Confusion over what runs on 5th November (Melksham to Swindon) - 5 sets of conflicting information so far.
1. GWR▸ contracted to run 8 trains (per day), timetabled to leave from 08:00 to 18:51 outbound and 08:08 to 21:07 back
2. With Rail Strikes, national databases updated showing 5 trains to tun each way on the day - northbound at 07:53 then about every 2 hours to 16:41 and southbound from 08:45 to 17:36
(At this point, I advised our guests, who need to be in Swindon from 10:00 to 15:00, to travel out at 07:53 and back at 15:14)
3. Circular letter from Thomas Lydon (GWR) and Toby Elliot (
NR» ) stating
On the three strike days, there will be no service on the line from Reading to Taunton (via Newbury, Pewsey, Bedwyn, Castle Cary). There will be a very limited service in place from Westbury to Cardiff Central (via Bristol). There will be no service on the TransWilts line on the strike days or the days following strikes.
(Ouch! That suggests that Melksham Station is closed from last service today - 4th November 2022 - until first service on Friday 11th November - one day short of a week!)
4. In response to a request to Thomas for clarification:
Thanks for your email and bringing this to my attention.
I have checked with timetabling colleagues and the situation has changed since I sent out the email yesterday – I’ve listed below the state of play on the Transwilts for the next week. I’ll also send an update round to stakeholders so they are aware of this change.
Saturday 5th – no service – journey planners being updated to reflect cancelled services
Sunday 6th, Monday 7th, Tuesday 8th – service in place as in journey planners
Wednesday 9th and Thursday 10th – service will run, journey planners updated on Saturday 5th. Wednesday 9th will be very similar to Monday 7th, Thursday 10th to Tuesday 8th.
(so that confirms no trains on Saturday but it's just the one day they are not running)
I have translated
Saturday - no service
Sunday - (near) normal service
Monday - shuttle service, 5 round trips
Tuesday - early services cancelled - normal from 07:53
Wednesday - shuttle service, 5 round trips
Thursday - early services cancelled - normal from 07:53
5. The journey planner, this morning, still shows the five round trips tomorrow ... I have just discovered this, and it's some 20 hours after Thomas told me "no trains - journey planner being updated"
I appreciate that Thomas and other higher management at GWR and Network Rail are concerned at the Macro and not the Micro of individual customers and what the confusion and lack of information, but just occasionally I feel it's worthwhile reminding the senior team of the confusion and angst caused by all the various changes on real people who have lives that rely on public transport, and who are not typically as informed as our members.
It helps, thank you - except that I’ve now got to get back to my party and tell them that the service has now be cancelled (and I’m glad you acknowledge it as a cancellation so it will show up in the stats, won’t it?) and they’ll need to spend 200 minutes on buses on Saturday, rather that 60 on the train!
Can you suggest anything to help these guests from Ukraine who are struggling with the UK▸ system and need to be in Swindon from around 9 a.m. to around 3 p.m. on Saturday, and who still struggle with the English language and British public transport … both in terms of how to make the journey and what tickets to purchase?
Our advice to customers is not to travel by train unless necessary and make alternative arrangements – and obviously there’s no trains from Melksham on Saturday regardless. This is the case not just on GWR but nationwide as these as part of the national industrial action.
We are running a very limited service from Bristol Temple Meads to London so if your guests can make it to Chippenham they can get a train to Swindon from there; these times are in journey planners but they will start later and finish much earlier than usual.
"Nice" answer - but I don't trust that services will run as I'm being told by GWR ... using the journey planner from Chippenham and pretending it's not listing the services from Westbury, it's from the station there at 09:09, returning from Swindon at 15:29 (15:40 at Chippenham). The X34 bus at 08:10 from Melksham goes to Chippenha Station at 08:33; there's a 16:35 bus back, so that's a 55 minute wait, and should our guests return earlier the buses from Chippenham don't event serve the railway station - they serve the bus station across town!
Logical recommendation is to give guest a very local lift to Semington for the 49 bus direct to Swindon. Of course, the first service does not run on a Saturday, so the first arrival into Swindon is not until after 10 ... the daily National Express coach would do the job, but does not come back until mid-evening and to expect guest not familiar to find a different service back worries me.
I hope that the GWR, Network Rail, the Department for Transport, the RMT▸ , ASLEF» , Unite, and the TSSA» appreciate that their collective inability to sort out their differences and provide the services they are set up for are driving even their most loyal customers away. Our guest WILL make their meeeting in Swindon. It will be no thanks to any of the organisations in the previous paragraph ...
