Train GraphicClick on the map to explore geographics
 
I need help
FAQ
Emergency
About .
Travel & transport from BBC stories as at 02:35 19 Mar 2024
- Potholes leave nations' roads at 'breaking point'
Read about the forum [here].
Register [here] - it's free.
What do I gain from registering? [here]
 tomorrow - WWRUG AGM
23/03/24 - Trains restart - Minehead
02/06/24 - Summer Timetable starts
17/08/24 - Bus to Imber

No 'On This Day' events reported for 19th Mar

Train RunningNo cancellations or delays
PollsOpen and recent polls
Open to 25/03 16:00 Easter Escape - to where?
Closed 2024-03-16 Should our rail network go cashless
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 19, 2024, 02:43:48 *
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
[99] Where would you recommend for an Easter Escape?
[99] More travels ... more looking at how others do it ...
[95] M25 motorway issue: a most illuminating Twitter thread.
[80] Briefing on forthcoming changes - from GWR on 14.3.2024
[51] Europeran Rail Timetable
[51] Improvements at three Berkshire stations
 
News: the Great Western Coffee Shop ... keeping you up to date with travel around the South West
 
   Home   Help Search Calendar Login Register  
Pages: [1] 2 3 4
  Print  
Author Topic: Night Riviera to be reduced for eight weeks due to engineering work - Jan 2022  (Read 12610 times)
bobm
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 9801



View Profile
« on: January 17, 2022, 14:04:39 »

Quote
Suspension of service
Monday 24 January – Thursday 17 March

Overnight engineering work every Monday to Thursday, Monday 24 January - Thursday 17 March, will see the line between Exeter St David and Teignmouth closed.

During these eight weeks, as part of its plans to improve the resilience of the line between Dawlish and Holcombe, Network Rail will be building a 209-metre extension to the existing rockfall shelter north of Parsons Tunnel.

We always work with Network Rail to minimise the impact of their work. Traditionally, this might mean reducing services at weekends. However, with fewer customers using this service at present due to Covid, carrying out the work during the week will cause less disruption.

Our Night Riviera Sleeper is extremely popular, providing an important link between London and Devon & Cornwall, and we are sorry for the disruption this vital work will cause. We look forward to its completion, when we can welcome back the world-famous Night Riviera Sleeper into full service.
Logged
grahame
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 40644



View Profile WWW Email
« Reply #1 on: January 17, 2022, 14:42:18 »

In these current times of us not being able to trust what we are told - is the engineering work convenient excuse to save running the sleeper on quieter nights?

The London-bound train passes Dawlish at 10 minutes past midnight
Would a 30 minute earlier departure from Penzance - 20:45 rather than 21:15 and 22:45 rather than 23:15 from Plymouth really make a difference to people?  That would mean it was NOT the last train of the day through Dawlish. Personal sleeper over the years would have welcomed not having to wait around until some late hour.

The Penzance-bound train passes Dawlish at 10 minutes to five in the morning
Would an arrive at Plymouth at 06:30, and Penzance at 08:45, ruin the service? That would put it past Dawlish about an hour later, well after the local service has started.

Even if the last and first local trains are buses, how bad would an 8 p.m. sleeper from Penzance, 10 p.m. from Plymouth, and an 07:30 arrival into Plymouth, 09:30 into Penzance be?
Logged

Coffee Shop Admin, Acting Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, Option 24/7 Melksham Rep
ChrisB
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 12330


View Profile Email
« Reply #2 on: January 17, 2022, 15:33:37 »

A hell of a time to reach PAD» (Paddington (London) - next trains) though….no thanks
Logged
grahame
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 40644



View Profile WWW Email
« Reply #3 on: January 17, 2022, 15:43:23 »

A hell of a time to reach PAD» (Paddington (London) - next trains) though….no thanks

Ah - but das thumbtwiddlin at Reading which the sleeper already does could be extended, surely, with no change to Paddington arrival time.
Logged

Coffee Shop Admin, Acting Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, Option 24/7 Melksham Rep
bobm
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 9801



View Profile
« Reply #4 on: January 17, 2022, 16:34:15 »

In these current times of us not being able to trust what we are told - is the engineering work convenient excuse to save running the sleeper on quieter nights?

The London-bound train passes Dawlish at 10 minutes past midnight
Would a 30 minute earlier departure from Penzance - 20:45 rather than 21:15 and 22:45 rather than 23:15 from Plymouth really make a difference to people?  That would mean it was NOT the last train of the day through Dawlish. Personal sleeper over the years would have welcomed not having to wait around until some late hour.

The Penzance-bound train passes Dawlish at 10 minutes to five in the morning
Would an arrive at Plymouth at 06:30, and Penzance at 08:45, ruin the service? That would put it past Dawlish about an hour later, well after the local service has started.

Even if the last and first local trains are buses, how bad would an 8 p.m. sleeper from Penzance, 10 p.m. from Plymouth, and an 07:30 arrival into Plymouth, 09:30 into Penzance be?

Just to note the sleeper only leaves at 21:15 on a Sunday - it is 21:45 the rest of the time.   Leaving an hour earlier but aiming for a same time arrival in London might have an effect on staff hours.
Logged
broadgage
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 5396



View Profile
« Reply #5 on: January 18, 2022, 05:52:28 »

This looks like another attempt at closure by stealth, or if closure cant be achieved at least an attempt to obtain a larger subsidy to keep the service running.

It seems that the sleeper COULD run during the engineering work with relatively minor alterations to the timings, but why bother ? Simpler to just cancel and hope that passengers fly or drive instead, don't worry about the climate emergency that is now last years news.

has the survey been done yet to show that most passengers don't use the sleeper, and that those do would find a not sleeper preferable.
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.
ChrisB
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 12330


View Profile Email
« Reply #6 on: January 18, 2022, 07:59:11 »

No it doesn’t!
Logged
Jamsdad
Sr. Member
****
Posts: 201


View Profile Email
« Reply #7 on: January 18, 2022, 19:31:35 »

I really find this partial suspension illogical, and as a regular sleeper user very very annoying. It would not be a big deal to run a bit earlier, I doubt that may  Cornish sleeper passengers would object to a slightly earlier departure,  or indeed for the down service a slightly later arrival.
Logged
IndustryInsider
Data Manager
Hero Member
******
Posts: 10080


View Profile
« Reply #8 on: January 18, 2022, 21:15:57 »

As Bobm said, it might well be to do with staffing hours.  I believe they are stretched to near maximum already for the sleeper crews.
Logged

To view my GWML (Great Western Main Line) Electrification cab video 'before and after' video comparison, as well as other videos of the new layout at Reading and 'before and after' comparisons of the Cotswold Line Redoubling scheme, see: http://www.dailymotion.com/user/IndustryInsider/
grahame
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 40644



View Profile WWW Email
« Reply #9 on: January 18, 2022, 21:32:30 »

As Bobm said, it might well be to do with staffing hours.  I believe they are stretched to near maximum already for the sleeper crews.

At the risk of making a very unpopular suggestion - on these middle-of-the-week days, could the sleeper start from / end at Reading, with passengers able to join early / leave late there rather like as at Paddington, and connect into/outof London on a train to suit there journey.  It's not like having to change in the middle of the night.
Logged

Coffee Shop Admin, Acting Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, Option 24/7 Melksham Rep
IndustryInsider
Data Manager
Hero Member
******
Posts: 10080


View Profile
« Reply #10 on: January 18, 2022, 23:14:50 »

As Bobm said, it might well be to do with staffing hours.  I believe they are stretched to near maximum already for the sleeper crews.

At the risk of making a very unpopular suggestion - on these middle-of-the-week days, could the sleeper start from / end at Reading, with passengers able to join early / leave late there rather like as at Paddington, and connect into/outof London on a train to suit there journey.  It's not like having to change in the middle of the night.

The staffing hours might be extended even further if you did that, depending on where the crews were based.
Logged

To view my GWML (Great Western Main Line) Electrification cab video 'before and after' video comparison, as well as other videos of the new layout at Reading and 'before and after' comparisons of the Cotswold Line Redoubling scheme, see: http://www.dailymotion.com/user/IndustryInsider/
grahame
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 40644



View Profile WWW Email
« Reply #11 on: January 18, 2022, 23:24:09 »

The staffing hours might be extended even further if you did that, depending on where the crews were based.

On reflection, yes, I guess so.  I was thinking of the train hours, but of course the crews aren't necessarily based in the Reading Traincare Depot
Logged

Coffee Shop Admin, Acting Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, Option 24/7 Melksham Rep
TaplowGreen
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 7723



View Profile
« Reply #12 on: January 19, 2022, 17:00:42 »

A move to a later arrival in Plymouth Westbound would make it a far more attractive proposition to those visiting the largest & most strategically significant City in the South West.

Just now its arrival is far too early.
Logged
Jamsdad
Sr. Member
****
Posts: 201


View Profile Email
« Reply #13 on: January 19, 2022, 19:44:25 »

That make a lot of sense, Plymouth lost out when they stopped detaching one of the sleeper coaches there to allow for a civilised getting up time.The problem would then be maintaining he connection with the Scillonian at Penzance.
Logged
grahame
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 40644



View Profile WWW Email
« Reply #14 on: January 19, 2022, 20:45:00 »

That make a lot of sense, Plymouth lost out when they stopped detaching one of the sleeper coaches there to allow for a civilised getting up time.The problem would then be maintaining he connection with the Scillonian at Penzance.

Interesting - how much traffic comes off the sleeper to the Scillies (and vice versa?)   I do know that the small islands off Mallaig bring a surprising number of connecting passengers to and from the train, and suspect there could be a similarity.
Logged

Coffee Shop Admin, Acting Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, Option 24/7 Melksham Rep
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] 2 3 4
  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