GWR 0721 Portsmouth-Cardiff service not calling Bristol Temple Meads from Monday 14th September?

[Class 33]

I was looking up the times of trains to Barry Island for Monday. But upon looking this up I find an unusual itinerary advising me to to change at both Filton Abbey Wood and Cardiff Central. I then discover that the GWR 0721 Portsmouth-Cardiff service from Monday 14th September will not be calling at Bristol Temple Meads. It departs Bath Spa at 0936, then after passing through St. Annes it runs straight up to Filton Abbey Wood, scheduled to arrive there at 1003. Both the arrival/departure times for Bath Spa and Filton Abbey Wood are the same as before. But is there any reason this service will now not be calling Bristol Temple Meads?

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

I was looking up the times of trains to Barry Island for Monday. But upon looking this up I find an unusual itinerary advising me to to change at both Filton Abbey Wood and Cardiff Central. I then discover that the GWR 0721 Portsmouth-Cardiff service from Monday 14th September will not be calling at Bristol Temple Meads. It departs Bath Spa at 0936, then after passing through St. Annes it runs straight up to Filton Abbey Wood, scheduled to arrive there at 1003. Both the arrival/departure times for Bath Spa and Filton Abbey Wood are the same as before. But is there any reason this service will now not be calling Bristol Temple Meads?

That service is scheduled to go via, reverse at and call at, Bristol Temple Meads (BRI). In fact, according to the timetable data it gains coaches there - and I wouldn't be surprised if there were a crew changeover.

It's just that the call at BRI is not included in the passenger-facing timetable data. I imagine there is a reason for this, perhaps related to Covid-19, but likely the best shot at getting anything approaching an answer is to contact GWR on e.g. Twitter. Unless perhaps @JN114 or @Clarence Yard have any further information?

 

[JN114]

That service is scheduled to go via, reverse at and call at, Bristol Temple Meads (BRI). In fact, according to the timetable data it gains coaches there - and I wouldn't be surprised if there were a crew changeover.

It's just that the call at BRI is not included in the passenger-facing timetable data. I imagine there is a reason for this, perhaps related to Covid-19, but likely the best shot at getting anything approaching an answer is to contact GWR on e.g. Twitter. Unless perhaps @JN114 or @Clarence Yard have any further information?

Not my end of the GW network unfortunately - so I couldn’t say for definite whether it’s deliberate obfuscation or accidentally putting wrong stop type into schedule.

 

[Wilts Wanderer]

That sounds like a data error to me.

 

[Tom]

The activity on that schedule for just Monday at Bristol TM is RM-U. The normal for that train service is T RM.

RM-U means reverses & gains coaches.
T RM means calls & reverses.

Likelihood is that when the -U activity was added, the T activity was removed by accident. It sometimes happens in Voyagerplan...

 

[trolleyman]

Booked a 166 up from Portsmouth and a 165 is attached at Temple Meads which comes from the marsh.

 

[ValleyLines142]

On a similar note, as I live in Trowbridge during uni and commute to Filton Abbey Wood, I would advocate for a service that runs from Trowbridge to Filton avoiding Temple Meads. In the morning all trains, including the faster Portsmouth to Cardiff services, call at Freshford, Avoncliff, Oldfield Park and Keynsham. Admittedly the extra calls are for the rush hour but the additional stops and reversal at Temple Meads, it can take over an hour to get from Trowbridge to Filton, which, for a journey of about 27 miles, is not particularly appealing!

 

[Dai Corner]

On a similar note, as I live in Trowbridge during uni and commute to Filton Abbey Wood, I would advocate for a service that runs from Trowbridge to Filton avoiding Temple Meads. In the morning all trains, including the faster Portsmouth to Cardiff services, call at Freshford, Avoncliff, Oldfield Park and Keynsham. Admittedly the extra calls are for the rush hour but the additional stops and reversal at Temple Meads, it can take over an hour to get from Trowbridge to Filton, which, for a journey of about 27 miles, is not particularly appealing!

I'm pretty sure there used to be such a train when the MoD site at Abbey Wood first opened. Mainly for the convenience of MoD staff who lived in Bath and were transferred from a local site to Abbey Wood.

 

[PHILIPE]

Just checked out RTT and Journey Planner in respect of 15th and nothing wrong.

 

[ValleyLines142]

I'm pretty sure there used to be such a train when the MoD site at Abbey Wood first opened. Mainly for the convenience of MoD staff who lived in Bath and were transferred from a local site to Abbey Wood.

There used to be the 1643 Bath Spa to Bristol Parkway which did similar, but it was withdrawn.

 

[Class 33]

Cheers for that info. It was a data error then, it not being listed on the passenger facing timetable to call at Bristol Temple Meads tomorrow. I'll get that 0955 service tomorrow. A nice little journey to Cardiff on a Turbo set!

 

[Wilts Wanderer]

Network Rail’s TPS planning system defaults to show a T activity at all planned stops with a physical planned dwell time, except where other activities such as -U or -D are shown, in which case the T has to be added manually (usually by the TOC planning office and it simply transfers over in the data.) The RM for ‘reversing move’ doesn’t require it incidentally.

Suspect in this case the revised diagrams from next week required a -U for attachment adding, and someone forgot to add the manual T in front. It will most likely be corrected very quickly, as the error will be obvious to any looking at CIS screens etc.

 

[Parallel]

On a similar note, as I live in Trowbridge during uni and commute to Filton Abbey Wood, I would advocate for a service that runs from Trowbridge to Filton avoiding Temple Meads. In the morning all trains, including the faster Portsmouth to Cardiff services, call at Freshford, Avoncliff, Oldfield Park and Keynsham. Admittedly the extra calls are for the rush hour but the additional stops and reversal at Temple Meads, it can take over an hour to get from Trowbridge to Filton, which, for a journey of about 27 miles, is not particularly appealing!

At Christmas when the Bath market is on, some services skipped Temple Meads. I remember being on trains between Cardiff and Trowbridge on two occasions, neither advertised to stop at Bristol. One of them did go to Bristol for a crew change and the other ran straight from Filton though Lawrence Hill, then on the Bristol avoiding curve.

I've also used the MOD Filton - Bath Spa train that avoids Bristol, it was a 2 car 158 when I used it and it was full and standing leaving Filton, with the majority leaving at Keynsham and Oldfield Park.

There was also a 14:38 departure from Westbury to Bristol Parkway that called at all stations to Bristol, then ran fast to Parkway, not stopping at Filton. It was followed by a Weymouth - Gloucester train about 10 minutes later, that called as well at Avoncliff and Freshford but missed out Oldfield Park and Keynsham, but stopped at Filton!

There also used to be a peak time Filton Abbey Wood - Westbury train that departed Bath at 17:31, it seemed to be formed of anything FGW/GWR could find, from a 153 to a 158/9. Eventually it was scrapped to allow for the preceding Warminster train and the following Portsmouth train to be strengthened.

Some of the local trains on this line are/were a bit odd.

 

[Wilts Wanderer]

The extra Filton to Westbury was a political move to provide an extra service without actually providing any additional seats - it worked on paper but not in practice! The 6-min planning headway between Bathampton and Bradford Jcn doesn’t work if the preceding train is a stopper and the second is a semi-fast. Operational experience proved it was a poor move hence why the Portsmouth ended up being strengthened again. I believe the other objective of the extra Filton-Westbury was to eliminate the Westbury detachment but the solution effectively killed the patient!

 

[ValleyLines142]

Cheers for that info. It was a data error then, it not being listed on the passenger facing timetable to call at Bristol Temple Meads tomorrow. I'll get that 0955 service tomorrow. A nice little journey to Cardiff on a Turbo set!

Just as a head's up, that working sometimes still uses a 158. But if it is a Turbo, GWR have disappointingly locked the declassified First Class section for staff members only, which is a bit of a shame as it's the most comfortable seating on the entire unit!

At Christmas when the Bath market is on, some services skipped Temple Meads. I remember being on trains between Cardiff and Trowbridge on two occasions, neither advertised to stop at Bristol. One of them did go to Bristol for a crew change and the other ran straight from Filton though Lawrence Hill, then on the Bristol avoiding curve.

Must admit I don't remember some of the Portsmouth to Cardiff services skipping Temple Meads, but in all honesty, particularly from Bath, with there being a regular 800 from Paddington and the Taunton to Cardiff service running all as 4 cars, I don't see an issue in some services skipping Temple Meads.

I've also used the MOD Filton - Bath Spa train that avoids Bristol, it was a 2 car 158 when I used it and it was full and standing leaving Filton, with the majority leaving at Keynsham and Oldfield Park.

Believe it was the 1714 from Filton (2C55), and it was a 166 when I used it. Always a good one starting at Filton (of course, there's now the 0644 from Weymouth that terminates at Filton in the morning), as you'd have first dibs of seats.

There was also a 14:38 departure from Westbury to Bristol Parkway that called at all stations to Bristol, then ran fast to Parkway, not stopping at Filton. It was followed by a Weymouth - Gloucester train about 10 minutes later, that called as well at Avoncliff and Freshford but missed out Oldfield Park and Keynsham, but stopped at Filton!

There also used to be a peak time Filton Abbey Wood - Westbury train that departed Bath at 17:31, it seemed to be formed of anything FGW/GWR could find, from a 153 to a 158/9. Eventually it was scrapped to allow for the preceding Warminster train and the following Portsmouth train to be strengthened.

Some of the local trains on this line are/were a bit odd.

The 1644 Bristol Parkway to Warminster service was also a handy one compared to the Cardiff starters but I found that quite a fair number of people used it from Bristol Parkway, so it was pretty full by the time it got to Filton. Being something like the 17:04 off Temple Meads, if it was anything less than a 3 car service, you'd be squeezed in like play dough!

 

[PHILIPE]

Extract from GWR Journey Check today

07:21 Portsmouth Harbour to Cardiff Central due 10:47

07:21 Portsmouth Harbour to Cardiff Central due 10:47 will call additionally at Bristol Temple Meads.
This is due to a problem currently under investigation

The 0600 was similarly reported also

 

[Clarence Yard]

Extract from GWR Journey Check today


The 0600 was similarly reported also

Looks like a T code omission in the plan for the day has just been corrected.

 

[Class 33]

Just as a head's up, that working sometimes still uses a 158. But if it is a Turbo, GWR have disappointingly locked the declassified First Class section for staff members only, which is a bit of a shame as it's the most comfortable seating on the entire unit!



Must admit I don't remember some of the Portsmouth to Cardiff services skipping Temple Meads, but in all honesty, particularly from Bath, with there being a regular 800 from Paddington and the Taunton to Cardiff service running all as 4 cars, I don't see an issue in some services skipping Temple Meads.



Believe it was the 1714 from Filton (2C55), and it was a 166 when I used it. Always a good one starting at Filton (of course, there's now the 0644 from Weymouth that terminates at Filton in the morning), as you'd have first dibs of seats.



The 1644 Bristol Parkway to Warminster service was also a handy one compared to the Cardiff starters but I found that quite a fair number of people used it from Bristol Parkway, so it was pretty full by the time it got to Filton. Being something like the 17:04 off Temple Meads, if it was anything less than a 3 car service, you'd be squeezed in like play dough!

It's a 158 unfortunately! Oh well. Hopefully I'll get a turbo on the way back!

 

[ValleyLines142]

It's a 158 unfortunately! Oh well. Hopefully I'll get a turbo on the way back!

Do you know which service you're planning on getting? I can try and work out whether it'll be a Turbo!

 

[Class 33]

Do you know which service you're planning on getting? I can try and work out whether it'll be a Turbo!

I didn't check this website again after my posting this morning until I got the train back. Bit difficult to see my mobile screen during the very strong sunlight whilst on the beach! Thanks for your offer anyway though. I got the 1700 service back from Cardiff, which was a HST.

Hopefully do a trip to/from Cardiff on a Turbo on another day. It's been a year or so I think since I done so.

 

[ValleyLines142]

I didn't check this website again my posting this morning until I got the train back. Bit difficult to see my mobile during the very strong sunlight whilst on the beach! Thanks for your offer anyway though. I got the 1700 service back from Cardiff, which was a HST.

Hopefully do a trip to/from Cardiff on a Turbo on another day. It's been a year or so I think since I done so.

Hope you had a good day!

 

[Class 33]

Hope you had a good day!

Yep I had a good day there, thanks!

Incidentally, due to this "data error" the 0956 service to Cardiff Central did not appear anywhere on the departure screens at Bristol Temple Meads. I had to lookup "goto detailed version" of this service on the Realtimestrains website to see which platform it would depart from(platform 9), as I expected the ticket office or platform staff wouldn't be able to help. Although several minutes before the train was due in, a live PA system announcement was made about this service and which platform it would be departing from. Only a few people boarded this service at Temple Meads. I expect it would have been more if it wasn't for this data error.

 

[D6975]

There used to be the 1643 Bath Spa to Bristol Parkway which did similar, but it was withdrawn.

Still runs, just retimed. Arrives P2 at 1625, goes back at 1630. although it temporarily now calls at TM.

PS The incoming 1625 arrival does still go round the Rhubarb.