South Western Railways - new timetable from 17th Jan 2022

[whole diary]

[Timmer]

As time goes on, I’m finding the use of the omicron variant as the reason for cutting back train services harder to accept.

[ellendune]

As time goes on, I’m finding the use of the omicron variant as the reason for cutting back train services harder to accept.

Around here the peak (we hope) of new cases in the Omicron wave was less than a week ago and is still very high. If you get it you are likely to be off work for 7 to 10 days so the peak in work absence probably hasn't been reached.  Just because the politicians and their press supporter are trying to claim it is all over doesn't mean they are right.

On the basis of the current figures another couple of weeks should start to see things improve.  If the fall in new cases continues and cancellations are still bad in a couple of weeks then you have a right to start being sceptical, but at the moment I think you are being led astray by the political/media coverage.

[Timmer]

As time goes on, I’m finding the use of the omicron variant as the reason for cutting back train services harder to accept.

at the moment I think you are being led astray by the political/media coverage.

Not at all and never have.

[Clan Line]

Could I correct you ?

You get the feeling that SWR^» (South Western Railway - about) have given up ...................FULL STOP !!

[grahame]

Commenting / Reading on West of Salisbury? - please follow up on these other threads:

Changes (a.k.a. slashing) to the services west from Salisbury to Exeter from 17th January are so significant that they are now in a separate thread at http://www.passenger.chat/25879

Further changes north of Westbury, such as the withdrawal of 1O58 (the 23:12 Westbury to Salisbury) which was only introduced in December to replace a Bristol service culled at that time by SWR^» (South Western Railway - about), are covered at http://www.passenger.chat/25378 - though that may be worthy of a separate thread in due course.

[Mark A]

There's now a bit of heat heading in SWR^» (South Western Railway - about)'s direction from the local papers, though it seems to be mainly from the south coast so far. Among other things, people notice the end-of-day train times are contracting.

https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/19856782.south-western-railway-slammed-railfuture-covid-timetable/

[Mark A]

Accurate application of the word 'Break' from SWR^» (South Western Railway - about) spokesperson.

“We have had to take the decision to break some of our longer distance routes, so that staff absence on one of these routes does not have a more significant impact."

https://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/19854357.change-south-western-railway-timetable-shows-disregard/

[grahame]

"View" from Stewart Palmer, a director of Railfuture and formerly MD of South West Trains.



Can any member(s) easily transcribe what he says into quotable text?

[Fourbee]

Can any member(s) easily transcribe what he says into quotable text?

Some mobile phones have the ability to take voice commands to compose text messages, might be a route to getting it into writing.

Interesting that Stewart Palmer began to question the reason that staff absence is behind this and there might be other factors in play. If that is the case and absence isn't the main reason or only partially the reason then this will become weaker and weaker as an excuse to trot out as time rolls on.

I've noticed that some bus companies have quoted staff absence as a reason for reduced timetables, but then it looks like they are scrabbling around for vehicles with route branded vehicles making more of an appearance on other routes and older vehicles being on the road.

[ChrisB]

Southeast have already re-introduced a few of their services with a promise of full reinstatement next Monday, so I'm tended towards agreeing with Fourbee

[stuving]

As expected, the timetable for next week has today been "updated" to the same reduced service as this week's. At least I assume it's the same. The relevant "timetables" page does start with a list of re-introductions, but I presume that's all out of date as it's followed by the "January 17 timetable change" announcement.

Of course that bit too contains: "This is not a permanent or long-term timetable. We hope to be able to increase the number of services we provide as soon as we can, once staffing levels allow." Given the news about staff absence levels declining elsewhere (NHS, etc.), would you not expect SWR^» (South Western Railway - about) to say what the current position is? Or at least to go back and read that page to see if it's still true?

[ChrisB]

GWRs^▸ (Great Western Railway) email confirming continued changes does refer to ‘several more weeks’ unfortunately of changes

[stuving]

As expected, the timetable for next week has today been "updated" to the same reduced service as this week's. At least I assume it's the same. The relevant "timetables" page does start with a list of re-introductions, but I presume that's all out of date as it's followed by the "January 17 timetable change" announcement.

Well, I was wrong. Those reintroductions (most of them, at least) are from next week, and add back onto the 17th January timetable:

Having seen an increase in staff availability over recent days, we’re pleased to be able to reintroduce the following key services:
Morning peak

    05:10 London Waterloo to Twickenham via Brentford
    05:35 Hampton Court to London Waterloo
    05:55 Weymouth to London Waterloo
    06:05 Twickenham to London Waterloo via Brentford
    06:50 Farnham to London Waterloo
    06:54 Basingstoke to London Waterloo
    07:15 London Waterloo to London Waterloo via Twickenham and Brentford
    07:30 Shepperton to London Waterloo
    07:30 Dorking to London Waterloo
    Additional calls at Weybridge (07:25) and Walton-on-Thames (07:28) for service into London Waterloo
    08:45 London Waterloo to London Waterloo via Richmond

Evening peak

    16:10 Salisbury to Yeovil Junction
    16:40 Exeter St Davids to London Waterloo
    17:07 London Waterloo to London Waterloo via Brentford and Twickenham
    17:10 Yeovil Junction to Salisbury
    17:20 London Waterloo to Exeter St Davids
    17:41 London Waterloo to Basingstoke service, with calls at Surbiton and Farnborough
    17:43 London Waterloo to Shepperton
    18:45 London Waterloo to London Waterloo via Brentford and Twickenham
    20:42 London Waterloo to Basingstoke

You'd have though they would want to make that clear, and grab whatever credit was on offer, rather than hiding their trumpet under a ... soundproof bushel?

[PhilWakely]

As expected, the timetable for next week has today been "updated" to the same reduced service as this week's. At least I assume it's the same. The relevant "timetables" page does start with a list of re-introductions, but I presume that's all out of date as it's followed by the "January 17 timetable change" announcement.

Well, I was wrong. Those reintroductions (most of them, at least) are from next week, and add back onto the 17th January timetable:
Having seen an increase in staff availability over recent days, we’re pleased to be able to reintroduce the following key services:

Evening peak

    16:50 Exeter St Davids to London Waterloo

Smoke and mirrors. Currently, the stock for 16:50 Exeter St Davids to Salisbury sits at Salisbury for 20 minutes and then forms the 19:21 Salisbury to Waterloo. From next week, the two have been combined. The 'new' service still sits at Salisbury for 20 minutes. The only advantage is that Gillingham to Andover pax don't have to alight at Salisbury before getting back onto the same unit to continue their journey.

 

[stuving]

Southeast have already re-introduced a few of their services with a promise of full reinstatement next Monday, so I'm tended towards agreeing with Fourbee

Agreed - it always seemed odd to me that the introduction date was as late as 17th January (it was 10th for SE). Presumably there will be some element of late start leading to late end, due to building up a deficit of some kinds of leave and not-working work that has to be recovered. But it's hard to see that as being as big as one for one.

In answer to comments on raliforums similar to those here, Clarence Yard posted this:

They aren’t running a COVID timetable because of an ACTUAL shortage of train crew. It (and others) were instructed by the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) to put in a COVID secure timetable by the 17th Jan that would run, even if 10-15% of their staff had COVID. If staff were spare, all the better because it would guarantee the advertised reduced service would actually run. This service was due to run until the end of Feb and then it would revert to the December 2021 TT, if resources allowed it.

The DfT now want to bring that end date forward by a week or two and TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company) are under DfT instruction to manage overcrowding by inserting extra trains, if they can. Most TOCs can’t just switch back to the December 2021 TT at a moments notice, because of rostering, so it will be interesting to see how SWR^» (South Western Railway - about) manage this, with disruptive engineering work, a shortage of trained crew and the 701 saga. 21st February has been quoted on the railway grapevine as the likely date that the DfT currently want SWR to revert.

That is from a GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) insider, not SWR, but should be reliable on the general situation TOCs find themselves in.