The service via parkway is to preserve route knowledge for diversion if the direct chord or Bristol Temple Meads is unavaiable for any reason.
Is it pointless duplication to run more than one train per hour? After all surely everyone can just pile on that?
Also especially useful in periods of disruption such as this morning where the GWR 0628, 0657 and 0727 departures from Cardiff were all cancelled even though the disruption was expected to be cleared by 0700. I imagine this could have been due to GWR stock (165/158s stabled near Temple Meads and 800/802s stabled at Stoke Gifford) not making it from Bristol to Wales in order to operate those services - unless they had an excess of stock stabled at Swansea but that doesn't make sense for the Cardiff to Bristol/Portsmouth/Exeter services. Having a second option coming from different depots provides some further resilience compared to the route via a tight change at Bristol Parkway.
That completely undoes the point of releasing them from the Cambrian in the first place, which was to get RID of the 90s stock.
One might suggest that TfW are hardly in a position to be getting precious about “90s stock”, given their ongoing exploits with brand new efforts!
I think 35 year old trains is better than no train though, but TfW seems to think differently
That means 51 in service, which is more than the 47-49 planned each day under the current maintenance setup. They were never going to use all 77 in service until the Cambrian changeover and Machynlleth Depot switching to 197s due to capacity constraints at CAF Chester.
GBR may remove some duplication amongst its services when it eventually comes into existence. But TFW won’t be part of GBR so not particularly relevant.
Assuming it won’t be TfW who govern the availability and use of paths across GBR’s network, GBR policy may well be relevant in such situations one would think?!
Think of the parallel of the two hourly Bristol to Oxford service, which everyone seems to welcome. It could also be regarded as pointless duplication, in that the cities are connected with one easy change at Didcot.
Every Wednesday my wife and I (both retired) like have a day out somewhere from Bristol using our free (bus) / reduced (senior railcards) old-codger travel concessions. We often go to Cardiff but the idea of enduring a two-car Class 150 to or from there doesn't appeal, even if they might stop at Stapleton Road.
Firstly, you are not the target market, which is for passengers west of Cardiff to have a through service to Bristol.
Except when the 197 that should have run it is sat broken in a siding in Chester instead.
I wonder if the 2 or 3 car 197 is more of an introductory idea
The Bristol service is an extention to the current fast West Wales-Cardiff (the hours they dont go to Manchester) so will only require 1 extra diagram I think. Id be very surprised if it was anything other than a 197 on the Bristol service. Of course thats not to say a Sprinter couldnt cover the occasional service as they do now.
It's highly likely they will mainly be 197s, as most of the Bristol services are either formed from or will form Manchester services from West Wales. If Sprinters are still floating about after the 231's move to Mainline, then they'll probably end up covering Pembroke Dock or Newport - Ebbw Vale services.
They are teasing me with showing it stopping at Ashley Down there haha! Last I saw it was included on the Burns station service plans that are to come in the future but not these initial services.
I was at Stapleton Road this morning and 150209+150279 in TfW colours went through at quite a lick on the Up Filton Relief running as 3R03 1100 Bristol High Level Siding to Cardiff West. Route learning maybe?
Post 358 suggested that when drawing our attention to the movements, and it seems the only logical explanation, given there are several such services a day over several days.
It is - but I’d like to request a commuter special MkIV, with a breakfast deal on coffee and bacon rolls.
The Britannic Explorer is on standby should it be needed
