2019 - TransWilts cancellation and amendments log

[whole diary]

[grahame]

12:49 Swindon to Frome due 13:41 is being delayed at Westbury and is now expected to be 24 minutes late.
This is due to a tree blocking the railway earlier today.

[Adelante_CCT]

20:02 Cheltenham Spa to Westbury due 21:50 will be cancelled.
This is due to a fault on this train.

[bobm]

Wonder if that means a Westbury crew need a lift home.  They could offer taxi seats to displaced passengers. 

That would have worked a few years ago - now you need a coach with more than 8 seats.

[grahame]

Wonder if that means a Westbury crew need a lift home.  They could offer taxi seats to displaced passengers. 

That would have worked a few years ago - now you need a coach with more than 8 seats.

Well .... we had the First bus in the Melksham Carnival parade and managed to work out lifts etc to get everyone from out of town home soon after the parade finished ... I'm just cooling down and will see if I got any decent pictures in the process of handing out a LOT of leaflets!

[bobm]

Thought of you in the heat.  Headed west to Wales although signalling problems meant a change of destination.

[bobm]

08:11 Warminster to Swindon due 09:04

08:11 Warminster to Swindon due 09:04 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

09:22 Swindon to Westbury due 10:02

09:22 Swindon to Westbury due 10:02 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

10:30 Westbury to Swindon due 11:14

10:30 Westbury to Swindon due 11:14 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

11:28 Swindon to Westbury due 12:08

11:28 Swindon to Westbury due 12:08 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

These won't run next Sunday either as it is rail replacement all day on July 7th.

[grahame]

08:11 Warminster to Swindon due 09:04 will be cancelled.
09:22 Swindon to Westbury due 10:02 will be cancelled.
10:30 Westbury to Swindon due 11:14 will be cancelled.
11:28 Swindon to Westbury due 12:08 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

I hope GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) are pleased with themselves after we handed out a thousand leaflets yesterday at the Melksham Carnival telling people about (amongst other things) the great Weymouth trips on Sundays.

[grahame]

08:11 Warminster to Swindon due 09:04 will be cancelled.
09:22 Swindon to Westbury due 10:02 will be cancelled.
10:30 Westbury to Swindon due 11:14 will be cancelled.
11:28 Swindon to Westbury due 12:08 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

I hope GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) are pleased with themselves after we handed out a thousand leaflets yesterday at the Melksham Carnival telling people about (amongst other things) the great Weymouth trips on Sundays.

GWR don't seem too bothered ...

Me:

@GWRHelp - Why have you cancelled all morning trains at Melksham (population 25,000) when we handed out 1,000 train timetable leaflets at the Carnival yesterday suggesting Sunday day trip to Weymouth?  What alternative for the journey?

Reply:

Morning, really sorry for the delays. This is due to a shortage of train crew. The next train service will be 1252. - Celia

[grahame]

I followed up "Thank you Celia.  What should people who have planned a day trip to Weymouth leaving at 09:47 do.  Don't you provide road alternatives?".  Celia cut and pasted her previous "answer" back ... oh dear.

There are times like this that it's very difficult to be the candid friend.

[bobm]

As if proof were needed about the issues these cancellations cause...

[Timmer]

Does Celia even work for GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway)?

Being ‘out of hours’ isn’t the Twitter feed manned by National Rail staff in India?

GWR usually provide a more detailed response during normal ‘opening’ hours.

[CMRail]

Does Celia even work for GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway)?

Being ‘out of hours’ isn’t the Twitter feed manned by National Rail staff in India?

GWR usually provide a more detailed response during normal ‘opening’ hours.

It’s done from Swindon/Plymouth all the time I believe, just someone between 00:00-06:00 normally does multiple things.

[bobm]

Slightly irksome that four successive cancellations are called "delays".   

[grahame]

Does Celia even work for GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway)?

Being ‘out of hours’ isn’t the Twitter feed manned by National Rail staff in India?

GWR usually provide a more detailed response during normal ‘opening’ hours.

She's representing GWR and at a time that they're very much open for business. Whether she's an employee or working for them on contract really isn't important to passengers.  I do suspect she may have had rather more incoming tweets than she had time to properly investigate prior to answering this morning. And I do feel she's offered operational comments from the railway's viewpoint and not practical solutions to how customers can now make their journeys.

Slightly irksome that four successive cancellations are called "delays".  

And I note that the train she offered as an alternative to Weymouth actually runs ... the other way to Swindon!

[bobm]

The messages on Journeycheck have been updated to include...

Further Information
Customers at un-staffed stations are advised to use the help-point provided to obtain alternative road transport. Thank you.