Because to the passenger putting their hand in their pocket everyday they are paying GWR and expecting a train service that operates.
The point that I was trying to make was that sometimes it feels like it suits the train operator (in this case GWR) to have a reason to cancel services and not engage with the reason for their existence - ferrying passengers from A to B in the quickest possible time.

 
Well I was going to take the 17:29 Bristol-Paddington to Chippenham (17:57) and get that bus, but the 17:29 has been cancelled (shortage of train crew). So might as well take my usual 17:12 Bristol-Oxford (Chippenham 17:42) and hang around for half an hour.

 
A series of replacement buses in both directions between Chippenham and Westbury via Melksham and Trowbridge have now appeared on Journeycheck.

Leaving Chippenham at 15:41, 18:15 and 20:41

Leaving Westbury at 16:23, 18:37 and 21:16

Plus one from Swindon at 22:31 to Westbury.

 

EDIT that's a bus

 
...so does RMT think that class 175s are animate objects that will be shamed into behaving properly and starting to work under the threat of strike action? Unless they know how to fix them and can demonstrate that the powers that be are not taking the required action, what is the point?

 
As my mother used to say, even on the hottest days, "Haven't you packed a jumper/raincoat just in case."   There was never a suggestion of carrying water in those days.   How did we survive?   

 
Looking at Bristol-Melksham options on the National Rail journey planner it's still offering the 18:30, which includes the 19:00 Chippenham-Melksham train (not bus replacement)

I was thinking about taking that as it's the first option not showing as cancelled; I'd normally take the 17:12 Bristol-Oxford service to Chippenham. Plan B is usually just get to Bath then hop on the Melksham bus, but I did that yesterday (to get home in time for the eclipse) and it was pretty unpleasant without air con. And I like the hot weather.

 

 
And: this sort of thing.

https://bsky.app/profile/gwr.com/post/3msxo4xjtzy23

-⚠ Travel Update - 13/08 ⚠
Due to a fault on this train between Swindon and Westbury the line is closed.

Train services running through these stations have been cancelled.

Disruption is expected until the end of the day

That's a message that 'As is' has immediately caused everyone travelling on the GWML to burst into tears, but I've no idea if travellers between, say, Reading and Bristol, need to feel despondent about this. Would the traveller know the train to which 'This train' refers.

(Also, if a train sits down on the single line south of Thingley Junction and another train's already left Swindon and needs the line to Westbury, what's the contingency plan to avoid disruption for services to Bristol?)

Mark

 
I agree with all of that, grahame.

I still intend to attend - with a rucksack containing substantial volumes of mineral water, Ordnance Survey maps - and a towel for mopping my heated brow.

Looking forward to it! 

CfN. 

 
Jonathan Webb (Chime Publishing) tweeting that the RMT are balloting for potential industrial action over the failing 175s

 
Cancellations to services between Swindon and Westbury

Due to a fault on this train between Swindon and Westbury the line is closed.
Train services running through these stations have been cancelled. Disruption is expected until the end of the day.
Customer Advice

What has happened?
-
The train used on the Westbury to Swindon service has broken down and no spare is available. Therefore the service has been suspended for the rest of the day.

As no train is available, we cannot run a service. Customers travelling between Swindon, Chippenham, Trowbridge and Westbury can use GWR services to Bath Spa and change for connections. For Melksham customers, we are arranging arranging road transport.

 
Wolverton cancelled,  003 and 006 running round empty.

 


Now extended until 1900.

Elizabeth Line suspended between Reading - Paddington.

I pity anyone trying to travel today in these conditions with the system failing left, right and centre.

 
Yes, but in day to day disruption notices it comes across as yet more filler. When it's items like railway points, or ballast, it's a couple of hundred years since railways have been in existence, and it has to be fairly common knowledge as to what those are and if it's not, is a disruption notice the best place to start educating travellers?

Also, the system that produces these doesn't seem to be able to handle location - messages are vague about that, and in a way which even puzzles everyone on this forum. Many people travelling would find location actually useful as they could then think e.g. 'The road bridge at Limpley Stoke again, that'll be about two hours if we're lucky'. They'd then be in a better position to look for a plan 'b' or 'c' (assuming that staff haven't been available to help).

Can someone remind me of the name of the drag-and-drop software to which the staff that issue these bulletins are shackled?

Mark

 
35 degrees today (13th) and I am defensibly staying at home.  Weather forecast is 30 degrees tomoorow, and 25 on Saturday which should be good for the Imber Bus.   I will be carrying a bottle of water never the less.   Plans such that if the forecast changes and the temperature is higher than what I regard as safe for me, I'll change plans and not toddle along.   Others - please judge it for your own wellbeing.

 
Not based on anything more than a hunch, but with the reluctance to move as few sets of points as possible for fear they will fail, I wonder if that applies to those used to get sets off a depot?   They tend to be used most first and last thing when temperatures are, relatively, lower.

 
Hmm.  From the BBC live:

 

So it would seem


Has the reason turned into an excuse??

 

Looks like someone's still not looking outside the box!


If there's a fault on this train, use another.  There should be plenty of spares today NOT running from Bristol to Salisbury!

 
The service now cancelled for the rest of the day with the exception of the through services to and from the Stroud Valley.  

 


I would have thought that with the Bristol - Salisbury service canned for the day, there would have been been stand in available.  Granted - there wasn't a train available at short notice for the train 2 hours earlier, nor for the one 4 hours earlier ... but by this time ...

 

I would have thought that with the Bristol - Salisbury service canned for the day, there would have been been stand in available.  Granted - there wasn't a train available at short notice for the train 2 hours earlier, but by this time ...

 
My phone's camera does have full manual settings so I dialled the exposure right down, set ISO to 50 and shutter down to 1/5000. Even with those settings I couldn't prevent blown out images. So I also used several ND filters. Ones from my old drone that I stuck over the phone's camera lens, held in place with sticky tape! Stacked ND1000+ND256+ND64. Still only managed one half decent shot.

 


Concerns / cuts understood.   But if the CDF->PMH service is planned / announced to fill in at Freshford and Avoncliff, why not at Dilton Marsh too?    What happens there?  Are we told anywhere?

 
Journeycheck doesn't seem to be awake to this one - from National Rail.............

Route(s) affected
Elizabeth line between Shenfield and Heathrow Terminal 5, and also between between Abbey Wood and Heathrow Terminal 4 / Maidenhead / Reading

All Great Western Railway routes to / from London Paddington

Heathrow Express between London Paddington and Heathrow Terminal 5

Description

A failure of the electricity supply between London Paddington and Heathrow Terminals / Reading means all lines are disrupted. As a result, trains will be cancelled, delayed by up to 60 minutes or revised.

Major disruption is expected until 15:00.

 

I'm inclined to disagree, Mark - it's not there for you, me and other Coffee Shop members who know these things.  It's there for the other people - many of whom are bright - who have other skills and knowledge that fill their brains in preference to "points", "overhead electrics", and "staff".  From an IT viewpoint, having the explanations come up as rollovers might be worth them considering.

 

Why should it?

Nothing to do with GWR where any fault can be pinned. It's climate change & network Rail infrastructure. GWR are the affected customer.

 
I came on to the Coffee Shop a few minutes ago to record / summarise yesterday's performance or lack thereof ... but find myself again reporting on new cancellations.


For the record, from yesterday ... train summary. Only replacement flagged to be provided was a late pair of buses.

 

The day that rail industry people, as part of disruption information, stop mansplaining components will be a good day. It' a really bizarre practice.

Mark