12:03 London Paddington to Penzance
12:30 London Paddington to Weston-Super-Mare
12:42 Bristol Temple Meads to Salisbury
12:46 Avonmouth to Weston-Super-Mare
13:03 London Paddington to Plymouth
13:07 Salisbury to Bristol Temple Meads
13:10 Gloucester to Weymouth
13:26 Okehampton to Exeter Central
14:05 Salisbury to Bristol Temple Meads
16:19 Carmarthen to London Paddington
Delayed
10:04 London Paddington to Penzance
10:23 Portsmouth Harbour to Cardiff Central
11:30 Cardiff Central to Portsmouth Harbour
12:30 Cardiff Central to Portsmouth Harbour
14:30 Cardiff Central to Portsmouth Harbour
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 28, 2024, 14:06:12 *
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
[142] West Wiltshire Bus Changes April 2024
[80] would you like your own LIVE train station departure board?
[56] Return of the BRUTE?
[46] If not HS2 to Manchester, how will traffic be carried?
[43] Infrastructure problems in Thames Valley causing disruption el...
[34] 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: Bath Christmas Market - 2019  (Read 6402 times)
grahame
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 40690



View Profile WWW Email
« on: November 30, 2019, 21:12:58 »

From Bristol Live

Quote
'People nearly fighting over seats' on GWR (Great Western Railway) trains to Bath Christmas Market amid claims of 'chaos'

Are you having a laugh?! There isn't even enough room to go full Corbyn and sit on the floor!'

Train passengers have reportedly been "nearly fighting" over seats amid claims of overcrowded services to Bath Christmas Market.

Great Western Railway (GWR) announced 29 extra trains serving Bath because of the Christmas Market today (November 30), but some passengers have aired grievances on social media over the service.
Logged

Coffee Shop Admin, Acting Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, Option 24/7 Melksham Rep
bobm
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 9809



View Profile
« Reply #1 on: November 30, 2019, 21:27:52 »

I don’t think some of the extras ran this morning due a train fault. 
Logged
johnneyw
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 2257


From station to station, back to Bristol city....


View Profile
« Reply #2 on: November 30, 2019, 22:19:59 »

It's one of the reasons I tend to avoid the first day or two. Midweek evenings generally are okay.
Logged
Timmer
Global Moderator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 6293


View Profile
« Reply #3 on: December 01, 2019, 07:58:45 »

I for one cannot see the fascination in the buying of expensive tat from a garden shed, sorry ‘chalet’, that you wouldn’t normally buy but for the fact that it’s from the Christmas market.

Bath residences absolutely hate the thing for all the disruption it causes to the city’s already poor transport infrastructure.

Why does everyone have to come to the one in Bath? These Christmas markets are everywhere now.

I for one certainly won’t criticise GWR (Great Western Railway) who every year put on as many services as possible and do an excellent job in crowd control at Bath Spa. Bear in mind it’s only a two platform station.

So those who criticise may need to ask themselves why they had to go to the Christmas market when every year the same headlines of issues with transport and overcrowding appear. Only got themselves to blame if they end up on a wedged train.

Having said all that I will have to attend the annual shed fest at some point as the wife likes to go. It just won’t be at the weekend!
Logged
froome
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 901


View Profile Email
« Reply #4 on: December 01, 2019, 09:47:21 »

It does also affect those of us trying to travel away from Bath on the same day. Having had that experience yesterday, in mid afternoon, when it felt really dangerous just being on the platform before any train arrived, two issues struck me particularly:

a) The barriers put up in the foyer block access to the ticket machines so that these cannot be used. Surely this just adds to the problem, as it means everyone has to go to the ticket office, putting much greater pressure on the staff here, and causing more movement around the foyer, so adding to the congestion there?

b) The access to and the capacity of the lifts is shown up even more than usual as extremely poor and inadequate. To access the lift on the city centre side, you have to cross all the passengers who are exiting from that platform who are funnelled into the same narrow passageway and, having survived that, then squeeze through a narrow gap by the barriers which always has someone blocking, as they search for their tickets. Then when the lift arrives, the numbers it can carry are so small that many with luggage end up struggling up the stairs.
Logged
Celestial
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 674


View Profile
« Reply #5 on: December 01, 2019, 10:43:32 »

I often wonder whether, in 20 or 30 years time, we (or probably the next generation) will look back in bemusement as to why they were so popular, in the same way that we do now to fads of the 70s and 80s.  I'd put Xmas jumpers in that category too. Why wear a naff jumper when you can glam up for an evening out (or at least try to in my case, these days.)
 
You do wonder what the Xmas market brings to the City of Bath, assuming most of the traders probably aren't from the city.  Do the other retailers see an increase in business, or does it put off "normal" shoppers from going to the city at what should be the busiest time of year? And presumably the city has a healthy all year round tourist trade, so there isn't the argument that it's filling a gap at a very quiet time.

Logged
Red Squirrel
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 5190


There are some who call me... Tim


View Profile
« Reply #6 on: December 01, 2019, 12:12:33 »

I went to Bath on Saturday with my daughter, who is a huge fan of anything Xmassy.

I anticipated a pretty grim experience.

When I bought our tickets (at Temple Meads, obviously; they don't seem to sell tickets on the Severn Beach trains much these days) we were warned that there would be a queueing system at Bath on our return. Our train from Temple Meads to Bath was a 10-car IET (Intercity Express Train) heading to London, which was full. People were standing, but mostly I think they didn't see much point in moving out of the vestibules for a 10-minute trip. On arrival in Bath, at around 11.15, I was impressed by the level of organisation, with GWR (Great Western Railway) staff quickly marshalling people to the exits. There was a noticeable, almost intrusive police presence as we came out of the station, but given recent events that was not unwelcome!

We had a nice time among the sheds, had some hot chocolate (with brandy, in my case), queued for 20 minutes in Lush to buy spot creme (decorum forbids me telling you which of us that was for), picked up a few other Xmas presents, and then headed back just before 14.00. Walking back to the station, it felt like we were heading away from a football ground just before the cup final kick-off; vast numbers of people were heading towards the market area. I can see that people want to be there after dark, and that that is more atmospheric, but we were glad we left when we did.

At Bath train station, the crowd control system was ramping up with lane controls for various destinations. My only minor criticism of this was that the signage for Bristol was not very clear, particularly given that  Bristol passengers were being directed to use an unfamiliar route through an arch under the station to the porte-cochere entrance on the south side. There was, unsurprisingly, a bit of congestion at the ticket barriers.

Our train back to Bristol was a 5-car IET from Westbury, running a few minutes ahead of the London-Bristol train; presumably this was an extra? It was fairly lightly loaded.

All in all, we had a good experience, and were impressed by the effort and organisation of rail staff, police and other organisers.
« Last Edit: December 01, 2019, 12:51:44 by Red Squirrel » Logged

Things take longer to happen than you think they will, and then they happen faster than you thought they could.
Celestial
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 674


View Profile
« Reply #7 on: December 01, 2019, 13:02:00 »

People were standing, but mostly I think they didn't see much point in moving out of the vestibules for a 10-minute trip.
Or maybe they want to make sure they can get out easily if the train is rammed.  But people standing in the vestibules when there are lots of seats is a pain, because it then blocks those areas up and makes it more difficult for others to board.  Not sure how you change people's behaviour though, short of having someone at each door telling people to move down inside the carriage.
Logged
grahame
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 40690



View Profile WWW Email
« Reply #8 on: September 17, 2021, 12:36:16 »

Bath Christmas Market cancelled for 2021.  Public transport operators relieved.
Logged

Coffee Shop Admin, Acting Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, Option 24/7 Melksham Rep
grahame
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 40690



View Profile WWW Email
« Reply #9 on: September 17, 2021, 14:52:31 »

Bath Christmas Market cancelled for 2021.  Public transport operators relieved.

It would appear that there may be a very limited event. Problem reported as being a shortage of security staff.
Logged

Coffee Shop Admin, Acting Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, Option 24/7 Melksham Rep
broadgage
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 5398



View Profile
« Reply #10 on: September 17, 2021, 17:48:48 »

And when the full scale market eventually returns with the inevitable  half length trains/canceled trains/overcrowded trains, then GWR (Great Western Railway) or whatever body replaces them can say,

"We never thought it would be so busy"
"No one told us about it"
And the old manta "we cant obtain extra trains for use once a year"

Logged

A proper intercity train has a minimum of 8 coaches, gangwayed throughout, with first at one end, and a full sized buffet car between first and standard.
It has space for cycles, surfboards,luggage etc.
A 5 car DMU (Diesel Multiple Unit) is not a proper inter-city train. The 5+5 and 9 car DMUs are almost as bad.
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