Not a good morning..relief line problems!

[whole diary]

[bigdaz]

Line incident

Line problem between Reading and Didcot Parkway.
Train services are being disrupted due to over-running engineering works between Reading and Didcot Parkway.Engineers are working as fast as possible to restore services to normal. Short notice alterations, cancellations and delays of up to 15 minutes can be expected.
Services are unable to call at Pangbourne. Road replacement transport will operate between Reading and Pangbourne in both directions.

Last Updated: 16/09/2010 06:58
Service incidents

05:46 Exeter St Davids to London Paddington due 08:38
This train has been revised.It will no longer call at: Castle Cary, Westbury, Pewsey, Hungerford and Newbury.This is due to a train fault.

05:57 London Paddington to Oxford due 07:53
This train has been revised.It will no longer call at: Tilehurst, Pangbourne, Goring & Streatley and Cholsey.This is due to over-running engineering works.
Road replacement transport will operate between Reading and Pangbourne.

06:07 Oxford to London Paddington due 08:14
This train has been revised.It will no longer call at: Pangbourne.This is due to over-running engineering works.
Road replacement transport will operate between Pangbourne and Reading.

06:08 Banbury to London Paddington due 08:32
This train has been revised.It will no longer call at: Cholsey, Goring & Streatley, Pangbourne and Tilehurst.This is due to over-running engineering works.
Road replacement transport will operate between Pangbourne and Reading.

06:20 Didcot Parkway to London Paddington due 07:27
This train has been revised.It will no longer call at: Pangbourne.This is due to over-running engineering works.
Road replacement transport will operate between Pangbourne and Reading.

06:35 Didcot Parkway to London Paddington due 07:39
This train has been cancelled.This is due to over-running engineering works.

06:48 London Paddington to Great Malvern due 09:31
This train has been revised.It will no longer call at: Pangbourne.This is due to over-running engineering works.
Road replacement transport will operate between Reading and Pangbourne.

06:57 London Paddington to Oxford due 08:42
This train has been revised.It will no longer call at: Tilehurst, Pangbourne, Goring & Streatley and Cholsey.This is due to over-running engineering works.
Road replacement transport will operate between Reading and Pangbourne.

07:09 Didcot Parkway to Bicester Town due 07:53
This train will be started from Oxford.It will no longer call at: Didcot Parkway, Culham and Radley.This is due to over-
Last Updated: 16/09/2010 05:29

[amiddl]

05:46 Exeter St Davids to London Paddington due 08:38
This train has been revised.It will no longer call at: Castle Cary, Westbury, Pewsey, Hungerford and Newbury.This is due to a train fault.

It was fascinating to see how a train problem at Exeter St Davids meant that people in Theale/Midgham/Aldermaston didn't get to work on time.

Removing the call at Newbury saw the communting throng (expecting a HST^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units))) all trying to get onto the stopping service to Reading to make a connection. By the time the two coach Turbo left Newbury it was already packed in the aisles and doorways. As it stopped at each intermediate station a few lucky people found a way on (just) but many were left behind with a wait for the next stopper.  I guess few people who missed the train realised the reason they were late was a problem at Exeter and a decision not to stop an HST at Newbury.

A classic knock-on effect.

[eightf48544]

Also what about the poor people from Castle Cary and Pewsey, how long do they have to wait? Taxis?

[inspector_blakey]

Does rather illustrate how in many respects FGW^▸ (First Great Western) is stuck between a rock and a hard place, since its Intercity services also carry significant commuter traffic. Unfortunately difficult to see how that situation could have been resolved to the benefit of both though.

[eightf48544]

The only way would be more and probably longer trains.

Inter City to go back to being fast and maybe not stopping at Reading and  Semi fast REs^▸ (Religious Education) conencting into ICs^▸ (Inter City train, or Internal Combustion engine, depending on context) when being overtaken and RBs all stations connecting into the RE and ICs at appropriate places as required.

Certainly most Turbos  in the TV^▸ (Thames Valley, or TeleVision, depending on context) and Kennet Valley need at least one extra coach per train, but there just aren't enough of them.

[hornbeam]

Both the 8.12 Reading to Bedwyn and the 17.15 Newbury to Reading are now always two car used to be three. so there has been a reduction in length.