Easter engineering works and subsequent ongoing disruption - April / May 2015

[whole diary]

[TaplowGreen]

...........that makes me feel old too! 

[Tim]

me too.   

[tomL]

According to Twitter a lot of people didn't check that the 23:30 from Paddington to Cardiff Central departed 30mins earlier at 23:00 tonight.

[TaplowGreen]

According to Twitter a lot of people didn't check that the 23:30 from Paddington to Cardiff Central departed 30mins earlier at 23:00 tonight.

I suspect they'd probably seen the publicity which advised changes from 3rd April rather than 2nd.

Replacement buses fell over in a big way last night too - breaking down, people being advised to board the wrong buses, inadequate capacity, confusion over departure points, times  etc etc.

[BerkshireBugsy]

According to Twitter a lot of people didn't check that the 23:30 from Paddington to Cardiff Central departed 30mins earlier at 23:00 tonight.

I suspect they'd probably seen the publicity which advised changes from 3rd April rather than 2nd.

I can see both sides of this. As a frequent traveller I probably would have been paranoid about engineering works this weekend and would have checked BUT I didn't realise that some last services were cancelled on the 2nd.

[TaplowGreen]

According to Twitter a lot of people didn't check that the 23:30 from Paddington to Cardiff Central departed 30mins earlier at 23:00 tonight.

I suspect they'd probably seen the publicity which advised changes from 3rd April rather than 2nd.

I can see both sides of this. As a frequent traveller I probably would have been paranoid about engineering works this weekend and would have checked BUT I didn't realise that some last services were cancelled on the 2nd.

Yes that was my point (not made very well admittedly!) I too am a frequent traveller both commuting and long distance and know only too well that when relying on FGW^▸ (First Great Western) services it's best to check on the hour, every hour if there's a long trip coming up, however those who perhaps don't travel so often would probably have relied on the information provided by NR^» (Network Rail - home page)/FGW, which made no mention of alterations on 2nd April (AFAIK^▸ ('as far as I know'))

[JayMac]

Complimentary mini eggs from the buffet today as a thanks from FGW^▸ (First Great Western) for patience while the engineering works are on.

No mention of Network Rail though. 

[TaplowGreen]

Complimentary mini eggs from the buffet today as a thanks from FGW^▸ (First Great Western) for patience while the engineering works are on.

No mention of Network Rail though. 

...........ah, at last we've tracked down FGW's contribution to "Building a Greater West" 

[bobm]

No chance of eggs on the 08:58 London Waterloo to Penzance. You can't move through the train. 15 people now sitting or standing in the vestibules between the two first class coaches.

[JayMac]

Passenger Focus are carrying out on board surveys on the diverted services today. Questions are specific to the disruption caused by the blockade at Reading.

[Oxman]

Large crane at Goring today, lifting out the old footbridge. The building used as a store on platform 2/3 is to be demolished tomorrow to make way for the new bridge.

[JayMac]

1C13 was delayed due to 'dragging brakes'.

[Kempis]

Mrs Kempis and I had a day out today to sample the diversionary routes.

Starting from Salisbury, we went down to Westbury, then up to Swindon on the TransWilts -- catching sight of grahame on the platform waving off a party which filled the single-car 153.

Then from Swindon to Paddington via the Didcot West Curve, Oxford, Banbury and the New North Main Line. Walked across to Waterloo through Kensington Gardens, Hyde Park, Green Park and St James's Park.

Return journey was on a Penzance-bound HST^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units)) as far as Basingstoke (on the main line, rather than via the Hounslow loop, where I think they were diverted a few years ago -- or was it via Richmond?), where we changed for a SWT^▸ (South West Trains) 159 to take us back to Salisbury.

I remember the last time we did this -- was it four years ago? -- we were given a Passenger Focus survey, as bignosemac has mentioned. My comment that we liked the opportunity provided by the diversions to travel on unusual routes didn't make it into their report, though.

Today, all our trains were on time, the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) staff were helpful throughout -- and the spring flowers in the London parks were beautiful.

[grahame]

Starting from Salisbury, we went down to Westbury, then up to Swindon on the TransWilts -- catching sight of grahame on the platform waving off a party which filled the single-car 153.

Sounds like a wonderful day ... for future (archive) record only, the "party" was largely comprised Swindon Town supporters who travel by train to all games they can, rather than being an organised one-off.

[paul7575]

Return journey was on a Penzance-bound HST^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units)) as far as Basingstoke (on the main line, rather than via the Hounslow loop, where I think they were diverted a few years ago -- or was it via Richmond?), where we changed for a SWT^▸ (South West Trains) 159 to take us back to Salisbury.

You remember correctly. On the first occasion of Waterloo diversions the HST power cars were not route cleared on the main lines east of Byfleet Junction, but this part of the route was cleared by the time of the second of the diversions.

When I did a Westbury - Waterloo 'excursion' at Christmas 2010 we went up via Hounslow and down via Richmond - discussions at the time suggested it varied over the day depending on how the signallers wanted to deal with the train on the four track section between Barnes and Clapham Jn.

Seems ages ago now, but after that Christmas period, (when Caversham Rd bridge was replaced) at least one of the rail magazines was predicting many years of chaos with regular diversions, but unless I'm mistaken this weekend is only the third total blockade of the a Reading area over the whole project.

Paul