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

[whole diary]

[IndustryInsider]

06:35 Salisbury to Worcester Foregate Street due 09:47

06:35 Salisbury to Worcester Foregate Street due 09:47 was terminated at Gloucester.
It will no longer call at Cheltenham Spa, Ashchurch For Tewkesbury, Worcester Shrub Hill and Worcester Foregate Street.
This is due to a safety inspection of the track

Though it did make the connection into the Bristol train at Chippenham this morning! 

[grahame]

20:08 Westbury to Swindon due 20:54
21:10 Swindon to Westbury due 21:52

21:10 Swindon to Westbury due 21:52 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

20:08 Westbury to Swindon due 20:54
20:08 Westbury to Swindon due 20:54 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

Additional Information

We are sorry for the delay to your journey.

If you are at Westbury and Trowbridge travelling to Chippenham or Swindon you should travel on the 20:14 Cardiff Central service (20:20 from Trowbridge) and change at Bath Spa for the 21:15 service to London Paddington which calls at Chippenham (21:26) and arrives Swindon at 21:40. Tickets routed via Melksham will be accepted via Bath Spa.

If you are at Westbury or Trowbridge and travelling to Melksham we will provide taxis. Please see station staff at Westbury, at Trowbridge the taxis will pick up from the car park on the ticket office side of the station. If you are at Melksham we will provide taxis to Chippenham and Swindon from the station car park. Before getting in any taxi vehicle please check with the driver that they are working on behalf of GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway), the driver should not ask for payment.

[Chris from Nailsea]

Before getting in any taxi vehicle please check with the driver that they are working on behalf of GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway), the driver should not ask for payment.

That's a very good point / reminder / warning. 

[grahame]

20:08 Westbury to Swindon due 20:54 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

Additional Information

We are sorry for the delay to your journey.

If you are at Westbury and Trowbridge travelling to Chippenham or Swindon you should travel on the 20:14 Cardiff Central service (20:20 from Trowbridge) and change at Bath Spa for the 21:15 service to London Paddington which calls at Chippenham (21:26) and arrives Swindon at 21:40. Tickets routed via Melksham will be accepted via Bath Spa.

If you are at Westbury or Trowbridge and travelling to Melksham we will provide taxis. Please see station staff at Westbury, at Trowbridge the taxis will pick up from the car park on the ticket office side of the station. If you are at Melksham we will provide taxis to Chippenham and Swindon from the station car park. Before getting in any taxi vehicle please check with the driver that they are working on behalf of GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway), the driver should not ask for payment.

They did, however, have a crew to run an empty train scheduled half an hour later and on past experience that carries both a driver and a train manager.    Reminds me of a friend of the forum who used to shout FOR OPERATIONAL CONVENIENCE when another TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company) cancelled a train - double reminds me when they cancel a train, lay on a bus, and then run another train which gets there earlier than the bus.

[Chris from Nailsea]

I KNOW OF TO WHOM YOU REFER.

CfN. 

[TaplowGreen]

06:02 Swindon to Weymouth due 08:23
06:02 Swindon to Weymouth due 08:23 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

[grahame]

06:02 Swindon to Weymouth due 08:23
06:02 Swindon to Weymouth due 08:23 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

This is astonishing and sad.

Due to engineering works, GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) have rejigged and rearranged the train services ... and even for this one-off special setup done that replanning in such a way that they don't have the resources to run it ...

EDIT to add ... for today, this was a through train from Swindon to Weymouth rather than two separate trains that fail to connect at Westbury - the 05:11 Gloucester to Southampton and the 06:55 Westbury to Weymouth, and it sorta-shows that the planners think that (if they have the crew) an onward train works.

There is also a cancellation this morning of an 06:42 Frome to Southampton which was supposed to pick you the path of the Swindon (normally Gloucester) train at Westbury, with an official 5 minute connection st Westbury.   What was supposed to be this morning is better that the norm in so many ways - pity it has been consigned to the fiction shelf.

[grahame]

I note that one of the Facebook GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) enthusiasts groups has suggested that members photograph and publicise this unusual working.  Sadly, it has been moved from the "reference" to the "fiction" section. 

19:23 Portsmouth Harbour to Swindon due 21:59

19:23 Portsmouth Harbour to Swindon due 21:59 will be terminated at Westbury.
It will no longer call at Trowbridge, Melksham, Chippenham and Swindon.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

[grahame]

22:31 Swindon to Westbury, Real Time Trains reports

Cancelled from WTT^▸ (Working Time-Table) today
SSuX - 03/06/2024 to 13/12/2024

but not showing as cancelled on JourneyCheck.

So that's Melksham calls at 06:32, 21:29 and 22:56 lost - first train of the day southbound now 09:10, last northbound train at looks like it's at 18:53 and last southbound train at 20:40.  Real Time Trains shows a southbound bus at 23:06.

[brooklea]

22:31 Swindon to Westbury, Real Time Trains reports

Cancelled from WTT^▸ (Working Time-Table) today
SSuX - 03/06/2024 to 13/12/2024

but not showing as cancelled on JourneyCheck.

So that's Melksham calls at 06:32, 21:29 and 22:56 lost - first train of the day southbound now 09:10, last northbound train at looks like it's at 18:53 and last southbound train at 20:40.  Real Time Trains shows a southbound bus at 23:06.

It won’t show on JourneyCheck because it’s a pre-planned change to the timetable for this week. From the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) Engineering Summary for this week;

Monday to Thursday - 0511 Gloucester to Southampton Central will terminate at Swindon. Customers should change at Swindon for the 0650 Westbury to Weymouth which will be starting its journey from Swindon at 0602. 2231 Swindon to Westbury will be replaced with a bus running between Chippenham and Westbury. Use alternative trains between Swindon and Chippenham to connect.

Unfortunate indeed that the ECS^▸ (Empty Coaching Stock) from Bristol to form the 06:02 from Swindon to Weymouth was, to quote from RTT^» (Real Time Trains - website)

This service was cancelled due to an issue with the train crew (TG).

and the same reason attributed to the Bristol to Bath Spa ECS which should have formed the 05:16 Bath Spa to Portsmouth Harbour.

Eventually a nine-car lash-up of Turbos arrived at Westbury from Bristol (via Swindon) at 09:45 to provide some rolling stock to run the service.

[grahame]

13:15 Swindon to Westbury due 13:57

13:15 Swindon to Westbury due 13:57 is being delayed at Swindon.
This is due to a safety inspection of the track.

[grahame]

16:23 Westbury to Swindon due 17:05

16:23 Westbury to Swindon due 17:05 has been delayed at Westbury and is now 23 minutes late.
This is due to train crew being delayed.

[Chris from Nailsea]

Eventually a nine-car lash-up of Turbos arrived at Westbury from Bristol (via Swindon) at 09:45 to provide some rolling stock to run the service.

That's how to run a modern railway. 

[grahame]

19:23 Portsmouth Harbour to Swindon due 21:59

19:23 Portsmouth Harbour to Swindon due 21:59 will be terminated at Westbury.
It will no longer call at Trowbridge, Melksham, Chippenham and Swindon.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

[grahame]

06:02 Swindon to Weymouth due 08:23

Facilities on the 06:02 Swindon to Weymouth due 08:23.
Will be formed of 2 coaches instead of 3.

No problem -  it ran and at least at the TransWilts end it will have capacity