How would you like GWR to handle their inability to crew all trains timetabled?

[whole diary]

[grahame]

I am assured that Melksham is getting just the same treatment as other places with train cancellations and indeed when I look at the graphics our web site produces, it looks as bad or worse elsewhere.

Problem is that "cancel one round trip every 2 hours" as a thinning out policy reduces services to Barnstaple, and via Stroud, to a service that runs every 2 hours.  Via Melksham, it eliminates the service; yesterday, (and that was a Saturday!), nothing called headed in the Westbury direction from 11:30 until 21:37, and in the Swindon direction from 10:08 until 14:47, and then again until 20:24.

Would a policy of "never have more than about an hour to wait if the train you want is cancelled" would be much more customer focused?   Should GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) be running a reduced weekend timetable?  Should they be declaring certain trains as "strategic" ones to maintain at-least-one-every-2-hours then running what they can of the rest?

Speaking with a key contact at GWR this week, I understand that GWR are not running a reduced timetable for a while if they can possibly avoid it, but that is a decision which has been a difficult one for them - no obvious choice as to whether to do that or not.  Sadly, I am not aware of any consultation with passengers in this significant decision.  Your views, please.

[Timmer]

Speaking with a key contact at GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) this week, I understand that GWR are not running a reduced timetable for a while if they can possibly avoid it, but that is a decision which has been a difficult one for them - no obvious choice as to whether to do that or not.

To continue with cancelling/short running hundreds of trains EVERY weekend rather than produce a timetable that GWR can actually run to me seems absolutely crazy and totally unpassenger friendly.

It’s obvious to any one observing the current situation that this issue of not enough train crew to run the current timetable, not just on Sundays but now Saturdays, isn’t going to go away for a long time.

So I say REVISED TIMETABLE FOR WEEKENDS NOW!

[Fourbee]

I'm reminded of Covid era timetabling where frequency across routes were slashed, but were still subject to cancellations for all the other usual reasons creating even larger gaps between services. I've reluctantly voted to leave things as they are, but fully understand that this unreliability is driving (literally) people away, especially at weekends.

[grahame]

To continue with cancelling/short running hundreds of trains EVERY weekend rather than produce a timetable that GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) can actually run to me seems absolutely crazy and totally unpassenger friendly.

[snip]

So I say REVISED TIMETABLE FOR WEEKENDS NOW!

If that turns out to be the overwhelming view of this poll, and with a significant number of votes, we will be in a strong position to give customer feedback to GWR, and to help them change to that policy by letting those who control their string know the passenger view.

[Timmer]

It’s not that I want to see less trains running on weekends, I just want to see a timetable that is more reliable that matches the staff resources available until such time that GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway)/GBR^▸ (Great British Railways) have a enough staff to run the current timetable. It’s crystal clear at the moment that they don’t.

[a-driver]

Traincrew availability on a Sunday will fluctuate considerably, especially in the run up to Christmas.

It would be impossible to run a reduced timetable and guarantee services would run.

[Mark A]

I'm reminded of Covid era timetabling where frequency across routes were slashed, but were still subject to cancellations for all the other usual reasons creating even larger gaps between services. I've reluctantly voted to leave things as they are, but fully understand that this unreliability is driving (literally) people away, especially at weekends.

That's made me recall that another issue with Covid era timetabling (on rail and buses) is the services that disappeared and were never reinstated. If a temporary timetable is introduced there must be ways of ensuring that it's not the trojan horse for what is actually a spiral  of decline.

Mark

[grahame]

I'm reminded of Covid era timetabling where frequency across routes were slashed, but were still subject to cancellations for all the other usual reasons creating even larger gaps between services. I've reluctantly voted to leave things as they are, but fully understand that this unreliability is driving (literally) people away, especially at weekends.

That's made me recall that another issue with Covid era timetabling (on rail and buses) is the services that disappeared and were never reinstated. If a temporary timetable is introduced there must be ways of ensuring that it's not the trojan horse for what is actually a spiral  of decline.

Mark

Those are utterly two fears of a reduced timetable.  There is no easy answer.  "Pop down to the job centre for a few more [temporary]  staff" is not an option, offer incentives to have the skilled people work when they are reluctant is close to its limit (and DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) authority to do so is - err - difficult).

[ChrisB]

Traincrew availability on a Sunday will fluctuate considerably, especially in the run up to Christmas.

It would be impossible to run a reduced timetable and guarantee services would run.

This. Drivers volunteer to work Sundays, so a reduced timetable still needs volunteers on the day.

[Timmer]

Traincrew availability on a Sunday will fluctuate considerably, especially in the run up to Christmas.

It would be impossible to run a reduced timetable and guarantee services would run.

This. Drivers volunteer to work Sundays, so a reduced timetable still needs volunteers on the day.

So we stick to the current fantasy timetable that will never fully operate because GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway)/GBR^▸ (Great British Railways) will never get enough staff to volunteer to work Sundays? Crazy. What a way to run a service. It’s pathetic.

[ChrisB]

Bringing Sundays into the working week is the only solution to guarantee staff on a Sunday

[Chris from Nailsea]

Drivers volunteer to work Sundays, so a reduced timetable still needs volunteers on the day.

Yes, but a reduced timetable would require fewer of them to actually volunteer - making it more realistic. 

[ChrisB]

Indeed, but you'll still get cancellations when not enough do....

[TaplowGreen]

Bringing Sundays into the working week is the only solution to guarantee staff on a Sunday

And this illustrates the utter folly of the new Government caving in to the Unions demands without at least getting it on the table & moving forward with it.

[Chris from Nailsea]

The voting by Coffee Shop forum members so far is interesting: if you haven't, please do vote!