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Trains and the Rugby World Cup
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CC 72100
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To be fair the HST that was used on the Newbury - Swansea could have run ECS to PAD in time for a Pad - Wales this evening if need be.
The two extra trains for Great Day Out have nothing to do with the provision of trains for the rugby, when you take into account facts like the above you can soon see that any argument that resources were used for this instead of the rugby doesn't hold water one bit.
The two extra trains for Great Day Out have nothing to do with the provision of trains for the rugby, when you take into account facts like the above you can soon see that any argument that resources were used for this instead of the rugby doesn't hold water one bit.
thelongestroad
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Why is the match at 20:00 anyway?
Minilad
Established Member
Because the TV wanted a big ratings puller. Simple really. They don't give a stuff about fans of any sport. They are the ones who should be getting pelters here
D1009
Established Member
I'm not a rugby fan, but until the quarter finals all matches have kicked off at either 1200, 1430, 1645 or 2000. It seems to have been decided that the matches do not take place concurrently. Already there have been days when there are three matches on the same day, particularly at weekends, and I note that on Oct 11 there are four. Obviously a 2000 kick off is very good for TV audiences so that is the answer to your question. As others have pointed out, the railway will do all it can to accommodate the unusual demand, but it can't cater for all eventualities, and historically in recent years the long distance network shuts down on a Saturday night.
And you constantly having a bee in your bonnet about the supposed horrors of GWR/FGW's way of doing business doesn't get us away from the fact that other TOCs have taken much the same view of what to do tonight as GWR. Organising 10 extra trains on a weekday, as they did this week, is woeful is it? Do tell us what more they should have done - 20, 30, 40 more trains? Using what rolling stock? Crewed by what means?
I don't know why you think they are geniuses at arrangements for other events. People always complain there aren't enough/overcrowded trains for Glastonbury, Wilderness, etc - and other events at the Millennium Stadium.
People in Cardiff are less than amused every year during the Cheltenham Festival when their half-hourly London service gets scrapped for four days to provide HSTs to work extras for racegoers. But hey, they must be being 'proactive' by doing this, so that's alright....
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deltic
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The big difference with the 2012 Olympics was that afik the additional train services were underwritten by Govt, so TOCs could plan for them confident that they were paid for even if no-one used them. Many of them were pretty empty - certainly travelling on the Underground at 2am there were very few passengers. In addition virtually all the events were in central London so easier to manage resources.
The only similar event to the Rugby World Cup was probably the European Football championship in 1996 - I dont know how well the railways coped then but I imagine there was less long distance travel for matches.
backontrack
Established Member
Twickenham is rocking - not going to be easy for SWT tonight, particularly with Wales fans having no connection...
PHILIPE
Veteran Member
FGW Twitter have been asked about the 23 30 and 23 59 Paddington to Cardiff and agree they exist but only as part of a contingency plan.
NR live departures is showing the 23.30 is going to Bristol being cancelled 5 minutes previous to that showed it going to Newport. Does anyone know what is actually happening.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Can now answer that showing as 23.30 to Cardiff Central but not serving Bristol.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Can now answer that showing as 23.30 to Cardiff Central but not serving Bristol.
D1009
Established Member
They are probably trying to assess how much of a problem they will have at Reading. They wouldn't want hundreds of people trying to sleep the night there.
father_jack
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No- that was an earlier plan- there was meant to be a 0015 RDG-BRI all shacks but that was canned around 1300 today. The only train is 2330 to BTM normal stops.
D1009
Established Member
Except that in the outward direction there was only the basic advertised hourly Saturday service from Cardiff, half what it is during the week.
And this one : http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/O28683/2015/09/26/advanced - let's have a final final train!!
D1009
Established Member
RTT still shows 1C36 running to Cardiff via Gloucester, and the ECS to form the 0013 from Reading to Bristol has already arrived at Didcot Parkway where it's booked to sit for 20 mins.
father_jack
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Back to the earlier plan indeed !!!! 1C36 via Gloucester and Lydney and the 0013 all shacks re-reinstated !!!!
Except GWR twitter said something different this evening 23.30 to Cardiff not Bristol train for Bristol starting at Reading
So did the 2359 run??!
RTT says yes - I cannot work out the logic in not telling people about a possible way home. Surely if GWR stated pre purchased tix only, then staffed appropriately, it would work? Or is that too simple???! It's not that likely that people who travelled from Cardiff wouldn't have researched a time/way back home?
For a change, everyone who had a ticket would get a seat? Perhaps that's not likely to happen, but its the way I'd have tried to sort it!
RTT says yes - I cannot work out the logic in not telling people about a possible way home. Surely if GWR stated pre purchased tix only, then staffed appropriately, it would work? Or is that too simple???! It's not that likely that people who travelled from Cardiff wouldn't have researched a time/way back home?
For a change, everyone who had a ticket would get a seat? Perhaps that's not likely to happen, but its the way I'd have tried to sort it!
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Andrewlong
Member
there were posters everywhere at Reading today stating that there were no late trains post match tonight back to South Wales. Feels like pretty poor customer service to take your Welsh fans to the match and yet offer them no way back.
greatkingrat
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Funny that. Elsewhere on this forum I'm accused (wrongly) of being: An apologist for FGW/GWR management; am a FGW/GWR manager; or work for them. I'm not; I'm not; and I don't.
Truth is I form my opinions based on available evidence and am not blinded by any loyalty to a particular TOC, union, mode of transport. Too many here see things in black and white rather than shades of grey, or are unable to be objective because of sycophancy, fan boy tendencies, vested interest etc.
So no, I do not 'constantly' have a bee in my bonnet about FGW/GWR's way of doing business. The bonnet merely has an apiarian visitor at this moment because of this issue.
Back to that issue...
Blame (or rather buck passing) is being attributed here and elsewhere to the IRB, RFU and broadcasters for scheduling the match when they did.
There may be issues around communication and planning between those bodies and the rail industry. However, none of that excuses or absolves GWR for the shambolic last minute faffing around they've done today. They are a mass public transport operator and this major sporting event, with this fixture in particular, hasn't crept up on them unannounced. There is absolutely no need for them to have been reactive today. They should have been proactive months ago, ensuring additional services were scheduled, listing them in publications and advertising them widely. Along with lots of positive messages along the lines of "Going to England v Wales? GWR will get you home."
Instead, all they've done is projected the message (to some, not all I'll concede - festival fans are regularly accommodated) that, yet again, they, and the rail industry generally, are too hidebound to actually do much beyond the normal timetable. That'll be the opinion of many Welsh Rugby fans who either had to stay in London, drive or take a coach home tonight.
Of course the result tonight may actually be good news for GWR. I predict Paddington may be somewhat busier in the morning with lots of tired but happy Welsh heading home after a night on the tiles.
Finally, excuses about rolling stock and staffing. Piffle.
And seven other Ps.
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didcotdean
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I think it shows that late Saturday services in general are lacking. This may be a big event and concentrates matters, but it shouldn't really be good enough that the last long distance trains out of London aren't late enough for entertainment finishing around 22-22:30. Indeed in some respects GWR are amongst the better of what there is in this regard.
I agree that the unadvertised nature of the late Cardiff trains until after the end of the game and the twitter communications around them gives a really poor impression and it was inexplicable to be talking about lack of carriages at one point because that only blew up things over the afternoon specials.
I agree that the unadvertised nature of the late Cardiff trains until after the end of the game and the twitter communications around them gives a really poor impression and it was inexplicable to be talking about lack of carriages at one point because that only blew up things over the afternoon specials.
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LeylandLen
Member
Clearly BTP and the MET police have enough to do on a usual Saturday night dealing with troublemakers and the general drunken people who are a nuisance. They want them out the way and off home. I would have thought it would be to there advantage to make sure GWR DO run late trains to Cardiff and South Wales. Given that we do not know yet who will be in the quarter finals and semi finals ( being played at Twickenham and Millennium Stadium ) surely there should be contingency plans about transporting the fans by train ?
Well, if you research RTT, you will see that they eventually made the 2330 a Cardiff train and switched the Bristol service to run from Reading. You had to be in the know as a BRI passenger as you needed to get the Twickenham to Reading train, instead of trying to race over to PAD. One assumes pax were informed. There was also a 2359 extra to Cardiff laid on, that ran via Gloucester, as the Severn Tunnel was shut of course.
So, they eventually did something. In one of their press responses, they claimed that the rugby people had told them that only 2% tickets were from South Wales. I found that interesting but does shew that gWr did do some market research.
It has, PR wise, not been their finest hour though. I hope all who wanted to use the service managed to do so. It would be interesting to see the loadings.
So, they eventually did something. In one of their press responses, they claimed that the rugby people had told them that only 2% tickets were from South Wales. I found that interesting but does shew that gWr did do some market research.
It has, PR wise, not been their finest hour though. I hope all who wanted to use the service managed to do so. It would be interesting to see the loadings.
StarCrossing
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Fortunately, six of the eight knock-out games are being played in the afternoon. I approach afternoon games with a "well, I may have to queue for hours, but at least I'll get home" attitude. Evening games on the other hand...
Gemz91
Member
What were the services like back to the north of England? Were there more then there were to Wales?
PHILIPE
Veteran Member
FGW Journey Check this morning still shows 23 30 and will be delayed after Reading (calling Didcot parkway and Gloucester) and is expected to be 1460 mins late at Newport.
LeylandLen
Member
That maybe true, but nowadays many fans like to be near the venue in Fansparks and pubs/sportsbars to 'sample the atmosphere' ( and maybe consume alcohol) so how do you anticipate the extra number of people using trains? Not everyone travels with a match ticket !!
I travelled with Virgin by train from Preston to Glasgow for Commonwealth Games NOT intending to go to any event but to watch on large screens in
Glasgow Green ; many people went to Olympic Park WITHOUT any tickets for specific sports .
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