A simple "No" would have sufficed 

 

I might suggest that rather than having verbal proof, what you actually have is verbal evidence.

 
I would reverse that and ask you why / whether you have any evidence that they aren't? I have at least verbal proof that attempts have been made.

 

Can you share any examples/evidence which demonstrate that GWR are raising these issues with the DfT?

 

Why do you think that GWR aren't already doing exactly that? Isn't it more likely that they are, and the DfT/Treasury are responding negatively about finding the money necessary?

 

No approach from me over the last couple of months.

It was in the runes when the new timetables came in for the summer that the reliability of the summer Saturday service from Swindon to Weymouth and back might not be good - to the extent that a risk assessment persuaded us locally not to market the service to newcomers.  Too much risk of them being put off train travel with a first experience.   Sadly, that decision has been vindicated with some outbound trips cancelled or cut short, and return cancellations with people furious about getting home with young children after midnight when the return service did not run beyond Westbury due to lack of crew. 


From a learning viewpoint, maybe. But I have heard so many explanations that haven't convinced me or have been proven to be unrealistically optimistic of wrong that I see them not so much as explanations but more as excuses, with little if anything done to fix the issues even if they are admitted to.   It's got to the extent that I could ask so much that I just annoy people.

I want to pick up this too

Sorry - I am no longer a "TW bod" in the sense you might mean.  I was a founder around 15 years ago, and indeed Community Rail Officer until mid 2018, at which point I resigned because a conflict of interest was seen between my Coffee Shop activities and the CRP role, and I chose the Coffee Shop.

Times move on, and there was a recent discussion with the new chair of the TransWilts CIC. They have identified (correctly in my view) that their community representation at board level  - which is where TransWilts CIC started - has swung the other way to an overwhelming set of local government types with some TOC representation. A balance is being sought.

As a result of the discussion, I reluctantly declined to rejoin at board level. There is still a conflict of interest there and a suggestion that concerns should be raised only at board level and not in a public forum if it might bring disrepute does not sit well with me.   A huge shame, but I do want to be able to say - for example - that I don't believe that our local CRP has actually been pushing and marshalling our TOC (who sit on their board) to sort things out. Nor have I seen them communicating as I think they should with passengers and communities served on reliability matters.

 

Graham have you/any of the the other TW bods approached GWR senior managers directly for an explanation of why the service on this line has become so shambolic of late?

It would be interesting to hear their explanation.

From memory yourself and others have quite mature engagement channels. 

 

There is clearly an ongoing fundamental MANAGEMENT FAILURE to address the continuing shortage of traincrew at GWR Westbury depot.

GWR is recruiting and training drivers and guards elsewhere, indeed on local Exeter area services a trainee driver and / or guard can often be found on trains.

The far too frequent cancellation of Swindon/Westbury/Yeovil PM/Weymouth services issue, seems to need raising at Government level.

As an interim measure, possibly with a bit of ‘joined up thinking’ the assistance from one of the now several other rail train companies based at Westbury; who have staff not always fully employed.
Whist many/all have wide Route knowledge incl Swindon/Westbury/Yeovil, some traction training would be required.

“If there is a will there is a way”

 

 

Saturday - the new Sunday.

May I remind any GWR team readers that we reluctantly agreed to a thinning out of Saturday trains a couple of years back to help ensure that the remaining services run reliably.   Things occasionally go wrong, but this is not occasional - the remaining services are not reliable week after week.  Objective of making them reliable not achieved, and I feel a promise broken.

 
16:23 Westbury to Swindon due 17:05
16:23 Westbury to Swindon due 17:05 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

17:35 Swindon to Westbury due 18:18
17:35 Swindon to Westbury due 18:18 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

18:35 Westbury to Swindon due 19:17
18:35 Westbury to Swindon due 19:17 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

19:44 Swindon to Westbury due 20:29
19:44 Swindon to Westbury due 20:29 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew

 

Ahhh.....but if you caught the earlier train & that was delayed by more than 15 minutes, then yes, you can claim for delay/repay

 
In fact I hadn't realised that there should have been a 1545 option as well, but that wasn't (and still isn't) available because of another cancellation, between Trowbridge and Melksham. (The 1500 option is via Chippenham, not Trowbridge.)

So yesterday I had 2 consecutive journey options to work cancelled; today it's 2 consecutive journey options from work 

 

I THINK the answers is yes.  If you bought for the 15:00, the 17:00 was re-instated, so you planned for that, however if that was recancelled  and you ended up back into Melksham at 19:10 rather than 18:00, yes, you could claim.

 
Understood. But today I had to buy a ticket for an earlier train due to the cancellation, but if it's reinstated, I'll travel later at my usual travel time. So if that gets delayed, presumably it would be ok to claim for that, although obviously I would only claim for the delay relative to the scheduled arrival time of the reinstated service.

 
If you buy a ticket and intend to travel on the 17:35 train, but then hear it's been cancelled and travel earlier - there IS no delay ... it's delay/repay and not inconvenience/repay.  Delay/repay is a very rough tool with all sorts of funnies around the edges.

I have found the best way to reduce the inconvenience of delays, missed connections and cancellations is to have something to do to entertain me while I wait.  At Westbury, a laptop letting me catch up on Coffee Shop news works well.  In Hamburg, having my evening meal there rather than going on to eat late in Odense, Kiel or Rostock makes sense.  I complemented the waitress in Hamburg on her English the other week ... turned out she's from Portsmouth!

 
Ha I did wonder about that, but would never try it.

Thanks for the info.

 
Sorry..."don't intend to use".

Just because you note a service was delayed, don't try & claim that it was that service you tried to catch, if you didn't intend to use it....

 


Err - have I read you right, Chris?   If the 17:35 from Swindon is cancelled and you are delayed onto the 18:44, then the whole point is that you don't (indeed can't) use the 17:35 service.  To be clear - delay/repay requests ARE acceptable when you are delayed because the train you intended to catch has been cancelled.

 
You are allowed to change your plans on an Anytime ticket which are flexible tickets. So yes, you can claim Delay/Repay for the service you choose to use. Just don't try it on a service you don't use...

 
Whether it is or not, I couldn't buy a ticket for my normal 1700 Bristol-Melksham commute home earlier because it includes the currently cancelled service. So I went for the 1500 option (via Trowbridge). But if the cancelled service is reinstated, I'll revert to plan A.

However... if I then get delayed, can I do a delay/repay? There's nothing visible on the Anytime ticket that indicates the train times I selected when buying it; is it encoded in the QR code?

 

... and as we wake up this morning, GWR telling us that we can't get home st the normal time - again. On recent form, not sure if I believe them ...

 

Frustratingly stupid (IMHO) - why are so many services declared cancelled, people make other plans, bad publicity ... and then they get re-instated much later in the day.  Yes - it will happen occasionally but it happens far, far too often!   I sound like a well worn record on this - has anyone any ideas of what to do or suggest and to whom to actually get it fixed rather than just grumbling about it?

 

Both reinstated just after 3.30pm.

 

 


We seem to have a broken system. In following up in an enthusiast's group of Facebook congratulating GWR on their battery exploits last night ... I have got myself into those famous waters of "off topic ..."  I wrote ...


knuckles rapped


oops


Leaving it at that ... I really appreciate that so many people have to look forward and there are some fantastically committed people at GWR but just occasionally when they achieve something new, it's worth a reminder that the daily issues of reliablilty need to be sorted out ...

 

No alternatives offered ... and I thought the 17:35 was an upper tier / protected service?  Welcome to what feels like the despairing land of empty promises.

 
Chippenham-Bristol (from Paddington) train ended up arriving 17 mins late into Bristol, so I'll get some money back after all

Melksham-Chippenham was about 5 mins late as well.

 
Yeah I would if I had to, but it's additional expense, and messes up my morning exercise
Probably should switch to buying my tickets the night before.

 

Pragmatic suggestion  - 271 or 272 to Bath Spa.  And, no, you can't get back what you ain't paid out in the first place.   

GWR and the puppeteers who direct them can and do just walk away from any consequential costs and damage caused by their failure to provide the service they are supposed to.  And I don't see that anyone has the teeth (ORR, TF, Dft, CRP, NR, GBR) to sink into the problem and get them put right - perhaps because they all are primarily funded by the same HMG setup and treasury controls, and must be concerned as to their future jobs and structure.

 
So that's the first 2 options for my commute to Bristol gone; in the office by 9.10 instead of 7.40, assuming no more cancellations

Haven't bought my ticket yet, so I guess I can't do a delay/repay?

 

 
20:06 Westbury to Cheltenham Spa due 22:06

20:06 Westbury to Cheltenham Spa due 22:06 will be started from Swindon.
It will no longer call at Westbury, Trowbridge, Melksham and Chippenham.
This is due to the emergency services dealing with an incident.

 

 

Yes - absolutely.    Saying "This train may be replaced by road transport" is a darned sight more reliable and passenger-centric than saying "This train will be cancelled".

 

If only GWR would put a minibus on to cover their route though...

 
Seems SWR have the same issues as GWR - all the Lymington shuttles have now been reinstated. 

 
Just happened to notice that as I write there are 24 cancellations on GWR and 25 on SWR.  Over there they have six successive round trips on the Lymington Branch not running leaving a three hour gap.

A minibus has been arranged to cover the route.  It is advertised under “Line updates” rather than the individual cancellations. 

 

 

Shame that is still CANCELLED as far as anyone returning to the village of Melksham from the seaside.

 
22:12 Swindon to Westbury due 22:55
22:12 Swindon to Westbury due 22:55 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

 

Now cancelled throughout, and the Swindon -> Westbury leg too

 
Day trip to Weymouth - we won't get you home ...

 

 
Very odd.  Arrived seven minutes late.  Then left for Salisbury, apparently in service, 22 minutes late.

 


Here's another odd one ...


... BobM - you been overselling again?? 

 

As an aside the 17:35 was never shown as cancelled so I am wondering if it was a guard that was missing and the plan was to run the 16:24 empty up to Swindon and pick up a guard there for the return.

 

Don't know about cancelled, then back on, but GWR cancellations locally are woeful.

Route group EF10 (Bristol Suburban) cans 9.18%
Route group EF13 (South Wales - South Coast) canx 13.75%

and when do actually run only 57.2% are on time (EF10) and 52.6% are on time (EF13)

https://www.gwr.com/-/media/gwr-sc-website/files/about-gwr/what-you-can-expect/our-performance/GWR-Periodic-Web-Report-P2604.pdf

 


I really wish there was a better way of doing this.    I appreciate that the folks at GWR on the day are struggling for staff but 16:23 Westbury to Swindon due 17:06 will be cancelled in the early morning reads pretty darned definite, discourages passengers, and fuels the unreliability reputation this line has.

Questions - with stats like those on ontimetrains which is currently showing 11% cancellations over the last 12 weeks - how do trains that are cancelled but then re-instated show up?   Are they counted as cancelled, as running, or double counted?   Does anyone have (or fancy to guess) at what proportion of announced cancellations end up running after all?

 
Third one now also running.

 
The first two now re-instated.

 

 

 
There may be fuel or maintenance considerations in play, I don't know.    The unit removed at Bristol Temple Meads usually goes to St Philips Marsh overnight and then comes out to form the 05:51 to Portsmouth Harbour the following morning.

 

The train from Portsmouth to Cardiff that calls at 19:11 is 2x158s this evening, one of which is detached at Temple Meads anyway.  Just saying.  It would be significantly late up to Swindon but has a long layover there so the rest of the evening service would be saved and on time.  Just wondering what I have missed ...

 
Here we (don't) go again


After twenty to seven in the evening, the Cardiff -> Portsmouth service is not going to be rammed - any chance of dropping 2 cars of one of the longer ones to maintain service?   

 

Aware of the slow running, BobM ... will be taking a look at the pattern of traffic that's causing it.  It's intermittent but I do have logs to go back through when I'm fresher over the next couple of days.   I came home a week before originally planned / both Lisa and I find that beyond 2 weeks apart gets hard / so have a quiet few days once I recover from my 04:10 to 23:30 journey (door to door) on Friday.

 
Look behind you!

I suspect because the site seems to be running a little slow, you didn't see my post just before yours.   Mine took 30 seconds from pressing post til actually submitting.

 

It reminds me of a pantomime - "oh yes it will" - "oh no it won't" - "oh yes it will" - "oh no it won't".  How are the customers supposed to organise their day with this going on?

 

Oh no they won't.



Perhaps that's a service that is supposed to be staffed by an Exeter crew for route learning and crowds at Newquay are delaying trains and have a knock on in Wiltshire?

 
Only the 18:10 from Castle Cary has been cancelled again because crew were delayed so the 19:43 is also a non runner.

 

Which means the 19:43 from Swindon to Westbury will now also run.

 

Good summary ... Services from Swindon to Westbury and beyond usually *do* use the short bay platform 2, but it's far from rare for them to use platform 1 or platform 3.    In summary, a system that is so stretched that when something goes wrong there aren't the resources available to organise or run the logically mitigated services.

Of course, we're talking one service here as to why it didn't run ... and just accepting the seven that were cancelled later in the day with a stoic shrug of the shoulders. 

 

At face value it would have seemed sensible to send the empty stock from Bristol straight to Swindon.  However it is formed of two units totalling five carriages.  One unit is normally detached at Westbury station and goes to the sidings. Unfortunately it had already set off and reached Bath before being blocked.  Had it reached Swindon it would have been too long for the bay platform so would have taken up one of the through platforms until time to set off for Weymouth. 

It could probably have run to Westbury as a five with the rear two locked out of use but I suspect the bigger issue was crewing.  The empty units would have had no guard and there probably wasn’t time to get one up from Westbury even if the driver was able to take the train forward.   In the limited time available I suspect Control went for the defensive option.

 

 

 
Yesterday (Saturday 9th August 2025) was one of those days where so many trains were cancelled and some of it was bit by bit that I have used Real Time Trains to summarise:



The first cancellation was understandable due to "person hit by train" though that happens far too often and at dreadful cost.  The second train should have run with the empty going up to Swindon for it from Bristol rather than through the closed line at B-o-A.  The later cancellations were TOC failures to provide enough trains or staff to work them.

 
18:10 Castle Cary to Swindon due 19:34
18:10 Castle Cary to Swindon due 19:34 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

19:43 Swindon to Westbury due 20:25
19:43 Swindon to Westbury due 20:25 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

 
Quoting a friend who's up in Reading for the day from his timeline:


A cancellation of the first train this morning because of the person hit by train on the neighbouring line was understandable.   But if the empty / feeder was coming in that way, it could simply have gone to Swindon and picked up the diagram from there.  Yes, I know others will tell me that the robustness capacity has been taken out of the system and that wasn't possible because [insert reason given here].

Edited by bobm to remove profanity in quote

 

Robustness - not bustness then?

 
Alterations to services between Westbury and Swindon via Melksham

Due to a shortage of train crew between Westbury and Swindon disruption is expected until the end of the day.

Train services between Westbury and Swindon via Melksham may be suspended. Melksham will not be served.

Customer Advice
As the result of a shortage of train crew we are unable to operate the Westbury - Swindon - Westbury via Melksham train service in either direction for the remainder of the day. Road transport will operate in place of the trains but will not be running to the same schedule as the train they replace.

 
And there's no getting back from the seaside - not that you could have got there in the first place!!

 
22:12 Swindon to Westbury due 22:55

22:12 Swindon to Westbury due 22:55 will be cancelled.

This is due to more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time.

 

 

Yes, it could.   That's a service which in the early days of our service improvements, GWR were going to run about half at hour later (on weekdays anyway). We asked them, and they agreed and implemented , the earlier time.  It cuts that gap from what was the 07:50 to about 10:30 (Melksham times) at the very time people want(ed) a first off peak train.

On a Saturday there were two trains from Westbury to Swindon - 08:00 and 08:40 I think. "For robustness" GWR cut the second one - we've one train less in the Saturday timetable now - but the robustness has not been delivered and at times I feel we were cheated.

 
Arrived at Swindon 23 minutes late, but the return working left on time at 11:05.

 

27 minutes late off Westbury, so first train on the day left Westbury at 10:19. 

 

On some routes especially it would seem that "Saturday is the new Sunday" when it comes to crew shortage.

09:52 Westbury to Swindon due 10:36
09:52 Westbury to Swindon due 10:36 will be starting late from Westbury.
This is due to train crew being delayed.

 
I was on the 22:31 from Swindon to Melksham last night.  A significant flow (guessing 20+) off the Cheltenham Spa train onto it at Swindon, in addition to the 'local' traffic ... it provides an extra service into Chippenham that fills the first gap in the evening in the half hourly service as well as the Melksham / Trowbridge link.  Not sure how many got off at Chippenham but certainly more got on as well - perhaps 10 off at Melksham and I don't know how many remained on the train.    It astonishes me that traffic remains so robust in spite of - as we see this morning - 6 out of 14 services that call at Melksham cancelled already for the day. 

Sundays are said to be a problem - but this is a Saturday.   Special cases will always be raised and, yes, there is a fatality this morning at Bradford-on-Avon (but how much is that a special case? Another fatality yesterday at Hitchin threw my travel plans - it's a daily toll).  I hear of new incentives and initiatives to sort these things out - but heard those things before and after a week or two it sinks back ... the $64,000 question - what can be done to fix the issues and how can passengers work together to help it?    Our problems on this line are not unique, but they seem to be on steroids compared to elsewhere.

 
07:45 Westbury to Swindon due 08:28
07:45 Westbury to Swindon due 08:28 will be cancelled.
This is due to the emergency services dealing with an incident.

08:44 Swindon to Weymouth due 11:08
08:44 Swindon to Weymouth due 11:08 will be cancelled.
This is due to the emergency services dealing with an incident.

 
A fatality between Avoncliff and Bradford on Avon seemingly involving the 0546 Bristol Portsmouth has prevented the unit for the Westbury Swindon and return working to Weymouth getting to Westbury, resulting in their cancellation
https://www.journeycheck.com/greatwesternrailway/

 

 

 
16:23 Westbury to Swindon due 17:06
16:23 Westbury to Swindon due 17:06 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

17:35 Swindon to Westbury due 18:19
17:35 Swindon to Westbury due 18:19 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew

 

 
20:06 Westbury to Cheltenham Spa due 22:06

20:06 Westbury to Cheltenham Spa due 22:06 will be terminated at Gloucester.

It will no longer call at Cheltenham Spa.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

 

 
Driver reported a rough ride near Lavington viaduct on the London bound line.

 
Well whatever the issue with the track was, it isn’t a problem now:

 

Thanks for flagging those up.   

Reading carefully, it would appear that the problem is not on the line through Melksham - but rather on the Westbury to Pewsey and Newbury segment - so long distance trains are being diverted along the line through Melksham which is single track and has inadequate capacity, and the local service which is all we have at Melksham Station is being culled/ sacrificed once again.


I note that no alternative bus service is reported here for Westbury to Swindon or part thereof.  I live in hope that with stop boards now in place at Melksham, the semi-fasts from Exeter and Taunton, Castle Cary and Westbury will also be calling at Trowbridge, Melksham and Chippenham.

 
Cancellations to services at Westbury
Due to a safety inspection of the track at Westbury some lines are blocked.
Train services running through this station may be cancelled or delayed. Disruption is expected until the end of the day.

09:52 Westbury to Swindon due 10:36
09:52 Westbury to Swindon due 10:36 will be cancelled.
This is due to a safety inspection of the track.

11:05 Swindon to Westbury due 11:48
11:05 Swindon to Westbury due 11:48 will be cancelled.
This is due to a safety inspection of the track.

 

And it now suggests

 

Or put another way - cancelled throughout with the 18:10 Gloucester to Westbury extended to Salisbury?  (EDIT - looking at RTT it does look the 5O09 becomes 2O09 at Westbuty)

Real Time Trains shows the 17:50 running - as 5O09 (empty coaching stock). Are we sure that's a track safety inspection as nothing else seems to be disrupted, or is its really a shortage of train managers?

 

 

Worse than expectations - 20 minutes late on leaving Melksham and failing to make the onward connection which is very popular.   Beyond Warminster that's a one hour delay.  Never mind - at least it's running - just another (this one relatively minor) hiccough in the system.

 

 

 

Could be a number of faults occurring en route which require the train to be taken out of passenger service at the first opportunity.  Driver vigilance device, other fault in the cab, windscreen wiper failure, door issue etc.   Then no available spare to pick up the return working even from Westbury (or possibly crew if the driver took the defective unit to Bristol).

 

 
The 11:27 Weymouth-Chippenham terminated at Westbury and ran ECS to St Philips Marsh.