GWR Shortage of Traincrew Weekend and During Week

[embers25]

Not so bad today apart from the Portsmouth route again. Several trains that were shown as Cancelled this morning finished up being re-instated. The biggest problem today was HSTs falling down all over the place, a situation which has been more prevalent lately.

From Exeter the first and third Paddington trains were cancelled giving a 2 hourly service with extra stops added in. Also the one in the middle from Plymouth via Bristol was first said to be starting at Bristol then started from Exeter with minimal notice. Given the SWR line was bus to Yeovil (also subject to extra delays due to a road accident), it was not a good morning.

 

[Mag_seven]

From Exeter the first and third Paddington trains were cancelled giving a 2 hourly service with extra stops added in. Also the one in the middle from Plymouth via Bristol was first said to be starting at Bristol then started from Exeter with minimal notice. Given the SWR line was bus to Yeovil (also subject to extra delays due to a road accident), it was not a good morning.

I was on 1C03 13.00 Padd-Plymouth via BTM between Reading and Swindon. It was shown on the PIS at Reading as going to Plymouth. The on board destination window stickers stated Plymouth as did the Train Manager in his announcements but when I alighted at Swindon the Swindon PIS stated the termination point as Exeter St Davids. In the end according to RTT it terminated at Newton Abbott.

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/P00137/2017/09/03/advanced

 

[Mag_seven]

Today its the turn of the Greenford Branch and the Gloucester-Yate shuttles.

 

[PHILIPE]

Today's shortage seem to have affected Westbury and Fratton again and a couple of Bristol guards. Cotswold Line affected somewhat also. A major problem this morning was an overrun of Engineering work between Paddington and Reading with trains not starting until approx 1030. The overruns in this area seem to be weekly feature on a Sunday.

What has happened on the Portsmouth route is 2 train loads of passengers for one train due to the previous cancellation and aggravated by 2 Car unit instead of 3 turning up.

 

[hassaanhc]

A significant number of the evening peak EMU services to/from Maidenhead are cancelled due to a shortage of traincrew, plus a few other services. This has also left Iver with two x 1 hour gaps in each direction.

Current list GWR Journeycheck (note: there were some more earlier on)
Full cancellations:

16:42 London Paddington to Maidenhead due 17:13
16:58 London Paddington to Maidenhead due 17:44
17:05 Maidenhead to London Paddington due 17:46
17:11 London Paddington to Maidenhead due 17:52
17:42 London Paddington to Maidenhead due 18:13
17:57 London Paddington to Maidenhead due 18:43
18:07 Maidenhead to London Paddington due 18:43
18:10 London Paddington to Maidenhead due 18:48
18:18 Maidenhead to London Paddington due 18:59
18:42 London Paddington to Maidenhead due 19:14
18:57 London Paddington to Maidenhead due 19:44
19:12 London Paddington to Maidenhead due 19:53
21:02 Frome to Westbury due 21:12
21:48 London Paddington to Worcester Shrub Hill due 00:15
23:34 Reading to Basingstoke due 23:59
00:02 Basingstoke to Reading due 00:28
Sat, 16 September 05:56 Great Malvern to London Paddington due 08:27

Part cancellations:

19:27 Filton Abbey Wood to Frome due 20:48 (terminated at Westbury)
20:48 London Paddington to Oxford due 21:51 (starts from Reading)

 

[Kite159]

Aye the remaining DMUs services towards reading look quite busy.

 

[SpacePhoenix]

A significant number of the evening peak EMU services to/from Maidenhead are cancelled due to a shortage of traincrew, plus a few other services. This has also left Iver with two x 1 hour gaps in each direction.

Current list GWR Journeycheck (note: there were some more earlier on)
Full cancellations:


Part cancellations:

Do all links based out of Paddington sign the 387s or is it only certain links?

 

[Filton Bank]

Do all links based out of Paddington sign the 387s or is it only certain links?

Very nearly all Padd LTV drivers now sign 387s. A small number are still to be trained.

 

[SpacePhoenix]

Very nearly all Padd LTV drivers now sign 387s. A small number are still to be trained.

Does Padd LTV exclude all drivers who sign HSTs?

 

[Filton Bank]

Does Padd LTV exclude all drivers who sign HSTs?

Essentially, yes. HSS do the HSTs, LTV do the units. Not quite as simple as that but almost. Now that nearly all Padd LTV drivers sign 387s, it'll help ease the pressure (less releases needed for training) on the LTV side, but just as HSS drivers need to be released for 800 training!

 

[LordCreed]

Essentially, yes. HSS do the HSTs, LTV do the units. Not quite as simple as that but almost. Now that nearly all Padd LTV drivers sign 387s, it'll help ease the pressure (less releases needed for training) on the LTV side, but just as HSS drivers need to be released for 800 training!

Certain LTV links also sign HSTs, and regularly work them.

 

[KT530]

Do all links based out of Paddington sign the 387s or is it only certain links?

Reading-based drivers currently do approx 70% of the Maidenhead 387 services, with Paddington the rest. Also occasionally covered by a couple from Oxford when needed.

 

[embers25]

1208, 1308 and 1408 from Cardiff to pompey/Brighton all cancelled from Westbury so no train beyond for four hours!!

 

[PHILIPE]

1208, 1308 and 1408 from Cardiff to pompey/Brighton all cancelled from Westbury so no train beyond for four hours!!

And some other bits at the southern end. It is this route that is catching it week in and week out. Gloucester area also during the evening. As an aside, even the Island Line had traincrew cancellations last week.

 

[BestWestern]

And some other bits at the southern end. It is this route that is catching it week in and week out. Gloucester area also during the evening. As an aside, even the Island Line had traincrew cancellations last week.

I presume Island Line has sundays included within the working week, as per SWT?

 

[Kite159]

1208, 1308 and 1408 from Cardiff to pompey/Brighton all cancelled from Westbury so no train beyond for four hours!!

And I'm on the first southbound service (SWR). It's already rammed after Bath, pretty much full after Trowbridge leaving passengers behind at Westbury & Warminster. I think the next Portsmouth was only 10 minutes behind so hopefully that soaked up any remaining passengers.

 

[Parallel]

Oh god, don't get me started on GWR this weekend. I wanted to travel from Bath Spa to Warminster on Saturday night - The 17:36 Bath - Portsmouth train was running approx 50 mins late due to 'an issue with traincrew' and was formed of just a 2-car 150 that was already pretty full, most on the platform unable to board and told to wait for the next train. Next Portsmouth train (18:36) running 15-20 mins late and also formed of 2-car 158. Arrived crushloaded with people left on the platform again. I ended up just taking the 19:07 Westbury train and getting a lift from Trowbridge.

On the other platform, the 18:16 Great Malvern was just a single 153 and was crush loaded. Then, the 19:07 to Cheltenham Spa was shown to be formed of a single 153 too but it ended up cancelled due to lack of train crew.

 

[PHILIPE]

Not actually weekend but 25% of LTV services cancelled today due to traincrew shortages and worsening by the day

 

[387star]

Oh god, don't get me started on GWR this weekend. I wanted to travel from Bath Spa to Warminster on Saturday night - The 17:36 Bath - Portsmouth train was running approx 50 mins late due to 'an issue with traincrew' and was formed of just a 2-car 150 that was already pretty full, most on the platform unable to board and told to wait for the next train. Next Portsmouth train (18:36) running 15-20 mins late and also formed of 2-car 158. Arrived crushloaded with people left on the platform again. I ended up just taking the 19:07 Westbury train and getting a lift from Trowbridge.

On the other platform, the 18:16 Great Malvern was just a single 153 and was crush loaded. Then, the 19:07 to Cheltenham Spa was shown to be formed of a single 153 too but it ended up cancelled due to lack of train crew.

Are things as bad as when first took over wessex in 2006... there was a fares protest back then

I was a guard on this route a few years back and overcrowding was frequently an issue at Bristol.. getting access to the door key switch was a nightmare... having to change ends at bristol wasn't fun!

it seems little has changed... this route has always been a poor relation although the 158s are superb trains when there are enough coaches ... the less said about 150/1 stock the better

ready for the bath christmas market

 

[387star]

Not actually weekend but 25% of LTV services cancelled today due to traincrew shortages and worsening by the day

there has been a massive recruitment of drivers at paddington and reading especially so I am surprised by this unless it is to do with shortage of instructors or releasing drivers to learn new traction

 

[Wilts Wanderer]

Is there an aspect of wearing down the resources I wonder. GWR have been dealing with an absolutely relentless level of late-announced engineering work (usually at 1-2 weeks notice, T-18 - don't make me laugh!) much of which is very disruptive to traincrew diagrams, and LTV will be hit the hardest. If loads of additional turns are being covered at the weekends, I wonder if they've finally hit the limit of what can be achieved, and the backlog of leave and rest days is catching up with them.

It must be a very difficult decision whether to agree the latest unrealistic demand from NR, when you know it'll shaft your midweek timetable even more but NR are adamant the January electrification depends on it. (Especially infuriating if they then fail to achieve the work planned in it, a frequent outcome lately!)

 

[Parallel]

Are things as bad as when first took over wessex in 2006... there was a fares protest back then

I was a guard on this route a few years back and overcrowding was frequently an issue at Bristol.. getting access to the door key switch was a nightmare... having to change ends at bristol wasn't fun!

it seems little has changed... this route has always been a poor relation although the 158s are superb trains when there are enough coaches ... the less said about 150/1 stock the better

ready for the bath christmas market

As a regular commuter, the route has definitely got worse over the last 12 months. On the ground it appears like passenger numbers are growing with more frequent shortforms. Not just the Pompeys, the peak time Weymouths have been shortformed most days recently as well.

As for the 150/1s - as they're due to leave the franchise... Northern are in for a treat when they eventually arrive.

I worked in Bath city centre last year and it was quicker for me to walk to Oldfield Park and get the train back through Bath Spa, than to wait in the line. Some trains were wedged after YEOVIL towards Bristol - Shame Bath Green Park is no longer open to ease some of the tourist overcrowding from Gloucester and Birmingham etc.

--

Especially with late planned engineering works, shortformed trains and cancelled trains due to train crew issues, GWR passengers are getting a raw deal at the moment.

 

[Harbouring]

Have seen a number of 150's in Portsmouth on GWR recently and recently travelled both ways on one to Westbury. The 3 cars are ok for capacity (except Trowbridge to Bristol when the 158's aren't enough in the peaks) but have no reservations and so people get on, looking for their seat whilst in the door area and can lead to delays boarding. There never seem to be any announcements either on the station or on the train.

It's a bit of a shame as it's a very useful service from the south coast to the West where the alternative would be to drive, certainly see a number of people changing at Westbury for the HST.

 

[Kite159]

So far this morning journey check is reporting 48 cancellations & upto 21 partial cancellations.

 

[PHILIPE]

delete

 

[PHILIPE]

After last week quite a few cancellations again today, mainly in the Bristol area. Drivers shortage mentioned today

 

[BestWestern]

A bovine incursion at Hullavington causing a few issues this morning.

Hopefully be moooooooooved soon, etc etc...!

 

[Mag_seven]

14 cancellations and 11 alterations as of now, primarily due to driver and staff shortages. Unusually Pad - Bristol services getting a fair share of those cancellations. When are GWR going to do something about this?

 

[Wilts Wanderer]

What do you expect them to do? If crew aren't available they aren't available. The root cause is the continuous late-agreed engineering work for electrification, combined with a 6-day working week inherited from British Rail. Refusing the engineering work, however unreasonable, will simply lead to even greater problems when January 2018 cascade can't happen. It's simply a case of gritting their teeth and waiting it out unfortunately.

 

[SpacePhoenix]

Are the trains getting cancelled due to crew shortages generally missing the driver, the guard or both?