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December 30, 2007
How have trains being doing in the last 48 hours?
A new train running log that tells you about cancellations, short workings and shortened trains is now running on our web site. It's in a test form and is being provided in response to various requests from people who want to keep an eye on just how things are going - to be able to praise First as things get better, but also to be able to point out when things are getting worse in one particular area when perhaps they haven't noticed.
I'm taking the opportunity to gather - for a few days anyway - further background information on each change recorded. It's arguable as to whether "Jo Public" really cares whether his train doesn't turn up because it's completely cancelled, running a shortened route or skipping stations, and whether he cares if the cause is equipment failure, the lack of the right staff, the weather or a "fatality" - which usually means a suicide for any readers who aren't in the "know". But anyway - I have some extra data for researchers
Posted by gje at 09:57 AM | Comments (0)
December 25, 2007
Happy Christmas everyone!
I've been quiet here for the last couple of weeks, while all around has been chaos. A new set of timetables, new stock allocations that have sent units haring all over the country, continuing staff shortages, and new operating practices such as selective door opening in place of Grandfather rights. Cancellation rates of TransWilts services hit 75% again the other day - three out of four trains cancelled, with 50% gone the day before and 25% the day after ... and I'm being generous there as there are one or two trains that I am assuming ran. Under normal circumstances, that will be a fair assumption but we do not live in normal circumstances these days on the TransWilts, do we?
But I can be sure that there will be no cancellations today. It's Christmas day, and I would like to thank everyone for their support for the cause that we're campaigning for here - an appropriate service on the TransWilts line. And I have to say that I'm more optimistic this Christmas than I was last; that may seem incredible - but we have moved forward from an official response of "don't be silly" to an official response of "everyone agrees there's a good case". There's more to follow on that in the new year.
Have a great day today, however, whatever and with whoever you choose to celebrate!
Posted by gje at 06:00 AM | Comments (0)
December 08, 2007
Trains to and from Melksham - Timetable from Dec07 to May08
Draft mini-timetable for Melksham trains, December '07 to May '08
Displaying out of column? If so, click here for a link to the archive!
Table 1 - Swindon to Westbury
M-F M-F Sat Sat Sun
London (Paddington) - 17s45 14s15 20s00 17s07
Reading - 18s11 14s41 20s27 17s42Worcester Shrub Hill - 17:05 - 19b10 -
Cheltenham - 17:33 14s01 20s01 16s35
Gloucester 05:29 17:51 14s15 20s15 16s49Swindon 06:18 18:45 15:29 21:08 18:31
Chippenham 06:34 19:01 15:45 21:24 18:47
Melksham 06:43 19:11 15:58 21:34 18:57
Trowbridge 06:53 19:20 16:07 21:43 19:06
Westbury 07:01 19:27 16:13 21:51 19:13Frome 09w37 20w03 17w44 00w05 21w47
Warminster 07:13 19:49 16w47 22w09 19w37
Salisbury 07:36 20:13 17w09 22w32 20w00
Romsey 07:56 20:33 17w50 22w56 20w19
Southampton 08:09 20:45 18:04 23w08 20w31--------------------------------------------------------------
M-F M-F Sat Sat Sun Sun
Southampton - 18w10 06w47 13w10 15w54 17w54
Romsey - 18w21 06w59 13w21 16w06 18w06
Salisbury 06w12 18w41 07w23 13w52 16w28 18w28
Warminster 06w32 19w01 07w43 14w12 16w48 18w48
Frome 06w43 18w27 07w55 14w34 15w18 19w18Westbury 07:02 19:32 09:03 15:04 17:05 19:35
Trowbridge 07:08 19:38 09:09 15:10 17:11 19:42
Melksham 07:17 19:47 09:18 15:19 17:21 19:51
Chippenham 07:30 20:02 09:30 15:28 17:31 20:04
Swindon 07:48 20:19 09:48 15:47 17:48 20:20Gloucester 08:50 21:16 11s04 17s04 19s18 21:20
Cheltenham 09:03 21:26 11s20 17s20 19g46 21:30
Worcester Shrub Hill 10c13 22c10 12b15 - 20g14 -Reading 08s32 21s01 10s32 16s44 18s27 20s57
London (Paddington) 09s06 21s30 10s59 17s15 19s10 21s40w - change at Westbury
s - change at Swindon
c - change at Cheltenham Spa
b - change at both Swindon and Cheltenham Spa
g - change at both Swindon and Gloucester---------------------------------------------------------------------
Table 2 - Melksham to Bath and Bristol
Monday to Friday
Melksham 06:43 07:17 19:11 19:47
Change at Tro Chi Tro Chi
Bath 07:28 08:00 20:08 20:30
Bristol Temple Meads 07:45 08:17 20:29 20:45Bristol Temple Meads 06:00 18:31 18:49
Bath 06:13 18:43 19:07
Change at Chi Chi Tro
Melksham 06:43 19:11 19:47Saturday
Melksham 09:18 15:19 15:58 21:34
Change at Chi Chi Tro Tro
Bath 10:00 16:00 16:35 22:35
Bristol Temple Meads 10:15 16:15 16:47 22:48Bristol Temple Meads 08:24 14:24 15:00 20:33
Bath 08:37 14:37 15:13 20:56
Change at Tro Tro Chi Chi
Melksham 09:18 15:19 15:58 21:34Sunday
Melksham 17:21 18:57 19:51
Change at Chi Tro Chi
Bath 18:46 20:02 20:47
Bristol Temple Meads 19:02 20:20 21:02Bristol Temple Meads 16:10 18:00 18:50
Bath 16:24 18:13 19:02
Change at Tro Chi Tro
Melksham 17:21 18:57 19:51Chi - Chippenham
Tro - Trowbridge
Although technically possible to travel from Melksham to London (Paddington) via Westbury, there are no useful connections via this route in the current timetable.
Alternative journeys to Gloucester, Cheltenham and Worcester are possible via Trowbridge.
Connections with a minimum of 5 minutes are shown.
Posted by gje at 05:48 PM | Comments (0)
December 07, 2007
TransWilts trains ceased a year ago. Lets look forward
A year ago today, I saw Andrew Griffiths being verbally attacked by an irate woman who had just got on the train to travel home and learned that it was the very last time the train would run. Come the following Monday, it was to be gone. And I'll admit to being rather happy that FGW's managers were seeing, First hand, just how much they about to mess peoples lives up.
Andrew is First Great Western's Severn and Solent Manager - largely managing customer relations - and he was on the final 17:43 from Swindon to Southampton, pretty well packed as it pulled out of Chippenham to leave the main line and head South for the Stragetically Significant towns and growing urban areas and cities of Melksham, Trowbridge, Westbury, Warminster, Salisbury, Romsey and Southampton.
Famous quotes from around that time:
"We can't run any more trains because the DfT has laid down this specification".
"The train has to run at the new time because it also has to provide a commuter service on the Stroud Valley line"
"I know you think the current service is unreliable, but at least that should chance when we cut out most of the trains"
How do we stand a year on? We have an appalingly timed service on this line now, and the passenger numbers have plummeted. Some people have given up their jobs, some use the bus, some drive to a railhead. Businesswise, some of our customers now stay over as they won't commute any more. From 40% of our customers using the train in the last half of last year, we moved to just four customers using in the first half of this year. The railway line lies as a dreadfully underutilised resource, and travellers up and down the corridor have a great deal of their time wasted. It gives me no pleasure in telling First Great Western I told you so.
And yet ... I see mixed signs, rather than all negative signs, looking ahead. A lot of water has flowed under the bridge in the past year, even if it's happened being doors and not on the tracks. Let me get the negative one out of the way first.
You were correct Andrew, we did see a change in reliability. Downhill. Up to 40% of remaining scheduled services cancelled in January. Of course, since no-one really wanted the 06:19 from Swindon, it's a moot point as to how much harm that cancelleation did! And you're getting better now - only 2 out of 26 cancelled in the last week, i.e. only 8%.
And I applaud your attempts, although they were stillborn, to re-use the remaining trips of the Westbury shuttle to provide a TransWilts service as from next Monday. It shows that the service can be uncoupled from the Stroud Valley and that you can, once again, run a train at times that are appropriate for your customers.
Better still, on Sunday you introduce an extra service that's above the DfT's specification and provide, once again, a Southbound Sunday service. That's an excellent (if token) demonstration that it can be done ... (although a pity that engineering works this Sunday will have it start just from Chippenham).
I'll be at Melksham Station on Sunday. I'll be meeting a customer off the train ;-). And, no, I didn't have to "engineer" that. Let me reassure you that if you provide an approrpriate service, it will be used.
I look forward to working with Andrew, and Andrew, and John, and Fleur, and Peter, and others over the next year. And to be writing a further annual report 52 weeks from now that is telling you about all the new travel opportunities you'll have as from the coming Sunday. A year ago I would have said that was foolish optimism, but today I'll tell you it's a realistic possibility.
Posted by gje at 06:15 PM | Comments (0)
December 03, 2007
Santa Claus spotted at Swindon Station
On Saturday, 1st December, over 80 people travelled by train from Melksham to Swindon and back to meet Santa Claus on the return train. The group was seen off from Melksham by the town Criers of Melksham and Ilfracombe soon after 9 O'clock, had a great time shopping and visiting the Steam museum in Swindon before lunch, and returned on the early afternoon train accompanied by Santa Claus, who gave presents to over 30 children in the group. The outing was arranged by the Melksham Railway Development Group.
Crowds at Melksham Station
Santa Claus at Swindon
Santa seeing the children on the train
Posted by gje at 10:32 AM | Comments (0)