1.  The train to Oxford and beyond sits quietly awaiting further passengers at Didcot Parkway



2. The HST from Bristol (conveying, in this instance a double load because the previous one had been cancelled) approaches from the Swindon direction ... and can it be that the Oxford train is moving?



3.  Yes it can ... as the Bristol and Bath rolls in on one side of the platform, the Oxford train's out of the station and conveying a lot of empty seats (and some full ones too) up to Radley and Oxford



Picture taken at about half past ten yesterday morning.

Personal interest statement - I have to travel up to Oxford from time to time, and it's utterly frustrating to be standing at the door, waiting to get out as we pull into Didcot to see the onward train pulling out of the station.  Whether this particular one's an official connection or not I don't know - but whether or not it is, the psychological effect on passengers of this sort of thing can't be positive.

The last few years has done wonders for some services - such as Oxford to Bicester.  But other significant passenger flows - such as Swindon to Oxford and West Wiltshire to Swindon - have been treated (and continue to be treated) with what appears to be a "don't really care / profit first, travelling customers second" attitude.   

I don't really mind who provides a good, practical service at a sensible price.  As the incumbent in the area, there's logic to the First group, in the form of First Great Western, sorting out the services - avoiding the "Didcot Dance" and running a 153 up and down to the TransWilts so that there are realist journey opportunities that we all know would be used.   But then ... there's also logic in running a couple of 158 / 159 units from Stagecoach's Salisbury depot to Oxford every couple of hours.   And the proposals from the Go! Co-operative are very carefully thought out, with - as far as I can tell - potential problems having been considered and resolved as far as practical ahead of time. 

The First franchise is halfway through ... and there are (natural) indicators that the company is becoming more concerned at maximising the gap between revenue and expenditure, rather than spending money on developing revenue flows which will help more in the next franchise term, or giving equipment more that shorter term treatments.  "Enough for next 5 years" rather than "what's good for the next 15".  That's probably why the annual price tag for (for example) a proper TransWilts service has risen 12 fold in 5 years, as they want to get back any expenditure even before the service has built up to a good usage level - doesn't say much about their confidence in winning the franchise renewal to me!

Edit to add conclusion

Especially when the structure of the timetable means that a fast from Paddington to Oxford or the Cotswold Line is breathing down the neck of the stopper on the approach to Oxford, so the service from Didcot isn't the only thing that is delayed, as the fast cannot reach the platform until the Turbo has been walked through by a member of the Oxford dispatch staff to check it is empty and then sent on its way into the sidings.

The situation at Didcot is not ideal and it seems odd that South Wales gets a better connection than Bristol but this state of affairs will probably continue for some time until Reading rebuilding and Crossrail, allows major timetable restructuring.

exmouth connections at st david's are like it

Where do you think the passengers for the poorly utilised units come from?
They connect out of South Wales services.

FGW would only then get slated for running two HST's 3-minutes behind each other all the way to Swindon, when, "They could find a unit to run up and down the Branch connecting with South Wales services at Swindon, thus saving themselves an HST or two!"

Note from moderator: Edited to tidy up quote. bignosemac

Cut relex109 a bit of slack, DG.

Not a load of tosh at all. FGW aren't the only show in town at Exeter St Davids. Through most of the day CrossCountry in either direction just miss viable or official connections for Exmouth, leaving a near 1/2 hour wait.

 

Indeed ... but are you suggesting they don't / shouldn't get slated for doing this once every 2 hours anyway?   It could be argued that the current situation on that is the worst of both world.   It's not an hourly, clockface, through service.  It duplicates a train at a three minute headway all the way to Swindon every 2 hours.   It leaves a 15x twiddling its thumbs wheels at Swindon for an hour ...

Oh - I can find a good alternative.

Every 2 hours - Cheltenham - Gloucester - Stroud - Swindon - Didcot - Reading - London
Every 2 hours - Cheltenham - Gloucester - Stroud - Swindon - all stations to Westbury and Salisbury

If a 15X unit does wait at Swindon for an hour, it is scandalous that it does't run to at least Westbury and back!

And put another five minutes into Oxford/Cotswold not very 'fast' already services? No thanks. Never mind what it would do to pathing on the Cotswold Line. And where would you fit Didcot passengers on the 15.51 anyway?