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GWR 2019 draft timetables

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TheWalrus

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afternoon all,

Do we have any recent draft timetables yet for GWR services for the May? 2019 timetable change?
 
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jimm

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No. FGW/GWR has never been in the habit of issuing drafts anyway, beyond user groups being asked, in strict confidence, for their comments. And the major timetable change has been pushed back to next December.
 

cb00

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Does this mean the benefits of IETs (greater acceleration being one of them) will not translate to the timetable until late 2019?

Or does major timetable change refer to something other than quicker journey times?
 

Clarence Yard

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Does this mean the benefits of IETs (greater acceleration being one of them) will not translate to the timetable until late 2019?

Or does major timetable change refer to something other than quicker journey times?

Yes. The accelerated timings can’t happen until electrification is complete because of the effect on other trains. NR has only got the resources to do this major retiming exercise once in a year as GWR main line services interface with too many other operators services, as well as with it’s own connecting services, some of which also interact with other operators further down the line. It’s a surprisingly complex task to get everything right.

The timetable change will also (hopefully) introduce the 6 TPH off peak service west of Swindon - 4 Bristol and 2 Wales.
 

swt_passenger

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Will there be an hourly 387 to Newbury next Jan? It would have to replace the Bedwyn regional.
So it says in the long running electrification thread. Bedwyn is supposed to be served by IETs, (subject to resolution of camera issues); Newbury by 387s, (subject to ORR approval of electrification, test running, crew training etc etc), with the odd peak Newbury - Bedwyn DMU shuttle.

But as said this is all covered in existing threads.
 

TheWalrus

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So no Paddington to Exeter semi-fast until December now? Think we really need the capacity!

swt_passenger please can you link me to the threads covering all this? Cheers
 

cactustwirly

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So no Paddington to Exeter semi-fast until December now? Think we really need the capacity!

swt_passenger please can you link me to the threads covering all this? Cheers

There's barely enough IETs for the current services, let alone extra Exeter services!
 

43074

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There's barely enough IETs for the current services, let alone extra Exeter services!

To be fair the current timetable is being worked by lots of pairs of 5 car units, that will reduce when more 9 cars enter service and the timetable is recast so there will be more single 5 car workings, like the hourly Cheltenham service and the Exeter semi-fasts, both of which have always been in the plan anyway.
 

swt_passenger

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So no Paddington to Exeter semi-fast until December now? Think we really need the capacity!

swt_passenger please can you link me to the threads covering all this? Cheers
There’s little point really, they are hundreds of pages long between them:
The GW Electrification:
https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/great-western-electrification-progress.83452/
The Class 800:
https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/gwr-class-800.100841/
I thought the widespread abandonment of the Dec 2018/Jan 2019 timetable changes, across a vast area of the country including GWR, was announced very early on by RDG. Although they initially said that Dec 2018/Jan 2019 TTs would continue until May 2019 there have been many discussions of it being more likely to be a whole year’s delay.
 
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FenMan

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The 387s are thrashing the relief line regular timetable. The extended waits at stations are noticeable.
 

Wilts Wanderer

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The 387s are thrashing the relief line regular timetable. The extended waits at stations are noticeable.

The Relief Line timetable is still timed for 90mph Turbo stock, so yes, the 387s will be beating it. However until the timetable is recast there is little point accelerating the timings, as many trains will simply catch up the previous freight / stopper / random conflicting junction move and end up waiting at signals instead, resulting in the timetable becoming something of a hotch-potch.
 

jimm

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Yeah, but Hitachi is way behind on IET deliveries, so GWR won't have enough stock to operate it anyway

Operate what? Even if the big timetable change had happened this time round, it would still be another month away on GWR, rather than starting this coming weekend like other TOCs, so Hitachi would probably have managed (and still will) to commission plenty more IETs in good time. Mostly nine-car sets that are key to operating the extra services for Cheltenham, Bristol and on the Berks & Hants line, whether to Bedwyn or beyond, by reducing the number of 2x5 formations to free up five-car sets to operate on their own.
 

Wilts Wanderer

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But this is supposed to be happening anyway?

Had the timetable enhancement gone ahead, much of the West of England service would have remained in the hands of HSTs, being progressively replaced by 802s between January and May. There are sufficient 800/5 (all delivered) and 800/9 (nearly all delivered) with GWR to cover the remainder of the new timetable, had it happened.

Remember, the new service would be timed for electric running Padd-Bristol PW, which gives you improved utilisation, earlier turnarounds etc. Hence (in part) how extra services would be achievable.
 

TheWalrus

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Had the timetable enhancement gone ahead, much of the West of England service would have remained in the hands of HSTs, being progressively replaced by 802s between January and May. There are sufficient 800/5 (all delivered) and 800/9 (nearly all delivered) with GWR to cover the remainder of the new timetable, had it happened.

Remember, the new service would be timed for electric running Padd-Bristol PW, which gives you improved utilisation, earlier turnarounds etc. Hence (in part) how extra services would be achievable.
How would electrification help services to Exeter vis B&H?
 

Wilts Wanderer

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Electric running between Paddington-Newbury which is a fairly marginal benefit; hence the WoE enhancement is about capacity / extra services. (Permitting an hourly fast Plymouth which provides a journey time improvement in itself.)
 

TheWalrus

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Electric running between Paddington-Newbury which is a fairly marginal benefit; hence the WoE enhancement is about capacity / extra services. (Permitting an hourly fast Plymouth which provides a journey time improvement in itself.)
I think we really need 2tph Plymouth or at least Exeter to London. They can be extremely busy leaving Exeter. The best way would be to make the proposed Exeter semi-fast hourly and call at Bedwyn every 2 hours to maintain a connection to the west.
 
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