49 minutes late from Gloucester - 1 minute *early* into Exeter St David's

Over the last few months I've had a couple of non-stop CDF^» (Cardiff - next trains)-SWA^» (Swansea - next trains) journeys....

One of them worked well. Other departures held back at CDF. Something looped along the way. Significant time recovered.

The other time there was this stopper in front. I wondered if it would be looped at Tremains, when it was still not causing any hold-up. It wasn't. By Pyle the signal checks were starting. I thought it would be reasonable to loop it at Stormy; it's not unusual, even when the IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train - replacement for HSTs (manufactured by Hitachi in Kobe, Japan)) isn't skip-stopping. It didn't happen. The last opportunity was to overtake at Port Talbot. It didn't happen. The non-stop run became a multi-stop run. I did wonder if the ARS^▸ (Automatic Route Setting) routed things before the signaller could prevent it, but I have no idea which locations on that route are covered by ARS, and I would have thought in that case a signaller would have intervened before the third opportunity was lost!

Then there's the communication issue. Skip-stopping can be a good idea, although passengers aren't too keen on seeing the big picture. But if it has to be done, it needs to be communicated clearly. All it takes is dodgy PA^▸ (Public Address (broadcast loudspeaker announcements) or Passenger Assist (railway staff providing physical assistance to passengers with mobility issues), depending on context) here, or a passenger hard of hearing there, and someone isn't in the picture.

A poor example of skip-stopping was on the Valley Lines. Between the stop at Cardiff Central and departing Queen Street, three different patterns had been announced. It was a 150, and the PA wasn't great. Passengers were a bit confused. It really could have done with the guard walking through to check people had understood, or even the guard taking the rear car and platform staff taking the front car (which stopped right by their office) at CDQ.

Then, on a different but related tack, there's the PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains)-CMN journey that terminated short at SWA during a very disrupted day not long ago. The first IET I joined at CDF wasn't going anywhere because it was awaiting (presumably displaced) crew. (There may be a lesson on lack of resources for proper resilience somewhere here.) So anyone who didn't want to wait was advised to join another one which came into Platform 1 or 2. From what I overheard a lot of passengers on there had already had a similar swap of trains at Didcot or Swindon, along with a wait and a diversion. So people felt somewhat messed around and weren't in the best mood! It seemed fairly likely to me, based on experience, that it would terminate at SWA. I imagine it had crossed the mind of crew and control as well, to the point that perhaps expectations could have been set (pros and cons there). But nothing was announced; indeed, it was announced that it was the Carmarthen train more than once.

At some point I checked Journeycheck and saw that it was to terminate short. But no change of plan was announced. Finally, on the approach to SWA, when it seemed like things were running more smoothly and there was no further disruption to the journey, the bombshell was dropped. The reaction of nearby passengers, some of whom had children with them who needed to be fed, was somewhat explosive (which I'm sure helped with keeping things calm for said children!). Oh, and a possible connection wasn't held, with the next one not due for some time. As I was leaving I think gateline staff were picking up on the mood.