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

[whole diary]

[TaplowGreen]

16:43 Frome to Swindon due 17:34
16:43 Frome to Swindon due 17:34 will be reinstated.
It will be terminated at Westbury.
It will no longer call at Trowbridge, Melksham, Chippenham and Swindon.
This is due to the train conductor being taken ill

17:44 Swindon to Salisbury due 18:55
17:44 Swindon to Salisbury due 18:55 will be started from Westbury.
It will no longer call at Swindon, Chippenham, Melksham and Trowbridge.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

[TaplowGreen]

16:23 Westbury to Swindon due 17:06
16:23 Westbury to Swindon due 17:06 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

17:35 Swindon to Westbury due 18:19
17:35 Swindon to Westbury due 18:19 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

[matth1j]

16:47 Bristol-Warminster I was going to take to get off at Bath, instead of the 17:00 Paddington getting off at Chippenham, has also been cancelled. That's after my train up from Trowbridge this morning was cancelled due to the tree.

At least the 7:21 Melksham-Chippenham ran on time, so shouldn't complain.

[grahame]

[snip]

17:35 Swindon to Westbury due 18:19
17:35 Swindon to Westbury due 18:19 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

I expect it will run tomorrow to get VIPs home from the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) community event. That's the train that after the community rail conference in 2018 - also held in Swindon - that was so full and standing the train manager had to walk along the outside and shout to people standing in the aisle to squeeze up.   I remember that day and event well.

I stand corrected.

16:23 Westbury to Swindon due 17:06
17:35 Swindon to Westbury due 18:19

17:35 Swindon to Westbury due 18:19 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.
Further Information
We're sorry for the disruption to your journey.
-
Taxis (Bath Taxis Limited) have been arranged leaving Chippenham at 18:20 calling at Melksham (18:38), Trowbridge (18:51) and Westbury (19:03 arrival). If you're travelling from Swindon, please join the 17:57 service towards Bristol Temple Meads and change for the taxis at Chippenham.
-
Road transport pick up/drop off points can be found on the Information poster at stations or online at nre.co.uk/stations.

If you arrive at your destination 15 or more minutes late because your GWR train was delayed or cancelled, you can claim Delay Repay compensation. Please keep your ticket and visit GWR.com/DelayRepay

The only cancellations in the region - notable that alternative transport is actually flagged up (rare but not unheard of) and the delay stated is 43 minutes.

Passengers onwards toward Weymouth hoping to connect with the 18:50 off Westbury  to Frome will have to wait for the 19:45 - a 55 minute late arrival - and for Weymouth the next train isn't until 21:40 as far as I can see

The Journey Planner IS offering you the train-bus combo at £9.80 single Swindon to Westbury and also offering a 17:22 getting to Westbury at 18:34 which will connect with the 18:50 onwards - 13 minutes earlier from Swindon, a useful alternative, and getting there 15 minutes after the cancelled train would have done - but they are pricing a £19.80 - that's right, £10 more.  Whatever happened to the promise that if a train via Melksham was cancelled and passengers had to travel via Bath that the via Melksham fare would be honoured?. It feels like an immoral thing to do to commit to providing a train service, cancel it, and then ask people to pay more for the journey because of your failure to deliver.

[grahame]

06:35 Salisbury to Worcester Foregate Street due 09:47

06:35 Salisbury to Worcester Foregate Street due 09:47 will be started from Westbury.
It will no longer call at Salisbury and Warminster.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

[matth1j]

17:35 Swindon to Westbury due 18:19

17:35 Swindon to Westbury due 18:19 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

Looks ok at the moment - can I assume it's been reinstated?
https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/live-trains/departures/chippenham/melksham/

[bobm]

It was reinstated at 15:35.   However now the 21:16 from Westbury and the 22:31 from Swindon have both been cancelled.

[bobm]

The last round trip has now, just, been reinstated. 

[grahame]

16:23 Westbury to Swindon due 17:05
17:35 Swindon to Westbury due 18:18
18:35 Westbury to Swindon due 19:17
19:44 Swindon to Westbury due 20:29

19:44 Swindon to Westbury due 20:29 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

[TaplowGreen]

08:06 Warminster to Swindon due 08:58
08:06 Warminster to Swindon due 08:58 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

09:08 Swindon to Westbury due 09:49
09:08 Swindon to Westbury due 09:49 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

10:38 Weymouth to Swindon due 12:57
10:38 Weymouth to Swindon due 12:57 will be terminated at Westbury.
It will no longer call at Trowbridge, Melksham, Chippenham and Swindon.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

10:41 Westbury to Swindon due 11:24
10:41 Westbury to Swindon due 11:24 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

11:32 Swindon to Weymouth due 13:45
11:32 Swindon to Weymouth due 13:45 will be started from Westbury.
It will no longer call at Swindon, Chippenham, Melksham and Trowbridge.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

13:32 Swindon to Weymouth due 15:45
13:32 Swindon to Weymouth due 15:45 will be started from Westbury.
It will no longer call at Swindon, Chippenham, Melksham and Trowbridge.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

14:05 Frome to Swindon due 14:58
14:05 Frome to Swindon due 14:58 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

15:44 Swindon to Frome due 16:38
15:44 Swindon to Frome due 16:38 will be started from Westbury.
It will no longer call at Swindon, Chippenham, Melksham and Trowbridge.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

20:38 Westbury to Swindon due 21:23
20:38 Westbury to Swindon due 21:23 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

21:34 Swindon to Westbury due 22:16
21:34 Swindon to Westbury due 22:16 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

[grahame]

That looks like 5 out of the 7 round trips cancelled ... wasn't someone telling us just in the last 24 hours that there IS no crew shortage - just that not enough crew know the routes needed.   

I gave up on the train yesterday - the intent was Melk (in Austria) to Melksham.  Got as far as Bath Spa ...

[TaplowGreen]

17:44 Swindon to Salisbury due 18:55
17:44 Swindon to Salisbury due 18:55 will be terminated at Westbury.

It will no longer call at Warminster and Salisbury.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

[TaplowGreen]

21:35 Swindon to Westbury due 22:52

An additional bus service has been planned to operate as shown 21:35 Swindon to Westbury due 22:52.

[matth1j]

17:50 Gloucester - Salisbury "cancelled because of more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time"

(Sorry - does this count as TransWilts?)

[grahame]

17:50 Gloucester - Salisbury "cancelled because of more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time"

(Sorry - does this count as TransWilts?)

Sadly, yes, Transwilts ... again ... that's the train that runs via Swindon