Swindon <-> Westbury service updates and amendments, ongoing discussion - 2025

[whole diary]

[grahame]

12:17 Westbury to Swindon due 13:01

12:17 Westbury to Swindon due 13:01 will be cancelled.
This is due to a tree blocking the railway.

[grahame]

12:17 Westbury to Swindon due 13:01

12:17 Westbury to Swindon due 13:01 will be cancelled.
This is due to a tree blocking the railway.

Cancellations to services between Bath Spa and Westbury
Due to a tree blocking the railway at Avoncliff the line towards Westbury is blocked. Disruption is expected until 14:00 06/12.
Train services between Bath Spa and Westbury may be cancelled, delayed or diverted. Freshford, Avoncliff and Bradford-On-Avon will not be served.
Customer Advice
Due to a tree blocking the railway line near Avoncliff, our train service is suspended whilst our teams make it safe to run.

Is this the same tree?

If so, has our Melksham-calling service been culled in order for GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) to run other trains through?   Two tracks now!!

[bobm]

09:28 Cardiff Central to Portsmouth Harbour due 12:51

09:28 Cardiff Central to Portsmouth Harbour due 12:51 will be diverted between Bath Spa and Trowbridge.

It will no longer call at Bradford-On-Avon.

It is being delayed between Bath Spa and Trowbridge and is now expected to be 12 minutes late.

This is due to a tree blocking the railway.

10:30 Cardiff Central to Portsmouth Harbour due 13:51

10:30 Cardiff Central to Portsmouth Harbour due 13:51 will be diverted between Bath Spa and Trowbridge.

It will no longer call at Bradford-On-Avon.

It will be delayed due to the diversion and is expected to be 11 minutes late.

This is due to a tree blocking the railway.

11:30 Cardiff Central to Portsmouth Harbour due 14:51

11:30 Cardiff Central to Portsmouth Harbour due 14:51 will be diverted between Bath Spa and Trowbridge.

It will no longer call at Bradford-On-Avon but will call additionally at Chippenham and Melksham.

It will be delayed due to the diversion and is expected to be 11 minutes late.

This is due to a tree blocking the railway.

12:30 Cardiff Central to Portsmouth Harbour due 15:51

12:30 Cardiff Central to Portsmouth Harbour due 15:51 will be diverted between Bath Spa and Trowbridge.

It will no longer call at Bradford-On-Avon but will call additionally at Chippenham.

It will be delayed due to the diversion and is expected to be 11 minutes late.

This is due to a tree blocking the railway.

[TaplowGreen]

20:08 Westbury to Swindon due 20:54
20:08 Westbury to Swindon due 20:54 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

21:10 Swindon to Westbury due 21:52
21:10 Swindon to Westbury due 21:52 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

[grahame]

21:10 Swindon to Westbury due 21:52

21:10 Swindon to Westbury due 21:52 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

Further Information
Customers are requested to check the stations Onward Travel Information poster and wait for replacement road transport at the designated stop. Customers are advised that the replacement road transport may run later than the advertised train times owing to the additional time taken by road between stations and the time required for loading and unloading at each stop.
-
Due to the cancelled Swindon to Westbury.
Rail replacement transport has been requested for passengers travelling from Chippenham towards Westbury.
-
Last Updated:06/12/2025 17:15

[grahame]

17:35 Swindon to Westbury due 18:19

17:35 Swindon to Westbury due 18:19 is being delayed at Swindon.
This is due to the train departing late to maintain customer connections.

17 minutes late off Swindon - however things like this can make sense given how infrequent the service is

[grahame]

18:37 Westbury to Swindon due 19:21

18:37 Westbury to Swindon due 19:21 is being delayed at Westbury.
This is due to a late running train being in front of this one.

[matth1j]

17:35 Swindon to Westbury due 18:19 is being delayed at Swindon.
This is due to the train departing late to maintain customer connections.

While waiting for that at Chippenham (due 17:50) an empty IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train - replacement for HSTs (manufactured by Hitachi in Kobe, Japan)) passed through heading west at full tilt. I thought it might have been the reason for the delay, but the 17:35 was still parked at Swindon for a while after that.

I don't think too many 17:35 passengers decided to give up and make alternative arrangements when the announcement was made (more than once) that the fastest way to Melksham and beyond was going to be the 19:00 Salisbury service...

[grahame]

17:35 Swindon to Westbury due 18:19 is being delayed at Swindon.
This is due to the train departing late to maintain customer connections.

While waiting for that at Chippenham (due 17:50) an empty IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train - replacement for HSTs (manufactured by Hitachi in Kobe, Japan)) passed through heading west at full tilt. I thought it might have been the reason for the delay, but the 17:35 was still parked at Swindon for a while after that.

I don't think too many 17:35 passengers decided to give up and make alternative arrangements when the announcement was made (more than once) that the fastest way to Melksham and beyond was going to be the 19:00 Salisbury service...

The announcement system is incorrect and confusing.  If a train misses a calling or departure point by more than a couple of minutes, an assumption is made that it's not running - the station displays say "delayed" which is correct but so vague it is not helpful, and the announcements chime in with telling you about the next train even if it's an hour or more away.   And that's even if the train can be seen on various feeds waiting for ... a late running connection, or a path over a busy line, and human and knowledgeable logic suggests that the train will turn up.

At Chippenham if the 17:50 does not "show", the next alternative is the 19:00 to Salisbury from the same platform anyway. The last bus to Melksham and Trowbridge left quarter of an hour ago, by the time a rail replacement bus is arranged it would be even later than the 19:09 into Melksham.

This morning looks interesting.   There are three services into one - with Castle Cary to Taunton closed for engineering, with Swindon to Parkway closed for flooding, three major main lines are all being funnelled through Chippenham and Bath.  If the 17:35 off Chippenham is held back / misses its path, it may be a bit of a wait for the next path, whether or not it's actually had to wait for passengers off the train from London, and irrespective of whether there's some diverted express running in its path so it has to be held back anyway.

[Timmer]

This morning looks interesting.   There are three services into one - with Castle Cary to Taunton closed for engineering, with Swindon to Parkway closed for flooding, three major main lines are all being funnelled through Chippenham and Bath.  If the 17:35 off Chippenham is held back / misses its path, it may be a bit of a wait for the next path, whether or not it's actually had to wait for passengers off the train from London, and irrespective of whether there's some diverted express running in its path so it has to be held back anyway.

To help the situation of all trains having to travel via Bath, GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) have cancelled all the hourly Cardiff to Paddington services and one of the two half hourly Bristol to London services.

Might be interesting at Bath today with the Christmas market on, though I suspect the poor weather may put some people off.

[matth1j]

Is this a glitch? As well as the 1900 Salisbury service from Chippenham, National Rail are also showing one at 1910, albeit cancelled:

[Image from here is not available to guests]

National Rail link: https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/journey-planner/?type=single&origin=CPM^▸ (Chippenham station)&destination=MKM^▸ (Melksham station)&leavingType=departing&leavingDate=091225&leavingHour=17&leavingMin=45&adults=1&extraTime=0#O

EDIT: of course, that's just the (somewhat circuitous) Bath/Trowbridge route

[matth1j]

This morning looks interesting. There are three services into one - with Castle Cary to Taunton closed for engineering, with Swindon to Parkway closed for flooding, three major main lines are all being funnelled through Chippenham and Bath. If the 17:35 off Chippenham is held back / misses its path, it may be a bit of a wait for the next path

Tuesdays and Fridays are my days off (AKA^▸ ('also known as') working from home) fortunately It does look pretty grim outside at the moment, a good day to not be commuting.

[grahame]

Tuesdays and Fridays are my days off (AKA^▸ ('also known as') working from home) fortunately It does look pretty grim outside at the moment, a good day to not be commuting.

Surpisingly, only one issue so far

15:15 Swindon to Westbury due 15:59

15:15 Swindon to Westbury due 15:59 is being delayed between Chippenham and Melksham and is now expected to be 12 minutes late.
This is due to a late running train being in front of this one.

Aggregate empties from Appleford to Whatley running 23 minutes late as it passed though Melksham.  The passenger trains had to wait at Thingley Junction for the freight to clear Bradford Junction because there are no intermediate signals.  Gone are the days of signals and boxes at Lacock, Beanacre, Melksham, Holt and Staverton. 

[grahame]

17:50 Gloucester to Salisbury due 20:06

17:50 Gloucester to Salisbury due 20:06 has been delayed between Chippenham and Trowbridge and is now 9 minutes late.
This is due to a late running train being in front of this one.

Main line (at Chippenham) congestion- waiting for the train from Westbury to come off the branch, which in turn was waiting for a mainline opening towards Swindon.  With all the diversions through Chippenham going on, Thingley Junction has indigestion.

[Oxonhutch]

With all the diversions through Chippenham going on, Thingley Junction has indigestion.

I think you should change your strap line to "Two tracks now!"