2024 - Service update and amendment log, Swindon <-> Westbury

[whole diary]

[TaplowGreen]

20:06 Westbury to Cheltenham Spa due 22:05
20:06 Westbury to Cheltenham Spa due 22:05 will be cancelled.
This is due to flooding.

[jamestheredengine]

I assume IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train) still can’t stop at Melksham because it’s not in the train database?

Time they added it, regardless of the huge cost to amend the database.

Ah yes ...

Cancellations to services between Westbury and Reading
Due to heavy rain flooding the railway between Westbury and Reading some lines towards Reading are blocked.
Train services running to and from these stations may be cancelled. Disruption is expected until 19:00 04/01.

Westbury <-> Swindon service decimated due to flooding ... somewhere else!    We're still bottom of the pile here in Melksham when it comes to serving us in 2024.   Not asking "why" - just pointing it out. 

I like what they do elsewhere:

Customer Advice
Due to flooding on the railway near Chipping Sodbury, the line between Swindon and Bristol Parkway is shut.

Therefore our trains running from South Wales and London Paddington are being diverted, and will add approximately 40 minutes to your journey. No station will go without a service.

Until you realise that "a" service means stealth cancelling the 0558, 0658, and 0743 from Swansea at 10pm the night before -- the 0743 is a particularly bad one to cancel, as it is the 0835 arrival at Cardiff. They'd really do much better to leave those three trains running and cancel the awkwardly timed ones between them. I know the daytime service leaves Swansea in an unhelpful part of the hour, but the morning peak doesn't have to follow that silliness.

But really the worst bit is the whole pretense that Chipping Sodbury somehow mightn't be wet later -- I'm okay with the evening trains being half an hour out from normal, but let's have an emergency timetable that they can run to, rather than having to keep an eye out in case something is suddenly magically sent right at Wootton Bassett and effectively runs half an hour early. If it dries up, then that's when 10pm decisions about tomorrow are an appropriate decision-making strategy.

[brooklea]

Situation as at 11:00 this morning - only one passenger train has run in either direction along the TransWilts; the 05:11 Gloucester to Southampton called at Melksham three quarters of an hour late at 07:20, eventually terminating short at Salisbury, and the 06:35 Salisbury to Worcester Foregate Street (which lost an hour at Westbury) called at Melksham 68 minutes late at 08:28, eventually terminating short at Gloucester 74 minutes late (info from RTT^» (Real Time Trains - website)).

Everything else cancelled so far;
07:45 Westbury - Swindon,
08:45 Swindon - Westbury,
09:46 Westbury - Swindon,
11:05 Swindon - Westbury,
12:17 Westbury - Swindon,
13:15 Swindon - Westbury.

Journeycheck messages finally started filtering through for the 09:46 cancellation, but the earlier two cancellations appeared to go un-noted.

B&H^▸ (Berks and Hants - railway line from Reading to Taunton via Westbury) still shut east of Westbury and between Castle Cary and Taunton, so no West of England passenger services diverting via Melksham, although stone trains likely to be diverting via the TransWilts to reach London. Also, with the ongoing flooding at Chipping Sodbury, the line via Box is being used by diverted South Wales and West of England services as well as London to Bristol services which have been reduced to an hourly service.

The unit from yesterday’s TransWilts service appears to still be sat in the bay platform at Swindon, where it’s been since it arrived at 17:08 on Thursday afternoon.

[grahame]

What a mess!  Thank you for that analysis. 

Journey check just reporting, as you say, a tiny part of that ...

13:15 Swindon to Westbury due 13:57
13:15 Swindon to Westbury due 13:57 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

11:05 Swindon to Westbury due 11:47
11:05 Swindon to Westbury due 11:47 will be cancelled.
This is due to flooding.

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.

[bobm]

An additional bus service has been planned to operate as shown 13:45 Chippenham to Westbury due 14:28.



Additional Information:

Please check the stations Onward Travel Information poster and wait for the replacement road transport at the designated stop. The coach company is Chandlers Coach Travel.

The scheduled calling pattern follows:

Hide Calling Pattern
Due   Station
13:45   Chippenham
14:01   Melksham
14:16   Trowbridge
14:28   Westbury

[TaplowGreen]

14:19 Westbury to Swindon due 15:01
14:19 Westbury to Swindon due 15:01 has been cancelled.
This is due to flooding.

15:14 Swindon to Westbury due 15:59
15:14 Swindon to Westbury due 15:59 will be cancelled.
This is due to flooding.

16:23 Westbury to Swindon due 17:08
16:23 Westbury to Swindon due 17:08 will be cancelled.
This is due to flooding.

17:36 Swindon to Westbury due 18:20
17:36 Swindon to Westbury due 18:20 will be cancelled.
This is due to flooding.

[grahame]

14:19 Westbury to Swindon due 15:01
15:14 Swindon to Westbury due 15:59
16:23 Westbury to Swindon due 17:08
17:36 Swindon to Westbury due 18:20
18:37 Westbury to Swindon due 19:21
20:13 Swindon to Westbury due 20:58
21:16 Westbury to Swindon due 21:58

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

Rather curiously, the 17:50 Gloucester to Salisbury and the 20:06 Westbury to Chelteham pa and not shown as cancelled or part running

[TaplowGreen]

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

[bobm]

18:37 from Westbury
20:13 from Swindon
21:16 from Westbury
22:30 from Swindon

All re-instated at 17:40

[grahame]

18:37 from Westbury
20:13 from Swindon
21:16 from Westbury
22:30 from Swindon

All re-instated at 17:40

but

20:06 Westbury to Cheltenham Spa due 22:05

20:06 Westbury to Cheltenham Spa due 22:05 has been cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

Not a day after and around all the storms that I would choose to rely on a train.

[grahame]

Sat, 6 January 07:45 Westbury to Swindon due 08:28
Sat, 6 January 08:45 Swindon to Westbury due 09:26
Sat, 6 January 09:52 Westbury to Swindon due 10:36
Sat, 6 January 11:05 Swindon to Westbury due 11:48
Sat, 6 January 12:17 Westbury to Swindon due 13:01
Sat, 6 January 13:13 Swindon to Westbury due 13:55
Sat, 6 January 14:19 Westbury to Swindon due 15:01
Sat, 6 January 15:14 Swindon to Westbury due 15:57
Sat, 6 January 16:23 Westbury to Swindon due 17:05
Sat, 6 January 17:35 Swindon to Westbury due 18:18
Sat, 6 January 18:35 Westbury to Swindon due 19:17
Sat, 6 January 19:44 Swindon to Westbury due 20:26
Sat, 6 January 20:08 Westbury to Swindon due 20:54
Sat, 6 January 21:10 Swindon to Westbury due 21:52

21:10 Swindon to Westbury due 21:52 will be cancelled.
This is due to flooding.

[grahame]

Cancellations to services between Reading and Taunton
Due to heavy rain flooding the railway between Reading and Taunton the line is closed.
Train services running to and from these stations will be cancelled, delayed or diverted via Bristol Temple Meads. Pewsey will not be served. Disruption is expected until the end of the day.
Customer Advice
We are sorry for the delay to your journey today.

Can you tell me more about the incident?
We are currently experiencing significant disruption on the network owing to flooding in multiple areas. Customers are advised to please TRAVEL AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE AND TO CHECK YOUR JOURNEY BEFORE YOU TRAVEL.

More information will follow as we have it.

What are my alternatives?
We appreciate that this will have disrupted your travel plans, especially those on Advance purchase tickets, please note that you will be able to use your ticket on a later train today.

Our West of England services, where running, will divert from Reading/Taunton to Bristol Temple Meads. This diversion will add additional time onto your journey.

A minimal rail replacement service will be operating between the following stations:

Newbury and Bedwyn
Taunton and Castle Cary

Local bus ticket acceptance is in place on Jet Black buses between Newbury and Reading.

Passengers travelling to Pewsey, please travel to Swindon, and make contact with station staff; onwards road transport will then be provided. Passengers travelling from Pewsey, please use the Customer Help Point.

If you require any further assistance or information please speak to a member of Train Crew or Station Staff. Alternatively please use station help points where provided.


Check before you travel
You can check your journey using the National Rail Enquires real time Journey Planner
Additional Information
Need to get in touch? We're here to help 7 days a week on X (Twitter) @GWRHelp
Further Information
An update will follow within the next 2 hours.
If you arrive at your destination 15 or more minutes late because your GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) train was delayed or cancelled, you can claim Delay Repay compensation. Please keep your ticket and visit GWR.com/DelayRepay

What about Melksham?   Apparently abandoned without any alternative ...

Line looks OPEN without any closures on OpenTrainTimes map

[TaplowGreen]

Cancellations to services between Westbury and Swindon

Due to flooding between Westbury and Swindon fewer trains are able to run on all lines.
Train services running through these stations have been cancelled. Disruption is expected until the end of the day.

Customer Advice
Due to ongoing issues with flood water affecting large swathes of the railway, our Westbury to Swindon service, via Melksham, is suspended until further notice.

Customers travelling between Westbury, Chippenham and Swindon can travel via Bath Spa where connections are available.

For customers using Melksham station, we are working to resource alternative means of transport to provide a service.

[JayMac]

Services between Paddington and the south west are being diverted via Melksham. Local services are cancelled to avoid congestion on the single line. From internal sources at 0730:

Due to flooding between Westbury and Swindon fewer trains are able to run on all lines.

Impact:
Train services running through these stations have been cancelled. Disruption is expected until the end of the day.

Customer Advice:
Due to ongoing issues with flood water affecting large swathes of the railway, our Westbury to Swindon service, via Melksham, is suspended until further notice.

Customers travelling between Westbury, Chippenham and Swindon can travel via Bath Spa where connections are available.

For customers using Melksham station, we are working to resource alternative means of transport to provide a service.

Further Information:

An update will follow within the next 2 hours.

Internal Information:

UPDATES:

Train crew please be aware: Although the Melksham route is NOT flooded, it is having to be used for diverted 1AXX/1CXX services, as well as freight, therefore, it has been decided not to run the 2MXX services.

Update 1 (05:00): Road transport requested between Westbury and Swindon. Not yet confirmed.

TRAIN PLAN:
1AXX/1CXX being diverted due to flooding between Westbury and Newbury. To prevent congestion, all 2MXX services are cancelled.

PRIORITISED PLAN & MILESTONES:
Currently being assessed.

ROAD TRANSPORT CONTINGENCY:
Road transport has been requested.

[grahame]

Why the **** are they not using the through IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train) services to provide calls?

Yes, I know the official excuses ...