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

[whole diary]

[grahame]

17:50 Gloucester to Salisbury due 20:06

17:50 Gloucester to Salisbury due 20:06 has been delayed at Gloucester and is now 40 minutes late.
This is due to trespassers on the railway.

[grahame]

20:06 Westbury to Cheltenham Spa due 22:06

20:06 Westbury to Cheltenham Spa due 22:06 will be started from Swindon.
It will no longer call at Westbury, Trowbridge, Melksham and Chippenham.
This is due to trespassers on the railway.

Err ... is this what they are talking about?

Delays to services at Gloucester
Following trespassers on the railway at Gloucester the line has now reopened.
Train services running through this station may be delayed by up to 15 minutes. Disruption is expected until 19:45 31/07.
Customer Advice
-
What has happened?
-
Trespassers have been reported on the railway in the Gloucester area. Trespassing is when a person is reported to be on or next to the railway track, the land next to the track, or any area near the railway that isnt open to the public. Until it is confirmed that the trespassers are away from the railway we are unable to run trains through the area.

Surely not  ...
* This is disruption well after 19:45
* Westbury to Swindon is not "in the Gloucester area"
* The problem is reported to be causing delays, not short runnings /part cancellations.

[TaplowGreen]

14:04 Frome to Swindon due 14:57
14:04 Frome to Swindon due 14:57 will be cancelled.
This is due to congestion.

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 congestion.

[GBM]

14:04 Frome to Swindon due 14:57
14:04 Frome to Swindon due 14:57 will be cancelled.
This is due to congestion.

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 congestion.

I'd love to know what GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway)'s definition of 'congestion' is.
So many questions around one word, which to me, doesn't say anything!

[Chris from Nailsea]

You have no idea what congestion there can be, at Melksham station. I''ve seen it - five cars in the parking area there, all at the same time! 

[Trowres]

Congestion

Hmm...

The stock for the 1404 Frome-Swindon (1M11) comes from Westbury as an ECS^▸ (Empty Coaching Stock) (5M11), departing Westbury sidings at 1325.
Today, it appears not to have run.

Instead, there was a Very-short-term-planning (VST) passenger service from Westbury to Bristol TM^▸ (Train Manager, or Ticket Machine, or Temple Meads (Bristol), depending on context), scheduled to depart from Westbury at 1330. Coincidence that its reporting code was 1Z11?

It returned from Bristol to Westbury as 1Z12, arriving a little earlier than the scheduled 1523 at platform 2.

This suggests it was in the right place to form the rump end to Frome of the otherwise cancelled 1544 Swindon-Frome.

The only thing I can see that might be termed "congestion" is that trains between Paddington and South Wales are running via Chippenham today (and are also a bit off booked times due to yesterday's fire west of Newport).

[grahame]

Congestion

Hmm...

The only thing I can see that might be termed "congestion" is that trains between Paddington and South Wales are running via Chippenham today (and are also a bit off booked times due to yesterday's fire west of Newport).

Perhaps "congestion" was passengers at Bath Spa and they needed an extra train from there to Bristol?

[Trowres]

Perhaps "congestion" was passengers at Bath Spa and they needed an extra train from there to Bristol?

I considered that. Not impossible, although there were no obvious rail-related causes such as cancellations or short-forms at Bath in the relevant time period.

[grahame]

Perhaps "congestion" was passengers at Bath Spa and they needed an extra train from there to Bristol?

I considered that. Not impossible, although there were no obvious rail-related causes such as cancellations or short-forms at Bath in the relevant time period.

We will probably never know ... and in the great run of things it was just (yet) another cancellation leaving a four hour plus gap in services at short notice without easily-forgiven external explanation or alternative advertised.

[grahame]

21:16 Westbury to Swindon due 21:58
22:31 Swindon to Westbury due 23:12

Facilities on the 22:31 Swindon to Westbury due 23:12.
Will be formed of 3 coaches instead of 2.

[grahame]

20:06 Westbury to Cheltenham Spa due 22:06

20:06 Westbury to Cheltenham Spa due 22:06 has been delayed at Westbury and is now 24 minutes late.
This is due to a fault on this train which is now fixed.

Driver's cab has cooled off enough as temperatures drop in the evening to make it bearable? 

[TaplowGreen]

17:50 Gloucester to Salisbury due 20:06

17:50 Gloucester to Salisbury due 20:06 will be terminated at Swindon.

It will no longer call at Stonehouse, Stroud, Kemble, Chippenham, Melksham, Trowbridge, Westbury, Dilton Marsh, Warminster and Salisbury.

It is being delayed at Gloucester.
This is due to a broken down train.

[grahame]

18:37 Westbury to Swindon due 19:21
20:12 Swindon to Westbury due 20:56 will be cancelled.
This is due to a safety inspection of the track.

and

Delays to services between Newbury and Reading
Following a safety inspection of the track between Newbury and Reading the line towards Newbury will be reopened shortly.
Train services running to and from these stations are returning to normal. Disruption is expected until the end of the day.
Customer Advice
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What has happened?
-
We have had a report of a defect with the track in the Theale area. Trains may not be able to run over the affected line until it has been inspected or may have to run at reduced speed.

Is it fair to take it that a safety inspection in Berkshire on the Berks and Hants is the case of cancellation of trains in Wiltshire on the Transwilts line?

[bobm]

Another reason for capacity improvements on the Melksham line.

Congestion at Thingley Junction as trains wait for the single line.

6C57 A freight to Whatley Quarry went onto the single line at 18:43 (booked route)
4W99 A freight from Oxford to Westbury was delayed for around five minutes waiting for the above to clear Bradford Junction (booked to go round the west curve at Reading but diverted)
2O99 The 17:50 Gloucester to Salisbury was 1 minute early at Chippenham but then delayed 11 minutes waiting for the single line (booked route)
1V01 An excursion from London Victoria to Bishop's Lydeard was held up for several minutes behind 2O09 and then headed towards Bristol (diverted from the B&H^▸ (Berks and Hants - railway line from Reading to Taunton via Westbury))
1C91 The 17:36 from London Paddington to Plymouth was delayed for five minutes behind the two above before taking the single line (diverted from the B&H)
1C27 The 18:01 from London Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads was stuck in the queue for 11 minutes at Chippenham before going on towards Bath. (booked route)

[Image from here is not available to guests]

[bobm]

Another diverted freight 6V70 was briefly checked at Thingley East waiting for 1C91 to reach Bradford Junction.   Fortunately the following 1C28 18:30 London Paddington to Weston-super-Mare was already over 10 minutes late so was not delayed any further at Thingley.