SWR - Further Timetable Reductions from 17/1

[miklcct]

It’s hard to keep up!

Even worse then, with the reduced SWR timetable in advance place. It’s not going to encourage anyone west of Salisbury to travel to work in London…

Salisbury is outside the London commuter area anyway.

The SWR suburban network only runs as far as Guildford and Woking, the common definition of the London metropolitan area boundary, even Basingstoke is considered long distance in the network map.

 

[infobleep]

If more passengers wish to travel to work and more people want to go out in the evenings and staff seem to be affected as much by Omicron then SWR needs to change the timetable or explain why they won't do this.

I say this as someone who wants 3 fast trains an hour from Guildfodd to Clapham Junction, as it is now but accepts if the timetable is changed, I will only get 1 an hour with no great alternative replacing the missing one

 

[dk1]

It’s hard to keep up!

Even worse then, with the reduced SWR timetable in advance place. It’s not going to encourage anyone west of Salisbury to travel to work in London…

Will be an interesting couple of weeks although I’m not expecting too many to go back immediately.

 

[Goldfish62]

It’s hard to keep up!

Even worse then, with the reduced SWR timetable in advance place. It’s not going to encourage anyone west of Salisbury to travel to work in London…

I expect many will drive instead - and simply never return to the railways.

 

[infobleep]

A caller has just rung into Nick Ferrari, on LBC, to mention that the first three trains from the Hounslow loop have been cancelled which isn't helping people. Nick was aware of this but didn't have time to discuss it in more detail.

So he passed them back to one of his production colleagues to take more details. I expect a story on this at some point. Theyvssifvfirstvtraun from Isleworth was only 6:49.

Guildford has had its very early train cancelled but there is still one at 5:14, which is the earliest I've ever caught a train from the station so not everywhere has a poor service in the morning.

 

[zoneking]

There were notably more people taking the 07.04 from Epsom to Waterloo today than yesterday, since the WFH order was lifted. It will be interesting to see how other routes fare. Not many expected the WFH order to be lifted so soon. Paradoxically, services on the Epsom route are better than before, if they change the timetable again I hope they keep this one for the Epsom route.

 

[[.n]]

I thought all the comments above said the current emergency timetable actually provided more peak capacity but was lacking in evening travel? If that’s the case it ought to be able to cope with the end of WFH.

Nope service is worse (and based on your username) - definitely on your part of SWR! (which is the bit I use most)

 

[Goldfish62]

I've noticed that on both Tuesday 18 and Wednesday 19, SWR JourneyCheck shows the 2150 and 2250 trains Waterloo to Reading as cancelled, leaving the last train as the 2120. Yet last night they both ran.
Does anyone know where SWR JourneyCheck gets its information from, as it seems to be giving incorrect information, certainly last night and possibly tonight too.

Lawrie

Last night the last Reading via Richmond train was indeed at 2120 with the last two trains diverted via Brentford for the match. Last connecting service from Richmond towards Reading (changing at Staines) was at 2248.

 

[miklcct]

I expect many will drive instead - and simply never return to the railways.

Why do you think that people will buy a car (owning a car is expensive unless you are doing dozens of kilometres on it annually on an electric) because of this?

 

[Feathers44]

Peak service through from from Epsom into Waterloo has dropped from 6 per hour 8/10-car (pre-Covid) to 4 per hour and now down to 2 per hour 8 car (emergency). So that 16 carriages per hour instead of 50/60

Paradoxically, services on the Epsom route are better than before, if they change the timetable again I hope they keep this one for the Epsom route.

Is there etiquette around quoting yourself? Never mind.

Taking the hour between 07:00 and 08:00 as I quoted earlier, I don’t see 16 carriages an hour as an improvement on the 32 we got last week or the 50/60 we got 2 years ago. How is the current service better?

 

[Bessie]

I presume SWR are working on a plan as to how to reinstate services as required now WFH regulations are being eased. Exeter/Weymouth through services would seem easy to re-install as there is sufficient rolling stock and staff. With the withdrawal of 24 Class 456s and various 455s going off-lease the crunch points would appear to be on SWR metro services. Maybe SWR are waiting for the social media backlash and passengers packed in like sardines on services before they take action.

 

[Goldfish62]

I presume SWR are working on a plan as to how to reinstate services as required now WFH regulations are being eased. Exeter/Weymouth through services would seem easy to re-install as there is sufficient rolling stock and staff. With the withdrawal of 24 Class 456s and various 455s going off-lease the crunch points would appear to be on SWR metro services. Maybe SWR are waiting for the social media backlash and passengers packed in like sardines on services before they take action.

They also need to reinstate late night and early morning services. They don't need any extra stock - just stock left out in service longer.

 

[swt_passenger]

Salisbury is outside the London commuter area anyway.

really?

 

[zoneking]

Taking the hour between 07:00 and 08:00 as I quoted earlier, I don’t see 16 carriages an hour as an improvement on the 32 we got last week or the 50/60 we got 2 years ago. How is the current service better?

Sorry, I should have stated that, for me, the service is better because of the timings. My route is Epsom / Guildford so only one service per hour. When a service is only hourly, the timing is very important and it is better for me under the new timetable.

 

[Feathers44]

Sorry, I should have stated that, for me, the service is better because of the timings. My route is Epsom / Guildford so only one service per hour. When a service is only hourly, the timing is very important and it is better for me under the new timetable.

Ah!

Makes sense, thanks. From that viewpoint, my daughter‘s trip to Thames Ditton is actually better because 15 minutes of waiting at Raynes Park has been cut out by the new service pattern. Of course that only works while there’s space on the trains.

 

[miklcct]

really?

I refer Wikipedia. There are various definitions but none go as far as Salisbury. Is the information there wrong?

 

[swt_passenger]

I refer Wikipedia. There are various definitions but none go as far as Salisbury. Is the information there wrong?

Regularly. Ask the question, are there any season ticket holders from Salisbury to Waterloo? If as we know, there are commuters from Bournemouth and Poole to London, why wouldn’t there be from Salisbury, a similar distance/time?

 

[WesternBiker]

Salisbury is outside the London commuter area anyway.

The SWR suburban network only runs as far as Guildford and Woking, the common definition of the London metropolitan area boundary, even Basingstoke is considered long distance in the network map.

That doesn’t stop people commuting from west of Salisbury though. Prior to the pandemic the early morning trains see busy traffic at Tisbury and Gillingham and, even after adding a further three carriages at Salisbury, it could be standing room only before the train gets to Andover. Okay so some might be commuting to Basingstoke, Woking etc. But they’re still commuting through Salisbury…

 

[lawried123]

Last night the last Reading via Richmond train was indeed at 2120 with the last two trains diverted via Brentford for the match. Last connecting service from Richmond towards Reading (changing at Staines) was at 2248.

Yes, but JourneyCheck was saying they were cancelled, not just diverted. That doesn't help passengers trying to get home from shows and concerts. I went a long way round home via Paddington at additional expense. if I'd known they were running, I would have gone to Waterloo as normal.

Lawrie

 

[infobleep]

Yes, but JourneyCheck was saying they were cancelled, not just diverted. That doesn't help passengers trying to get home from shows and concerts. I went a long way round home via Paddington at additional expense. if I'd known they were running, I would have gone to Waterloo as normal.

Lawrie

Under such circumstances, it is worth doing a Journey Planner search.

 

[Kite159]

That doesn’t stop people commuting from west of Salisbury though. Prior to the pandemic the early morning trains see busy traffic at Tisbury and Gillingham and, even after adding a further three carriages at Salisbury, it could be standing room only before the train gets to Andover. Okay so some might be commuting to Basingstoke, Woking etc. But they’re still commuting through Salisbury…

Pre Covid there was even a 10 coach sprinter lash-up on one service (arrived into Waterloo around 08:17 or so) to cope with the demand. I did that a few times and even boarding at Grateley the choice of seats were more limited [the table seats would have mostly gone, along with those unmarked extra legroom ones]

This was prime commuter land, the car park at my local station would have been full most days by 07:30.

 

[Wychwood93]

It’s hard to keep up!

Even worse then, with the reduced SWR timetable in advance place. It’s not going to encourage anyone west of Salisbury to travel to work in London…

I would be interested to have figures on how many London commuters there are from west of Salisbury - a station which has remained rooted within a decent Bulleid Pacific time from Waterloo. There are quite probably a few of the Monday up/Friday home, as there are for many places, but to get within a decent time for a daily commute? I did Christchurch/Waterloo for two years - mercifully the Railtrack offices were close to hand on arrival. It was roughly two hours each way and my own (bicycle) travel time to and from Christchurch. An absolute nightmare!

 

[Goldfish62]

Yes, but JourneyCheck was saying they were cancelled, not just diverted. That doesn't help passengers trying to get home from shows and concerts. I went a long way round home via Paddington at additional expense. if I'd known they were running, I would have gone to Waterloo as normal.

Lawrie

Yes, they showed as cancelled, but under "service alterations" it showed "an additional train has been scheduled at... .".

Unacceptable I know, but what do they care?

 

[pompeyfan]

Does anyone know how long this timetable is in for? I saw it reported on the GTR thread 21st February, which could indicate it’s a DfT thing rather than a company choice. It would also take into consideration various week long blocks in place such as along the Portsmouth Direct and Hounslow(?)

 

[Goldfish62]

A failed train at Virginia Water this morning has resulted in the highly unusual step of suspending the whole of the Weybridge and Reading services, rather than running shuttles as would normally apply.

SWR really do not want us using their services at the moment, do they?

 

[Bessie]

It's damage to the 3rd rail per Network Rail Wessex on Twitter. I assume it's unsafe to have any power on west of Virginia Water while they repair the rail.

 

[WesternBiker]

I would be interested to have figures on how many London commuters there are from west of Salisbury - a station which has remained rooted within a decent Bulleid Pacific time from Waterloo. There are quite probably a few of the Monday up/Friday home, as there are for many places, but to get within a decent time for a daily commute?

Good question, though on a pre-pandemic weekday the car parks at Tisbury (70+ spaces) and Gillingham (140) were full by 8am. Hard to know how many commuted beyond Salisbury. I was always amazed when I worked in Westminster, how far some of my colleagues commuted daily. Ipswich, Southend, Canterbury (pre HS1), Milton Keynes, Bournemouth and Ely to name a few - and some of those had longish tube rides to add in. I am guessing that working from home is going to change those travel patterns.

 

[Goldfish62]

It's damage to the 3rd rail per Network Rail Wessex on Twitter. I assume it's unsafe to have any power on west of Virginia Water while they repair the rail.

A few years ago when they had to turn the power off due to 3rd rail damage at Longcross (I was on the offending train) SWT as was ran a shuttle from Ascot to Reading.

Also, the power is regularly off for engineering works in the area but again a shuttle is operated between Ascot and Reading.

Just sounds to me like they can't be bothered, which seems to be overall theme of this current timetable.

 

[30907]

A failed train at Virginia Water this morning has resulted in the highly unusual step of suspending the whole of the Weybridge and Reading services, rather than running shuttles as would normally apply.

The Weybridge service ran through the "peak" until 0930. I agree, Reading to Ascot shuttles would have been useful, assuming crews were available.

 

[Goldfish62]

The Weybridge service ran through the "peak" until 0930. I agree, Reading to Ascot shuttles would have been useful, assuming crews were available.

Looking open train times earlier there were to two out-of-service trains between Ascot and Bracknell so these could have provided an hourly shuttle - or half-hourly with extremely tight turnaround times.