Shortage of drivers on GWR

[Horizon22]

GWR insider reports cuts to services coming very shortly, appears to be cost saving related given low numbers travelling now ?

I believe timetable cuts are expected after the New Year, taking the timetable back to pretty much what it was pre-December.

 

[dk1]

I believe timetable cuts are expected after the New Year, taking the timetable back to pretty much what it was pre-December.

That makes sense & also helps with any traincrew shortages.

 

[irish_rail]

I believe timetable cuts are expected after the New Year, taking the timetable back to pretty much what it was pre-December.

Do you mean pre December 2019?

 

[Horizon22]

Do you mean pre December 2019?

No the amended timetable that's been running most of this year up until the recent timetable change this December

 

[irish_rail]

I'm trying to remember what even changed a couple of weeks ago service wise?

 

[Mintona]

I'm trying to remember what even changed a couple of weeks ago service wise?

B&H semi fast and Cardiff terminators returned.

 

[Horizon22]

B&H semi fast and Cardiff terminators returned.

That and stopping Didcot services went back up to half-hourly and some changes to the start/end of day services.

 

[irish_rail]

B&H semi fast and Cardiff terminators returned.

Oh dear if the b and h semi fasts go thats a huge retrograde step in that the main trains to the south west will be slowed right down. With the Pad to Pz route doing the best of all routes during the pandemic would seem a little unfair for it to take the biggest decline in quality.

 

[father_jack]

Cardiff terminators returned.

And have hardly run anyway.

 

[Horizon22]

Oh dear if the b and h semi fasts go thats a huge retrograde step in that the main trains to the south west will be slowed right down. With the Pad to Pz route doing the best of all routes during the pandemic would seem a little unfair for it to take the biggest decline in quality.

They've barely run this year, so I don't think it would be as big as impact as you suggest. These were the first to be cancelled due to the SW depots sickness. And it isn't permanent. And what do you mean by "best"?

 

[irish_rail]

They've barely run this year, so I don't think it would be as big as impact as you suggest. These were the first to be cancelled due to the SW depots sickness. And it isn't permanent. And what do you mean by "best"?

Sorry to clarify, "best" means most well filled and lesser impact of the passenger decline. Not really a commuter route and with lower covid numbers down here more have continued travelling, many trying to escape the virus!
Since the SW depot sickness, almost all the b and h fasts have had pewsey westbury and castle cary stops added. This adds between ten and 15 minutes to the schedule (largely due to the lower speeds going into westbury). 15 mins may not seem much but if it pushes up a padd to plymouth trip from 3hr10 to 3hr 25 that certainly isn't a good thing.

 

[class ep-09]

Sorry to clarify, "best" means most well filled and lesser impact of the passenger decline. Not really a commuter route and with lower covid numbers down here more have continued travelling, many trying to escape the virus!
Since the SW depot sickness, almost all the b and h fasts have had pewsey westbury and castle cary stops added. This adds between ten and 15 minutes to the schedule (largely due to the lower speeds going into westbury). 15 mins may not seem much but if it pushes up a padd to plymouth trip from 3hr10 to 3hr 25 that certainly isn't a good thing.

I suppose it is a temporary situation , is it not?

 

[irish_rail]

I suppose it is a temporary situation , is it not?

But is it though? Government want to save money, could be semi permanent cuts?

 

[Carlisle]

It takes a lot longer to change a timetable than to amend lockdown tiers / rules.

True, but that’s mostly down to the complex multi contractual structure that now runs our railways, it won’t have always been that way

 

[Clarence Yard]

No, it’s mostly due to the crowded nature of the network, compared with BR days. Unless you are just removing trains from the timetable, it can be quite a complex exercise.

 

[HamworthyGoods]

Oh dear if the b and h semi fasts go thats a huge retrograde step in that the main trains to the south west will be slowed right down. With the Pad to Pz route doing the best of all routes during the pandemic would seem a little unfair for it to take the biggest decline in quality.

As proved in recent weeks there aren’t enough traincrew available in the South West currently to run both the hourly fasts and the two hourly semi-fasts so there is little choice in the matter.

 

[Bald Rick]

True, but that’s mostly down to the complex multi contractual structure that now runs our railways, it won’t have always been that way

Nothing to do with contracts / structure, and everything to do with the complexities of planning a congested network and the constraints of various terms and conditions for traincrew.

 

[Mintona]

Apparently there’s a new timetable from Monday.

 

[father_jack]

Apparently there’s a new timetable from Monday.

High Speed Services:

• Hourly Paddington-Cardiff services including Saturdays
• Later starts and earlier finishes Paddington-Hereford and Paddington-Cheltenham, with some Paddington-Cheltenham direct services changed to shuttle services from Swindon including Saturdays and Sundays
• Night Riviera Sleeper due to recommence Sunday 10 January

Local services - Weekdays:

• Reduced service frequency Falmouth branch
• Hourly Greenford services, and two Windsor services per hour
• Reduced services for Newbury
• Hourly Paddington-Didcot semi fast services
• Hourly off peak North Downs services
• Hourly Reading-Basingstoke services in the evening
• Morning Banbury-Paddington service cancelled

Local Services - Saturdays from 9 January:

• Hourly Greenford services, and half hour Windsor services
• Reduced services for Newbury
• Hourly Paddington-Didcot semi fast services
• Two trains an hour North Downs
• Reduced service frequency on the Falmouth Branch- an hourly service only
• Reduced service frequency on the Gunnislake Branch

Local Services - Sundays from 10 January:

• Reduced services for Newbury
• London-Bedwyn services amended to operate as a Reading-Bedwyn shuttle
• Hourly Oxford-London services
• Exmouth services reduced to hourly.

I presume when it says "hourly Paddington- Cardiff services" it means the usual Swansea's with the extra Cardiff's that were reintroduced but hardly ever operated canned.

 

[83G/84D]

I presume when it says "hourly Paddington- Cardiff services" it means the usual Swansea's with the extra Cardiff's that were reintroduced but hardly ever operated canned.

Do you have a link to this information? I can't find anything on the GWR website.

 

[Horizon22]

I presume when it says "hourly Paddington- Cardiff services" it means the usual Swansea's with the extra Cardiff's that were reintroduced but hardly ever operated canned.

Yes it does - the Swansea at xx48 leaving from Paddington are running, not the xx18 Cardiff which as you say have barely run this year.

This is basically a completely inevitable return to what had been running only 1 month ago and had been successfully running with few complaints for the majority of 2020.

 

[tiptoptaff]

Do you have a link to this information? I can't find anything on the GWR website.

It's an internal email

 

[Mag_seven]

Yes it does - the Swansea at xx48 leaving from Paddington are running, not the xx18 Cardiff which as you say have barely run this year.

This is basically a completely inevitable return to what had been running only 1 month ago and had been successfully running with few complaints for the majority of 2020.

I did wonder why GWR reinstated the XX.18 Cardiff given the XX.48 Swansea were empty anyway.

Anyway it seems to be back to the TT they were certainly running for much of the year without issue.

 

[Horizon22]

Yes it is rather poor nothing is yet publicly published the day beforehand.

 

[83G/84D]

It's an internal email

Thanks, suspected that might be the case.

 

[father_jack]

It's an internal email

It's what's going to be happening so what was the relevance of that ?

 

[tiptoptaff]

It's what's going to be happening so what was the relevance of that ?

Someone asked for a link to the source - can't provide a link but can validate the source.

 

[83G/84D]

So have these changes come into effect?

 

[Pete_uk]

I suppose this problem will suddenly ease itself now services are being slashed