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

[whole diary]

[brooklea]

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.

Would-be passengers do at least get this alternative offered today

21:15 Westbury to Swindon due 22:30
An additional bus service has been planned to operate as shown 21:15 Westbury to Swindon due 22:30.
Additional Information
The coach will be operated by ZJ Travel. Please check the stations Onward Travel Information poster and wait for the replacement road transport at the designated stop. At Trowbrige the coach will pick up from the ticket office side of the station. At Melksham it will pick up from the car park. At Chippenham it will pick up from the ticket office side of the station.

[grahame]

18:37 Westbury to Swindon due 19:21
20:14 Swindon to Westbury due 20:58

20:14 Swindon to Westbury due 20:58 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

[grahame]

19:23 Portsmouth Harbour to Swindon due 21:59

19:23 Portsmouth Harbour to Swindon due 21:59 will be delayed between Southampton Central and Romsey.
This is due to trespassers on the railway.

[grahame]

16:23 Westbury to Swindon due 17:05
17:35 Swindon to Westbury due 18:17

17:35 Swindon to Westbury due 18:17 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

The 17:35 is the busiest train on the day ... (obviously not today) ... no alternative advice offered as I write, and the cancellation has been announced AFTER the busiest up train to Swindon has run and gotten people to work.

The final bus from Chippenham to Melksham and  Trowbridge, which used to be late in the evening, now leaves Chippenham Station just before this train, so no bus fallback.

[brooklea]

16:23 Westbury to Swindon due 17:05
17:35 Swindon to Westbury due 18:17

17:35 Swindon to Westbury due 18:17 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

The 17:35 is the busiest train on the day ... (obviously not today) ... no alternative advice offered as I write, and the cancellation has been announced AFTER the busiest up train to Swindon has run and gotten people to work.

Further travel information has since been provided;

Cancellations to services between Westbury and Swindon via Melksham

Due to a shortage of train crew between Westbury and Swindon fewer trains are able to run. Disruption is expected until 18:30 01/11.
Train services between Westbury and Swindon via Melksham will be cancelled.

Customer Advice
A mini bus has been sourced and will run in place calling at all booked stations for the following services:-

16.23 Westbury to Swindon

17.35 Swindon - Westbury

Passengers are requested to wait at the Rail replacement bus stops at each station

If you require further information please speak to our staff at the station or on the train, use the Customer Help Point, tweet us @GWRHelp or call National Rail Enquiries on 03457 484 950.

Further Information
If you require further information please speak to our staff at the station or on the train, use the Customer Help Point, tweet us @GWRHelp or call National Rail Enquiries on 03457 484 950.

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
Last Updated:01/11/2024 16:13

[ChrisB]

Minibus? Are there enough seats for that train replacement?

[TaplowGreen]

Minibus? Are there enough seats for that train replacement?

Only mini passengers permitted on board.

[grahame]

Minibus? Are there enough seats for that train replacement?

Only mini passengers permitted on board.

My local "rule of thumb" is that if a train in replaced by a bus, the passenger numbers for the bus are only around a fifth of the number that would use the train.   Furthermore, on a regular / commuter run such as these, through passengers will change at Bath Spa / double back.    So if there way (say) 90 people on the train - and that's a high figure for a post-covid Friday, 60 would go via Bath Spa.   Of the remaining 30 headed to or from Melksham it's unlikely that more that 10 would use the bus - lots will call up friends / family. So, yes, a minibus will do.  GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) drive away most of their normal customers and only need to provide for the awkward squad.

[TaplowGreen]

14:19 Westbury to Swindon due 15:01
14:19 Westbury to Swindon due 15:01 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

15:14 Swindon to Westbury due 15:57
15:14 Swindon to Westbury due 15:57 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew

16:23 Westbury to Swindon due 17:05
16:23 Westbury to Swindon due 17:05 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.


17:35 Swindon to Westbury due 18:18
17:35 Swindon to Westbury due 18:18 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew

[grahame]

DM - Daryn McCombe, GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) said

"To be stark, we have far more drivers and guards in the business than we need to run the service. The challenge we have is to make sure that they have all the training they need. Every time we make a change to the railway we have to brief drivers on signalling layout.    Two broad issues with train crew - make sure they can do all of their training and then the second is around Sundays because Sundays are not inside the working week for our intercity drivers." 

Gap in trains at Melksham - a tiny hamlet with a population of only 25,000 - 12:33 to 18:50 northbound and 13:38 to 20:09 southbound.

Today is NOT a Sunday, and to my knowledge there have been no signalling changes around here in a very long time.

[Bob_Blakey]

Statement Question of the bleeding obvious? Half-term holidays - have GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) permitted too many frontline staff to take leave?

[grahame]

Statement Question of the bleeding obvious? Half-term holidays - have GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) permitted too many frontline staff to take leave?

Dunno - but this is far from the first time this has happened ...

[TaplowGreen]

Statement Question of the bleeding obvious? Half-term holidays - have GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) permitted too many frontline staff to take leave?

Almost inevitably - unless a sudden, mysterious epidemic has coincided with the arrival of back pay?

[brooklea]

Gap in trains at Melksham - a tiny hamlet with a population of only 25,000 - 12:33 to 18:50 northbound and 13:38 to 20:09 southbound.

Gap now extended, and advertised as such, to 12:33 to 20:25 northbound and 13:38 to 21:35 southbound. From JourneyCheck;

18:35 Westbury to Swindon due 19:17 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

19:44 Swindon to Westbury due 20:25 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

Curiously, RTT^» (Real Time Trains - website) shows these two trains as cancelled from the timetable today - pre-planned at short-notice (I.e. the previous night). Thus they might not be expected to trigger JourneyCheck alerts, and may be considered ineligible for DelayRepay or alternative transport?

The cancellation of one round trip justified a “Line Update” yesterday; but today three consecutive round trips not running doesn’t 

[TaplowGreen]

Sun, 3 November 10:46 Westbury to Swindon due 11:31
03/11/24 10:46 Westbury to Swindon due 11:31 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

Sun, 3 November 11:42 Swindon to Dorchester West due 13:52
03/11/24 11:42 Swindon to Dorchester West due 13:52 will be started from Westbury.
It will no longer call at Swindon, Chippenham, Melksham and Trowbridge.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.