Holding GWR to account - service reliability

[whole diary]

[grahame]

Brian Mathew is our MP^▸ (Member of Parliament, or Mile Post (a method of measuring the railway in miles and chains from a starting point - usually London), depending on context) for Melksham and Devizes. From Brian Mathew on Facebook

Holding GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) to account on train reliability

I met with senior GWR management in Swindon to discuss the high number of cancellations at Melksham.

Along with representatives from Melksham Transport User Group and West Wilts Rail User Group (photographed), we pressed for urgent action to improve reliability and passenger experience.

GWR set out its plans, and work to date, in reducing cancellations including:
• Increasing driver and guard recruitment at Westbury Depot and building greater resilience in the local workforce.
• Improving passenger communication systems
• Providing more consistent alternative transport when cancellations do hit

We will be following up on progress early in the new year.

Long term, we want to see a much more frequent and reliable service through Melksham, and I am committed to working with the industry and our fantastic rail user groups to achieve this.

[grahame]

An excellent meeting yesterday as far as it could go within the metrics set. Around six people from GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway), four from the West Wiltshire Rail User Group, and our MP^▸ (Member of Parliament, or Mile Post (a method of measuring the railway in miles and chains from a starting point - usually London), depending on context) and a member of his technical team. Subject - various across West Wiltshire, but dominant is/was the appalling cancellation rate of trains that are supposed to call at Melksham.   Meetings do not solve problems in themselves - and reliability of services has been an ongoing problem in recent years. But steps are taken, and now is the time to be moving towards a new level with everyone concerned looking to provide an excellent public transport offering for the people of Melksham.

It is really good to have the Melksham Transport User Group (MTUG^» (Melksham Transport User Group - site)) - committee met last Thursday - with support (and not just meeting attendance!) from our Melksham Town and Melksham Without reps - giving support not only to help with the immediate reliability issue, but also to look ahead to immediate information provision and reliability improvements, then to improving station access and walking, cycling and bus integration, and then to an improved capacity and services to use that capacity.

An MTUG public transport timetable is in final proofing today, initial copies at the West Wilts meeting next Wednesday (public meeting, Bethesda Church Hall, Trowbridge, 19:00 for 19:30 and finishing to catch the 21:22 back to Melksham) and with the main topic being bus / rail integration. Then distributed at various places and events such as the Christmas Lights on 6th December.   We are concerned at train reliability - however, around 90% of trains do run and there are already systems - to be greatly improved - to provide much better standbys in an environment in which in any case there are reducing cancellations.

[stuving]

Wot, none of the real bosses, from DfT^» (Department for Transport - about)? I'm sure they did get mentioned, though (and GBR^▸ (Great British Railways)-to-be as well).

[grahame]

Wot, none of the real bosses, from DfT^» (Department for Transport - about)? I'm sure they did get mentioned, though (and GBR^▸ (Great British Railways)-to-be as well).

Hence

as far as it could go within the metrics set.

[bobm]

Just for the record I was there too representing the TransWilts CIC^» (Community Interest Company - about).   Some of the stuff we had heard before but as reported there were some encouraging signs for the future and some reassurances that the matter is very much being looked at.

[TaplowGreen]

............... some reassurances that the matter is very much being looked at.

.........are you sure that there weren't any civil servants present?

That one sounds straight out of Sir Humphrey's "we're not going to do anything" phrasebook! 

[grahame]

............... some reassurances that the matter is very much being looked at.

.........are you sure that there weren't any civil servants present?

That one sounds straight out of Sir Humphrey's "we're not going to do anything" phrasebook! 

Perhaps there were some acting civil servants ... bearing in mind that many of them work for a company that receives £1 million per day from the public purse, and who's operation of GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) will be part of the public sector within a year from now.   Several times during the meeting, it was asked that we reduce the time being spent on background information highlighting some of the positives that can be presented, and the intent and analysis, and move more closely onto customer issues.  It is natural for people who are or will be, directly or indirect, paid by civil servant masters to want to protect their positions.

A reminder that people need reliable trains to travel on, and they cannot travel on promises of reliable trains.  GWR are in a difficult position at meeting like this.  We all understand that they do not have an instant solution to all their woes - but so many promises have been made in the past that it's hard to accept more promises.   Reference was made - for example - to the strong request from Melksham council on 2nd September - 2024 - to bring the service through Melksham up to a reliable standard. And we are still at the same order of magnitude of level of cancellations, 3 times what their RSM for the Bristol area considers suitable and is already achieved at many stations - examples such as Bath Spa and Yatton are the ones I have chosen to use as typical controls.

[grahame]

As part of a local rail user group committee update this morning, I wrote concerning Monday's meeting:

GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) were made aware:
* That Melksham is a substantial town in which the train service is a key factor - even more so into the future
* Melksham station is a grotty place to be left with minimal and uncertain information and with no staff present
* Melksham passenger groups (WWRUG^» (West Wiltshire Rail Users Group - about), MTUG^» (Melksham Transport User Group - site)) align with parish and county medium and long terms plans
* We have eyes on the ground, experise, an ability to reach people and want to work in partnership for common good
* Rail replacement services as currently implemented / informed are often not customer friendly and are misleading
* We consider a train declared “will be cancelled” but in the end runs has lost most of its use and also bought disrepute on the service
They were also reminded that two thirds of passengers at Melksham are though - so this is far from a “just Melksham” issue

[John D]

Relevant to this is GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) have recently updated their 4 weekly performance

EF10 area Bristol suburban is 4.05% cancelled
EF13 South Wales - South Coast is 7.18% cancelled

On time and time +3 minutes
EF10 53.34% and 71.50%
EF13 52.65% and 69.75%

So currently can expect about half trains to be late, and about 30% not to be within 3 minutes.  And about 1 in 14 to 1 in 25 to not run.

https://www.gwr.com/-/media/gwr-sc-website/files/about-gwr/what-you-can-expect/our-performance/GWR-Periodic-Web-Report-P2608.pdf

Doesn't really feel good enough to me, don't know what others think.

[IndustryInsider]

‘Cancelled’ covers part cancellations as well AFAIK^▸ ('as far as I know'), so a Cardiff to Portsmouth train that terminates at Fratton will be classed as cancelled…even though it may have ran on time for the vast majority of the trip.

For clarification, I am not for one minute suggesting performance is anywhere remotely close to being acceptable.

[TaplowGreen]

............... some reassurances that the matter is very much being looked at.

.........are you sure that there weren't any civil servants present?

That one sounds straight out of Sir Humphrey's "we're not going to do anything" phrasebook! 

Perhaps there were some acting civil servants ... bearing in mind that many of them work for a company that receives £1 million per day from the public purse, and who's operation of GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) will be part of the public sector within a year from now.   Several times during the meeting, it was asked that we reduce the time being spent on background information highlighting some of the positives that can be presented, and the intent and analysis, and move more closely onto customer issues.  It is natural for people who are or will be, directly or indirect, paid by civil servant masters to want to protect their positions.

I really hope that doesn't mean that as far as the region is concerned, GBR^▸ (Great British Railways) simply means same people wearing a different tie?

What's the famous definition of madness again?

[eightonedee]

Of course it does, TG^▸ (TaplowGreen - a respected member of this forum). That's the way the TUPE^▸ (The Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006. In a railway context, the legislation that protects rail staff when a franchise changes hands.) regulations work.

[TaplowGreen]

Of course it does, TG^▸ (TaplowGreen - a respected member of this forum). That's the way the TUPE^▸ (The Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006. In a railway context, the legislation that protects rail staff when a franchise changes hands.) regulations work.

Then I guess it comes back to the question I asked over a year ago and has never been answered.....what positive differences can customers expect post nationalisation?

When the service collapses the sentiment here is often "don't blame GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway), it's the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) who pull the strings"

So what'll change for the better?

[ChrisB]

Politicians being able to remove the head honchos far more easily

[grahame]

An update on this story at https://grahamellis.uk/blog1791.html

Last night (25.11.2026), I attended Melksham Town Council's Economic Development and Planning meeting to speak to the agenda item 13 - asking the Town Council to add their support to the MTUG^» (Melksham Transport User Group - site) request / campaign to get GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) to run the current timetabled service more reliably. Delighted that they added their support, unanimously, and with some very kind words for the work we do at MTUG.

We now have both Melksham Town and Melksham Without, and our MP^▸ (Member of Parliament, or Mile Post (a method of measuring the railway in miles and chains from a starting point - usually London), depending on context), fully on board with the call - a not just making the cal but pressing with us for fixing.   All six public transport providers have helped by proofing / approving a Melksham timetable booklet ready for the December Timetable change, and we are looking to all raise the bar in partnership on reliability, friendliness and use of all public transport services.