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

[whole diary]

[Phil]

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??

It wasn't, although it did occur to me. However, I felt very uncomfortable about walking around Trowbridge town centre in the dark, feeling vulnerable (white, middle class males stand out rather in Trowbridge), not knowing exactly where bus stops are, so I got a taxi in preference. Also as it happens the 16:25 had already left by the time the 16:23 (which was standing at the platform!) was cancelled - and the next train to Trowbridge was significantly delayed beyond 17:00 as well.

[grahame]

... 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?

(......hides behind sofa) 

No need to hide behind the sofa. I am agreeing with you.  An initiative would quickly end up saving money as well as people's short tempers.  Using seats on buses otherwise unoccupied in place of taxis of which we have a shortage of available vehicles around here.

I went to listen to the Director of Highways and Transport in Semington village last night, and asked about public transport collaboration, citing buses to the stations to connect with trains at places like Westbury (where 4 buses a day call) and Melksham (where there are none).   I was re-assured by one of our Wiltshire Councillors that buses go past the top of our Station Approach and all it needs is a timetable change to have them connect - it's "just a couple of minutes walk".  Hmmm .... if only it were that simple.

[grahame]

 

17:50 Gloucester to Salisbury due 20:06

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 industrial action.

20:06 Westbury to Cheltenham Spa due 22:05

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 industrial action.

[TaplowGreen]

20:13 Swindon to Westbury due 20:58
20:13 Swindon to Westbury due 20:58 will be cancelled.
This is due to industrial action.

21:16 Westbury to Swindon due 21:58
21:16 Westbury to Swindon due 21:58 will be cancelled.
This is due to industrial action.

22:30 Swindon to Westbury due 23:11
22:30 Swindon to Westbury due 23:11 will be cancelled.
This is due to industrial action.

[grahame]

20:13 Swindon to Westbury due 20:58
20:13 Swindon to Westbury due 20:58 will be cancelled.
This is due to industrial action.

21:16 Westbury to Swindon due 21:58
21:16 Westbury to Swindon due 21:58 will be cancelled.
This is due to industrial action.

And the rest ... we are both posting at the same time!

19:35 Westbury to Salisbury due 20:06  
20:13 Swindon to Westbury due 20:58
21:16 Westbury to Swindon due 21:58
22:30 Swindon to Westbury due 23:11

22:30 Swindon to Westbury due 23:11 will be cancelled.
This is due to industrial action.

[Trowres]

So, just to summarise: on December 8th just 7 out of 18 services ran on the core Westbury-Swindon section.

[grahame]

So, just to summarise: on December 8th just 7 out of 18 services ran on the core Westbury-Swindon section.

And starting today ... 4 more cancellations ... out of just 14 because we have accepted the loss of 2 round trips in the Saturday timetable to make it operationally easier and more robust.  Sadly, by segmenting out the line we have also made it easier for the service to be sacrificed any time there's something happening like a shortage of working trains or staff ...

12:07 Westbury to Swindon due 12:53
13:10 Swindon to Westbury due 13:53
14:07 Westbury to Swindon due 14:53
15:10 Swindon to Westbury due 15:55

15:10 Swindon to Westbury due 15:55 will be cancelled.
This is due to industrial action.

[grahame]

Looks like the cancelled trains for today may have been re-instated.  Good - I hope that not too many people were scared away and have made other travel plans ...

[brooklea]

So, just to summarise: on December 8th just 7 out of 18 services ran on the core Westbury-Swindon section.

Friday was a bad day for cancellations, but not quite that bad; 9 out of 18 cancelled on the core section:

07:45 WSB^» (Westbury - next trains) - SWI^» (Swindon - next trains) and 08:45 SWI - WSB
12:17 WSB - SWI
18:37 WSB - SWI
17:50 Gloucester - Salisbury (started from Westbury)
20:06 WSB - Cheltenham Spa
20:13 SWI - WSB
21:16 WSB - SWI and 22:30 SWI - WSB

Last train from Melksham was the 18:03 to Westbury.

[Trowres]

Hello Brooklea, just checking that I have the right figures (7 running = 11 not running on the core section):

* The 0511 Gloucester - Southampton progressed no further than Kemble.
* The 0635 Salisbury - Worcester first appears on RTT^» (Real Time Trains - website) at Kemble.

I know RTT sometimes isn't right where a train runs out-of-correspondence with the pre-ordained timetable, but I have assumed that neither of these workings came anywhere Melksham (and that thhis is the discrepancy between your figures and mine).

Do you have any info to suggest there was a service through Melksham at these times?

[Trowres]

PS to Brooklea: I don't wish to come over as combative. Thank you for your continuing contributions to the forum! 

[brooklea]

Hello Brooklea, just checking that I have the right figures (7 running = 11 not running on the core section):

* The 0511 Gloucester - Southampton progressed no further than Kemble.
* The 0635 Salisbury - Worcester first appears on RTT^» (Real Time Trains - website) at Kemble.

I know RTT sometimes isn't right where a train runs out-of-correspondence with the pre-ordained timetable, but I have assumed that neither of these workings came anywhere Melksham (and that thhis is the discrepancy between your figures and mine).

Do you have any info to suggest there was a service through Melksham at these times?

Yep, I too looked at the RTT data and thought to myself that Kemble was an odd place for these trains to vanish/appear from the system. I then had a look at their subsequent/previous workings on RTT and that suggested that both had run throughout. I concluded that there had been some issue in data feeds to RTT, which is not unheard of.

So I visited this website https://trackit.uppyjc.co.uk which helpfully can display detailed signalling data for the past 24 hours (although it sometimes has gaps in the data too). This showed both trains had travelled along the Melksham line.

The specific train links don’t work forever, but this shows Friday’s 2O20 0511 Gloucester to Southampton https://trackit.uppyjc.co.uk/TrackIT/Forms/Train.aspx?TrainID=44820136&AutoRefresh=True&CameFromLocationID=10649&DisplayMode=TD&Detailed=True&Reverse=True&Estimate=True

And 2M81 0635 Salisbury to Worcester Foregate Street https://trackit.uppyjc.co.uk/TrackIT/Forms/Train.aspx?TrainID=44820082&CameFromLocationID=10649&AutoRefresh=True&Estimate=True&DisplayMode=TD&Detailed=True Sorry, but attaching screenshots is beyond my abilities!

Hope that’s of interest 

[Trowres]

Brooklea,

Many thanks - I haven't seen TrackIT before - the level of detail is ... interesting ... although perhaps not for the majority of rail users. Does anyone on this forum have an explanation of all the data feeds available and which public websites use which?

One minor correction to your post: the top-level URL doesn't have a www in it: https://trackit.uppyjc.co.uk

We agree on the final score: 9 ran, 9 cancelled.

[brooklea]

One minor correction to your post: the top-level URL doesn't have a www in it: https://trackit.uppyjc.co.uk

Thanks for that - I have corrected the link in my post.

[brooklea]

16:35 Westbury to Swindon due 17:17 will be cancelled.
This is due to industrial action.
17:44 Swindon to Westbury due 18:25 will be cancelled.
18:40 Westbury to Swindon due 19:26 will be cancelled.
19:44 Swindon to Westbury due 20:25 will be cancelled.