Cotswold Line - 2018 cancellation and amendments log

[whole diary]

[charles_uk]

...............It won't be today!

07:10 Moreton-In-Marsh to London Paddington due 08:51


Facilities on the 07:10 Moreton-in-Marsh to London Paddington due 08:51.
This is due to a broken down train earlier today.
Will be formed of 3 coaches instead of 6 from Reading.

And GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) are being a bit disingenuous with this as it's supposed to be an 8 coach HST^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units)) but as it's a planned Turbo-isation it's never reported on JourneyCheck.

[charles_uk]

Especially as there’s now a tree on the line at Ascott.

The morning service seems to be a write off - disruption expected until 12.30pm. I think, perhaps, we can forgive GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) this one...

[Worcester_Passenger]

Cancellations to services between Oxford and Worcester Shrub Hill
Due to a tree blocking the railway at Ascott-under-Wychwood all lines are blocked. Disruption is expected until 12:30 24/01.
Train services between Oxford and Worcester Shrub Hill may be cancelled or delayed.
Last Updated:24/01/2018 09:58

07:50 London Paddington to Great Malvern due 10:15 will be terminated at Charlbury.
This is due to a tree blocking the railway.
Last Updated:24/01/2018 09:24

08:21 London Paddington to Hereford due 11:40 will be terminated at Oxford.
This is due to a tree blocking the railway.
Last Updated:24/01/2018 09:17

08:25 Worcester Foregate Street to London Paddington due 10:57 is being delayed at Kingham.
This is due to a tree blocking the railway.
Last Updated:24/01/2018 09:32

09:21 London Paddington to Worcester Foregate Street due 11:31 has been cancelled.
This is due to a tree blocking the railway.
Last Updated:24/01/2018 09:23

09:50 Moreton-in-Marsh to London Paddington due 11:30 will be cancelled.
This is due to a tree blocking the railway.
Last Updated:24/01/2018 09:37

09:54 Great Malvern to London Paddington due 12:28 will be diverted between Worcester Shrub Hill and Reading.
It will no longer call at Pershore, Evesham, Honeybourne, Moreton-in-Marsh, Kingham, Charlbury, Hanborough and Oxford but will call additionally at Cheltenham Spa and Swindon.
It will be delayed due to the diversion and is expected to be 32 minutes late.
This is due to a tree blocking the railway.
Last Updated:24/01/2018 10:07

10:59 Great Malvern to London Paddington due 13:29 will be cancelled.
This is due to a tree blocking the railway.
Last Updated:24/01/2018 09:37

12:00 Worcester Foregate Street to London Paddington due 14:27 will be cancelled.
This is due to a tree blocking the railway.
Last Updated:24/01/2018 09:29

12:09 Hereford to London Paddington due 15:27 will be started from Oxford.
This is due to a tree blocking the railway.
Last Updated:24/01/2018 09:27

[Worcester_Passenger]

The morning service seems to be a write off - disruption expected until 12.30pm. I think, perhaps, we can forgive GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) this one...

Indeed so!

[Worcester_Passenger]

Tree now out of the way - the 08:25 from Foregate St left Moreton at 10:48, some 86 minutes late.

And sending the 09:54 from Great Malvern round via Stroud doesn't seem to have cost it any time.

[IndustryInsider]

And sending the 09:54 from Great Malvern round via Stroud doesn't seem to have cost it any time.

That's one minor benefit of the new Worcester depot, as there's now a better chance the crew will sign the Stroud route, so handy for unplanned diversions.

[grahame]

Especially as there’s now a tree on the line at Ascott.

The morning service seems to be a write off - disruption expected until 12.30pm. I think, perhaps, we can forgive GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) this one...

Indeed we can forgive GWR ... the interesting question is "can we forgive the rail industry"?

I am getting increasingly concerned at the number of trains effected by a failure to deliver a route that trains can use to make their scheduled sequence of calls.  

Occasional  failures of infrastructure, especially where that's weather related, are only to be expected.    But such failures no longer seem to be occasional ... I'm seeing the number of trees down is rather high (I think 2 HST^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units)) power cars are being retired as result of recent tree hits), and I'm seeing closure due to flooding of the main Bristol line twice in the last month due to flooding at or near where the track was recently lowered.  And failures due to overhead wire problems, which seemed to be very rare to effect GWR train a year ago, seem to be occurring quite a bit now.

[Adelante_CCT]

And sending the 09:54 from Great Malvern round via Stroud doesn't seem to have cost it any time.

That's one minor benefit of the new Worcester depot, as there's now a better chance the crew will sign the Stroud route, so handy for unplanned diversions.

Shame they don't have enough drivers to sign the normal route!

[charles_uk]

Whilst I don't blame GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) for falling trees, this totally predictable cancellation is their responsibility!

15:22 London Paddington to Great Malvern due 17:58 has been cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train drivers.

and the return too.

I think it's time for another letter to my MP^▸ (Member of Parliament, or Mile Post (a method of measuring the railway in miles and chains from a starting point - usually London), depending on context).

[Worcester_Passenger]

15:22 London Paddington to Great Malvern due 17:58 has been cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train drivers.
Last Updated:24/01/2018 15:24

18:34 Great Malvern to London Paddington due 21:29 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train drivers.
Last Updated:24/01/2018 15:24

Plenty of advance warning for that one, posted two minutes after departure.

[ray951]

As well as falling trees and lack of drivers and trains there was also a points failure at Oxford on Monday evening, and as well as impacting Cotswold line trains all Chiltern trains were cancelled and on Tuesday evening we had a signal failure!
And today, although this may not impact Cotswold trains, there is a train failure at Kings Sutton.

[charles_uk]

09:50 Moreton-in-Marsh to London Paddington due 11:30 will be started from Oxford.
It will no longer call at Moreton-in-Marsh, Kingham, Charlbury and Hanborough.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

[charles_uk]

Only fair to report good news as well as bad:

Facilities on the 11:22 London Paddington to Worcester Foregate Street due 13:44.
Will be formed of 7 coaches instead of 5.

Facilities on the 14:21 London Paddington to Worcester Foregate Street due 16:44.
Will be formed of 8 coaches instead of 5.

and the return trips in both cases.

The more pertinent point is that were these supposed to be IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train - replacement for HSTs (manufactured by Hitachi in Kobe, Japan)) and, if so, is it lack of stock or lack of suitably trained drivers that has resulted in these substitutions?

[Richard Fairhurst]

Cotswold Line travellers might be interested in this public meeting in Charlbury on 8th February, organised by the local MP^▸ (Member of Parliament, or Mile Post (a method of measuring the railway in miles and chains from a starting point - usually London), depending on context): http://www.charlbury.info/events/5226

[TaplowGreen]

Only fair to report good news as well as bad:

Facilities on the 11:22 London Paddington to Worcester Foregate Street due 13:44.
Will be formed of 7 coaches instead of 5.

Facilities on the 14:21 London Paddington to Worcester Foregate Street due 16:44.
Will be formed of 8 coaches instead of 5.

and the return trips in both cases.

The more pertinent point is that were these supposed to be IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train - replacement for HSTs (manufactured by Hitachi in Kobe, Japan)) and, if so, is it lack of stock or lack of suitably trained drivers that has resulted in these substitutions?

..........then again.....

16:22 London Paddington to Great Malvern due 19:26
16:22 London Paddington to Great Malvern due 19:26 will be terminated at Reading.
It will no longer call at Oxford, Hanborough, Combe, Finstock, Charlbury, Ascott-under-Wychwood, Shipton, Kingham, Moreton-in-Marsh, Honeybourne, Evesham, Pershore, Worcester Shrub Hill, Worcester Foregate Street, Malvern Link and Great Malvern.
This is due to a fault on this train.
Will be formed of 3 coaches instead of 8.