2023 - Train update and amendment log - Swindon <-> Westbury

[whole diary]

[Phil]

05:11 Gloucester to Southampton Central due 08:07 will be diverted between Chippenham and Trowbridge.
It will no longer call at Melksham.
It is being delayed between Chippenham and Trowbridge and is now expected to be 7 minutes late.
This is due to a fault with the signalling system earlier today.

Just for the record, I question the fact that this was "due to a signalling fault". I was waiting at Melksham to catch that one. It was showing as running 8, 9, 10 minutes late. It left Chippenham (I was tracking it) and then with no warning at all, the overhead display changed to show the next train from Melksham would in fact be the 7.21 northbound rather than the 6.36 southbound - although the overhead didn't mention it, the app showed the Southampton train would be next stopping at Trowbridge. And with that, a southbound stone train rushed through Melksham somewhat unexpectedly. Or at least, it was unexpected to me. I rather suspect the signallers knew all about it, and quite frankly lied that there was a "fault" just so that they could manage their workload. Which is fine - I get that - but I dislike being lied to even more than I dislike being inconvenienced for the best part of 3 hours (the next southbound train from Melksham not running until 9.10). If there really was a signalling fault, how come a late running freight train managed to make it through? I call BS.

[grahame]

The stone train left Cliffe Hill Stud Farm Gbrf 83 minutes early at 21:10 the night before and passed through Melksham at 06:39 - that's 159 minutes late.   It lost 41 of those minutes between Chippenham and Thingley.  I rather suspect that there were faults - signalling or otherwise - that lead to congestion.



Still far from clever to loose the only peak southbound passenger service.

[grahame]

Freights passed through Melksham at ...
04:01
04:45
05:17
05:38
05:57
06:19
06:38
Two tracks now!!

Looking further, the 06:36 passenger train was held up at Chippenham until 06:38, and another 10 minutes would have then allowed it a path via Melksham.   However, the Swansea express was close behind it so they decided to send it on ahead to Bathampton to get it out of the way, a few minutes delay to the express being more important that leaving people stranded at Melksham ...

[grahame]

11:05 Swindon to Westbury due 11:47

05/12/23 11:05 Swindon to Westbury due 11:47 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

[TaplowGreen]

11:05 Swindon to Westbury due 11:47

05/12/23 11:05 Swindon to Westbury due 11:47 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

12:17 Westbury to Swindon due 12:59
12:17 Westbury to Swindon due 12:59 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.
Last Updated:05/12/2023 11:12

17:50 Gloucester to Salisbury due 20:06
05/12/23 17:50 Gloucester to Salisbury due 20:06 will be terminated at Swindon.
It will no longer call at Chippenham, Melksham, Trowbridge, Westbury, Dilton Marsh, Warminster and Salisbury.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

20:06 Westbury to Cheltenham Spa due 22:05
05/12/23 20:06 Westbury to Cheltenham Spa due 22:05 will be started from Swindon.
It will no longer call at Westbury, Trowbridge, Melksham and Chippenham.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

[TaplowGreen]

17:50 Gloucester to Salisbury due 20:06
06/12/23 17:50 Gloucester to Salisbury due 20:06 will be terminated at Swindon.
It will no longer call at Chippenham, Melksham, Trowbridge, Westbury, Dilton Marsh, Warminster and Salisbury.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

20:06 Westbury to Cheltenham Spa due 22:05
06/12/23 20:06 Westbury to Cheltenham Spa due 22:05 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

21:16 Westbury to Swindon due 21:58
06/12/23 21:16 Westbury to Swindon due 21:58 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

22:30 Swindon to Westbury due 23:11
06/12/23 22:30 Swindon to Westbury due 23:11 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

[brooklea]

11:05 Swindon to Westbury due 11:47

05/12/23 11:05 Swindon to Westbury due 11:47 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

12:17 Westbury to Swindon due 12:59
12:17 Westbury to Swindon due 12:59 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.
Last Updated:05/12/2023 11:12

17:50 Gloucester to Salisbury due 20:06
05/12/23 17:50 Gloucester to Salisbury due 20:06 will be terminated at Swindon.
It will no longer call at Chippenham, Melksham, Trowbridge, Westbury, Dilton Marsh, Warminster and Salisbury.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

20:06 Westbury to Cheltenham Spa due 22:05
05/12/23 20:06 Westbury to Cheltenham Spa due 22:05 will be started from Swindon.
It will no longer call at Westbury, Trowbridge, Melksham and Chippenham.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

Tuesday 5th An Overview

The first five trains all ran throughout, and more or less on time / within 15 minutes of schedule
11:05 Swindon to Westbury cancelled
(unit now stranded at Swindon)
12:17 Westbury to Swindon cancelled
13:15 Swindon to Westbury ran an hour late
(at a guess, the traincrew would have had to travel via Bath Spa, or by taxi from Westbury)
14:19 Westbury to Swindon cancelled
(train had only just left Swindon at 14:19)
15:14 Swindon to Westbury cancelled
(unit now at Westbury)
16:23 Westbury to Swindon ran about 15 minutes late
17:36 Swindon to Westbury ran on time
18:37 Westbury to Swindon ran on time
17:50 Gloucester to Salisbury started from Westbury
20:06 Westbury to Cheltenham Spa started from Swindon 45 minutes late and terminated at Gloucester
20:13 Swindon to Westbury was 28 minutes starting, waiting for the connection off the late-running 19:18 London to Swansea
21:16 Westbury to Swindon 15 minutes late due to delay on previous journey
22:30 Swindon to Westbury ran on time

6 cancellations at Melksham
2 others significantly late
10 trains on time, or within 15 minutes of schedule

[IndustryInsider]

Thanks for that - helps fill in my patchy knowledge on the topic.  Might it be logical to include in the database all platforms IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train) can pass through in service - so that would add  places link Lydney, Chepstow, Caldicot ... Llanshamlet, Llantwit ... are Bruton, Freshford and Avoncliff in there already?

Freshford and Avoncliff (and also Pilning) are being added to the next update of the SDO^▸ (Selective Door Opening) database which should be on all units shortly.

[grahame]

Thanks for that - helps fill in my patchy knowledge on the topic.  Might it be logical to include in the database all platforms IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train) can pass through in service - so that would add  places link Lydney, Chepstow, Caldicot ... Llanshamlet, Llantwit ... are Bruton, Freshford and Avoncliff in there already?

Freshford and Avoncliff (and also Pilning) are being added to the next update of the SDO^▸ (Selective Door Opening) database which should be on all units shortly.

Is Melksham being added?

[IndustryInsider]

No.

[TaplowGreen]

17:36 Swindon to Westbury due 18:20
17:36 Swindon to Westbury due 18:20 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

18:37 Westbury to Swindon due 19:21
18:37 Westbury to Swindon due 19:21 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.
Further Information

[Phil]

17:36 Swindon to Westbury due 18:20
17:36 Swindon to Westbury due 18:20 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

18:37 Westbury to Swindon due 19:21
18:37 Westbury to Swindon due 19:21 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.
Further Information

I tried to get home to Melksham from Westbury on the 16:23 today but not only was that cancelled (despite the train being on the platform), but ALL trains back to Swindon (four, I think) cancelled after that as well. Station staff did offer to get passengers a taxi, but that would have had to have come from Bath (they aren't allowed to use local, Westbury taxi services apparently) which would have taken longer than walking, if that were even feasible. So I paid for a taxi out of my own pocket to come from Melksham to pick me up from Westbury and offered a lift (courtesy of the ever helpful station staff) to anyone who wanted to join me. I know there's a strike happening, and the weather's been unkind elsewhere on the network, but the disruption this week really does seem to have been notched up considerably.

[grahame]

I tried to get home to Melksham from Westbury on the 16:23 today but not only was that cancelled (despite the train being on the platform), but ALL trains back to Swindon (four, I think) cancelled after that as well....

16:23 - so due into Melksham at 16:38.

As an alternative, there was a train at 16:25 which got to Trowbridge at 16:31.  A bus then left Trinity Square at the top of station approach at 16:57 and got to Melksham Town Centre at 17:30.  Perhaps not as fast, but in the land of integrated public transport that I was hearing about at the Area Board in Semington this evening, surely that would have been suggested to you??

[GBM]

Whilst this is known to 'a few' as to how a passenger might return home ((other than taxi)), it relies on platform staff having that knowledge.
However, they are rail staff, not bus staff, and it might have been that that bus service had been changed/cancelled earlier, so of not much help.
It needs someone further up the chain with some authority to advise exactly wasson.
That, of course, will cost!

[TaplowGreen]

Whilst this is known to 'a few' as to how a passenger might return home ((other than taxi)), it relies on platform staff having that knowledge.
However, they are rail staff, not bus staff, and it might have been that that bus service had been changed/cancelled earlier, so of not much help.
It needs someone further up the chain with some authority to advise exactly wasson.
That, of course, will cost!

Surely it wouldn't be that difficult to equip staff with that knowledge, or the means to obtain in it times of disruption? Why should using a bit of initiative "cost" much? The value it would add to the customer experience would far outweigh it..........surely transport modes working collaboratively is the way forward?

.............perhaps if there were more customer facing staff visibly available at stations, rather than stuck behind glass serving a small and ever dwindling number of people, this is the sort of initiative that could be championed?

(......hides behind sofa)