I downloaded the new timetable this morning and if I'm honest, I know people may (or will) disagree with me but I feel GWR have worked tremendously hard to get here.
The only complaint I have is the new weekday ticket restrictions in that every train in the rush hour is no longer valid for Off-Peak ticket holders to and from Didcot, Reading and London - the only semi-fast busy Class 387 services that Off-Peak tickets can be used on are the 18:49 and 19:20 plus others after that. I'd opt for the 18:49 of that was me as it potentially avoids a delay on the 19:28 IET which is non-stop to Didcot.
However, I'm wondering if the I say long-awated increase in fast trains to and from London and Didcot on Saturdays is the reason for the weekday ticket restrictions. In my view (and for me) that compensates for it.
I can't see passengers with Off-Peak tickets being happy with the new restrictions though - I can see the 15:30ish or worse still the 19:28 IET services being crush loaded!
A few things of the December 2019 timetable I find interesting are on Saturdays, there's an 09:47 from Oxford to Reading (arrives 10:14) and London Paddington only (arrives 10:37). How GWR have slotted that one in I don't know - excellent idea though. I wouldn't be surprised if this is because of the fact that both the high-speed services from Oxford to Paddington around 09:30 and 10:30 were nearly packed - I remember 6 years back in like December my brother, Michael, and I going on the 10:30ish HST to Slough (changing for Windsor) and managing to get 2 forward facing seats together at the back of the Quiet Coach, Coach A (rear coach).
So an extra Oxford to Paddington service slotted in on Saturdays will be greatly appreciated I imagine!
For those that mention the North Cotswolds services on here, between 16:18 and 17:59 there's the CrossCountry services at 16:45, 17:15 and 17:43 but there is a fast service to Oxford at 16:48 (Oxford only) so that should take off some of the load. Alternatively go from Reading to Didcot Parkway in time for a new 17:03 from there to Moreton-in-Marsh (M-i-M). That's an all stations service between Didcot and M-i-M. Between the 17:59 and 20:18 services there's obviously the CrossCountry services but there's a 19:55 GWR fast service too. Plus there's the 18:22 and 19:22 stopping services to Oxford as well - they maybe Turbos and take longer but it's better than nothing in the cold weather.
As regards the rolling stock allocations, I'm very pleased that every service to and from London Paddington, Oxford and the North Cotswolds are IET's (5 and 9-car I guess as I believe 10 coaches can't run to and from Oxford and Hereford) - I know that on the North Cotswolds and Mainline services that the only regular Turbos to operate will be, on weekdays only...
- 05:10 from Oxford to Worcester Foregate Street (arrives at 06:24).
- 06:53 from Worcester Foregate Street to Didcot Parkway (arrives at 08:41).
- 17:03 from Didcot Parkway to M-i-M (arrives at 18:07).
- 19:10 from M-i-M to Oxford (arrives at 19:50).
I know that there will be too many trains to and from Didcot Parkway and Reading (combination of non-stop and stopping trains) - a handful of Turbo trains contributes to this which is good!
To save this post being too many miles long, the services at this station I'm impressed with all round.