The most unreliable branch line ever?

[passmore]

Last week, I went away on holiday to Weymouth where I had the dubious privilege of using the Heart of Wessex line, which runs from Weymouth to Castle Cary and then all points to Bristol. 2 mornings in a row the train was 30 minutes late arriving into Weymouth, resulting in a late departure. We were then held, both mornings, for a further 25 minutes at Maiden Newton. Credit to FGW they were brilliant, offering us free water and keeping us informed of the delay. When travelling back to Weymouth in the evening, I was surprised to see the platform where the train terminated at resemble a scene at a London terminus during rush hour: people forming scrums around the train doors. I was amazed!

For people on here who are local to this line, is this the norm for this branch?

 

[DavidBrown]

Not sure of the reasons or how regular the delays are, but I suspect that the hot weather was the reason for the large crowds - this part of the world has seen a huge influx this weekend. I was unfortunate to use the M5 yesterday and 'chaos' wouldn't even begin to describe the traffic yesterday. Driving back up the North Devon Link Road and through Barnstaple yesterday evening, traffic was queuing in places where I've never seen it queue before, and the whole 30 mile road was very slow - luckily going in the opposite direction to me back to the motorway.

 

[Greenback]

It wa sonce a main line, not a branch line. It was once the GWR's route to Weymouth and the Channel Islands, which was a very big market back in the day!

The problem is that it was rationalised and like other lines with long sections of single line, it can be very prone to delays with huge knock on effects.

I know a chap who used to live near me and moved to a village near Maiden Newton. He tells me that demand on the line is very variable. It is usually seasonal and often dependent on the weather. You can be on a train that is almost empty one day, yet the same service a day or so later will be full!

This must make it very difficult for FGW to provide the right capapcity. Such problems will be exacerbated when we have unseasonably warm weather. As David said, this is probably the reason for more custom over the last few days.

 

[passmore]

It wa sonce a main line, not a branch line. It was once the GWR's route to Weymouth and the Channel Islands, which was a very big market back in the day!

The problem is that it was rationalised and like other lines with long sections of single line, it can be very prone to delays with huge knock on effects.

I know a chap who used to live near me and moved to a village near Maiden Newton. He tells me that demand on the line is very variable. It is usually seasonal and often dependent on the weather. You can be on a train that is almost empty one day, yet the same service a day or so later will be full!

This must make it very difficult for FGW to provide the right capapcity. Such problems will be exacerbated when we have unseasonably warm weather. As David said, this is probably the reason for more custom over the last few days.

Thanks for the explanation, Greenback. Some of the trains, 158s I think they were, had really nice seating, almost as if they'd recently been refurbished. Maybe there is hope for our fragmented railway after all.

 

[pemma]

When Piccadilly station was being redeveloped First North Western couldn't stable that many units there so had to use tighter turnaround times. They tried to use 5 minute turnaround times on units running Manchester-Chester services and 55% of trains were late at their final destination. This was the worst recorded figure in the North West since privatisation.

 

[richw]

Slightly off topic, but related, I work in cornwall for a company that is heavily affected by the tourist industry, over the last 10 days we have done 50% increases in business against the same days last year!

 

[Schnellzug]

The timetable is a bit irregular. You probably got the one that's scheduled into Weymouth about 1100, and is allowed about 12 minutes to turn round, whereas the next one has an hour or more. if there was one thing they wanted to do that mgiht be useful, it'd be to make it a regular two-hourly service. And once it's late, of course, then they have to wait for other trains the other way on the single line sections. It certainly loads well in the Holiday season; you regularly see some phenomenal crowds get off that morning one on a Saturday, even when 5 car 158s are put on. And then, of course, in the quieter months a 2 car unit is sufficient. But then you get Warm weather, and, with the media going on about "Hotter than Ibiza!!!" and other such drivel, and everyone decides to Flock to the beach, while meanwhile the train operator has adjusted the diagrams for the winter so that there aren't spare units available at the drop of a Hat.

 

[Greenback]

I expect that the timetable is a bit of a compromise between what is operationally optimal, and the need to try and meet customer travel patterns as closely as posisble.

 

[Gareth Marston]

The Cambrian when Wales and Borders franchise was created. All trains previously ran beyond Birmingham but they tried to keep the same timetable with trains having insufficient turnaround at New St. They stripped out too many loops west of Shrewsbury and expected everything to cross at Talerddig which is 15 miles from the nearest passing places either side.
I commuted from Newtown to Machynlleth for just over 3 years and kept a ppm log mid to high 50's were achieved until Dec 08 when they extended trains to International and swapped over with Holyhead diagrams.

 

[BestWestern]

The Weymouth route has been incredibly busy the past week or so, thanks to the very hot weather. The weather was also responsible for a 40mph speed restriction being imposed over much of the route from 13:00 hrs onwards, presumably due to concern over warping rails or somesuch; this may explain the heavy delays you experienced.

Generally speaking, the 'Heart of Wessex' functions better when it isn't high season, as the line is overdue an upgrade and struggles with high passenger numbers. Platform lengths and spartan rolling stock generally mean that five cars is the maximum length of train, HSTs excepted, and sometimes this just isn't enough. The single line arrangement for much of the route means that any delay quickly has a knock-on effect, and these delays can easily occur when you consider that certain services are diagrammed only around ten minutes in the platform at Weymouth.

I heard a rumour that efforts were made to secure funding for a line upgrade in view of Weymouth's role in the Olympics, but sadly it seems this wasn't approved.

 

[davelew99]

I heard a rumour that efforts were made to secure funding for a line upgrade in view of Weymouth's role in the Olympics, but sadly it seems this wasn't approved.

Shame, i'm saying in poole during the Olympics as it was the nearest reasonbly priced hotel to Weymouth! We had planned to get the train in... might have to leave lots of time.

 

[Schnellzug]

Shame, i'm saying in poole during the Olympics as it was the nearest reasonbly priced hotel to Weymouth! We had planned to get the train in... might have to leave lots of time.

That's the line from Waterloo on SWT.
Anyway, 30 miles or so is probably quite near enough to Weymouth, I'd say.

 

[WelshBluebird]

In terms of branch lines, I have had so many delays on the Barnstaple branch. From a tree on the line, to trains breaking down (and being stuck for 2 hours), to trains being turned around because of a fight, to awful rail replacement buses, etc etc. Its been hell! So glad the girlfriend is at uni in Cardiff now. Makes it so much easier!

I'd have to agree with the heart of wessex line too. Indeed, the main line that goes from Paddington to Taunton via Castle Cary also seems to be a right bugger for delays and stuff.

 

[anthony263]

I think 1 problem on the Weymouth line is the erractic timetable and that some trains. have very little time to turn around at Weymouth. Another problems is that a lot of the trains run to/from Great Malvern so there is always a high risk of delays.

Ideally i think if/when FGW get more units a more regular standard timetable on the Great Malvern - Bristol - Weymouth route so that trains have much longer turn around times at either end.

Another problem i have been told is the state of the line between Castle cary & Upwey, network do certainly need to spend some money upgrading and sorting out the route.

 

[Greenback]

I think 1 problem on the Weymouth line is the erractic timetable and that some trains. have very little time to turn around at Weymouth. Another problems is that a lot of the trains run to/from Great Malvern so there is always a high risk of delays.

Ideally i think if/when FGW get more units a more regular standard timetable on the Great Malvern - Bristol - Weymouth route so that trains have much longer turn around times at either end.

Another problem i have been told is the state of the line between Castle cary & Upwey, network do certainly need to spend some money upgrading and sorting out the route.

I don't know if it means anything as I'm not an expert, but the last time I was down there the track did seem very bouncy!

It seems to be difficult to timetable a standard pattern on that line, and I've always assumed that was in order to best meet the demands of the line's users. I understand that there is a bit of commuting to Dorchester and Weymouth, for instance.

It's not much use having a standard pattern if the trains run at times that aren't convenient for the only regular market.

 

[anthony263]

I don't know if it means anything as I'm not an expert, but the last time I was down there the track did seem very bouncy!

It seems to be difficult to timetable a standard pattern on that line, and I've always assumed that was in order to best meet the demands of the line's users. I understand that there is a bit of commuting to Dorchester and Weymouth, for instance.

It's not much use having a standard pattern if the trains run at times that aren't convenient for the only regular market.

I too noticed that the track seemed a bit bouncy when travelled down there on a swt 158 which i had caught from Cheltenham Spa when i bought a severn & solent rover.

Isn't there a speed restriction on loco hauled trains on the weymouth line due to the state of the track? It should be fun when a hst is planned to work some extras from Bristol to Weymouth next summer during the olympics.

I also wonder what stock will be use on the extra 01:00 services from London to Cardiff.

 

[Greenback]

I would guess that the diagrams of the FGW HST's will be tweaked so that extra trains can be run temporarily and the maintenance cycle is maintained. It may be that some HST's will be serviced and examined during the day rather than the night.

Just a guess though!

 

[317666]

When I used the Windermere branch during August, it normally managed to be 5-10 minutes late most of the time. Not quite sure how much could go wrong on a short branch with just one train, except for the through service from Manchester Airport being late.

 

[IanXC]

Not sure of the reasons or how regular the delays are, but I suspect that the hot weather was the reason for the large crowds - this part of the world has seen a huge influx this weekend. I was unfortunate to use the M5 yesterday and 'chaos' wouldn't even begin to describe the traffic yesterday. Driving back up the North Devon Link Road and through Barnstaple yesterday evening, traffic was queuing in places where I've never seen it queue before, and the whole 30 mile road was very slow - luckily going in the opposite direction to me back to the motorway.

The weather certainly made a big difference up here! Up until a few weeks ago a certain Saturday afternoon diagram on the Yorkshire Coast was 2x 158. This week it was a 142... which was standing all down the aisles, I'm surprised it moved to be honest!

 

[Schnellzug]

I don't know if it means anything as I'm not an expert, but the last time I was down there the track did seem very bouncy!

It seems to be difficult to timetable a standard pattern on that line, and I've always assumed that was in order to best meet the demands of the line's users. I understand that there is a bit of commuting to Dorchester and Weymouth, for instance.

It's not much use having a standard pattern if the trains run at times that aren't convenient for the only regular market.

If it was a standard pattern, wouldn't it be more convenient for most people? Doesn't having a standard pattern usually tend to encourages use? They do run at regular times, usually xx49 from Bristol T.M., but the rest of them turn off at Westbury towards Southampton and places. It seems to me just for the convenience of rolling stock diagramming.

 

[Greenback]

If it was a standard pattern, wouldn't it be more convenient for most people? Doesn't having a standard pattern usually tend to encourages use? They do run at regular times, usually xx49 from Bristol T.M., but the rest of them turn off at Westbury towards Southampton and places. It seems to me just for the convenience of rolling stock diagramming.

You could be right, it's just an assumption I;v emade, probably ignited by the fact that there was a big fuss a few years back when FGW took over the route and tried to alter the timing of the afternoon trains from Weymouth.

I can see why this might be the case. If the standard pattern of afternoon departures was 1310, 1510 1710 and 2010 from Weymouth, this might be too early for those working in the town to finish work at 1700 and get to the station in time for their train back.