Journey Planner 03 February

[whole diary]

[JayMac]

Customers travelling from Trowbridge and south thereof to Bristol TM^▸ (Train Manager, or Ticket Machine, or Temple Meads (Bristol), depending on context) and beyond, and V V, MUST be advised to travel via Swindon. Suitable On Train and Station announcements to be made please.

That information really should have been in the public domain. I'm aware of another internal industry source that said much the same. Journey Planners and booking engines should have been updated. It's not good enough for passengers to believe they will have to use 2 rail replacement buses when in fact, on the day, they were likely to have been told to travel via Swindon, going against any itinerary they may well have been given.

Let's see if heads can be banged together and the correct information is given to the public the next time such an engineering possession affects the South Wales-South Coast services. I'm not holding my breath....

[phile]

I was going to contact FGW^▸ (First Great Western) re this as suggested if happening again next weekend but the Cardiff to Portsmouths are running as normal.   There is an occupation between Bath and Chippenham but not between Bath and Trowbridge.

[Timmer]

There is an occupation between Bath and Chippenham but not between Bath and Trowbridge.

Looking at the journey planner for Sunday 10th Feb it looks like services between Bath and Chippenham are being diverted via Trowbridge then reversing running through Melksham because the journey time is much longer between these two stations. Anyone able to confirm this?

[JayMac]

That is indeed the case, Timmer.

Here's one example of a schedule for Sunday 10th February 2013, the 0900 from Bristol TM^▸ (Train Manager, or Ticket Machine, or Temple Meads (Bristol), depending on context) to Paddington:

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/P05502/2013/02/10/advanced

[John R]

So another day when the Bradford north curve would have been useful - knocking around 12 minutes off the diversion time, as well as the recent morning when the route via Box was closed.

Incidentally, is the service booked to run wrong line east of Chippenham as well?

[JayMac]

Wrong line only between Thingley Junction and Thingley East Crossovers

[John R]

Which is the only possible way it can get onto the up line, so I was a bit surprised at the reference to it.

[bobm]

That is indeed the case, Timmer.

Here's one example of a schedule for Sunday 10th February 2013, the 0900 from Bristol TM^▸ (Train Manager, or Ticket Machine, or Temple Meads (Bristol), depending on context) to Paddington:

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/P05502/2013/02/10/advanced

So a few sets will be in reverse formation by the end of the day.

[Timmer]

So another day when the Bradford north curve would have been useful - knocking around 12 minutes off the diversion time, as well as the recent morning when the route via Box was closed.

Yep, surely it will be reinstated before they begin putting the wires up between Chippenham and Bath?

[John R]

I've heard from one of the management team at FGW^▸ (First Great Western) that this will be happening, because of the need for a few (not sure) week closure of Box Tunnel. Hopefully NR^» (Network Rail - home page) own the land, so can avoid a long drawn out process to gain approval for it.

[grahame]

I've heard from one of the management team at FGW^▸ (First Great Western) that this will be happening, because of the need for a few (not sure) week closure of Box Tunnel. Hopefully NR^» (Network Rail - home page) own the land, so can avoid a long drawn out process to gain approval for it.

I'm sure it's something that's been looked at, and perhaps seriously, but I'm afraid I'll believe it when I see it happening on the ground.

I recall hearing that a fourth platform at Westbury would be happening (widening the current platform 1 out to the bypass track) as part of the Reading stations work.  That extra track can already take passenger trains (as proven when a 150 split the points and blocked platforms 1 and 2 out of use for anything southbound for a couple of days). Never happened .

On the other hand, Theale got an extra platform for engineering cover.  From my (very limited, in this case) knowledge, I found myself wondering if that's going to meet any real extra need in the future;  I know that an extra platform at Westbury would be an ongoing help,  allowing for better and crossplatform connections from East / North to West / South and vice versa, and providing more robustness as Westbury becomes the outer commuter destination, and the "New Crewe" or rather the Crewe of the South.

[thetrout]

Westbury Platform 4 isn't an easy task AIUI^▸ ('as I understand it').

I was talking to a member of dispatch having come off the last Salisbury - Westbury Train and having a little over half an hour wait. He kindly offered me a cup of tea knowing I was waiting for the 00:08 to Frome

One of the things in the discussion was why they just hadn't extended the platform out towards the track. The reason behind this is because there are several cables including ones used for signalling between the old platform and the track...

Also there would need to be some work done to a set of points (not sure the reason behind that one though) to be completed and probably a platform renumbering scheme...

I personally think that Westbury 4th platform should be installed. The amount of times I've sat on trains just outside of Westbury only to hear over the PIS^▸ (Passenger Information System) "We are currently awaiting a platform at Westbury" happens in my experience more than a little too often

Throw into the mix every once in a while the XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) Diversions that happen via WSB^» (Westbury - next trains) and you'll almost certainly have a few late trains...