How busy is the London - Bristol reverse commute at peak times?

[doug3fr3sh]

Hi all, I wasn't sure of the best place to post this so I hope this isn't the wrong place.

Does anybody have experience of how busy the 7:30am London Paddington - Bristol Temple Meads and 6:00pm Bristol Temple Meads - London Paddington trains are on weekdays?

I would hope the trains would be a lot less busy than the opposite route but wondered if anybody had any personal experience of whether there was usually any difficulty getting seats on these trains?

Any help would me much appreciated, thanks in advance.

 

[D1009]

Hi all, I wasn't sure of the best place to post this so I hope this isn't the wrong place.

Does anybody have experience of how busy the 7:30am London Paddington - Bristol Temple Meads and 6:00pm Bristol Temple Meads - London Paddington trains are on weekdays?

I would hope the trains would be a lot less busy than the opposite route but wondered if anybody had any personal experience of whether there was usually any difficulty getting seats on these trains?

Any help would me much appreciated, thanks in advance.

The 0730 Padd was very busy to Bristol when it was also the first service from London to Plymouth and Cornwall, unfortunately I haven't been on it since it was diverted to Paignton last December.

 

[CC 72100]

When I've used that train, a fair few have got off at Bristol, making it pretty quiet after Bristol. But I wouldn't have said it was 'very busy' when it arrived at Bristol.

Once again this is pre-change, I can't imagine that it going to Paignton would increase passenger numbers, more likely to have the opposite effect, but that's unlikely to change the amount of people on the Pad - Bristol leg.

 

[Busaholic]

As the 0730 change was done to facilitate an earlier arrival in Plymouth at the behest of local business people there will almost certainly be fewer passengers going beyond Bristol now, as suggested by other posters.

 

[LexyBoy]

Although that train is relatively busy for a contra-peak train, you'll not have a problem getting a seat (but might not get 2 to yourself). I can't say I've noticed it being that much quiter than when it was the Penzance train, perhaps a little but even then it was far from standing room.

The 0800 is slightly quieter though still well loaded.

 

[TheWalrus]

All Bristol- Paddington services have been busy when I've been on them, nearly all seats taken.

 

[HowardGWR]

All Bristol- Paddington services have been busy when I've been on them, nearly all seats taken.

Fair enough but what is the relevance to the OP's question? He was asking about the reverse direction.

 

[Taunton]

The 0730 from Paddington is busiest on the first section to Reading, with people who work in Reading but live in London; that's a considerable flow. Many more get off than get on at Reading. The same is true for many services on this section around the same time. They start piling in after the 0721 Oxford, the preceding Reading fast service, has left, but sometimes the 0730 is not even announced until after this has left, so then you don't get to steal a march on them.

Front-most carriages are quieter than the rear. If it's late being announced wait on the mid-platform footbridge at Paddington so you can go down several cars forward from the concourse and beat the crowd coming up the platform.

 

[Class377]

I would expect the 1800 Bristol to Paddington to be pretty busy - nearly every service on that route gets fairly full and it will cover other commutes as well (Bath-Chippenham/Swindon etc). I've often boarded services at Bath Spa between 6 and half 6 and it gets busy there, but have never boarded at Bristol itself so have no idea what it would be like from there.

As an aside, if you had more time, would services from Bristol Parkway be any quieter?

 

[theageofthetra]

Agree re previous poster about always waiting on the footbridge until the platform is announced. You can then get right to the front and try and bag the single seat right up against the luggage area. It's been unreserved the last few times I've used FGW.

 

[doug3fr3sh]

Thanks a lot guys, I was only really worried about there being trouble getting a seat so sounds like I should be alright for that.

Thanks for the advice about waiting on the footbridge, will make sure to do that!

 

[Class377]

I believe FGW offer seat reservations for any ticket if you go to the ticket office in advance and request one. I'm sure I've read somewhere before that quite a few regular travellers do this, and it may be worth thinking about if you ever find it busy.

 

[Flamingo]

AFAIK The 18.00 Bri-Pad arrives in at 17.40, platform 13, and has a pretty quick clean, reservations, unloct to let everybody on, and out. The flow too and from Bath is busy enough, but as said, you should get a seat no bother. As always, head for A for the best chance, although F (unreserved) can be quiet on the trains off Bristol as well - however, F can fill up closer to Pad, while A stsys constant.