First Great Western Bedwyn/Pewsey

[SprinterMan]

Why do FGW terminate their local services on the Reading to Taunton line at Bedwyn. If they ran to Pewsey or Westbury, FGW could finally give Pewsey a regular service, and also less InterCity trains would have to stop at Pewsey & Westbury.

 

[jd]

Why do FGW terminate their local services on the Reading to Taunton line at Bedwyn. If they ran to Pewsey or Westbury, FGW could finally give Pewsey a regular service, and also less InterCity trains would have to stop at Pewsey & Westbury.

Wikipedia says it's an oddity from pre-privatisation - Bedwyn was the last station of Network SouthEast, and Pewsey was InterCity.

 

[louis97]

I dont think Pewsey would require a regular service off-peak, whenever I have stopped there in the off-peak it has always been quiet, however during peak I have seen a fair few people board the trains. Also i'd imagine the fact of the siding at Bedwyn making it a good location to turn back, without requiring anymore route knowledge for Turbo drivers/guards.

 

[TheWalrus]

I dont think Pewsey would require a regular service off-peak, whenever I have stopped there in the off-peak it has always been quiet, however during peak I have seen a fair few people board the trains. Also i'd imagine the fact of the siding at Bedwyn making it a good location to turn back, without requiring anymore route knowledge for Turbo drivers/guards.

SIGH SIGH SIGH! This is all rubbish! Firstly turbos run driver only to Bedwyn. Pewsey has 193k pax per annum, so is 1tp3h really acceptable? ABSOLUTELY NOT. It's a disgrace. The way the route is operated is a shocking failure. I agree with the first poster. Bedwyn is the most ridiculous place to terminate a service, and yes these trains should continue to at least Taunton!

 

[tbtc]

is 1tp3h really acceptable? ABSOLUTELY NOT. It's a disgrace. The way the route is operated is a shocking failure

Really?

 

[TEW]

The service around 10 to London has always been busy when I have stopped there but unfortunately the service is not going to get any better, the station is simply in the wrong place. Turbos couldn't be extended there without employing guards to operate on every train and of course extra rolling stock would need to be provided. It's hard for more HST services to call because of the extension to journey times it causes. Westbury and Castle Cary get a better service because they are interchanges with other lines, which increases the traffic to them.

 

[Greenback]

There is a need for a better service on the Berks & Hants. There should be a semi fast or stopping service to Exeter or Taunton calling at Castle Cary, Pewsey, Frome and other selected stations.

 

[jopsuk]

It'll be interesting to see what happens to services along this route with the wires stopping at Newbury (announced today)

 

[Greenback]

I'd envisage a half hourly electric service to Newbury, hourly diesel units to Bedwyn, and occasional calls by IC diesel trains as now. In other words, not much change!

 

[Nick O. Teen]

The service around 10 to London has always been busy when I have stopped there but unfortunately the service is not going to get any better, the station is simply in the wrong place. Turbos couldn't be extended there without employing guards to operate on every train and of course extra rolling stock would need to be provided. It's hard for more HST services to call because of the extension to journey times it causes. Westbury and Castle Cary get a better service because they are interchanges with other lines, which increases the traffic to them.

Any idea why?

 

[turbo mick]

I drive 2 bedwyn a lot of the time the problem you have is route learning the drivers as only ltv drivers at padd and reading drive the units down that route probably looking at over 200 drivers sign down to bedwyn also i think there is a issue with the radio we have CSR which i dont think covers down to westbury and training the guards also

cheers

 

[TheWalrus]

I'd envisage a half hourly electric service to Newbury, hourly diesel units to Bedwyn, and occasional calls by IC diesel trains as now. In other words, not much change!

Occasional? That's terrible! You earlier posted that there should be a semi-fast to Taunton or Exeter!

 

[jd]

Occasional? That's terrible! You earlier posted that there should be a semi-fast to Taunton or Exeter!

There's a difference between what somebody says there should be and what they say they envisage there will be...

 

[TheWalrus]

There's a difference between what somebody says there should be and what they say they envisage there will be...

Ah true

 

[Greenback]

Yes, what I meant was that I don't think that wires to Newbury will improve the local service on the B&H, despite the fact that I think it does need to eb improved!

 

[LE Greys]

I tend to agree with Greenback about the semi-fast idea. I believe that FGW did operate a two-hourly Della to Exeter StD as an extension of the Bedwyn service, but it didn't stop at Bedwyn (not sure if it stopped at Frome either, certainly not Bruton). The biggest problem would probably be pathing, although having the unit sit around in the platforms at Westbury or Frome might help there. The other thing is the fact that FGW doesn't have a high-speed DMU any more, so the service would have to be either an HST or a 158, unless they retain a few Turbos.

It seems a bit unlikely that it will ever happen.

 

[Greenback]

Reinstatement of the 'missing' platform at Westbury might help the scheduling of such trains.

 

[tbtc]

It'll be interesting to see what happens to services along this route with the wires stopping at Newbury (announced today)

Is it just me who finds that part of the announcement strange?

Electrification beyond Maidenhead to Reading/ Didcot/ Oxford makes sense. But wiring from Reading/ Reading West/ Newbury is only going to save one unit since the Bedwyn service will still need DMUs and the Taunton/ Exeter service will still be diesel too.

For the same money surely it'd have been better to wire Reading/ Reading West/ Basingstoke? That saves more units (since Basingstoke is a half hourly contained route) andopens up the potential of electric services from Southampton/Portsmouth to Reading/ Oxford etc.It would also encourage electrification of the stretch from Oxford to Coventry, as the whole of the Manchester - Bournemouth service would be electrified if this happened.

Why Newbury and not Basingstoke?

 

[Greenback]

I wish I knew, unless the intention is to serve Newbury half hourly by EMU/DMU? I ahree Basingstoke would appear to make more sense strategically.

 

[tbtc]

I wish I knew, unless the intention is to serve Newbury half hourly by EMU/DMU? I ahree Basingstoke would appear to make more sense strategically.

It'd make sense if the London - Bedwyn were cut back to a London - Newbury service (with HSTs making more stops at Hungerford etc, but it's about thirty miles from Reading to Newbury to save *one* DMU, seems a real waste of money (when you consider you could save a lot more by wiring something shorter like Gospel Oak to Barking or Marshlink or Oxted or...)

Is Newbury an important seat for the coalition?

 

[Greenback]

If memory serves it has been in the news in previous elections or by elections for some reason...

 

[cle]

I always thought Newbury was an odd one to finish at. Bedwyn would have made more sense, but still a bit middle of nowhere.

Maybe with better acceleration, extending the Bedwyns (and wires) to Westbury would at least have the service ending somewhere with onward connections.

To be honest, doing to Basingstoke would release more turbos as it's 2tph on that shuttle DMU route, as opposed to 1tph (from Reading to Newbury). I suppose a continuation to Basingstoke might make sense, given that it would now be wired through to Reading West.

 

[tbtc]

To be honest, doing to Basingstoke would release more turbos as it's 2tph on that shuttle DMU route, as opposed to 1tph (from Reading to Newbury)

Places like Brighton/ Portsmouth have lost their Cross Country services in recent years.

Electrifying to Basingstoke (instead of Newbury) would encourage direct routes from the south coast to Reading (or even Oxford!) which at least gives decent connections to Birmingham/ Lancashire/ Yorkshire

 

[cle]

Oh, I meant AC wires, so the route could be done with 319s - maybe continuing to London. Or be added to Crossrail?

But third rail would be good too - Reading could act as a secondary London terminus for the SW lines, and increase frequencies down towards Weymouth. Brighton/Portsmouth trains would be good too - but these would be better via North Downs, which should also be third railed - loads of DMUs would be released there...

 

[tbtc]

North Downs, which should also be third railed - loads of DMUs would be released there...

Agreed

Which is why electrifying thirty miles to save one DMU is so strange, when you could do the North Downs line, release a lot more DMUs and give scope for more through EMU services (Brighton - Gatwick - Guildford - Reading - Oxford?)

 

[TheWalrus]

Basingstoke would make more sense! And terminating trains at Bedwyn is the most ridiculous idea out! Some muppet thought of that I reckon!

 

[Mike Redding]

It'd make sense if the London - Bedwyn were cut back to a London - Newbury service (with HSTs making more stops at Hungerford etc, but it's about thirty miles from Reading to Newbury to save *one* DMU, seems a real waste of money (when you consider you could save a lot more by wiring something shorter like Gospel Oak to Barking or Marshlink or Oxted or...)

Is Newbury an important seat for the coalition?

Newbury is a conservative seat (and has been for about 10 years now - previously Lib Dem. Labour have a tiny amount of support in that constituency), and the world headquarters of Vodafone are there. They also have the racecourse. At the moment a large part of the town centre is being redeveloped with a large new shopping area, and hotels and stuff. I imagine West Berks Council and Vodafone (who get quite a few commuters by train) would have had something to do with it

 

[tbtc]

Newbury is a conservative seat (and has been for about 10 years now - previously Lib Dem. Labour have a tiny amount of support in that constituency), and the world headquarters of Vodafone are there. They also have the racecourse. At the moment a large part of the town centre is being redeveloped with a large new shopping area, and hotels and stuff. I imagine West Berks Council and Vodafone (who get quite a few commuters by train) would have had something to do with it

Ah!

So Vodafone avoid a £6,000,000,000 tax liability *but* the Government bend over backwards to improve train services to their town?

 

[TheWalrus]

Newbury is a conservative seat (and has been for about 10 years now - previously Lib Dem. Labour have a tiny amount of support in that constituency), and the world headquarters of Vodafone are there. They also have the racecourse. At the moment a large part of the town centre is being redeveloped with a large new shopping area, and hotels and stuff. I imagine West Berks Council and Vodafone (who get quite a few commuters by train) would have had something to do with it

So why doesn't Newbury get a reasonable service if it has so much potential!

 

[devon_metro]

SIGH SIGH SIGH! This is all rubbish! Firstly turbos run driver only to Bedwyn. Pewsey has 193k pax per annum, so is 1tp3h really acceptable? ABSOLUTELY NOT. It's a disgrace. The way the route is operated is a shocking failure. I agree with the first poster. Bedwyn is the most ridiculous place to terminate a service, and yes these trains should continue to at least Taunton!

Gosh. What a load of rubbish.

Most of those 193k passengers commute to and from London, for which this market is well served. Running an off peak half empty service to Taunton would be a complete waste of time, not to mention money and waste of units that are far better utilised on the core LTV region. Bedwyn is the most convenient and sensible place to turn the service round, extensions to Westbury would be useful perhaps but the lack of platform space as mentioned is an issue.