Train GraphicClick on the map to explore geographics
 
I need help
FAQ
Emergency
About .
Travel & transport from BBC stories as at 23:55 16 Apr 2024
- Potential new orders for struggling train firm
- Birmingham Airport flights disrupted by incident
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
17th Apr (2010)
Formation Committee Meeting, TransWilts CRP (link)

Train RunningCancelled
22:44 Taunton to Bristol Temple Meads
17/04/24 00:45 London Paddington to Reading
Short Run
23:24 Didcot Parkway to London Paddington
PollsThere are no open or recent polls
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
April 17, 2024, 00:09:56 *
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
[320] Problems with the Night Riviera sleeper - December 2014 onward...
[117] Proposals for open access services on new routes
[63] New station at Ashley Down, Bristol
[61] BBC Great Coastal Railway Journeys - A Correction
[57] Okehampton
[45] First tour train of season
 
News: A forum for passengers ... with input from rail professionals welcomed too
 
   Home   Help Search Calendar Login Register  
Pages: [1] 2 3
  Print  
Author Topic: This train will call additionally at Newbury, Pewsey, Westbury and Castle Cary  (Read 7009 times)
grahame
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 40770



View Profile WWW Email
« on: July 10, 2022, 06:54:52 »

Another (Sun)day with the semi-fast Paddington to the South West semi-fast service decimated because of a lack of staff, and the express service adding in extra stops between Reading and Taunton to compensate:

Quote
Train Cancellations
08:27 Plymouth to London Paddington due 11:59
08:33 London Paddington to Swansea due 11:57
10:36 London Paddington to Paignton due 13:44
12:30 London Paddington to Weston-Super-Mare due 14:33
13:03 London Paddington to Plymouth due 16:13
14:36 London Paddington to Exeter St Davids due 16:59
14:53 Paignton to London Paddington due 18:05
15:28 Weston-Super-Mare to London Paddington due 17:35
18:36 London Paddington to Plymouth due 22:07
20:40 Penzance to Plymouth due 22:38

Other Train Service Updates
09:12 Plymouth to London Paddington due 12:24
11:03 London Paddington to Newquay due 15:51
13:30 Newquay to London Paddington due 18:24
14:30 London Paddington to Taunton due 16:40
15:03 London Paddington to Plymouth due 18:11
17:03 London Paddington to Penzance due 22:05
17:04 Taunton to London Paddington due 19:38
17:32 Exeter St Davids to London Paddington due 20:39
19:03 London Paddington to Plymouth due 22:14

Provided that all services are long enough to cope with the extra passengers (and that does NOT mean that they can all cram on - it means that they most of the groups can actually sit together) and that connections that miss off the delayed expresses don't result in long waits for passengers, the solution is a sensible one on a short term.  On a long term, it's a failure of the system - it reminds me of a correspondent the other day on a different topic saying "we're working on it - please be patient" to which my reply was "I've been waiting since 2007 - how long should I wait".
Logged

Coffee Shop Admin, Acting Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, Option 24/7 Melksham Rep
ChrisB
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 12357


View Profile Email
« Reply #1 on: July 10, 2022, 09:18:46 »

This problem won’t be fixed until 7-day working is agreed/inplemented in the rail industry.
Logged
Timmer
Global Moderator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 6297


View Profile
« Reply #2 on: July 10, 2022, 09:48:44 »

This problem won’t be fixed until 7-day working is agreed/inplemented in the rail industry.
Then GWR (Great Western Railway) need to remove the SW semifasts from the timetable. Every weekend some or most of them get cancelled making them very unreliable. If you don’t have the staff to operate a timetable, then produce a timetable that you can operate rather than the current fantasy one.
Logged
bobm
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 9827



View Profile
« Reply #3 on: July 10, 2022, 10:21:35 »

Then this morning's 08:13 from London Paddington to Exeter St David's via Box is delayed by 75 minutes at Didcot Parkway due to "passengers causing a disturbance on this train".  GWR (Great Western Railway) might wish they hadn't run that one now.
Logged
broadgage
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 5407



View Profile
« Reply #4 on: July 10, 2022, 15:58:08 »

Then this morning's 08:13 from London Paddington to Exeter St David's via Box is delayed by 75 minutes at Didcot Parkway due to "passengers causing a disturbance on this train".  GWR (Great Western Railway) might wish they hadn't run that one now.

Does anyone know what was the nature of the disturbance ?  Excessive drink seems to be a major cause of such events, but unlikely at that time of day.
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: 12357


View Profile Email
« Reply #5 on: July 10, 2022, 17:48:06 »

Bristol Pride today - could be drinkers....
Logged
JayMac
Data Manager
Hero Member
******
Posts: 18918



View Profile
« Reply #6 on: July 10, 2022, 18:11:53 »

Bristol Pride today - could be drinkers....

Any factual basis for that correlation?
Logged

"Build a man a fire and he'll be warm for the rest of the day. Set a man on fire and he'll be warm for the rest of his life."

- Sir Terry Pratchett.
JayMac
Data Manager
Hero Member
******
Posts: 18918



View Profile
« Reply #7 on: July 10, 2022, 18:22:41 »

Bristol Pride today - could be drinkers....

Scavenger Hunt in Bath today - could be drinkers....

Manicure, Pedicure Gel Polish course in Taunton today - could be drinkers....

Jimmy Tarbuck live in Torquay today - could be drinkers....
« Last Edit: July 10, 2022, 18:31:41 by JayMac » Logged

"Build a man a fire and he'll be warm for the rest of the day. Set a man on fire and he'll be warm for the rest of his life."

- Sir Terry Pratchett.
broadgage
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 5407



View Profile
« Reply #8 on: July 10, 2022, 19:36:55 »

Bristol Pride today - could be drinkers....

Any factual basis for that correlation?

Possible IMHO (in my humble opinion). It is a very popular and well attended event. If 1% of those attending drink too much, and if 1% of those cause problems, then that is still a significant number. One person in ten thousand being a problem is not a slur on the organisers or on the great majority of those attending.
The same may be said of Royal Ascot or of major sporting events.
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.
a-driver
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 971


View Profile
« Reply #9 on: July 10, 2022, 20:09:16 »

Then this morning's 08:13 from London Paddington to Exeter St David's via Box is delayed by 75 minutes at Didcot Parkway due to "passengers causing a disturbance on this train".  GWR (Great Western Railway) might wish they hadn't run that one now.

Does anyone know what was the nature of the disturbance ?  Excessive drink seems to be a major cause of such events, but unlikely at that time of day.

One abusive passenger and at the same time, an unconscious passenger.  A doctor onboard advised the passenger needed the urgent attendance of the ambulance service. 
Logged
TaplowGreen
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 7792



View Profile
« Reply #10 on: July 10, 2022, 21:17:34 »

Bristol Pride today - could be drinkers....

....too much London Pride?  Smiley
Logged
bobm
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 9827



View Profile
« Reply #11 on: July 10, 2022, 21:56:39 »

Better still its big brother Golden Pride.
Logged
grahame
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 40770



View Profile WWW Email
« Reply #12 on: August 27, 2022, 05:48:49 »

Another (Sun)day with the semi-fast Paddington to the South West semi-fast service decimated because of a lack of staff, and the express service adding in extra stops between Reading and Taunton to compensate:

[snip]

Provided that all services are long enough to cope with the extra passengers (and that does NOT mean that they can all cram on - it means that they most of the groups can actually sit together) and that connections that miss off the delayed expresses don't result in long waits for passengers, the solution is a sensible one on a short term.  On a long term, it's a failure of the system - it reminds me of a correspondent the other day on a different topic saying "we're working on it - please be patient" to which my reply was "I've been waiting since 2007 - how long should I wait".

And for today:

Quote
08:35 London Paddington to Paignton due 12:05
10:35 London Paddington to Paignton due 13:47
12:35 London Paddington to Paignton due 15:53

12:56 Paignton to London Paddington due 16:22
14:56 Paignton to London Paddington due 18:09
17:05 Paignton to London Paddington due 21:06

and by way of example

Quote
08:35 London Paddington to Paignton due 12:05
08:35 London Paddington to Paignton due 12:05 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

I recall in my youth the flow of summer Saturday seaside trains to Somerset, Devon and Cornwall (Pembrokeshire too) for people's weeks away - so busy that seat regulation tickets were needed. Yet here we are today with the seaside trains cancelled because the company that has been running them for two decades hasn't got enough staff to meet its contracted spec.  And this feels like a routine unreliability.   Is there still a flow to the West Country for holidays, or will the M5 and A3030 down to Devon and Cornwall be quiet today?
Logged

Coffee Shop Admin, Acting Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, Option 24/7 Melksham Rep
TaplowGreen
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 7792



View Profile
« Reply #13 on: August 27, 2022, 08:12:12 »

Another (Sun)day with the semi-fast Paddington to the South West semi-fast service decimated because of a lack of staff, and the express service adding in extra stops between Reading and Taunton to compensate:

[snip]

Provided that all services are long enough to cope with the extra passengers (and that does NOT mean that they can all cram on - it means that they most of the groups can actually sit together) and that connections that miss off the delayed expresses don't result in long waits for passengers, the solution is a sensible one on a short term.  On a long term, it's a failure of the system - it reminds me of a correspondent the other day on a different topic saying "we're working on it - please be patient" to which my reply was "I've been waiting since 2007 - how long should I wait".

And for today:

Quote
08:35 London Paddington to Paignton due 12:05
10:35 London Paddington to Paignton due 13:47
12:35 London Paddington to Paignton due 15:53

12:56 Paignton to London Paddington due 16:22
14:56 Paignton to London Paddington due 18:09
17:05 Paignton to London Paddington due 21:06

and by way of example

Quote
08:35 London Paddington to Paignton due 12:05
08:35 London Paddington to Paignton due 12:05 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

I recall in my youth the flow of summer Saturday seaside trains to Somerset, Devon and Cornwall (Pembrokeshire too) for people's weeks away - so busy that seat regulation tickets were needed. Yet here we are today with the seaside trains cancelled because the company that has been running them for two decades hasn't got enough staff to meet its contracted spec.  And this feels like a routine unreliability.   Is there still a flow to the West Country for holidays, or will the M5 and A3030 down to Devon and Cornwall be quiet today?

"Routine unreliability" is an apt description these days.

It does make one wonder whether GWR (Great Western Railway) and the railway generally have grasped the fact that their future lies with expanding leisure travel and this sends out all the wrong messages.

Paignton (and to a lesser extent Newquay) always seem the poor relations when the long distance cancellations are doled out, ludicrously at this time of year.

M5/A38 v busy yesterday, in my experience it will still be busy today given the long weekend and there is a lot going on as well as beaches this weekend in the South West.

Logged
Timmer
Global Moderator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 6297


View Profile
« Reply #14 on: August 27, 2022, 09:15:21 »

Until GWR (Great Western Railway) actually have enough staff to be able to run the SW semifasts on weekends they should be removed from the timetable. Weekend after weekend they get cancelled so they shouldn’t be in the timetable.

It’s unfair on those who have booked to travel on these trains to Paignton only to turn up at Paddington to find them cancelled then having to board an already busy fast service with no seat reservation possibly having to stand for some or all of the journey.
Logged
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
  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