|
Pages: [1]
|
 |
|
 Author
|
Topic: SLC2 - text of the service specification for Swindon - Westbury (Read 4239 times)
|
|
Graham Ellis
|
F5 WESTBURY – SWINDON
1 Route Definition
1.1 Services shall be provided between Westbury and Swindon calling at Chippenham, Melksham and Trowbridge.
1.2 Services may be joined to services specified in Route A4 (Swindon - Cheltenham) or Route F4 (Westbury – Weymouth).
2 Frequency
2.1 Mondays to Fridays
(a) Between and including the Early and Late Services, two services from Westbury shall be provided. One service shall arrive at Swindon between 0800 and 0830.
(b) Between and including the Early and Late Services, two services from Swindon shall be provided. One service shall depart between 1730 and 1900.
2.2 Saturdays
Between and including the Early and Late Services, two services shall be provided.
2.3 Sundays
Between and including the Early and Late Services, two services from Westbury shall be provided.
3 Maximum Journey Times
Route Monday - Friday Saturday Sunday
Westbury - Swindon 48 minutes 48 minutes 49 minutes
Swindon -Westbury 47 minutes 43 minutes 45 minutes
The above was issued on 15th August, stating " The copy you see attached here is up to date at the time of this email but may be subject to contract changes at any time." It's available in full from the DfT's public registry and lists all services under the Great Western Franschise. "SLC2" is the service to be run from December 2006.
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
|
Graham Ellis
|
Here are the most recent timings that I have for trains from December 2006Monday to Friday from December '06 From Swindon to Westbury at 06:20 (Westbury arrival 07:02) and 18:42 (Westbury arrival 19:24) Returning from Westbury at 07:02 (Swindon arrival 07:50) and 19:35 (Swindon Arrival 20:20) Saturday from December '06 From Westbury to Swindon to arrive at 08:20 and 14:04 Leaving Swindon at 14:21 and 20:50 to return to Westbury Sunday from December '06 From Southampton to Swindon to arrive at 20:25 and 22:20 The Monday to Friday services shown above are taken from the timetables currently published on the First Great Western web site. Saturday and Sunday services are reported from notes I made from an earlier draft that was not issued in electronic form. So the weekend service may contain some inaccuracies / have been superceeded. Link - Intermediate timings
|
|
|
|
« Last Edit: August 17, 2006, 07:12:49 AM by Graham Ellis »
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
|
Nick Field
|
So it looks like the morning train does not meet the SLC2 agreement? Is there anything that can be done about this?
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
|
Graham Ellis
|
So it looks like the morning train does not meet the SLC2 agreement? Is there anything that can be done about this?
I would suspect that a shout of "foul" might simply result in the goalposts being moved, with the service level specifier and operator agreeing a contractual alteration that allowed the morning train to arrive at Swidon any time from 07:45 to 08:30. I've been puzzled for a while why I wasn't able to find any Sunday trains from Swindon to Westbury in the draft timetable I say, in spite of assurances that we were to have 2 round trips a day, 7 days a week. It now turns out - news to me - that the service that First have contracted for is not 28 services a week but 26. The Sunday trains are provided at the end of the day up to Swindon; I'm not sure what the demand will be at that time (but then I haven't asked). It could just be that there's a market I'm not aware of, or it could be operationally convenient to finish the day for some of the Cardiff - Westbury - Salisbury - Southampton - Portsmouth units with a side trip to Swindon, then to run empty to St. Philip's Marsh. |
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
|
Lee
|
If I may , I would like to widen out this post to a certain extent.
Here are some further comparisons between SLC2 and the final FGW December 2006 timetable.
1) I have not commented on SLC2 where I feel that timetable changes agreed between the DfT & First make reaching a conclusion difficult.
2) I have not commented on the Westbury - Weymouth section of SLC2 at all , because the timetable for that route was radically altered on 3 April 2006.
3) I have interpreted the various clauses of SLC2 as best I can , but as Graham would put it , E & OE.
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
|
Lee
|
F1 CARDIFF CENTRAL – PORTSMOUTH HARBOUR
1 Route Definition
1.1 Services shall be provided between Cardiff Central and Portsmouth Harbour calling at Newport (S.Wales), Filton Abbey Wood, Bristol Temple Meads, Bath Spa, Trowbridge, Westbury, Warminster, Salisbury, Romsey, Southampton Central, Fareham, Cosham, Fratton and Portsmouth & Southsea. Services after 2000 need not call at Cosham.
1.2 Limited Stops shall be made at Dilton Marsh, Bradford-on-Avon, Freshford, Keynsham and Severn Tunnel Junction.
3 Limited Stops
3.1 Severn Tunnel Junction
(a) On Mondays to Fridays, two services departing Cardiff Central between 1700 and 1900 shall call.
They do , but are provided by F2 Cardiff Central - Westbury services.
3.4 Bradford-on-Avon
(a) On Mondays to Fridays, the service from Portsmouth Harbour specified in paragraph 2.1(f) shall call.
3.5 Dilton Marsh
On Mondays to Fridays, the service from Portsmouth Harbour specified in paragraph 2.1(f) shall call.
2.1 Mondays to Fridays
(f) Between and including the Early and Late Services, 14 services from Portsmouth Harbour shall be provided at hourly intervals.
14 services from Portsmouth Harbour at hourly intervals clearly do not call at Bradford - on - Avon & Dilton Marsh.
All F1 Cardiff Central - Portsmouth Harbour services exceed the maximum journey time of 3 hours 18 minutes except the 1730 & 1830 Cardiff Central departures.
All F1 Portsmouth Harbour - Cardiff Central services exceed the maximum journey time of 3 hours 14 minutes , although one exception of 3 hours 40 minutes is permitted.
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
|
Lee
|
F2 CARDIFF CENTRAL - WESTBURY
1 Route Definition
1.1 Services shall be provided between Cardiff Central and Westbury calling at Newport (S Wales), Severn Tunnel Junction, Patchway, Filton Abbey Wood, Bristol Temple Meads, Bath Spa, Bradford-on-Avon and Trowbridge.
1.2 Limited stops shall be made at Pilning, Stapleton Road, Lawrence Hill, Keynsham, Oldfield Park, Freshford, and Avoncliff.
1.3 Services may be joined to services specified in Route F3 (Westbury – Southampton Central) or Route F4 (Westbury – Weymouth).
2 Frequency
2.1 Mondays to Fridays
(b) Between and including the Early and Late Services, 15 services from Cardiff Central shall be provided at hourly intervals. The interval between the penultimate and the Late Service may be extended to two hours. Together with services specified in Route F1, these services shall provide a half-hourly interval service from Cardiff Central to Westbury between 0615 and 2045.
The 1200 Cardiff Central departure does not call at Patchway.
(c) Two additional services, which need not call at Bristol Temple Meads, shall be provided from Filton Abbey Wood to Westbury between 1600 and 1759.
Only one additional service is provided from Filton Abbey Wood to Westbury during this period.
(f) Between and including the Early and Late Services, 15 services shall be provided from Westbury at hourly intervals. Together with services specified in Route F1, these services shall provide a half-hourly interval service from Westbury to Cardiff Central between 0815 and 2115.
There are only 14 F2 services provided from Westbury and there is a 2 hour gap in the early evening.
3.2 Stapleton Road and Lawrence Hill
(a) On Mondays to Fridays, three services to Filton Abbey Wood shall call.
Only two services to Filton Abbey Wood call.
(b) On Mondays to Fridays, two services from Filton Abbey Wood shall call.
Only one service from Filton Abbey Wood calls.
The early F2 service from Cardiff Central arrives in Westbury 1 hour 5 minutes later than permitted.
All F2 Cardiff Central - Westbury services exceed the maximum journey time of 1 hour 39 minutes except the 1200 Cardiff Central departure.
The following F2 Westbury - Cardiff Central service departures exceed the maximum journey time of 1 hour 48 minutes :
0632 , 0732 , 0817 , 0932 , 1332 , 1532 , 1732.
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Lee
|
G1 BRISTOL TEMPLE MEADS – TAUNTON - EXETER ST DAVIDS
1 Route Definition
1.1 Services shall be provided between:
(a) Bristol Temple Meads and Taunton calling at Nailsea & Backwell, Yatton, Weston-super-Mare, Highbridge & Burnham-on-Sea and Bridgwater.
(b) Filton Abbey Wood and Weston-super-Mare calling at Bristol Temple Meads, Bedminster, Nailsea & Backwell, Yatton, Worle and Weston Milton.
1.2 Limited Stops shall be made at Tiverton Parkway, Exeter St Davids, Plymouth and Penzance by services specified in sub-Route 1.1(a) and at Stapleton Road and Parson Street by services specified in sub-Route 1.1(b). The intermediate stopping pattern between Exeter St Davids and Penzance is specified in Routes H1 (Exeter St Davids – Plymouth) and H2 (Plymouth – Penzance).
1.3 Services in sub-Route 1.1(a) may be joined to services specified in Route G3 (Bristol-Cheltenham)..
2.3 Route 1.1(b) Filton Abbey Wood and Weston-super-Mare, Mondays to Fridays and Saturdays
(a) Between 0645 and the Early Service, one service shall be provided from Bristol Temple Meads and Weston-super-Mare.
It isnt.
(b) Between and including the Early and Late Services, 14 services shall be provided from Filton Abbey Wood at hourly intervals. On Monday to Friday, the late service may be extended to Exeter St Davids calling at Taunton and Tiverton Parkway.
Only 13 G1 services are provided from Filton Abbey Wood at hourly intervals. There is a gap between 1140 - 1340.
(c) Between and including the Early and Late Services, 15 services shall be provided from Weston-super-Mare at hourly intervals. On Monday to Friday, the early service may originate from Exeter St Davids calling at Tiverton Parkway, Taunton, Bridgwater and Highbridge & Burnham-on-Sea.
Only 14 G1 services are provided from Weston-super-Mare TO Filton Abbey Wood at hourly intervals. There is a gap between the 1124 & 1324 Filton Abbey Wood arrivals.
The following G1 Bristol Temple Meads - Taunton service departures exceed the maximum journey time of 1 hour :
0925 , 1314 , 1525 , 1606 , 1725 , 1807 , 1905.
The 1938 G1 Taunton - Bristol Temple Meads service departure exceeds the maximum journey time of 1 hour 7 minutes.
The 0635 G1 Weston - super - Mare - Filton Abbey Wood service departure exceeds the maximum journey time of 47 minutes.
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
|
Graham Ellis
|
Lee, clearly the exact prespcription is not being followed .... I've noticed that it fails to do so even on a specifications that's so short on trains and limits such as the TransWilts remenant. Indeed, of just two limits as to when trains must run, they've managed to get one wrong - a 50% failure rate.
Question. What does one do? Fight to get the services as per the spec (which in any case is not ideal)? Suggest that the spec is modified to suit what's actually going to look after the customers rather better, even if it looks after First's shareholders rather less in the short term (in the long term, everyone would gain, I'm sure)? Suggest that the spec is modified to match the service that' acutally proposed? Or say 'never mind - you can't get everything exactly right'? I fear our input options are limited; I'm reminded from time to time that our chance for formal consulation on the spec was in the Spring of 2005, and that we were invited to make further inputs last winter / early spring. After considering of our views (and in some cases before considering our views), the decision was made on our behalf.
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
|
|
Pages: [1]
|
|
|
 |
