Swindon <-> Westbury service updates and amendments, ongoing discussion - 2026

[whole diary]

[grahame]

17:45 Swindon - Westbury "cancelled because of a broken down train"

And apparently will take some time to fix

17:45 Swindon to Westbury due 18:26
18:37 Westbury to Swindon due 19:21
20:12 Swindon to Westbury due 20:56
21:16 Westbury to Swindon due 21:58
22:31 Swindon to Westbury due 23:12

22:31 Swindon to Westbury due 23:12 will be cancelled.

[grahame]

My automated logging system that has been running since January - automatically scraping the last 24 hour's records in the middle of the night - has had a spanner thrown in its works, as the place I have scraped it from has gone "human only", identified me as a 'bot and stopped my access.   I'm not surprised; it was useful while it lasted but it was a "quick and dirty" way of monitoring.  I will see what I can do to find an alternative when I'm back in the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) early next month.  For sure it could be done using industry data and significant learning and effort; I'm not sure if I'm up to/for that.

In the meantime, a huge THANK YOU to members who help me log the cancellations and other goings on with this service.   Your posts will be all the more vital now.

[TaplowGreen]

My automated logging system that has been running since January - automatically scraping the last 24 hour's records in the middle of the night - has had a spanner thrown in its works, as the place I have scraped it from has gone "human only", identified me as a 'bot and stopped my access.   I'm not surprised; it was useful while it lasted but it was a "quick and dirty" way of monitoring.  I will see what I can do to find an alternative when I'm back in the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) early next month.  For sure it could be done using industry data and significant learning and effort; I'm not sure if I'm up to/for that.

In the meantime, a huge THANK YOU to members who help me log the cancellations and other goings on with this service.   Your posts will be all the more vital now.

"More automated logging systems than usual needing repair at the same time"

[Trowres]

In amongst all the cancellations, an extra service today:
Westbury: 2040
Trowbridge: 2046
Melksham: 2056
Chippenham: 2112
Bath: 2126
Bristol: a2140.

This service, 1U85, wasn't activated in the "system" until 20:46, so the actual times before Bradford Jn are not recorded. The train does not seem to be visible in journey planner queries nor on TIGER, so it may come as a welcome surprise for some people waiting for delayed trains.

[JohnM]

05:11 Gloucester to Southampton cancelled because of more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time (again).

[grahame]

05:11 Gloucester to Southampton Central due 08:10
 
05:11 Gloucester to Southampton Central due 08:10 will be cancelled.
This is due to more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time.

"More automated logging systems than usual needing repair at the same time"

  - Indeed. But you may have noticed I filed the report with a note on the alternatives we are using to help readers (customers for our data) keep track.

JourneyCheck is struggling with 250 cancellations and part cancellations this morning and I suspect that the bloke or blokessse who feed it are overworked.  There are regular users of this train though, and it would be a politeness for the people or systems that tell them their train is cancelled to tell them the alternative.   This IS used as a get-to-work train by people to Bristol and Southampton.

Searching on GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway), the best they offer is a train that gets people to Southampton and hour and a half later, at a much higher price (cheeky when they cancelled the train).  If I were personally travelling, I would take a look at the bus option to Trowbridge which would certainly be cheaper and probably get me to Southampton earlier than the 07:21 via Reading!

[grahame]

05:11 Gloucester to Southampton Central due 08:10
 
05:11 Gloucester to Southampton Central due 08:10 will be cancelled.
This is due to more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time.

JourneyCheck is struggling with 250 cancellations and part cancellations this morning and I suspect that the bloke or blokessse who feed it are overworked.  There are regular users of this train though, and it would be a politeness for the people or systems that tell them their train is cancelled to tell them the alternative.   This IS used as a get-to-work train by people to Bristol and Southampton.

Searching on GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway), the best they offer is a train that gets people to Southampton and hour and a half later, at a much higher price (cheeky when they cancelled the train).  If I were personally travelling, I would take a look at the bus option to Trowbridge which would certainly be cheaper and probably get me to Southampton earlier than the 07:21 via Reading!

Yep - 06:50 bus from Broughton Road to Trowbridge Trinity Church (you'll note it takes 30 minutes by bus and 10 minutes by train!) and then the 07:53 train from Trowbridge to Southampton Central, due 09:03.   £3 bus fare plus £30.10 which is a darned site cheaper than the £106.20 GWR will have you pay if you don't know, and gets you there still late - but 40 minutes after the train they offer you having cancelled the 06:29.

Another good reason to have a knowledgable person able to offer help at the station!

[bobm]

And after all that, if you had caught the 07:21 and gone via Reading you would have arrived in Southampton Central just over 20 minutes late at 10:05 (but got delay repay).

[grahame]

And after all that, if you had caught the 07:21 and gone via Reading you would have arrived in Southampton Central just over 20 minutes late at 10:05 (but got delay repay).

Sorta point-of-view.  If you had caught the 06:29 as planned, you would have planned an arrival into Southampton at 08:10 - so you (and your employer or a person meeting you) might consider that 115 minutes late

[grahame]

18:37 Westbury to Swindon due 19:21
20:12 Swindon to Westbury due 20:56
21:16 Westbury to Swindon due 21:58
22:31 Swindon to Westbury due 23:12

22:31 Swindon to Westbury due 23:12 will be cancelled.
This is due to a fault on this train

[grahame]

20:06 Westbury to Cheltenham Spa due 22:06

20:06 Westbury to Cheltenham Spa due 22:06 will be terminated at Gloucester.
It will no longer call at Cheltenham Spa.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

[TaplowGreen]

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.

[TaplowGreen]

05:11 Gloucester to Southampton Central due 08:10
05:11 Gloucester to Southampton Central due 08:10 will be terminated at Swindon.
It will no longer call at Chippenham, Melksham, Trowbridge, Westbury, Dilton Marsh, Warminster, Salisbury, Romsey and Southampton Central.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

06:35 Salisbury to Worcester Foregate Street due 09:47
06:35 Salisbury to Worcester Foregate Street due 09:47 will be terminated at Westbury.
It will no longer call at Trowbridge, Melksham, Chippenham, Swindon, Kemble, Stroud, Stonehouse, Gloucester, Cheltenham Spa, Ashchurch For Tewkesbury, Worcester Shrub Hill and Worcester Foregate Street.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

[JohnM]

Great - that's commute plans A & B out of the window then 

[grahame]

Great - that's commute plans A & B out of the window then 

Plan C - bus to Manvers Street.   Oh no, wait, that's closed for engineering works at the moment.