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

[whole diary]

[grahame]

I despair.   Could there be any connection here with more staff being needed to run extra trains tomorrow for the Bath Christmas Market, and resources / rotas / overtime availability being moved around to have staff for them?   What sort of business lets downs its regular bread and butter customers for the special ones who use it just once a year?

With no incentives tomorrow that I know of, I can't see any situation, from a resources/rotas/overtime perspective, where planning for additional trains tomorrow would affect services today.

I suspect the OP^▸ (Original Poster / topic starter) was asking whether the operator might sacrifice certain services to ensure sufficient roster available for the additional Bath services?

Indeed.   From personal experience of scheduling a limited number of staff, we would plan shifts to have more people working on the busier days at the expense of having a smaller team the day just before or just after.   On a staff base already stretched that would have been a problem, but if we hadn't been able to cover everything, staffing for the busiest day could, potentially' have enforced a cutting of hotel services on the day before or after.

[Trowres]

One of the few services not cancelled, the 18:37 Westbury-Swindon, has been rerouted via Bathampton, not serving Melksham. Anyone know why? - there's nothing on Journeycheck.

[grahame]

One of the few services not cancelled, the 18:37 Westbury-Swindon, has been rerouted via Bathampton, not serving Melksham. Anyone know why? - there's nothing on Journeycheck.

Looks like it was late off Westbury, then took a long time from Trowbridge to passing Bradford Junction.  Can't see anything else on the single line but it's as if there was.  Something else diverted through?  Points failure? Train hijacked by someone who neededmto get home to Freshford?

[bobm]

Partial points failure at Bradford Junction.  Signaller can only route trains towards Bradford-on-Avon. 

[IndustryInsider]

I despair.   Could there be any connection here with more staff being needed to run extra trains tomorrow for the Bath Christmas Market, and resources / rotas / overtime availability being moved around to have staff for them?   What sort of business lets downs its regular bread and butter customers for the special ones who use it just once a year?

With no incentives tomorrow that I know of, I can't see any situation, from a resources/rotas/overtime perspective, where planning for additional trains tomorrow would affect services today.

I suspect the OP^▸ (Original Poster / topic starter) was asking whether the operator might sacrifice certain services to ensure sufficient roster available for the additional Bath services?

Indeed.   From personal experience of scheduling a limited number of staff, we would plan shifts to have more people working on the busier days at the expense of having a smaller team the day just before or just after.   On a staff base already stretched that would have been a problem, but if we hadn't been able to cover everything, staffing for the busiest day could, potentially' have enforced a cutting of hotel services on the day before or after.

Understand completely from a small business perspective, but that’s not the way driver/TM^‡(resolve) rostering works. 

If there is an uncovered shift on the Friday and there is a volunteer to work an additional shift then they will get that uncovered shift regardless of how the situation is looking the following day (and subject to them not being in breach of the four Hidden regulations).

You are probably going to get more volunteers for a Friday than a Saturday as an average anyway, but at the moment, for the reasons documented, there are fewer volunteers across the board.

There might well be some juggling around tomorrow in order to cover the Bath extras, and that might be at the expense of TransWilts services, but that’s a different thing.

[TaplowGreen]

07:45 Westbury to Swindon due 08:28
07:45 Westbury to Swindon due 08:28 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew

08:45 Swindon to Westbury due 09:26
08:45 Swindon to Westbury due 09:26 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

[grahame]

07:45 Westbury to Swindon due 08:28
07:45 Westbury to Swindon due 08:28 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew

08:45 Swindon to Westbury due 09:26
08:45 Swindon to Westbury due 09:26 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

Ah, but ...

07:45 Westbury to Swindon due 08:28
08:45 Swindon to Westbury due 09:26

08:45 Swindon to Westbury due 09:26 will be reinstated and will now run as scheduled.

[TaplowGreen]

07:45 Westbury to Swindon due 08:28
07:45 Westbury to Swindon due 08:28 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew

08:45 Swindon to Westbury due 09:26
08:45 Swindon to Westbury due 09:26 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

Ah, but ...

07:45 Westbury to Swindon due 08:28
08:45 Swindon to Westbury due 09:26

08:45 Swindon to Westbury due 09:26 will be reinstated and will now run as scheduled.

The miracle of Melksham! 

[grahame]

The miracle of Melksham! 

I would rather suspect that it's just that we highlight the line, and that the JourneyCheck system is a poor crystal ball.

There's no "check back - we may have to cancel this" flag for the public during the scrambling around (colloquial term) for staff to run a train.  But I'm not sure what difference that would make to Jo Public / whether the publication of another layer of data would simply confuse the picture and lead to more questions.  The real solution is to employ people for when and where they are needed, on terms they want to work / be there. It's called Utopia and at times it feels - in Shrek terms - far far away.  Seeing how many cliches I can get in one paragraph, I often feel like a child asking "are we nearly there" and getting platitudes back to reassure me when, no, we are nowhere near there at present.

[grahame]

12:17 Westbury to Swindon due 13:01
13:13 Swindon to Westbury due 13:55

13:13 Swindon to Westbury due 13:55 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

[grahame]

12:17 Westbury to Swindon due 13:01
13:13 Swindon to Westbury due 13:55

13:13 Swindon to Westbury due 13:55 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

That train is usually staffed by long distance drivers and train managers off the 10:35 Paddington to Paignton which is also cancelled!

[TaplowGreen]

Oh dear. The miracle didn't last long.

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.

[brooklea]

Oh dear. The miracle didn't last long.

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.

That may not be all.

A study of the Real Time Trains departures from MKM^» (Melksham (Station code) - next trains) for today currently shows that after the 11:31 to Westbury has left, the next service that has a specific train allotted to it is the 20:25 to Swindon https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/search/detailed/gb-nr:MKM/2024-11-30/0000-2359?stp=WVS&show=passenger&order=wtt

Faresaver may be busy this afternoon….

[grahame]

Oh dear. The miracle didn't last long.

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.

That may not be all.

A study of the Real Time Trains departures from MKM^» (Melksham (Station code) - next trains) for today currently shows that after the 11:31 to Westbury has left, the next service that has a specific train allotted to it is the 20:25 to Swindon https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/search/detailed/gb-nr:MKM/2024-11-30/0000-2359?stp=WVS&show=passenger&order=wtt

Faresaver may be busy this afternoon….

Thanks to Peter, Paul and Mary - on biodiversity, gender equality, war, an looking after your loyal year-round customer base

Where have all the flowers gone?
Long time passing
Where have all the flowers gone?
Long time ago
Where have all the flowers gone?
Young girls have picked them, every one
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Oh, when will they ever learn?

Where have all the young girls gone?
Long time passing
Where have all the young girls gone?
Long time ago
Where have all the young girls gone?
Gone for husbands, every one
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Oh, when will they ever learn?

Where have all the husbands gone?
Long time passing
Where have all the husbands gone?
Long time ago
Where have all the husbands gone?
Gone for soldiers, every one
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Oh, when will they ever learn?

Where have all the train crew gone?
Long time passing
Where have all the train crew gone?
Long time ago
Where have all the train crew gone?
Gone to market, every one
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Oh, when will they ever learn?

[grahame]

 

Sun, 1 December 08:10 Warminster to Swindon due 09:02
Sun, 1 December 09:12 Swindon to Westbury due 09:53
Sun, 1 December 10:46 Westbury to Swindon due 11:34
Sun, 1 December 11:44 Swindon to Westbury due 12:26
Sun, 1 December 14:22 Frome to Swindon due 15:33
Sun, 1 December 15:44 Swindon to Frome due 16:38
This is due to a shortage of train crew.
Further Information

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:30/11/2024 20:01

Sun, 1 December 13:42 Swindon to Weymouth due 15:57

01/12/24 13:42 Swindon to Weymouth due 15:57 will be terminated at Westbury.
It will no longer call at Frome, Bruton, Castle Cary, Yeovil Pen Mill, Thornford, Yetminster, Chetnole, Maiden Newton, Dorchester West, Upwey and Weymouth.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.