May 2021 Timetable Change

[Mintona]

It seems so long ago even though it was only last year! I distinctly remember some xx15 trains in the shoulder peaks, but yes I don't think the intention was to bring the 2nd superfast until May 2020 anyway.

I don't think the Cardiff terminators are coming back either in May.

They aren’t, but some seem to be running as far as Bristol Parkway and then going onto Stoke Gifford depot.

Interested by the new 04.54 Westbury - Paddington and 22.22 Paddington - Westbury. Don’t think they’ve run before.

 

[Horizon22]

Interested by the new 04.54 Westbury - Paddington and 22.22 Paddington - Westbury. Don’t think they’ve run before.

Nothing shows up regarding these trains? Certainly nothing I can lookup

 

[PHILIPE]

Nothing shows up regarding these trains? Certainly nothing I can lookup

Here they are:-

www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/G59443/2021-05-26/detailed
www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/G80679/2021-05-25/detailed

 

[Horizon22]

www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/G59443/2021-05-26/detailed

My mistake, must have been looking at wrong times! Looks like it will be forming a set when it arrives at Paddington that normally comes off North Pole (and the reverse for the evening). Sets come from / go to Stoke Gifford after these trips and forming part of a Bedwyn diagram.

Presumably an intention to give Westbury / Bedwyn / Newbury a slightly earlier start / later finish. Westbury in particular gets a train a whole hour earlier than previously to London.

 

[Johnny Lewis]

My mistake, must have been looking at wrong times! Looks like it will be forming a set when it arrives at Paddington that normally comes off North Pole (and the reverse for the evening). Sets come from / go to Stoke Gifford after these trips and forming part of a Bedwyn diagram.

Presumably an intention to give Westbury / Bedwyn / Newbury a slightly earlier start / later finish. Westbury in particular gets a train a whole hour earlier than previously to London.

These trains are existing Bedwyn services now extended to run to/from Westbury.

 

[Horizon22]

These trains are existing Bedwyn services now extended to run to/from Westbury.

That would make sense, 1K01 (what will be the 0454 from Westbury) isn't running in the current timetable.
3K01 did use to come from North Pole and will now come from Stoke Gifford, so just some swapping over of diagram finishes.

 

[Kite159]

Shame in a way they couldn't fit a Pewsey call in (considering it sits at Bedwyn for 7 minutes)

 

[Horizon22]

Shame in a way they couldn't fit a Pewsey call in (considering it sits at Bedwyn for 7 minutes)

And the significant pathing time the train has (33 minutes Westbury to Bedwyn) so might be a missed trick.

 

[Ianno87]

Shame in a way they couldn't fit a Pewsey call in (considering it sits at Bedwyn for 7 minutes)

And the significant pathing time the train has (33 minutes Westbury to Bedwyn) so might be a missed trick.

Can't image there's an awful lot of demand. GWR probably want a better path from Westbury with future timetable changes to remove the long Bedwyn stop and large amount of pathing time. You don't want to be "stuck" with a Pewsey stop for little demand.

 

[irish_rail]

They ran very, very briefly between Jan 2020 - March 2020 but I cannot recall if it was half-hourly or hourly from Paddington at xx15 and/or xx45.

Some other changes involved are:

1736 Paddington - Paignton service now terminates at Plymouth (missing out Maidenhead in the process as there's presumably less commuters to anger!)

Trains no longer detaching/attaching at Plymouth and running fully throughout to Penzance as 9 or 10-cars (I'm sure @irish_rail will be moderately pleased!):
1004 Paddington to Penzance
1404 Paddington to Penzance
0910 Penzance to Paddington
1015 Penzance to Paddington
1615 Penzance to Paddington

Some good news, but im surprised if the 1204 is going to split at Plymouth that is one that should definitely be 9 or 10 car throughout. I think its safe to say this summer is going to be very very busy down here .

 

[Horizon22]

Can't image there's an awful lot of demand. GWR probably want a better path from Westbury with future timetable changes to remove the long Bedwyn stop and large amount of pathing time. You don't want to be "stuck" with a Pewsey stop for little demand.

Yes at the moment it seems like a bit of a fudge in the morning which may be part of a longer-term plan. The later train running as 1J32 (instead of what would currently be 1K32) has a much tighter timetable.

Some good news, but im surprised if the 1204 is going to split at Plymouth that is one that should definitely be 9 or 10 car throughout. I think its safe to say this summer is going to be very very busy down here .

I did say only moderately happy! The 1204 doesn't have a note to split, but it could still be early days and not input on RTT

 

[irish_rail]

Yes at the moment it seems like a bit of a fudge in the morning which may be part of a longer-term plan. The later train running as 1J32 (instead of what would currently be 1K32) has a much tighter timetable.



I did say only moderately happy! The 1204 doesn't have a note to split, but it could still be early days and not input on RTT

Haha yes we will see. As the local media will be waiting with bated breath to report on the train going into Cornwall full and standing with passengers left behind at plymouth if this service (1204 off london) is forced to split at plymouth....good news that common sense has prevailed on 1004 and 1404 though.

 

[Ianno87]

Haha yes we will see. As the local media will be waiting with bated breath to report on the train going into Cornwall full and standing with passengers left behind at plymouth if this service (1204 off london) is forced to split at plymouth....good news that common sense has prevailed on 1004 and 1404 though.

Depends - demand on the 1204 could be managed by tactical pricing of Advances on other trains to spread demand. Especially this year when there'll still be general encouragement to book i advance to guarantee travel etc etc.

The only time I've used it's predecessor the 1203 (Monday of 1st week of Easter holiday in 2019) through to St Erth we were on it *because* it had the best Advance fare. Not because we desperately wanted to use the 1203.

 

[Horizon22]

Haha yes we will see. As the local media will be waiting with bated breath to report on the train going into Cornwall full and standing with passengers left behind at plymouth if this service (1204 off london) is forced to split at plymouth....good news that common sense has prevailed on 1004 and 1404 though.

There is at least a Penzance stopper which should be on the platform that gets into Penzance only 30 minutes later. But not ideal going down that underpass with a hundred or so people with large suitcases.

 

[Class 170101]

They ran very, very briefly between Jan 2020 - March 2020 but I cannot recall if it was half-hourly or hourly from Paddington at xx15 and/or xx45.

Some other changes involved are:

1736 Paddington - Paignton service now terminates at Plymouth (missing out Maidenhead in the process as there's presumably less commuters to anger!)

Trains no longer detaching/attaching at Plymouth and running fully throughout to Penzance as 9 or 10-cars (I'm sure @irish_rail will be moderately pleased!):
1004 Paddington to Penzance
1404 Paddington to Penzance
0910 Penzance to Paddington
1015 Penzance to Paddington
1615 Penzance to Paddington

Some good news, but im surprised if the 1204 is going to split at Plymouth that is one that should definitely be 9 or 10 car throughout. I think its safe to say this summer is going to be very very busy down here .

Seeing what the scientists said yesterday on the Sunday Political programmes, about cases and poor vaccination rates in Europe, and Bo Jo today about a 3rd wave, I think we are going to be gently let down for an announcment on 12 April that foreign travel won't be happening from 17th May and that this date will move further to the right. Therefore those trains listed above running as 9/10 car trains is frankly of no surprise to me, if anything I'm more surprised its not more.

 

[HamworthyGoods]

I don’t believe the 12.04 is booked to split at Plymouth - all daytime IETs had been revised to run through complete to Penzance as has been happening since last December.

 

[irish_rail]

I don’t believe the 12.04 is booked to split at Plymouth - all daytime IETs had been revised to run through complete to Penzance as has been happening since last December.

If so good news. Saves massively on staffing costs too at a time when the railway can ill afford wasteful staffing levels.

There is at least a Penzance stopper which should be on the platform that gets into Penzance only 30 minutes later. But not ideal going down that underpass with a hundred or so people with large suitcases.

There is, however hopefully GWR won't be expecting their loyal customers to have to suffer the inconvenience of getting off one train, and waiting for another. I think lessons have been learned from the past 2 years, I can think of the 1004 off London in particular which last summer a plymouth driver was booked to split the rear 5 off. On every occasion I did it the train going on into Cornwall was very very busy and in some cases full and standing. In the current circumstances with Covid that isnt now deemed acceptable on 2 hour journeys.

 

[Horizon22]

I don’t believe the 12.04 is booked to split at Plymouth - all daytime IETs had been revised to run through complete to Penzance as has been happening since last December.

There's definitely some marked to do so though - the 1204 is absent on the matter, but the 1304 isn't with the corresponding empty to Laira right after it: https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/G59219/2021-05-25/detailed / https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/search/detailed/PLY/2021-05-25/1625. Again this might all just be not fully loaded yet.

 

[HamworthyGoods]

There's definitely some marked to do so though - the 1204 is absent on the matter, but the 1304 isn't with the corresponding empty to Laira right after it: https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/G59219/2021-05-25/detailed / https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/search/detailed/PLY/2021-05-25/1625. Again this might all just be not fully loaded yet.

Apologies I was referring to the standard all year round daytime weekday plan, not the seasonal extensions of the 09.04 and 13.04 ex Paddington (which I’m not sure are being extending this summer).

 

[Huntergreed]

Seeing that the XX:43 Euston - Scotland Via Brum is now alternating between Edinburgh and Blackpool, can I take this to assume that the Glasgow via Brum services will not be returning at all in the future?

I note that the old XX:30 Glasgow express has moved to XX:10 and stops at slightly more stations than the XX:30 did. Is this likely to be permanent (it’s clearly going to be the case until at least December).

 

[sufian123]

Seeing that the XX:43 Euston - Scotland Via Brum is now alternating between Edinburgh and Blackpool, can I take this to assume that the Glasgow via Brum services will not be returning at all in the future?

I note that the old XX:30 Glasgow express has moved to XX:10 and stops at slightly more stations than the XX:30 did. Is this likely to be permanent (it’s clearly going to be the case until at least December).

xx10 has been like this since last year.

 

[Huntergreed]

xx10 has been like this since last year.

Indeed, but it this likely to be a permanent change?

 

[craigybagel]

xx10 has been like this since last year.

Seeing that the XX:43 Euston - Scotland Via Brum is now alternating between Edinburgh and Blackpool, can I take this to assume that the Glasgow via Brum services will not be returning at all in the future?

I note that the old XX:30 Glasgow express has moved to XX:10 and stops at slightly more stations than the XX:30 did. Is this likely to be permanent (it’s clearly going to be the case until at least December).

Xx10 is normally the Chester/North Wales path. It's hard to see that service getting cut permanently - especially with new Bi Modes on order with little other work at Avanti where they're required.

 

[Aictos]

The Up platform has a signal at the north end for down departures, but you can only go towards Cambridge (via the old route - not the flyover!) in the down direction.

To go towards Peterborough from the up platform, you have to take that signal towards Cambridge as Empty Stock, go around the corner behind a ground shunt signal, change ends, then take that ground shunt signal to cross all the tracks to go into the Down platform and change ends again there before being able to be signalled to Peterborough.
This happens during engineering works (it took place a few weeks ago) but it isn't really suitable for a regular move.

Indeed i remember back in 2007 when there was a a block south of Hitchin, all Peterborough services terminated in Platform 1 and did just as you described to get to Platform 2 to go back to Peterborough.

 

[The Planner]

Seeing that the XX:43 Euston - Scotland Via Brum is now alternating between Edinburgh and Blackpool, can I take this to assume that the Glasgow via Brum services will not be returning at all in the future?

I note that the old XX:30 Glasgow express has moved to XX:10 and stops at slightly more stations than the XX:30 did. Is this likely to be permanent (it’s clearly going to be the case until at least December).

If they want to return to the old 9tph at some point then no, it cannot stay like that and it doesn't from mid September

 

[berneyarms]

If they want to return to the old 9tph at some point then no, it cannot stay like that and it doesn't from mid September

At least that means restoring proper connections to/from North Wales than the less ideal situation prevailing at present.

 

[dk1]

Seeing that the XX:43 Euston - Scotland Via Brum is now alternating between Edinburgh and Blackpool, can I take this to assume that the Glasgow via Brum services will not be returning at all in the future?

I note that the old XX:30 Glasgow express has moved to XX:10 and stops at slightly more stations than the XX:30 did. Is this likely to be permanent (it’s clearly going to be the case until at least December).

All will be back in time.

 

[387star]

I presume not all GWR weekend services are in the system yet? Only the morning Saturday Brighton showing not the afternoon one and only one Sunday Brighton showing which is stupid given weekends are the busiest time

 

[Starmill]

There are services that have been tacitly abandoned I think, such as the third hourly train on the Atherton line, but hopefully the full extent of the December 2019 Avanti timetable returns in its updated form, eventually. I think a permanent cut of the quicker route between Birmingham and Glasgow is unlikely. Although I also wouldn't want to rule anything out until the severity of the financial crisis the industry faces has worked through.

 

[casual onion]

Hi, does anyone know what's happened to the 07:30 Sheffield to Doncaster? It was always busy pre-covid so confused as to why it's disappeared.