GWR the day after strikes

[Spet0789]

I need to travel from London to Cardiff to arrive by midday on Sunday 7th April. I was planning to travel the day before but that is a strike day. So I am considering travelling up first thing in Sunday.

Can I please ask forum members what the skeleton service on strike days looks like, and should I expect disruption the following day.

Thanks in advance.

 

[mrcheek]

GWR to and from London on Sundays is usually a farce, regardless of whether there have been any strikes.

If there is any other way you can make this journey, then explore that option.

 

[richw]

I think you’ll have more chance of successfully travelling on strike day than the Sunday morning after from past experience,

If you’d consider national express, Flixbus or megabus I’d recommend doing so

 

[KnobbyGB]

Unluckily the strikes have fallen in the week where I'm in the UK Interrailing. I'm sleeping a few nights at a friend's house near Bradford so, On the Sunday (non-strike day) my move WAS to have been:

Grand Central early(??) 08:00 to Doncaster, get out and wait 35 mins for Class 91 to KX, over to Paddington for a GWR to Swansea (or as far as I can get to connect) for a Class 67 all the way back up to Manchester, then whatever back over the Pennines (scooping the Todmorden line in the process due to the Huddersfield diversions).

Let's see how it all pans out. Grand Central claim they're running a totally normal timetable throughout the strike and I'm hoping the loco-hauled from Leeds will run. From what's said above I might struggle to get as far as Swansea on GWR on a Sunday noon, but If I can even connect at Newport that'd be fine, although I've never done that line any further than Cardiff.

I did basically the same thing the other way round last year except I started out with a TPE Class 68, so three different loco-hauled services in the day.

 

[mangyiscute]

I need to travel from London to Cardiff to arrive by midday on Sunday 7th April. I was planning to travel the day before but that is a strike day. So I am considering travelling up first thing in Sunday.

Can I please ask forum members what the skeleton service on strike days looks like, and should I expect disruption the following day.

Thanks in advance.

Personally I think you'll be fine, midday isn't too early so there are two trains scheduled to arrive in cardiff before then - the 08:30 and 09:31 from Paddington. I wouldn't expect much disruption.
Last Sunday, both trains ran with about 5 minutes delay.
I find it crazy how people on a rail forum turn around and go "do not take the train" when they really aren't that bad.

 

[87015]

Personally I think you'll be fine, midday isn't too early so there are two trains scheduled to arrive in cardiff before then - the 08:30 and 09:31 from Paddington. I wouldn't expect much disruption.
Last Sunday, both trains ran with about 5 minutes delay.
I find it crazy how people on a rail forum turn around and go "do not take the train" when they really aren't that bad.

GWR high speed haven't run any services on the last few Sundays within 'strike weeks' - whilst there is no ASOS this time if are voluntary overtime shifts i wouldn't be relying on them being covered to make any vital journies.

 

[richw]

Last Sunday, both trains ran with about 5 minutes delay.

Last Sunday is irrelevant.

When they’ve been on strike previously on a Saturday there had been widespread cancellations, almost to a non existent high speed service on Sunday after strike.
The strikers see it as an opportunity for a weekend off with their families etc especially when the Sunday is non compulsory

 

[StarCrossing]

On previous weekday strike days, there has been one train an hour from London to Bristol, and one train every two hours from Bristol to Cardiff. From memory, the connection at Bristol was something like 20 minutes. Nothing ran directly from London to Cardiff.

No idea how this will change for a Saturday, and no idea what the day after will look like, though I see there are some helpful replies above.

 

[Oscar46016]

Unluckily the strikes have fallen in the week where I'm in the UK Interrailing. I'm sleeping a few nights at a friend's house near Bradford so, On the Sunday (non-strike day) my move WAS to have been:

Grand Central early(??) 08:00 to Doncaster, get out and wait 35 mins for Class 91 to KX, over to Paddington for a GWR to Swansea (or as far as I can get to connect) for a Class 67 all the way back up to Manchester, then whatever back over the Pennines (scooping the Todmorden line in the process due to the Huddersfield diversions).

Not sure the 67 runs from Swansea anyway - you should check the 67 page on facebook - and it's sometimes not a 67 at all!

 

[KnobbyGB]

Not sure the 67 runs from Swansea anyway - you should check the 67 page on facebook - and it's sometimes not a 67 at all!

As per the diagrams published on railtourinfo.co.uk there is one diagrammed per day from Swansea Mon-Sat and two on a Sunday. The one I'd be aiming for is 1W60, the 14:55 Swansea - Man Pic. Of course, I know they often don't produce (they haven't the last couple of days at least), but I will indeed join a couple of those FB groups - I wasn't aware of them. Thanks. I can keep an eye on the incoming working (it's supposedly a direct turn-around from the 09:30 MAN-SWA) and I'll have a backup plan probably involving Chiltern. Or a pub.