No but GWR don't just abandon passengers like SWR regularly do west of Yeovil. SWR should have their franchise stripped over this and their continued awful performance. Why should passengers suffer due to their awful service. Constant dirty trains, late trains, cancelled trains and total lack of interest in services beyond Yeovil.
Today they scheduled rail replacement buses that didn't connect with trains and the few that did didnt wait 5 mins when the train was late arriving. Timetables Basingstoke to Weymouth were comically bad today. Also, they keep timetabling journeys on buses with journey times that are impossible.
Splitting the service at Yeovil would, these days, be a vast improvement. Trying to run an hourly long distance service over a single track line with limited passing places just doesn't work anymore, west of Yeovil I'd bet a fair whack that the vast majority of traffic is commuter and leisure traffic between East Devon and Exeter and it's become hideously unreliable because a delay at Clapham Junction (for example) can then have a huge knock on effect and totally destroy the service at the West end of the line, only running as a local service from Yeovil Downwards would improve performance drastically and as you say, the flexibility of crews based at Exeter who also don't have terms that mean they cant be relived at somewhere like Axminster, for the people who live along this route it has become unbearable over the past few years, something really does need to change.I’m not sure how giving the route to GWR would miraculously improve everything. It’s the same infrastructure, the same fleet, the only benefit of GWR running between Exeter and Salisbury would be the fact there would be a crew depot at Exeter and not having to taxi crew from either Salisbury or Yeovil to Exeter. You’d also potentially lose through services to places beyond Salisbury. I’m not sure Exeter would have sufficient capacity to maintain an extra ~10 3 car trains.
It's not painting them green, it's being managed from Exeter that would make the difference, even last week the AOM was able to operate what would be 5L90 empty back from Axminster as a passenger service to try and help out, it is so bad at the West end of the WoE at the moment.With the exception of the dirty trains, the majority of the issues are caused by either the weather or the infrastructure and the single track sections, how would giving the route to GWR improve this?
I’m not disputing that passengers west of Salisbury have an absolute raw deal but I can’t see how painting the trains green would suddenly provide an improved service. I’m open to realistic suggestions.
With respect, the lack of / very slow provision of ticket acceptance and replacement buses, plus the penny-pinching on train crew availability do not have anything to do with the weather, single track sections or infrastructure reliability. These are the central complaints against SWR: the absence of contingency planning.With the exception of the dirty trains, the majority of the issues are caused by either the weather or the infrastructure and the single track sections, how would giving the route to GWR improve this?
I don't think it matters whether the trains change or don't but it's blooming obvious there should be a pool of Exeter based crew who can work to Salisbury and back. Whether they're GWR or SWR is neither here nor there. An additional one or two units to the GWR fleet used in a mixed pool is also perfectly practical.I’m not disputing that passengers west of Salisbury have an absolute raw deal but I can’t see how painting the trains green would suddenly provide an improved service. I’m open to realistic suggestions.
I’ve a much better idea, give the entire mainland railway network to me. Under my administration there would be no more separate TOCs, far less interference from government, and I would work with the staff and the unions, not fight with them.Give the entire route to GWR not sure if GW running both routes to Exeter is actually worse than SWR repeatedly abandoning it.
Splitting the service at Yeovil would, these days, be a vast improvement. Trying to run an hourly long distance service over a single track line with limited passing places just doesn't work anymore, west of Yeovil I'd bet a fair whack that the vast majority of traffic is commuter and leisure traffic between East Devon and Exeter and it's become hideously unreliable because a delay at Clapham Junction (for example) can then have a huge knock on effect and totally destroy the service at the West end of the line, only running as a local service from Yeovil Downwards would improve performance drastically and as you say, the flexibility of crews based at Exeter who also don't have terms that mean they cant be relived at somewhere like Axminster, for the people who live along this route it has become unbearable over the past few years, something really does need to change.
Staff at Exeter are constantly facing abuse because they're left totally helpless when the weekly "chuck the towel in west of Salisbury" occurs, when all that SWR will say is "don't travel", "book your own taxi and claim it back", how is a young family meant to stump up £75 for a taxi back to Axminster when they got the train down in the morning and have now been left stranded? It doesn't matter that they will eventually get it back, they don't have it to stump up in the first place.
It's not painting them green, it's being managed from Exeter that would make the difference, even last week the AOM was able to operate what would be 5L90 empty back from Axminster as a passenger service to try and help out, it is so bad at the West end of the WoE at the moment.
With respect, the lack of / very slow provision of ticket acceptance and replacement buses, plus the penny-pinching on train crew availability do not have anything to do with the weather, single track sections or infrastructure reliability. These are the central complaints against SWR: the absence of contingency planning.
I don't think it matters whether the trains change or don't but it's blooming obvious there should be a pool of Exeter based crew who can work to Salisbury and back. Whether they're GWR or SWR is neither here nor there. An additional one or two units to the GWR fleet used in a mixed pool is also perfectly practical.
I would suggest it's quite practical for a small pool of GWR crew to learn the route all the way to Salisbury and have a small amount of booked work that way. Would only call for a handful of extra crew over those who currently work via Yeovil Junction anyway. The cost of this would be minimal but the economic benefit in keeping the service going would be well worthwhile. However the current government would probably rather the line close completely than actually fund it properly. I can't possibly imagine it'd leave SWR in a position where any of their depots have over-recruited by more than one or two positions, which is not really a problem.I’ve read your whole post and agree mostly with what you’re saying, however I’m not sure there is the platform capacity at Yeovil to reliably split the journey there.
I don’t know enough regarding the buses and ticket acceptance to be able to comment but I take on board what you’re saying. The traincrew penny pinching I would imagine is actually coming from above SWR.
Regarding Exeter crew, although it would help in this situation, it could also cause other issues that prevent terminating short at Honiton if there was an issue at somewhere like Pinhoe, as you may not have crew to take the service back towards Salisbury as they’re due relief at the end of duty at Exeter etc which would impact on service recovery.
Just my uneducated thoughts
I mean, we're getting into the realms of speculation now, but I wouldn't have thought it would be much of an issue as there are siding that can also be sued for stabling.I’ve read your whole post and agree mostly with what you’re saying, however I’m not sure there is the platform capacity at Yeovil to reliably split the journey there.
I don’t know enough regarding the buses and ticket acceptance to be able to comment but I take on board what you’re saying. The traincrew penny pinching I would imagine is actually coming from above SWR.
Regarding Exeter crew, although it would help in this situation, it could also cause other issues that prevent terminating short at Honiton if there was an issue at somewhere like Pinhoe, as you may not have crew to take the service back towards Salisbury as they’re due relief at the end of duty at Exeter etc which would impact on service recovery.
Just my uneducated thoughts
That is the ultimate plan, a loop there and extending Honiton Loop. But there is quite often no service at the moment, a lot from east Devon now drive to Tiverton Parkway or Taunton and a lot from Yeovil/Sherborne drive to Castle Cary.If a loop is built at Cranbrook, then GWR could run a local 'Devon Metro' service to Axminster (as an extension of Barnstaple / Okehampton services) whilst SWR still run the Waterloo 'express' service. There is significant London traffic from Honiton eastwards so I don't favour withdrawing the through service.
...which of course is what DCC want.If a loop is built at Cranbrook, then GWR could run a local 'Devon Metro' service to Axminster (as an extension of Barnstaple / Okehampton services) whilst SWR still run the Waterloo 'express' service.
Just to point out we regularly change crew at Axminster during engineering work, drivers and guards.Just to address a few points….
The SWR diesel fleet is no longer compatible in passenger service with other sprinter fleets due to modifications made to the fleet. They can still run together in an emergency rescue situation but mitigations need to be applied.
Regarding an Axminster shuttle, it would need additional crew as you wouldn’t be able to taxi the crew booked from Yeovil Junction and get them there in time. Due to the T&Cs in the drivers contracts, driver changeover cannot be at Axminster, they have to be at Exeter St David’s which adds significant time on. The only feasible way of running any shuttle service would rely completely on overtime and create additional diagrams. When it’s done pre arranged it can be diagramed accordingly, short notice it cannot be.
That's interesting to hear, so an Axminster-Exeter shuttle is feasible.Just to point out we regularly change crew at Axminster during engineering work, drivers and guards.
Potentially yes, though I doubt possible during the action short of strike.That's interesting to hear, so an Axminster-Exeter shuttle is feasible.
Hasn't that finished now? GWR website says "There could be disruption from Friday 1 to Saturday 9 December due to industrial action short of a strike".Potentially yes, though I doubt possible during the action short of strike.
Yes it finished like you say on Saturday 9th. Now it's over, looking at Real Time Trains there are trains planned to run tomorrow between Axminster and Exeter.Hasn't that finished now? GWR website says "There could be disruption from Friday 1 to Saturday 9 December due to industrial action short of a strike". OK there might be some disruption tomorrow morning if stock is in the wrong place.
Those of us with long memories will recall exactly the same words, but the other way round, when the Western Region ran the line from the Exeter end with diesel locos, how useless it was doing that, and how great it would be if run from Waterloo and Salisbury by the Southern with a different, competing management ...it's being managed from Exeter that would make the difference, even last week the AOM was able to operate what would be 5L90 empty back from Axminster as a passenger service to try and help out, it is so bad at the West end of the WoE at the moment.
Just to point out we regularly change crew at Axminster during engineering work, drivers and guards.
Unless it's changed very recently! During the recent Yeovil to Axminster blockade there were certainly drivers taxied to Axminster. Some went to Exeter as well. Those may be linked to drivers required to have a grub break which would have to be at Exeter.I knew guards changed over at Axminster, but thought drivers had to be at recognised points with adequate facilities, which Axminster didn’t have? a lot of the diagrams I’ve seen had driver taxi to Exeter for this reason, so to hear something conflicting from someone I assume is a driver is interesting.
There has been ample time now to put one or more of these into place. Senior management at SWR should be held to account over why neither have been arranged. I agree there's a slim possibility that there's some genuine reason, but if there is they should go on the record and state it.But still nothing Yeovil to Axminster and no ticket acceptance or buses.