Service improvements along the SW M5 corridor

[brad465]

The M4 replaces the dual carriageway A48 which bypassed the old single carriage road through Baglan. However, that is still one replacement shy of the post @Bald Rick quoted.

There is (and probably needs to be) huge growth in developments along the M5 between Bristol and Exeter. Given the land in the area, having housing focused on that corridor makes a lot of sense.

However, the flow will be towards Bristol and any Swindon service would be to London and via Bristol. You could ultimately make a case for all Bristol terminators to extend down the corridor.

Not doing much to help Go-Op

This route could do with its service frequency being doubled at least: XC or GWR need to provide an extra fast/semi-fast between Bristol and Exeter, plus an additional stopper between Bristol and Taunton. This could be:

2tph XC fast - Bristol TM, Taunton, Tiverton, Exeter (1tph to Plymouth, 1tp2h Paignton, 1tp2h Exeter)
1tph GWR semi-fast - Bristol TM, Weston-super-Mare, Bridgwater, Taunton, Tiverton, Exeter
2tph GWR stopping - Bristol TM, all stations to Taunton, then 1tph Wellington, Cullompton, Exeter then reinstate through to at least Plymouth
5tpd Lumo to/from Paignton if approved

Many of these services could be achieved by extending existing ones, such as the additional XC being an extended Bristol terminator, the extra GWR stopping service being an extended Severn Beach-WSM service, and the GWR semi-fast being an extended Paddington-WSM. However extra rolling stock would be needed; at a minimum XC need the extra 6-8 remaining 221s, GWR would need Project Churchward to provide more stock to both fulfil the stoppers and allow 80x to support the semi-fast.

Infrastructure upgrades would at a minimum need the WSM loop double-tracked and a signalling aspect-upgrade between Bristol and Taunton. If Exeter St Davids cannot take extra terminators, upgrade Exeter Central to allow more terminators from St Davids (which also provides a key through link to Central).

 

[edwin_m]

This route could do with its service frequency being doubled at least: XC or GWR need to provide an extra fast/semi-fast between Bristol and Exeter, plus an additional stopper between Bristol and Taunton. This could be:

2tph XC fast - Bristol TM, Taunton, Tiverton, Exeter (1tph to Plymouth, 1tp2h Paignton, 1tp2h Exeter)
1tph GWR semi-fast - Bristol TM, Weston-super-Mare, Bridgwater, Taunton, Tiverton, Exeter
2tph GWR stopping - Bristol TM, all stations to Taunton, then 1tph Wellington, Cullompton, Exeter then reinstate through to at least Plymouth
5tpd Lumo to/from Paignton if approved

Many of these services could be achieved by extending existing ones, such as the additional XC being an extended Bristol terminator, the extra GWR stopping service being an extended Severn Beach-WSM service, and the GWR semi-fast being an extended Paddington-WSM. However extra rolling stock would be needed; at a minimum XC need the extra 6-8 remaining 221s, GWR would need Project Churchward to provide more stock to both fulfil the stoppers and allow 80x to support the semi-fast.

Infrastructure upgrades would at a minimum need the WSM loop double-tracked and a signalling aspect-upgrade between Bristol and Taunton. If Exeter St Davids cannot take extra terminators, upgrade Exeter Central to allow more terminators from St Davids (which also provides a key through link to Central).

That's more than double the service between Bristol and Gloucester, Worcester or Birmingham, which I would have thought was a higher priority for any improvements that might be considered.