Late service reductions - 29th to 31st December 2021

[whole diary]

[grahame]

It does appear that the TransWilts is not the only line to have significant service culls today that have taken people "left field" - and these are culls quietly slipped in after timetables were announced, but before the "delay repay" and JourneyCheck cutoffs, so that passengers who have made their plans for this week are left high and dry, and don't even find out on the morning from their normal sources.

Services southbound from Maiden Newton today:
10:37, 11:37, 16:43, 18:45, 19:40, 22:46
Services southbound from Maiden Newton next week:
07:57, 10:37, 11:37, 13:36, 16:43, 18:45, 19:40, 22:46

Services southbound from Dilton Marsh today:
06:57, 15:14, 17:14, 17:56, 19:38
Services southbound from Dilton Marsh next week:
06:57, 09:54, 13:34, 15:14, 17:14, 17:56, 19:38, 22:07

Services northbound from Melksham today:
05:31 07:24 07:52 12:32 14:31 20:23
Services northbound from Melksham next week:
05:31 07:24 07:52 10*01 12:32 14:31 16*40 18*49 20:23

Services northbound at Avoncliff down from 22 to 20
Services from Severn Beach down from 22 to 16
Services at Okehampton appear unaffected at 8 departures

I appreciate this is a quiet week, and there are probably more staff shortages that usual due to illness, but the quiet (almost secretive) disappearance of services from the timetable - sometimes leaving massive gaps with successive and key trains removed - does not show any care for the customer base.   I was alerted initially to this as a TransWilts problem - probably because we have a healthy regular user market including people who work in key operational roles in supply chains and medical who rely on these trains ...

[ChrisB]

If staff report in sick in numbers obviously represented by this number of cut services, what do you sensibly suggest might be the alternative?

If it covers next week too, it seems Covid may be the reason

[Sulis John]

At least in terms of delay repay, then the "cut off point" is once a service has been advertised as running on a particular day at a particular time - then any qualifying failure should be accompanied by a liability to pay compensation. I can't help thinking that this is another reason that various train operators are trying to ditch PDF timetables - you can alter something on a journey planner at any time (no doubt, if you're devious, even retrospectively to be able to claim that train xyz never existed) but it's hard to argue with the professionally printed timetable someone has in their hand.

[IndustryInsider]

If staff report in sick in numbers obviously represented by this number of cut services, what do you sensibly suggest might be the alternative?

I’d suggest that GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) should have decency to announce these changes on their website, complete with full explanation and an apology, at least 24 hours in advance.

I often ‘stick up’ for my company in the face of criticism - but sneaky changes like this are inexcusable.

[ChrisB]

I weote that post prior to checking journeycheck, assuming those were all listed.

Not the case, and this I completely agree with both you & Graham

[TaplowGreen]

If staff report in sick in numbers obviously represented by this number of cut services, what do you sensibly suggest might be the alternative?

I’d suggest that GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) should have decency to announce these changes on their website, complete with full explanation and an apology, at least 24 hours in advance.

I often ‘stick up’ for my company in the face of criticism - but sneaky changes like this are inexcusable.

This goes to the lack of a culture of customer service and putting the customer first on the railways which we've discussed elsewhere and is a perfect example of the problem.

I'm not sure if I'd use the word "sneaky" if the reason for the changes is unforeseen COVID casualties but there has clearly been very little effort to make customers aware.

GWR could have used local radio, television and other media (as well as social media) to publicise it as widely as possible but the effort to do so seems to have been virtually non existent.

..........a few more people who will make a mental note to take the car next time no doubt.

[IndustryInsider]

I'm not sure if I'd use the word "sneaky" if the reason for the changes is unforeseen COVID casualties but there has clearly been very little effort to make customers aware.

I think it's the perfect word. 

What annoys me the most is that you might well have been able to get away with it in the days before the internet, but there's no chance of that now with all the public data feeds that Joe Public can access to work out belatedly what's gone on and form a tarnished opinion of GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) and 'the railway' as a result - even if the cancellations are understandable due to the exceptional staffing issues at the moment.

[TaplowGreen]

I'm not sure if I'd use the word "sneaky" if the reason for the changes is unforeseen COVID casualties but there has clearly been very little effort to make customers aware.

I think it's the perfect word. 

What annoys me the most is that you might well have been able to get away with it in the days before the internet, but there's no chance of that now with all the public data feeds that Joe Public can access to work out belatedly what's gone on and form a tarnished opinion of GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) and 'the railway' as a result - even if the cancellations are understandable due to the exceptional staffing issues at the moment.

I see where you're coming from.

To be honest, in the context of customers, I just don't think it's in GWR's cultural mindset to think enough of their customers to make the effort - it may well be that it didn't even occur to them that they should.

[ChrisB]

I’d like to know the explanation for why none of the services Graham lists appear on GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) journeycheck today….

[grahame]

This goes to the lack of a culture of customer service and putting the customer first on the railways which we've discussed elsewhere and is a perfect example of the problem.

I'm not sure if I'd use the word "sneaky" if the reason for the changes is unforeseen COVID casualties but there has clearly been very little effort to make customers aware.

GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) could have used local radio, television and other media (as well as social media) to publicise it as widely as possible but the effort to do so seems to have been virtually non existent.

..........a few more people who will make a mental note to take the car next time no doubt.

You are 110% right and the tragedy is that customer care, and using the community available to them, so much better could be done even in difficult times with some awkward decisions.

I am sadly feeling that I'm very much a "shouty man" at present, with negative public transport issues piled up all around.  Those issues need to be recorded and reported, but in just recording and reporting them, there's a danger of the decision makers and "powers that be" just battening down the hatches, carrying in with little attention to or care for customer who are the people they need for the future of their own industries.

The $64,000 question is how we can help the public transport industry and its governance organisations and decision makers to see passengers and the community as partners to work with rather than as the 'awkward squad' to be contended with and kept in the dark.  I would love to be back to an informed partnership.

[Timmer]

This isn’t the first time that this has happened. During Christmas party season December 2019 (pre-Covid) trains were removed four days before they were due to run making it very difficult to claim delay repay as the service you were trying it make a claim on was no longer in the system.

Had a real battle to get compensation for the train we were booked on being cancelled as ‘computer says no’ despite having an advance ticket showing the reservations for that cancelled service. It wasn’t till I escalated it to the top that I got anywhere.

I agree with II that sneaky is the right word to use and a bit underhand of GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) to remove trains from the system without publicising it as it makes them look like they are cancelling less trains than they actually are.

I think we’ve all been gracious to GWR these past few weeks because of the current Covid situation. The least they can do is be honest and upfront with the number of services they are having to cancel. There is understanding at the moment but that may not last if cancelled trains are being hidden from the public.

edited to correct spelling mistake

[grahame]

All five lines I looked at in our GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) area had services that had disappeared late from the timetables.   Lisa suggested I take a look at some other TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company) to see if there was any evidence of similar stuff going on.  So here are eight examples from other TOCs - first column of numbers services scheduled today, second column number of services scheduled for Wednesday of next week.  A few of the services listed (today and next week) are til replacement buses, and there have been some cancellations today - but no unexpected timetable holes of 7 hours, nor surprise first trains after 10:30.

Tenby, westbound   8   8
Cromer, westbound   16   17
Skegness, arrivals   12   13
Rufford, northbound   17   15
Tweedbank, arrivals   18   19
Fenny Stratford, East   17   17
Chandlers Ford, SE   18   18
Rye, Eastbound      18   18

[broadgage]

This sort of thing does beg the question "how many and what sources do intending passengers need to check, before they travel ?"

The timetable ? yes but do not count on it.
Journey check ? Yes, but remember that this wont show trains withdrawn after publishing the timetable, but far enough in advance that they are called "alterations" rather than "cancellations"
On line live departure indicators ? perhaps, but of limited use for multi leg journeys, since the intended second train might be cancelled  after boarding the first train.

Any others ?

[stuving]

This sort of thing does beg the question "how many and what sources do intending passengers need to check, before they travel ?"

The timetable ? yes but do not count on it.
Journey check ? Yes, but remember that this wont show trains withdrawn after publishing the timetable, but far enough in advance that they are called "alterations" rather than "cancellations"
On line live departure indicators ? perhaps, but of limited use for multi leg journeys, since the intended second train might be cancelled  after boarding the first train.

Any others ?

GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) would offer you their own journey planner, and more official sources refer you to National Rail's OJP^▸ (Online Journey Planner). But what no-one wants to talk about is how far ahead that can be relied on - the advice is in effect to keep checking and checking again.

[grahame]

This sort of thing does beg the question "how many and what sources do intending passengers need to check, before they travel ?"

GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) would offer you their own journey planner, and more official sources refer you to National Rail's OJP^▸ (Online Journey Planner). But what no-one wants to talk about is how far ahead that can be relied on - the advice is in effect to keep checking and checking again.

From the engineering changes ( at http://www.passenger.chat/25812 picture at ((here)) )

Please check your journey on the day you travel. Additional late timetable changes may apply due to the impact of Covid-19.

And from JourneyCheck a couple of hours ago:

11:01 Swindon to Westbury due 11:47
11:01 Swindon to Westbury due 11:47 will be cancelled.
This is due to a short-notice change to the timetable.
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.com/DelayRepay
Last Updated:30/12/2021 03:45

No answer on how late the last changes might be - but taking this morning as an example, if you checked at 3 O'Clock this morning for your train later in the morning, as far as I can see you would still have been told it was running ... and that change is not reported as immediate staff sickness (which can happen at a few minutes notice, I appreciate) but as a timetable change.