SWR Strike Timetables

[Goldfish62]

You have to understand that the train planning community are setup to deliver the long term plan (the timetable, along with stock diagrams and base crew rosters) then you have short term team amending that plan predominantly in response to engineering works along with special events like Twickenham. They are not resourced up to keep amending the plan for strikes nor are the crew resourcing teams have sufficient people to deal with a wholesale withdrawal of overtime working. Also in many cases these staff have continued to work despite being members of unions that have instructed them otherwise to do differently.
That said SWR appear to have had a pretty draconian response yesterday compared to other operators and you would hope MPs across their patch are being vocal about what is going on.

Only yesterday?!

I think you need to compare today's offering from SWR to that of other operators and then try to rationalise your argument.

 

[74A]

Why not run a normal service. Those trains that don't have guards can run empty.

Would seem to be less complicated than completely redesigning all the diagrams !

 

[Goldfish62]

Why not run a normal service. Those trains that don't have guards can run empty.

Would seem to be less complicated than completely redesigning all the diagrams !

Then we'd magically find that the level of service was much better than being offered by SWR for the next couple of weeks.

When a guard tells people who can't board his train due to overcrowding that plenty of his colleagues are sitting around with no work due to SWR's decision to operate a skeleton service you have to conclude there's a major problem.

 

[infobleep]

Why not run a normal service? Those trains that don't have guards can run empty.

Would seem to be less complicated than completely redesigning all the diagrams!

Trains that don't have guards cannot run.

As for the timetable, I would like SWR to explain why they cannot provide a better timetable but GWR can. I use GWR as an example as I believe they have enough trains that are guard operated compared to say GTR.

If someone had said to me 2 weeks ago, wgich company do you think will run the most tarins, i eould have said SWR, based on the in veteeen timetables when strikes hsppen eith gaps in beteeen.

I wonder if people in SWR enquire as how GWR can run a better service? What is the difference between them?

I am gappy to believe SWR can't do more but I'd love to know why, when others can

The MP covering Earlsfield, Dr Rosena Allin-Khan MP, has written a letter.

South Western Railway have announced that no services will run through Earlsfield from 19 December until 2 January.

Add your name to my letter to SWR calling for an immediate reconsideration of this decision

https://twitter.com/DrRosena/status/1603794121059098625?t=2duk8bP-7dyMuiSIKo0DOQ&s=19

The notice at Cobham states

Cobham's Christmas & New Year Services & Strikes

As at Thursday 15/12/22, SWRailway, like most other railway companies, have announced we are running virtually NO SERVICES after today until possibly Thursday 5th January 2023!

At the moment there are no updates on any Website, but I gather extremely limited services will run on the Southampton, Basingstoke, Surbiton line

to Waterloo.

Elsewhere there are NO SERVICES planned. All Railway companies have always depended on overtime working, but the RMT and TESSA unions have banned overtime working as well as calling the National Strike dates, resulting in an unsustainable

service.

So, from the Strike days of 16th&17th December until

at least Thursday 5th January

there will be NO TRAIN SERVICES HERE !!! PLEASE CHECK DAILY FOR FURTHER INFORMATION>

So how many companies are running virtual no services until after Christmas? It has to be most or that statement is not true.

The notice info was taken from this Tweet:

https://twitter.com/stu_fraser/status/1604483658945028097?t=EDbeqXSauPyXZmYMSgqZ_g&s=19

 

[74A]

Trains that don't have guards cannot run.


I mean they run empty with no passengers until a guard is available later in the diagram.

 

[43096]

Trains that don't have guards cannot run.

You must have missed the bit “Those trains that don't have guards can run empty.”

ECS services do not need a guard.

 

[HamworthyGoods]

Why not run a normal service. Those trains that don't have guards can run empty.

Would seem to be less complicated than completely redesigning all the diagrams !

How do all these trains get into traffic in the first place with Depot staff who prepare them for traffic and authorise them on/off the depot being RMT and taking part in action short of a strike thus leaving many shifts uncovered?

There’s a lot which has to be done to comply with safety standards to get the trains out on the network in passenger service at the start of each day.

 

[Fiyero]

I support the strikes but this feels like SWR are putting a harsher timetable than needed out. Last train from London to Eastleigh at 20:00, loads of pre-Christmas plans ruined surely?

 

[Jimini]

Friends of ours that live in Haslemere have opted to stay at a hotel in town tonight instead of leaving our planned soiree to get the last train back at 7:30pm!

 

[deepeetw]

How do all these trains get into traffic in the first place with Depot staff who prepare them for traffic and authorise them on/off the depot being RMT and taking part in action short of a strike thus leaving many shifts uncovered?

There’s a lot which has to be done to comply with safety standards to get the trains out on the network in passenger service at the start of each day.

I entirely support the strike and this removal of overtime working, but you are effectively saying that SWR can’t run anything like their normal operation without significant numbers of staff coming in on rest days / doing overtime.

In other words, they are completely unable to do the one thing they are contracted by the government to do - run a rail service. Heads should roll as a result.

 

[swr444]

I entirely support the strike and this removal of overtime working, but you are effectively saying that SWR can’t run anything like their normal operation without significant numbers of staff coming in on rest days / doing overtime.

In other words, they are completely unable to do the one thing they are contracted by the government to do - run a rail service. Heads should roll as a result.

they will get away with it though and the government will no doubt award them with a bonus, just like they've done with avanti.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

There are many toys being thrown out of the pram about the idea of DOO, but ironically enough if the Desiros were DOO operated then we wouldn't have this reduced timetable.

 

[swr444]

There are many toys being thrown out of the pram about the idea of DOO, but ironically enough if the Desiros were DOO operated then we wouldn't have this reduced timetable.

How do you know that? About 90% of the service today is being run with desiro/desiro city. Do tell me how you'd run a normal service without shunters/depot workers/station staff??

 

[infobleep]

There are many toys being thrown out of the pram about the idea of DOO, but ironically enough if the Desiros were DOO operated then we wouldn't have this reduced timetable.

Not if they can't get out of the depot. I don't want this to descend into a discussion on DOO though.

 

[HamworthyGoods]

There are many toys being thrown out of the pram about the idea of DOO, but ironically enough if the Desiros were DOO operated then we wouldn't have this reduced timetable.

It’s not just a shortage of guards that is causing this reduced timetable - see messages about reduced ability to get sets on and off stabling locations.

 

[dctraindriver]

There are many toys being thrown out of the pram about the idea of DOO, but ironically enough if the Desiros were DOO operated then we wouldn't have this reduced timetable.

We probably would

 

[swr444]

It’s not just a shortage of guards that is causing this reduced timetable - see messages about reduced ability to get sets on and off stabling locations.

i'm sure they have seen it, but prefer to ignore what has been said by people inside the industry and would rather blurt out phrases like DOO just for the sake of it

 

[Big Jumby 74]

ignore what has been said by people inside the industry

A long standing problem with public forums, a very reason that few railway professionals (present or past) get involved in same I would wager. Take the issue of stock trapped in depots during strike/work to rule etc., the fact depot shunters are required, plus (often) depot panelmen, oh, and of course, PU duties are at many depot locations are the domain of depot drivers, who might (I have no idea about current issues??) not be available in some scenarios, so at such locations main line drivers won't touch with a barge pole. It is a fact that operational issues (in their full context) are seldom understood by most outside (and some within, I can confirm!) the industry. I only speak as I found, past tense.

 

[TEW]

There are many toys being thrown out of the pram about the idea of DOO, but ironically enough if the Desiros were DOO operated then we wouldn't have this reduced timetable.

Yes we would. The timetable SWR are running bares no relation to availability of traincrew.

 

[HamworthyGoods]

Yes we would. The timetable SWR are running bares no relation to availability of traincrew.

Indeed, it’s amazing how people make a statement as fact even emphasising the point that if there was DOO this reduced timetable wouldn’t be operating when in reality that’s far from the case!

Never let facts get in the way though

 

[Dr_Intoxicated]

I still can't see how running 2 Windsor trains via Richmond and 2 Via Hounslow takes more staff than running all 4 via Hounslow other than the staff to man Whitton and St Margret's

 

[Taunton]

I was actually travelling to Whitton this coming Thursday 22nd. I guess I'll drive across London instead. If I wasn't cognoscenti on here I would just have turned up at Waterloo. No strike in the press. It's London suburban, turn up and go.

As trains are still running through, one wonders why they cannot make the couple of additional stops that have been omitted. It's quite normal anyway to have two or three signal stops on the journey, nobody seems to have apoplexy over that and suggest the service has to be abandoned for the rest of the day. Are we so terrifyingly beholden to right time terminus arrivals that this can't be contemplated?

Whitton station is normally unstaffed when I get there anyway.

 

[swr444]

I was actually travelling to Whitton this coming Thursday 22nd. I guess I'll drive across London instead. If I wasn't cognoscenti on here I would just have turned up at Waterloo. No strike in the press. It's London suburban, turn up and go.

As trains are still running through, one wonders why they cannot make the couple of additional stops that have been omitted. It's quite normal anyway to have two or three signal stops on the journey, nobody seems to have apoplexy over that and suggest the service has to be abandoned for the rest of the day. Are we so terrifyingly beholden to right time terminus arrivals that this can't be contemplated?

Whitton station is normally unstaffed when I get there anyway.

The problem is, is that they're running only 2tph through Richmond with the reading service, which is already going to be very busy and is made worse by them using either 8-car 455 or 450s, instead of a 10 car as most of the 458/707s are being used on the Windsor via Hounslow services. If they stopped at Whitton etc also they would be dangerously overcrowded.

 

[Taunton]

So the big trains are being used on the lesser used, doubled frequency to normal route, and the small trains on the much reduced frequency route that goes through the principal stations?

I guess with such an enhanced service to Hounslow one is expected to go there and walk.

 

[deepeetw]

I still can't see how running 2 Windsor trains via Richmond and 2 Via Hounslow takes more staff than running all 4 via Hounslow other than the staff to man Whitton and St Margret's

The guy in the ticket office at Whitton has been in both yesterday and today, with nothing to do!

It’s self-despatch there anyway (and I’m pretty sure it is at all of the unserved stations on the line too).

 

[Kite159]

I presume the lack of station staff at Richmond yesterday caused the Overground (and Underground) services to turn back early (South Acton for Overground)?

 

[philosopher]

The MP covering Earlsfield, Dr Rosena Allin-Khan MP, has written a letter.

The closure of Earlsfield I do find surprising. When I was living near Earlsfield, they usually did have services stopping there during strike days. I suspect SWR will argue passengers can get a bus to Tooting Broadway or walk to Southfields.

It will be interesting to see if Earlsfield station suddenly reopens within the next few days or remains shut. I suspect it will remain shut, but you never know.

 

[Cletus]

I am in SWR (and GWR) land next week. When will RTT be up to date for their reduced services?

For instance, Chandlers Ford is one stations with no services on the SWR map but RTT still shows a normal service.

Realtime Trains | Departures from Chandlers Ford around 1114 on 28/12/2022

Train departures from Chandlers Ford around 1114 on 28/12/2022. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

 

[HamworthyGoods]

I am in SWR (and GWR) land next week. When will RTT be up to date for their reduced services?

For instance, Chandlers Ford is one stations with no services on the SWR map but RTT still shows a normal service.

Realtime Trains | Departures from Chandlers Ford around 1114 on 28/12/2022

Train departures from Chandlers Ford around 1114 on 28/12/2022. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

If you look on the SWR website there is a table which explains for each date when the journey planners will be updated. It usually worth checking the TOC websites for such things.

Cheap Train Tickets | No Booking Fees | South Western Railway

Buy cheap train tickets and check train times with South Western Railway. Save up to 50% with Advance tickets, pay no booking fees and get rewarded with SWR Rewards.

www.southwesternrailway.com

 

[deepeetw]

The closure of Earlsfield I do find surprising. When I was living near Earlsfield, they usually did have services stopping there during strike days. I suspect SWR will argue passengers can get a bus to Tooting Broadway or walk to Southfields.

It will be interesting to see if Earlsfield station suddenly reopens within the next few days or remains shut. I suspect it will remain shut, but you never know.

Apparently off peak services at Earlsfield resume tomorrow.

Also - extra stops have been added to the Reading-Waterloo service to include Whitton by the looks of things.