GWR Didcot Stoppers no longer calling at Ealing Bdy?

[rmt4ever]

Whats happened with the GWR Didcot service? Have they axed it?

An elderly relative went to catch it the other day and was told to use TFL to Reading and change. They struggle with this option because of a medical condition they need regular use of the toilet.

Also those trains are much less comfortable. Its like being on the tube, but for a very long journey!

If the GWR services have been axed was there a public consultation? Also a useful through service gone and now have to change to access those stations when before it was direct.

Not good

 

[pdeaves]

Partial answer: Crossrail (Elizabeth line) took over most GWR relief line paths a few years ago.

 

[rmt4ever]

Partial answer: Crossrail (Elizabeth line) took over most GWR relief line paths a few years ago.

The Didcot service was running very recently, hourly in both directions as I recall

 

[800301]

GWR relief line work from Slough to Paddington effectively stopped bar some overnight and early morning journeys from the last timetable change, they now run non stop from Slough to Pad on the mainline

 

[Mag_seven]

The Didcot service was running very recently, hourly in both directions as I recall

Its half hourly now, running non stop Paddington-Slough and vice versa.

 

[rmt4ever]

Oh dear. It was also handy for Windsor Races Ealing Bdy to Slough as you can have a drink on the GWR train and use the loo!

Was there a public consultation on the withdrawal of this service?

 

[pdeaves]

The Didcot service was running very recently, hourly in both directions as I recall

Still is, but not stopping at Ealing Broadway (the subject of this thread), though (except occasional very late night/early morning).

 

[cle]

Change at Slough (like anyone going to/from Windsor) and use the loo there? Before heading on to Ealing... which is TUAG/4tph, even if the 'comfort break' misses the connection :/

 

[JonathanH]

Was there a public consultation on the withdrawal of this service?

Not really a consultation matter. It is just a timetable change.

The only people affected are those travelling from Ealing Broadway and Hayes & Harlington, while passengers further west get faster services to London.

 

[ctrh136]

Even if there were to be a consultation the change would have been seen as an improvement for most passengers as Maidenhead / Twyford now get a much faster direct service to London all day and stations up to Maidenhead get much longer trains and the direct access to the central Elizabeth Line stations so there's not really anything stopping it going through. Whilst the link from Ealing Broadway to Didcot is probably not one that gets much use.

 

[Barn]

Slough probably suffers the most as a result of the timetable change - no GWR at peak times, just Elizabeth line stoppers.

 

[ChewChewTrain]

Of course, at an additional cost, your relative could go to Paddington and then take one of the many fast (and toilet-equipped) services to Reading. This would quite possibly cut their overall journey time too.

 

[sp503]

Of course, at an additional cost, your relative could go to Paddington and then take one of the many fast (and toilet-equipped) services to Reading. This would quite possibly cut their overall journey time too.

Interestingly, sometimes going through Paddington can be cheaper, depending on your final destination. Example: Wokingham to Ealing Broadway

 

[rmt4ever]

It is a big shame that the whole crossrail project has overall resulted in a lower quality journey standard for the good people of west London forced onto these glorified tube trains when they used to trains with toilets, tables, rubbish bins, and alcohol permitted.

 

[PGAT]

The Didcot service was running very recently, hourly in both directions as I recall

It was replaced in May by a semi-fast EL path that only runs in the peak

 

[74A]

They would be better changing at Slough. It will be the same platform on to Didcot.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

It is a big shame that the whole crossrail project has overall resulted in a lower quality journey standard for the good people of west London forced onto these glorified tube trains when they used to trains with toilets, tables, rubbish bins, and alcohol permitted.

If you consider the four year period of 387s as the stopgap that it was, it's overall a change from a heaving set of 2-4 (a few 5 or 6s at peaks if lucky) carriage Turbos every fifteen minutes (or the VERY tatty 360s) to a far quicker-accelerating, 9 carriage, Metro style service which even continues into Central London and negates the tube for many journeys.

When you add in the fact that the turbo toilets are often broken, and that they didn't have any tables either, or even armrests (which 345s do), then I don't think they've lost out. As for alcohol being prohibited on TfL services, if one can't go their morning commute without sipping from a bottle of Merlot, then I think there's a bigger problem to look at than the comparison of 345s with earlier stock.

 

[Horizon22]

It is a big shame that the whole crossrail project has overall resulted in a lower quality journey standard for the good people of west London forced onto these glorified tube trains when they used to trains with toilets, tables, rubbish bins, and alcohol permitted.

But a much much more frequent & longer service, with a direct link to major destinations of central London every 5 minutes (Hayes & Ealing) in the peak. Don’t forget not in the long distant past, the service was formed of 2-5 car Turbos at irregular intervals (and certainly not the same frequency).

The journey for the vast majority of people is better; for those of whom it has declined slightly (generally people at Ealing, Hayes and West Drayton going further west and those west of Reading going to outer London suburban stations), they overall are a small minority of journeys.