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Author Topic: Central Timetable Briefing - initial feedback for members  (Read 2118 times)
grahame
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« on: March 08, 2023, 13:26:29 »

Big THANK YOU to GWR (Great Western Railway) for arranging the Central Timetable briefing and news update earlier today. Although I'm all at sea (see follwowing pictures) I managed to listen in and even ask a couple of questions.  I have a copy of the slide set - marked "not for public circulation" but I can share data and thoughts as appropriate.

A very useful session indeed - I have more detail to come back to. But what I feel it does need in talking to is passengerisation - questions on things like connections and what the effect of timetable changes will be on fares (moves from off peak to peak) seemed to catch our hosts from left field. There is a lot of good news in there; there is also news that has good and bad bits and some distinct losses - the good does seem to outweigh bad, mind you.







« Last Edit: March 08, 2023, 13:32:38 by grahame » Logged

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grahame
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« Reply #1 on: March 08, 2023, 19:49:28 »

Big THANK YOU to GWR (Great Western Railway) for arranging the Central Timetable briefing and news update earlier today.

We were being INFORMED of these changes and ASKED FOR INPUTS about December changes.

* Cardiff to Portsmouth Main Line

Stock changes
4 of the 8 diagrams will now be 4 car 158s
Remaining diagrams will be 5 car or 3 car turbos.
Services to intermediate stations will be 3 or 2 carriages

No changes to timings at Salisbury - so Bradford-on-Avon / Trowbridge to London Waterloo and back on these trains remains dire. However, the MetroWest extensions to Salisbury (see below) give an 20 to 30 minute change which is much better. (GWR came pre-armed with this answer ;-) )

* Metro West

- up from 1 local train an hour to 2 from Bristol to Westbury
Really good news for Keynsham and Oldfield Park
most hours 1 train continues to Warminster and many to Salisbury
Good news for Dilton Marsh and Warminster
every 2 hours 1 train continues to Weymouth

- up from 1 local train an hour to 2 from Bristol to Gloucester
[edit to correct]: - once every hour, one of these trains continues to Cheltenham and Worcester

* London express services

- reduction in early services from Hereford (starting now Oxford and Gt Malvern)

- London to Bristol services extended to Weston-super-mare every 2 hours (NLS, YAT, WOR calls)

- Many more London / Carmarthen services (something to do with noting opportunity highlighted by open access proposals?)

- The 06:37 / 3 hour superfast PAD» (Paddington (London) - next trains) to PLY» (Plymouth - next trains) is replaced by an 06:00 via Swindon, Bath and Bristol
(sensible change - 06:37 for a high speeed service had become inappropriate)

- The 10:04 Paddington to Plymouth (and beyond?) will no longer call at Taunton

- Some 10 car (5+5) services reduced to just 5 car
This releases trains to replace Castle class trains which are being withdrawn because they are old and expensive to run.

* Thames Valley

- Revisions of some Paddington to Didcot services as Elizabeth line taken over urban stops

- Some 12 car formations reduced to 8 cars

* North Downs line

- proposed additional services (up from 2 to 3 per hour) will NOT be happening
Reason given is lack of rolling stock.  GWR is not leasing 769s

* Heart of Wessex

- Becomes two-hourly and that means
Extra late train from Weymouth to Bristol
Extra morning train Bristol to Weymouth

Concern that the well-timed off peak service Bristol to Weymouth that has been ideal for day trips has been replaced by trains an hour earlier and an hour later.  Concern expressed that the train an hour later reduces the attractiveness for day trips, and the train an hour earlier is too early. GWR were unable to tell us if off peak tickets would be available on the earlier train (I think I heard "I do timetables - don't know about fares"!)

Concern has also been expressed (away from the meeting to GWR) that day trips from Freshford and Avoncliff to Weymouth will now require a change of trains with a wait of around 30 minutes at Westbury.

Finally, questions asked about connections at Castle Cary from Yeovil to Tauton (and the other way too); none of the folks at the meeting knew, so open question

* TransWilts (Swindon to Westbury line)

- 4 journeys on Saturdays are being withdrawn
Said to be for "better stock utilisation"
Mark Utley of GWR says changes are to "protect core services"
(Thank you for the "heads up" that we are not "core" in Melksham!)

- An additional summer Saturday service Swindon -> Weymouth and back is added
It is unclear ("will let you know") whether the Swindon -> Westbury -> Swindon runs all year - IT SHOULD

- Not announced, but noted that the 05:17 Westbury to Swindon, Mon to Fri is withdrawn
- Not announced, but noted - extra evening round trip Westbury -> Swindon -> Westbury

Personal View Provided the extra evening services happen 6 days a week all year, this is net positive from a passenger viewpoint and the changes should be welcomed.

The connection off the 08:44 from Swindon to Westbury for day trips to Weymouth on Mondays to Fridays is no more; there is now a 1 hour wait at Westbury.  The previous train (06:11 from Swindon) misses a Weymouth train at Westbury by 2 minutes.  There is no longer a marketable day trip on Monday to Friday from Melksham to Weymouth.




The key issue which was only partially addressed through the meeting is reliability.  GWR put up some graphics to show this, but in my view the data was incomplete showing only short term cancellations - the industry standard which GWR follow is to massage the figures by excluding from their cancellation logs services which are in the published timetables, but then withdrawn because of industrial action Edit - I have struck through that element as it has been challenged by GWR or because a line is required for extra freight and long distance trains when other lines are closed.

There was talk of staff numbers available being "better than has been" in a long time - good, but that seems to disregard again the fact that is they are on strike they are NOT actually available. And also talk of clever better use of rolling stock with a suggestion of improved availability / fewer stock shortages due to breakdowns and standard maintenance.  We were not told how these improvements will be achieved, and I hope it's a concrete plan that will work.

Passenger journey numbers are still a bit below pre-covid numbers.  Income is down more than journey numbers - suggesting that income per journey is less.  Whether that's because more people are travelling off-peak, or journeys are shorter, is not clear to me.

In Summary - generally I am positive; if we get the reliability and the all year evening services in Wiltshire, we can market this.  I need to look at connections at Chippenham into the new Weston-super-mare services for day trips to there.  If GWR want to provide decent connections to Weymouth only at weekend - sure, we can market those until they are rammed ;-)
« Last Edit: March 10, 2023, 14:45:41 by grahame » Logged

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ChrisB
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« Reply #2 on: March 08, 2023, 20:20:50 »

Passenger journey numbers are still a bit below pre-covid numbers.  Income is down more than journey numbers - suggesting that income per journey is less.  Whether that's because more people are travelling off-peak, or journeys are shorter, is not clear to me.

The former, and fewer peak journeys of course.
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didcotdean
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« Reply #3 on: March 08, 2023, 22:30:18 »

Season tickets which used to give a base of revenue are also still significantly down.
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« Reply #4 on: March 09, 2023, 09:31:04 »

I have edited my report of yesterday - input from GWR (Great Western Railway) suggesting that trains cancelled because of strikes do show up in cancellation stats.  I need to be more awake before answering in full - it's early where I am!
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« Reply #5 on: March 09, 2023, 11:27:00 »

- it's early where I am!

Maybe a few snifters from a nearby bar to help
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« Reply #6 on: March 09, 2023, 17:16:18 »

Heart of Wessex Fares

Apart from the early (06.51) service from WSB» (Westbury - next trains) to WEY, all down HoW(resolve) services are priced as off-peak. This facility extends at least as far back as Bristol.
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« Reply #7 on: March 09, 2023, 17:59:56 »


Did this GWR (Great Western Railway) TT Briefing include anything west of Taunton ?

If so could details be advised ?
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grahame
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« Reply #8 on: March 09, 2023, 18:07:26 »


Did this GWR (Great Western Railway) TT Briefing include anything west of Taunton ?

If so could details be advised ?


This was "Central" - so, sorry, the only things touched on west of Taunton were things flowing into there from the mid-shires.

As I recall, departure of Castles, the 06:37 super fast from Paddington becoming the 06:00 via Bath Spa and picking up the same timings from Taunton, the 10:04 from Paddington skipping Taunton and certain 10 car IETs (Intercity Express Train) being reduced to 5 cars.
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REVUpminster
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« Reply #9 on: March 10, 2023, 07:34:37 »

Unusual for a train to non stop Taunton, a county town.
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grahame
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« Reply #10 on: March 10, 2023, 08:06:27 »

Unusual for a train to non stop Taunton, a county town.

County Towns like Northallerton (admin centre / HQ (Headquarters) for North Yorkshire) have trains running through the station none-stop and you could argue about Gloucester, skipped via the avoiding line by South West to Midlands XC (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) services.   And isn't Reading the County Town of Berkshire?  Not sure how much skips Reading from May.   But, agreed, a Taunton stop miss is unusual. "Cornish Riviera" and Plymouth in less than 3 hours marketing anyone?

Edit to add - shown as exactly 3 hours in the public times; noting that the train does stop at Newton Abbot and Totnes.
« Last Edit: March 10, 2023, 08:49:16 by grahame » Logged

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Richard Fairhurst
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« Reply #11 on: March 10, 2023, 11:31:03 »

- up from 1 local train an hour to 2 from Bristol to Gloucester
every 2 hours, one of these trains continues to Cheltenham and Worcester

It is, I think/hope, better than that - the Worcester service will be hourly. At least if this is to be believed...

(I had to change "WOS» (Worcester Shrub Hill - next trains)" in that URL to "%57OS" to stop the autolinkifier messing it up Wink )
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nickswift99
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« Reply #12 on: March 10, 2023, 12:03:01 »

Unusual for a train to non stop Taunton, a county town.

County Towns like Northallerton (admin centre / HQ (Headquarters) for North Yorkshire) have trains running through the station none-stop and you could argue about Gloucester, skipped via the avoiding line by South West to Midlands XC (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) services.   And isn't Reading the County Town of Berkshire?  Not sure how much skips Reading from May.   But, agreed, a Taunton stop miss is unusual. "Cornish Riviera" and Plymouth in less than 3 hours marketing anyone?

Edit to add - shown as exactly 3 hours in the public times; noting that the train does stop at Newton Abbot and Totnes.

Reading has not been the county town since Berkshire was split into 6 unitary authorities. Their equivalent locations are now are Slough (lots of passing services), Maidenhead (ditto), Bracknell (I think all trains stop there), Wokingham (as Bracknell), Newbury (skipped by the fast B&H (Berks and Hants - railway line from Reading to Taunton via Westbury) services) and Reading itself.
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Mark A
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« Reply #13 on: March 10, 2023, 12:36:38 »

Then there's Trowbridge: county town that, 15 months back, lost its entire service from London.

Mark
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grahame
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« Reply #14 on: March 10, 2023, 14:47:22 »

- up from 1 local train an hour to 2 from Bristol to Gloucester
every 2 hours, one of these trains continues to Cheltenham and Worcester

It is, I think/hope, better than that - the Worcester service will be hourly. At least if this is to be believed...

(I had to change "WOS» (Worcester Shrub Hill - next trains)" in that URL to "%57OS" to stop the autolinkifier messing it up Wink )

You are correct and I have gone back and edited my report.
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