Cancellation map - what it's showing

[whole diary]

[Worcester_Passenger]

Well done for getting that back again so quickly.

I've always found it very useful - one look at this and you can see if it's worth looking at the details on the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) site.

[grahame]

I've had a further chance to update the diagram ... I thinks it's still "can do better" but I have cancellations shown in red again, sort workings and missing stop trains in blue, and lines thickened to represent the number of trains involved on any particular route.  I've also added a positive (green!) piece of text to confirm that our feed's reporting that everything in FGW^▸ (First Great Western) land is hunky dory.  Let's hope we see that a lot 

[Chris from Nailsea]

The "Cancellation Map" has been displayed on this site for nearly 5 years.

Well done for getting that back again so quickly.

I've always found it very useful - one look at this and you can see if it's worth looking at the details on the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) site.

A heartfelt vote of thanks from me, too, grahame - for the reason posted above!  Chris 

[grahame]

Hmmm ... the devil's in the detail.    Sorry about the spurious lines a short while ago ... St James' Park was temporarily relocated into the Irish Sea due to the different treatment of apostrophes under the new and old feeds 

Please let me know if you spot any other stations that have been relocated somewhere off Rosslare ...

[grahame]

I'm noting a red (for cancelled) line where we should be showing a blue (changed) on one service this morning, and another service showing the opposite way.   I have had very occasional reports like this in the past and am aware it happens once a month or so. It's on my list of "to fix" but can't be a priority and it's hard to reproduce as data changes.

[EBrown]

I'm noting a red (for cancelled) line where we should be showing a blue (changed) on one service this morning, and another service showing the opposite way.   I have had very occasional reports like this in the past and am aware it happens once a month or so. It's on my list of "to fix" but can't be a priority and it's hard to reproduce as data changes.

I can cast a fresh pair of eyes over the code if you would like me too.

[grahame]

Spurious lines this evening are Ledury, which has been relocate to the Irish Sea somewhere off Dublin.  I'll fax when I'm not moving - don'l like editing files on the server from a moving train in case the connection drops.

[LiskeardRich]

Spurious lines this evening are Ledury, which has been relocate to the Irish Sea somewhere off Dublin.  I'll fax when I'm not moving - don'l like editing files on the server from a moving train in case the connection drops.

Its not just me wandering when FGW^▸ (First Great Western) started operating to Ireland then!

[Worcester_Passenger]

I do like the idea of Ledbury re-locating to somewhere near Dublin!

[grahame]

I do like the idea of Ledbury re-locating to somewhere near Dublin!

Yeah .. but we haven't done a poll to see if that's a majority view, so we really ought put it back where it ought to be 

I have just relocated trains terminating at "Ledbury" so that they show halfway between Malvern and Hereford.  Safe to do now that I'm off the train and in Cambridge ...

[grahame]

I'm noting a red (for cancelled) line where we should be showing a blue (changed) on one service this morning, and another service showing the opposite way.   I have had very occasional reports like this in the past and am aware it happens once a month or so. It's on my list of "to fix" but can't be a priority and it's hard to reproduce as data changes.

I can cast a fresh pair of eyes over the code if you would like me too.

Another couple of incidents this morning ... and I *think* I have it fixed.  Route cause turned out to be when there are both formation changes which do not involve changes in stopping pattern such as:

09:20 Bristol Temple Meads to Weymouth due 11:43 Will be formed of 4 coaches instead of 5.
Additional Facilities Information:
This is due to vandalism to one of the coaches. .
This is due to vandalism.

and cancellations such as

10:18 Gunnislake to Plymouth due 11:03 This train will be cancelled.
This is due to a member of train crew being unavailable.

at the same time.   The display error was purely the colour ... lines were in right places.  As a (temporary? test) measure, we now have cancellations in red (as before), trains that are declared as amended like the one above in light blue, and other amendments in a darker blue. This subtle difference will help me spot recurrences of the circumstance and let me check further.

[grahame]

The map is showing what I call short term cancellations and changes - changes (as I understand it) notified within the last day or so.  As certain service changes were made early in the weekend, they are no longer short term and are NOT being shown.

Specifically:
a) London to West Country services are running in two sections - London to Taunton / Tiverton and Exeter to Penzance
b) The line from Exeter to Barnstaple is completely closed, with all trains cancelled
However - our map gives no indication of these problems.  Sorry. We can only rely on our data feed ... and the map may (in the present and unusual (?) circumstances paint a better picture than it should.

[grahame]

As soon as I wrote that, some of the Barnstaple cancellations came up ... THANK YOU whoever 

And I have added a note about the London - Exeter service being split.  I'll keep an eye on that and if the feed starts to include the changes (and not just the changes to the changes!) I'll clear the message.   Sticky-plaster solution, I hope it's clear!

[bobm]

This is something that has caught me out. If the planned timetable is to be changed - as it has to in the current weather - this should be published on the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) website and then the Journeycheck page used to show last minute changes to that.

With the last closure at Cowley Bridge it was hard to tell what was happening at times because the new train plan was not published and Journeycheck didn't show deviations from the normal service.

I know journey planner gets updated but that isn't always the best way of relaying the information.

There obviously is an electronic copy of the planned service as a sample copy was posted on here before. That just needs tidying up to make it more customer friendly and then put on the FGW website.

[TerminalJunkie]

As soon as I wrote that, some of the Barnstaple cancellations came up ... THANK YOU whoever 

The JourneyCheck pages (http://www.journeycheck.com/firstgreatwestern/) are listing the Exeter Central-Barnstaple trains that are cancelled today - the Exmouth-Barnstaple ones (ie most of them!) that have also been cancelled aren't being shown though

There's no obviously logical reason for this - after all, they are showing all the Newquay and Looe trains, which is why the red blobs in West Cornwall are bigger that the North Devon ones.