Observations from the passenger cabin - Cardiff to Portsmouth service

[whole diary]

[grahame]

"Crammed" into a 3 car 158 on the 10:04 from Westbury with runs to Portsmouth Harbour.  Except everyone is seated and there are about 12 seats unoccupied. About half of those have luggage on them (and the racks at the end are full, and there are a couple of cases in the aisle. `Several of the unoccpied seats are at tables opposite occupied seats where people who take the seat could end up playing "kneesie" with a stranger of the opposite gender.  Seats comfortable, but airline style pitch is awful close.

I arrived into Westbury at 09:26 but the next onward train at 09:33 only ran as far as Warminster; had it gone beyond, perhaps it would have relieved some traffic off the train I'm on at the moment.  Had it continued as the "Romsey 6" from Salisbury, what a delight. Just saying.

[grahame]

The chap in a holey shirt going through the carriage offering cupcakes to all the make passengers. The chap filling his Pepsi can from a bottle of whisky in his back pack. The lady with the Bicon Friese that was making friends with almost everyone (at people's encouragement) but she was apologicing all over the place. The chsp who left his (table! yay!) seat with his stuff at Salisbury and I grabbed his space ... only to have him return from the loo at Petersfinger. 

Rough dressers mixing with immaculate dressers. People dozing, people wide awake, people who are perhaps inedbriated even at this time of day.  People fully covered, people with knees peeping through their trousers and people with bare midribs.

Just saying. But then also learning.

[grahame]

From yesterday ...

The 17:11 from Southampton to(wards) Cardiff left five minutes late - I would probably have made it on time off the X5 bus from Warsash which terminated on The Hard just outside platform 4, but the extra minutes helped

All looked good for an arrival at Westbury around 18:15, connection on to the 18:37 that was due into Melksham at 18:53. 

Until

We came to a halt at a signal just south of Warminster, and it transpired that the stock for 1T77 - the 18:33 from Warminster to Bristol - was already in the platform at Warminster and we had to wait for it to leave on time.  Estimate was 15 minutes - it was probably about that - before we moved on and, with an extra stop at Dilton Marsh we pulled in to Westbury at 18:45, which Real Time Trains tells me was five minutes after the Swindon service had left.

In order to regain time, the Cardiff service was to run none-stop to Bristol, so passengers for Trowbridge, Bradford-on-Avon and Bath were asked change, to the train that had been blocking us at Warminster and waiting in platform 3 to be overtaken.  Ever hopeful that it MIGHT have been the Swindon train in there, I dashed under and as I came up the subway the helpful train manager pointed to his train with a "get on" gesture ...

I walked across and checked with him - "I'm for Melksham - is this the Swindon train". "Oh no - this is the Bristol". "Well what do I do?".  "Dunno - ask stations staff but they're busy getting this one off so wait until we have left". Hmmm - station staff member arrives and joins.  "Oh - next Melksham train in 20:06" say he.  Nice.

Joined by a lady for Melksham and a gentleman headed for Chippenham or Swindon. And I was not happy with the "wait until we have gone" answer because the best way back to Melksham (unless road transport was easily available) was this very train we had been told to let go then the bus to Melksham, or (for Chippenham / Swindon) changes trains at Bath Spa.  "I wouldn't have thought of that - thank you" says the lady.  And - well - that was what we did.  Both she and I had senior passes so it cost us nothing personally, and got us closer to home, and a little earlier home, than waiting for the 20:06.


A whole load of question.

On the shunt at Warminster

1. Why was the teminating train crossed over in front of us?  There WAS a "Pompey" behind it, but had it waited to cross over behind us it would only have delayed it by a couple of minutes and saved us a quarter hour delay?

2. Why was the terminating train not shunted back and forth across as Warminster as has been done in the past?  Reason given was "staff didn't want to because it was not on their diagram" but I don't know it that was true - our extra stop at DMH^» (Dilton Marsh - next trains) wasn't made to diagram, but rather for customer care.

3. Why didn't the train starting as Warminster leave early for once? with our train picking up at WMN^» (Warminster - next trains) and DMH, no passengers would have been inconvenienced, the delay to the Cardiff would have been shorter, the Swindon connection would have made.

On actions at Westbury

4. Why was the Swindon displatched before the connection arrived? The main traffic on this train is not from Westbury itself but off the connection, and the train has a turn-around at Swindon that is generous

5. Why did the train manager indicate that his train was mine without knowing where I was headed?

6. Why did the train manager and station staff member suggest that passenger for the Swindon train wait until the Bristol had left before they could be helped whan the very best solutions for the ongoig destinations was via that train?

Full credit to the staff on the delayed train from Southampton who kept us fully informed.  Big sympathy to both staff at Westbury - their advice to us was poor and would have delayed us further had we taken it, but the fault is not theirs but the information they have / had available to them.

[grahame]

Another story of the 17:11 from Southampton Central, yesterday, 3.8.2024

I arrived at Central at around 16:25 on a Weymouth and Poole express from Southampton Airport, so decided to take the 16:37 "Romsey 6" up to Salisbury.   Well - that was the plan.  We came to s halt at the signal before Romsey and in due course the train manager announce that we were being held because of a lineside fire in the Dean area.  We were there for perhaps 15 to 20 minutes (rather than in the platform) while the service via Chandler's Ford reversed at the platform and then pulled in.

Train manager tells us that the train is terminating, rail replacement buses have been requested, and he's going back to Salisbury empty via Southampton, Basingstoke and "the main line". Told us to use the help point to find updates on the buses and that the line would be closed for "some time" and I think he said the buses may take a while to arrive.  I found myself in a bunch of passengers asking if we could ride with him to Salisbury. Straight "NO". Gentleman with bicycle concerned at putting in on a bus (if he even could).   And so the 158 set off back towards Southampton.

As we got off the SWR^» (South Western Railway - about) train on instructions of the train manager, it's automated system is still announcing it as the Salisbury train calling at Mottisfont and Dean.  Station departure board still shows 17:21 to Cardiff, with was expected just a couple of minutes late. Shows 5 cars.  No-one has tried the help point to ask where the buses are.  I ask fellow passengers if anyone has tried and been told it's not worth asking as "they never know what's going on" ... and following advice, I and others wait for the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) train.  It rolls in, a couple of minutes late and "well - it SAYS Cardiff" and we get in and sit down.  Sit there for s fe minutes. ...

Announcement - "we're here for a while - I don't know how long because there's a lineside fire and it might not be safe to go".  Followed a few minutes by "fire brigade on site" and "it's worse than first thought" ... then the train manager walks though the train, Announcing loudly in each carriage that we're going back to Southampton and passengers should then catch an onward train to Basingstoke (told us the time) and change for Salisbury.

I happened to be seated in the stub end behind the middle driving cab.  NOT a corridor train (a turbo) and so I just overheard from across the lobby - I suppose my knowledge was able to fill in the blanks that I couldn't hear even with just one working ear. Others not so lucky / grumbled they couldn't hear.  And at that point I admitted to having a bit of background knowledge, getting out my Station Friends tabard I had with me from the morning, asking people where they're headed, and offered to check with the train manager.  Found him further back, busy advising passengers, introduced myself and offered to assist - offer accepted, and learned ticket acceptance was in place and via Basingstoke for Salisbury, vis Reading for long distance.

Fascinating study in flows and in people's reaction / handling of the issues - I learned a lot.  Passengers for Bristol, for South Wales, for Castle Cary, for Honiton and myself for Melksham. Via Reading for Bristol and South Wales.  Via Basingstoke for Honiton. Via - well - Reading or Dorchester (or Weymouth?) for Cary - all via Southampton so I offered to look that up once we got going.  I did check and had a fit passenger who could make the walk; she was nervous of the unknown but thankful I was expecting to go that way if we could get to Dorchester in time to catch the Swindon train.  OK - everyone had a plan.  But then ... an announcement - "Option Z - the fire is much smaller that was thought and we can go though - will be setting off in a few minutes" and so it was.

Passenger for Honiton - missed connection at Salisbury so 1 hour delay; not too upset. Passenger for Castle Cary - concerned at connection at Westbury, but re-assured than barring further delays it would work.  Passenger for Bristol - expected 20 minutes late; for South Wales, perhaps 15 late.  I was the awkward one with an arrival expected at Westbury 2 minutes after the 18:35 left for Swindon, next train 21:18.

Under way, train manager came though and was chatting.  He had done an excellent job through the train.  Explained he had had to shout carriage to carriage because the speaker system if off when the driver's key is out and the driver was changing ends.  Thanks both ways but then I admitted to being the awkward one, and wondered if the Swindon train could be held at Westbury to let the Cardiff go ahed.  And, yes, phone call made, instruction  / request passed to Network Rail - and even an announcement as we came into Westbury telling (me) it was a cross-platform connection.

Overall, passenger delay by letting the Cardiff go ahead of the Swindon was probably less as the two trains were wanting the same line at the same time - logical to send the busier one first.  Our "via Melksham" was just 4 minutes late, and only just over 20 passengers; better delay them than add to the delay of many times that on the Cardiff.

Job well done by GWR staff, and it was a pleasure to get home by train rather than double back via Bath and bus as the previous evening.  A couple of questions for SWR - as their train was headed for Salisbury anyway, why were passengers chucked off before it took the diversionary route rather than having people wait at an unstaffed station for buses that it was admitted "may take a time to arrive"?

[grahame]

I am very much aware that the last two posts in this thread have been a very long read indeed - it's hard to document the minutiae of each individual incident and sub-incident.  It is NOT intended for me to be grouching; it points at the issue that are - well - overwhelming at present.

This morning I WAS headed for the 09:37 for a couple of changes to Barnstaple - except that GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway)'s booking app tells me the middle leg - Westbury to Exeter is cancelled and offers me nothing until much later and slower by which time the trip would be pointless.

Never mind - alternative found.  Except we have had to sit for 15 minutes at an intermediate station while a fault with the doors was fixed.   Couldn't make it up, could you?

[Mark A]

I am very much aware that the last two posts in this thread have been a very long read indeed - it's hard to document the minutiae of each individual incident and sub-incident.  It is NOT intended for me to be grouching; it points at the issue that are - well - overwhelming at present.

This morning I WAS headed for the 09:37 for a couple of changes to Barnstaple - except that GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway)'s booking app tells me the middle leg - Westbury to Exeter is cancelled and offers me nothing until much later and slower by which time the trip would be pointless.

Never mind - alternative found.  Except we have had to sit for 15 minutes at an intermediate station while a fault with the doors was fixed.   Couldn't make it up, could you?

Indeed, Realtimetrains has no mention of the 10:03 Penzance train from Westbury as cancelled - is that the one you were intending to catch?

*Edit* Ah, not listed as cancelled but its timings indicate that it never departed from Paddington...

[grahame]

Indeed, Realtimetrains has no mention of the 10:03 Penzance train from Westbury as cancelled - is that the one you were intending to catch?

*Edit* Ah, not listed as cancelled but its timings indicate that it never departed from Paddington...

Yep, that was the one 

[Mark A]

Ah, Realtimetrains now lists it as 'cancelled at the operator's request'.

Mark

[grahame]

Ah, Realtimetrains now lists it as 'cancelled at the operator's request'.

Mark

Perhaps that should be "cancelled to the passengers' disgust"?