Westbury -> Warminster -> Salisbury -> Waterloo through train not running

[whole diary]

[grahame]

South Western Railways are not running the 07:42 through service from Westbury (07:50 from Warminster) to London (Waterloo) at the moment.  The train still runs as far as Salisbury but it's terminating there at 08:11 and another train leaves at 08:15 for London.  The connection is too tight to be "official" and so the journey planners do't offer it ... the journey is possible via Salibury, officially, by leaving Westbury 45 minutes earlier or leaving  Salisbury 30 minutes later.

Research suggests that the train via Warminster is terminating at Salisbury because the train that it used to couple up with via Gillingham now starts back at Exeter and is longer (temporary WoE timetable), and that the loss of the through morning train from some West Wilts stations to Waterloo is a consequence - same number of carriages as before into Waterloo.

I am open to opinions as to whether this change is an unplanned side effect of the temporary timetable, or if it was appreciated that the connection / travel opportunity even with a change was being withdrawn by SWR^» (South Western Railway - about) when they drew up the temporary timetable.

[Mark A]

Thanks for this - I head for that train occasionally as it's less disruptive to change trains close to the start of a trip rather than in the middle, and sometimes had good availability of advance fares. That's another I'll strike off the list. :-(

[Clan Line]

and sometimes usually had good availability of advance fares. That's another I'll strike off the list. :-(

.....another useful train gone !

[grahame]

and sometimes usually had good availability of advance fares. That's another I'll strike off the list. :-(

.....another useful train gone !

Indeed - and people voting with their feet ... to take to the car ...

Thanks so much for ... [the] explanation. I can only hope it is indeed temporary. As it is I'm now driving to Salisbury 3 times a week which rather defeats the purpose of living 3 minutes from a train station!

[Clan Line]

Indeed - and people voting with their feet ... to take to the car ...

............or they just don't go at all.  I used to be a fairly frequent day tripper to London. 0950 through train to Waterloo and the 1920 through train back to Warminster - perfect timings.  Then the through trains were removed.....then, eventually, a few through trains were re-introduced (London bound only). The (new) 0750 to Waterloo was useful - it meant a change at Salisbury, with variable connection times, on the return leg but wasn't too bad.  Now the 0750 through train has been removed................should I bother any more ?

Buy some new colour matched mats for the Fiesta perhaps.............

[grahame]

Now the 0750 through train has been removed................should I bother any more ?

Here's the danger to the passenger experience (and so to the number of customers in the medium term and beyond) of removing this as a through train - although Recent Train Times does suggest that this failure is the exception rather than the rule.