Question raised with me yesterday - the 07:21 from Melksham / why does it not properly connect with a train at Chippenham into Bristol? ("There used to be an 07:45 from Chippenham, which was ideal")

As at May 2019, the 06:30 from Paddington called at Chippenham at 07:45 (see https://www.passenger.chat/nrtt/2019_05/Table%20125.pdf ) and made a good connection.  The train has been accelerated, and now leaves Paddington at 06:28 and calls at Chippenham at 07:33 - the faster journey being due to the new IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train - replacement for HSTs (manufactured by Hitachi in Kobe, Japan)) trains which accelerate far better, especially under electric power from London, Reading and Swindon.  The train no longer calls at Didcot, and the Reading and Swindon stops are shorter because train doors are automatic and not manual "slammers".

The timetables for all trains from Paddington were revised in December 2019, and the change was major - described as shooting now-faster bullets out of a gun, and then having to replan all the train services that cross over - such as those through Melksham and through Bradford-on-Avon to dodge the bullets.

The 07:20 / 07:21 from Melksham is now scheduled into Chippenham just 2 or 3 minutes before the Bristol train leaves.  The connection is not "guaranteed" and indeed it's a gamble as to whether or not passenger can make the change - if they can't get onto the 07:33 from Chippenham, next train is 08:09.  And it can be really irritating to pull into Chippenham as the Bristol train pulls out - or to rush across to it to find the doors have just closed. To be told to stand back, and be reminded by platform staff that "it is not a connection".  We don't have a "Swiss system" - I used to worry about the 1 minute change at Dissentis, but have done it several times and it works; their trains have more relaxed timing and the connection "always" works.

What can be done for Melksham to Bath and Bristol passengers?  It's noted that for a 3 week period last summer, the 06:28 from Paddington made an extra call at Didcot, was 3 minutes later at Chippenham, and offered an "official" connection. It was then 3 minutes later into Bristol, which was no operational problem - no clashes along the way with other train paths, and it sits in Bristol for eleven minutes before carrying on to Weston-super-mare.  This cannot be done as standard, as the extra Didcot call was because a following train as not running, and now that it's running again, the Bristol train would get in its way!

We have suggested that the 06:28 from Paddington pause for 3 minutes at Swindon, and run 3 minutes later form there to Bristol.  That would make for a 5 minute connection at Chippenham, and a 45 minute journey Melksham to Bristol, as opposed to the current 75 minute (official) journey.  Our suggestion has been turned down - it added 3 minutes to the London to Bristol journey for passengers joining at 06:28 at Paddington and carrying on beyond Swindon - I have no measure of numbers.  The 3 minutes would NOT break connections at Bath to Bradford-on-Avon.  It WOULD break an onward official connection to Filton Abbey Wood, but then as that train also come up through Bath, and official connection could be made there, with a same-platform change rather than a scramble across Temple Meads in just-under-12-minutes.

Although we have not thus far succeeded in persuading GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) to make this change, it's worth asking again bearing in mind the Bath Spa change option for passengers from Swindon and Chippenham to Filton Abbey Wood. But if the London to Bristol time - even at that early hour from London - is paramount, our request may fall on stoney ground.

We HAVE succeeded in getting a better connection into Bristol off the 06:36 - and also an official connection to the Weymouth line - by having that train pulled back to 06:29.   Give a Bristol arrival of 07:28 (59 minute journey) versus 07:48 - a 72 minute journey.  And saves the scrambles between trains that we used to see at Trowbridge (for Bristol) and Westbury (for Weymouth).

Ironically, the question was asked about trains from Melksham - there's a much more serious question about trains back to Melksham, where a missed 'connecting' service at Chippenham or Trowbridge results is a wait of around 2 hours.  I was in London yesterday ... got back to Chippenham and having missed the 15:31, next train not due until 17:50.  No "connection failure" in that case - simply a gap in the timetable.  I knew to take the bus ... which runs 5 times a day (from 15:30 to 17:30) from Chippenham Station. Another story.

Why can't the train leave Paddington at 06.30 rather than 06.28, as it used to? It would keep it in the timing people expect Temple Meads trains to run, on the hour and half hour, and would at least make a change at Chippenham slightly more reliable.