First day back after Christmas and the Westbury blockage means that most trains are running as Frome - Weymouth shuttles - or it should do ...


and you may be caught short on the remaining ones ....

 

And also

 
Seven days on an the service affected by crew shortages again.

Journey check showing:

06:38 Weymouth to Gloucester due 10:02 has been delayed at Weymouth and is now 19 minutes late. This is due to train crew being delayed.

07:33 Weymouth to Gloucester due 10:56 will be started from Westbury.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

13:10 Gloucester to Weymouth due 16:27 will be terminated at Bristol Temple Meads.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

15:10 Gloucester to Weymouth due 18:27 will be terminated at Bristol Temple Meads.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

 
Here is the page from RTT for Dorchester West yesterday
https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/search/detailed/gb-nr:DCW/2024-11-21/0200-0159?stp=WVS&show=all&order=wtt

There was a problem all over W Dorset once you got onto the hills. The A35 was blocked in a couple of places as was the A37. Even that hub of the universe, Crewkerne, and the A30 were affected.

 
Dorchester West fared marginally better than Okehampton yesterday, with only 4 of 18 scheduled calls being made.

I believe that more than one issue was responsible. Perhaps someone could confirm that in addition to a "points failure" in the Dorchester vicinity, there was another between Bristol and Bath, and a further cancellation due to a train fault?

 
I have been meaning to comment on this post for some time, so here are some thoughts.

HoW services should ideally become hourly but is the market demand really there? A more frequent service will presumably stimulate the market and generate new travel but it is a chicken and egg story just like at the re-opened Melksham. Historically (without checking) I doubt an hourly type of service was ever provided, except possibly Weymouth to Yeovil PM, at certain times of day.

Travel involving change of route at Yeovil Junction represents a similar story and very long-standing discussion point. Is the demand really there? Weymouth to Exeter might seem attractive but an alternative used by many currently is to change at Castle Cary. I have observed significant numbers opting for this and some easy connections exist. Journey times with a good connection might be faster than via Honiton. So this leaves travel options between Weymouth and Crewkerne, Axminster and Honiton. Others are also promoting eastbound journeys towards Salisbury and London. Axminster has a reasonable bus service from Bridport and Dorchester.

There was once a reasonable train service between the three Yeovil stations and I used this regularly in my wild mid-60s youth. Very few interchange passengers were observed then.

So in both cases the service has to be provided to stimulate the demand, which we hope is there to be met. An excellent proposition to aspire to these improvements.

On a more positive note, the Clifton Maybank Curve (seemingly now called Yeovil South by politicos?) has acquired a set of marker/survey pegs in recent months. So is this Network Rail carrying out some early survey work under the radar? Or do they simply mark out the line of some underground services? Here's hoping!   

 
HELLO,

Sometime last year I read an article in Somerset Live about the lost of the direct rail service between Yeovil and Taunton.
Today its a journey of about 40 mins. I suggested to Jaime Rockhill, Senior Strategic Planning Manager for Network Rail that the Cardiff to Taunton service could be extended to Weymouth via Castle Cary.
I worked out the through journey would be about 10 mins quicker if infrastructure changes at Castle Cary were possible. It will allow a through Taunton / Yeovil service and the opportunity to travel from South Dorset and change trains at Taunton were the level of service is good to Exeter St Davids and beyond.
My suggestion had been taken on board with the Dorset CMSP in mind and the possible implications/ constraints using the Western mainline route.

 
All of those would be useful. Whether or not they materialise it is good to see Beeching being reversed.

Dave

 
The idea of using the formation of the never constructed South Chord has been around for as long as I can remember. Railtrack even got as far as getting an Act of Parliament to enable its construction before abandoning the plans due to viability concerns.Therefore since 1864 to the current day, no one has yet found the case to undertake the work.

The costs of infrastructure alterations can be enormous (signalling, new track, new bridge to start with). Will be millions and then you must ask where the numbers of interchanges going to come from? How many passengers (apart from summer weekends and holidays) will wish to take the train to/from Weymouth/Dorchester towards Exeter. Majority of the year will be very few I suspect. I should also declare an interest as Chairman at Yeovil Railway Centre.

Also, don't forget the extra time involved for the other passengers and staff to run up to the Junction, reverse ends and then down to Pen Mill. At a rough estimate 8 minutes a trip.

It is apparent that the extension of some services formerly terminating at Yeovil Junction (from Waterloo/Salisbury) and now going onto Yeovil Pen Mill usually contain 0 -5 passengers, even before Covid-19 struck.

There are other options to consider:-

a) a mention above of a new two level station located where the two lines cross. A possibility, but difficult in reality. The current Yeovil Junction station can also serve the diversions (both SWR & GWR) going down to Pen Mill. To reach a 'joint station', vehicles and pedestrians would entail crossing that spur, either by a level crossing (not in favour with HMRI) or via a bridge (more capital expenditure on top of the new station and possibly signalling changes. A separate platform on the spur would also be required.

b) a platform on the Heart of Wessex line with a footpath to the Junction - again a possibility but getting on for 1/2 mile walk (in the dark and rain/ice?).

c) Should the new proposed stations at Langport/ Somerton and Wellington be built, consider a round service from Exeter up to the Yeovil stations, reverse at Castle Cary and run back to Exeter via Taunton (and vice versa). Two units and staff required for a basic service (add on to the Exeter metro?). Connecting the two largest towns in Somerset and also timed correctly forming an interchange with the Weymouth train at Pen Mill.

d) Run an Exeter service up to Yeovil, Westbury then onto Swindon/Reading? (calling at Melksham of course!). Timed correctly this would enable passengers to interchange at Yeovil Pen Mill onto a Weymouth service.

e) Run two units from Weymouth to Yeovil Pen Mill and then split - one to Westbury (and beyond) and the second to Exeter (and vice versa). Some signalling alterations may be needed at Pen Mill to enable two trains to join.

I am sure there are other ideas!

There will be a Dorset Connectivity Strategic Study issued by Network Rail in due course (as part of a series of Studies - one of which already issued was the West of England line).

 

As SWR will shortly be opening a depot at Yeovil, wouldn't the simplest option be a Pen Mill-Junction rail shuttle service at times when the 'normal' SWR services that call at both are not running?

 

Ah - thanks.


Agreed - and that's the second option in my original post.  The first option was "what could be done within existing infrastructure to achieve hourly and connections"; the two alternatives were "with a bit (!) of investment, could we do better?

 
There was a plan in 1988 to provide a halt at 'Two Bridges', where the lines cross. However changes in specifications led to it becoming too expensive and dropped. (The March 1988 Modern Railways has an article I wrote on the Westbury-Weymouth Investment at the time p157)

If you are wanting Yeovil Junction to be served then I would have thought the best was would be to reinstate the 1860s Clifton Maybank line into the old down platform and lay a line along the abandoned formation, which was never used, to reach the Weymouth line south of Two Bridges.

That would avoid the double reversal at Junction and Pen Mill and keep the Wessex trains clear of the SWR services. A new passenger bridge would be needed and there would be an impact on the heritage operation.

 

I would love to see more alternatives ... looking for a hourly service, in this example without infrastructure enhancements and providing connectivity from Weymouth / Dorchester to stations west of Yeovil Junction.

I wondered about ...
* Low Level Junction platform on the Weymouth line, with a footpath to the South Western line platform OR
* Shuttle train between Junction and Pen Mill OR
* 2nd train per hour from Exeter (Devon Metro) extended to Pen Mill
but all three of those options take resource / enhancement and are more appropriate alternatives to the other suggestions I made, which also call up more resource.

 
It's not insurmountable but it is unnecessary and avoidable. By the way, I don't know anything about the one-way loop in Liverpool, I'll have to look that up.

 

Yes, there would be an element of issues to deal with.   The cost of an extra train to run the shuttle would rule that out, I suspect.   Return trips from WEY to EXC, on the way out change at YVJ .... on the way back, change at the same YVJ but also at YVP.     Return trips from EXC to WEY, on the way out 2 changes ... on the way back, train manager needs to make sure that people do not get off at YVP.   Challenge, but not insurmountable?

Looking for other examples of one way services - different outgoing at return journeys ... the one way loop in Liverpool, and (Satur)day trips from Pilning into Bristol.

 
Looking at the first option, where northbound trains reverse between Yeovil Pen Mill and Yeovil Junction then back again, but southbound trains only call at Pen Mill, I'm wondering if this might be confusing for non-local passengers. Or even for locals who use the train irregularly. If an arrival from Weymouth or Dorchester got off at YVJ, they would naturally return to the same station for the journey home.

 

Yes - it is indeed a bit tight on the option which reverses at Pen Mill and then again at Junction. Relatively easy to add a couple more minutes into that schedule except it would then loose the Exeter to Dorchester and Weymouth connection by a couple of minutes, which would be a shame for passengers and good news for a franchise catering outlet at Pen Mill.

One option I did not write into the 'seeding' post was to skip some or all of the halts in alternate hours.   With the extra services proposed in the hourly timetable, even with alternate trains calling, Chetnole, Yetminster and Thornford would see a slight increase in services calling there if required and an extra 5 minutes in each cycle would make the whole thing much more robust.  Noting that the very act of slowing down and speeding up, even without a call, slows the trains at (Chetnole and Thornford) for - what - 5 passengers picked up per day each, and Yetminster with 10 picked up.

There is an alternative case for taking 2 minutes out of the schedule each way with the application of a "Lochluichart" solution at each of the three stations, and if it ever gets to the stage that so many stops are being made that its effecting the timekeeping, there will be so many passengers on the train that it's worth Network Rail improving running speeds or making the system at Maiden Newton more efficient.

 
One thing which leaps out at me is have you allowed sufficient time for the reversals at Yeovil?  They look a bit tight to me.

 
From our Facebook page - some feedback on this.



I note here that long posts tend to generate stunned silence which, I guess, can be good if people are reading the content.  Make a short follow up post such as this, and I may get comment or likes.  Seriously - Heart of Wessex for the future is not necessarily "leave it as it is" ... thoughts welcome.

 
As people's lifestyles change, they've moved out of London, attracted by more space and lower cost housing in spite of longer commutes into their offices in the capital. And these changes are only being accelerated by the current pandemic, with people 'forced' into a realisation that they can do a lot of their work from home and only need to visit the office from time to time.  Dorchester and Weymouth are commutable to London one or two days a week, even if 5 days a week would be a bit much.

The same has been noted for people living in the Exeter area, with strong reports of a relative growth in travel to work from as far east as Yeovil on "The Mule" - the South Western main line from Waterloo.

From the Bristol and Bath area in the north, the conventional commuter land which runs out at Frome is extending southwards too.

This is not a totally new phenomena, with two early morning trains from Weymouth into the Bath / Bristol area, extra commuter services above the hourly clockface into Exeter, and changes to the pattern off Weymouth towards Waterloo to facilitate these long distance day returns.   The application of "peak fares" to these earlier trains is an indication that these services really are needed and that people are prepared to pay a premium to use them.


And so - for all of the railway lines mentioned - what services do we have now, and what should the zero carbon future be for them once we move ahead beyond the pandemic? This post is looking at the Heart of Wessex line - that runs from Weymouth, via Dorchester and Yeovil to Frome, then onward via Trowbridge to Bath and Bristol, serving an eclectic mix of intermediate communities.

The Heart of Wessex line was engineered as a double track main line, leaving the GWR's London to Bristol main line just to the west of Chippenham and headed south with some west all the way to Weymouth. But come the reduction in rail in the middle of the last century, London to Weymouth traffic was routed via Southampton and the Heart of Wessex was reduced to a single line with a few passing loops.  Maintenance was minimised, services slowed and became very infrequent, and indeed the line only just avoided complete closure in parts.  Indeed, services were redirected to Bath and Bristol rather than Chippenham, and the section of the line north of Trowbridge lost its scheduled passenger services in 1966.  There have been improvements since - the Heart of Wessex Community Rail Partnership has done an excellent job of promoting inward and outward travel (and not just the "honeypot" of day trips to Weymouth in the summer) and that's on top of the other regrowth due to the up-coming area and the natural increased use of rail nationwide. All of which means we have a creaking system at present - far fewer trains than are really needed, inconvenient gaps, slower than we would really like, and some perverse operating structures and layouts.

* What sort of service should we be looking to in the future?

* What sort of infrastructure improvements would be needed to accommodate them?

- South from Westbury ... the service must be hourly at least to Frome and to Yeovil
- From Yeovil to Dorchester and Weymouth, an hourly service too; odd gaps may be tolerated
- Services should connect at Yeovil with the Salisbury - Exeter line
- Services should connect at Castle Cary for Taunton
- Services should connect at either Castle Cary or Westbury for Reading and London

Let's take a first look, starting with what could be achieved without new infrastructure.

* An hourly train from Weymouth to Westbury and probably beyond, calling at all stations
* This train to pass the next train at Maiden Newton, where there is already a passing loop
* The train to reverse at Yeovil Pen Mill, up to Yeovil Junction, reverse there again back to Pen Mill
* The next train (2 hours behind) will be arriving at Pen Mill at that time, and they pass
* Service carries on to Castle Cary (3 min stop), Bruton, Frome, Westbury
* Passes next service on double track between Witham and Frome

* An hourly train from Westbury to Weymouth calling at all stations (NOT Yeovil Junction though)
* Passing northbound services as shown in the bullets just above
* Around 10 minutes for train to reverse at Weymouth

The doubling back of the northbound train at Yeovil will irritate some passengers but
- It allows an hourly service without the need for extra loops anywhere
- It provides a connection from Weymouth to Exeter via Yeovil Junction
- It provides an Exeter to Weymouth connection (change at Junction AND Pen Mill - cross platform)
- It provides hourly services all the way from Yeovil northwards with minimal operational delays



With Infrastructure imporvements, could the service be bettered?

* With re-instatement of the Clifton Maybank curve and completion of the west-south curve into Yeovil Junction, trains could call there in both directions with a single reversal.
- Trains would then pass each other at Yeovil Pen Mill as per the above (no infrastructure change) example.
- This would allow increased connectivity at Yeovil
- Journeys from Exeter direct to Dorchester and Weymouth would be possible
- Bringing an extra platform back into use at Yeovil Junction would improve options there




* A loop or redoubling much of the line from Yeovil Pen Mill to(wards) Castle Cary
- Trains to pass at around Sparkford
- would allow a clockface pattern that included neither waits nor diversions to Yeovil Junction
- This would also add diversionary capacity for when GWR Devon and Cornwall trains are running via Honiton



* A south to west curve has been suggested at Castle Cary
- No immediate benefit on current Heart of Wessex Route
- Would allow direct (no reversal) trains Yeovil to Taunton

Timetables are a sample hour

 
The SWR foray into GWR territory started a couple of years ago when the company converted ecs  into passenger workings. The ecstatics working had the advantage of keeping route knowledge of the train crews and presumably the change to passenger meant some additional income for minimal outlay.
From December SWR will have a crew base at Yeovil Junction and a couple of sets will stable there overnight.
As regards the hourly service to Weymouth, I am not sure if that would have materialised in the short term. One key limiter is the single line from Castle Cary to Weymouth.

The Wessex Route Study Final 210815 has this to say (p114)

 
I'm a bit puzzled as you say a couple of extra trips, but there seems to be exactly the same number shown, although at different times.

I agree that it's good that SWR is trying to fill some gaps, although if that prevents development of an hourly through service to Weymouth then I'm not sure it is for the greater good.  I wonder what the motives really are of SWR, maybe it's more to do with nibbling a bit of revenue from GWR through the fare allocation process (ORCATS?)

 
One thing which does not help with plans for a higher frequency on the HoW route is the fact that SWR also serve Yeovil Pen Mill, Castle Cary, Bruton, Frome and Westbury. There will be a couple of extra SWR services through those stations will be higher once the new timetable kicks in on 16th December. For comparison, on Mondays to Fridays:

20th November:
To Salisbury and / or Waterloo, via. Yeovil Jcn: 0541 (WL), 1238 (YJ), 1344 (WL), 1432 (YJ), 1544 (WL), 2030 (YJ), 2130 (YJ)
To Salisbury and / or Waterloo, via. Castle Cary: 0655 (WL), 1045 (WL), 1453 (WL), 1646 (WL), 1926 (WB)

16th December:
To Salisbury and / or Waterloo, via. Yeovil Jcn: 0541 (WL), 0711 (WL), 1238 (YJ), 1344 (WL), 1544 (WL), 1635 (YJ), 2030 (YJ)
To Salisbury and / or Waterloo, via. Castle Cary: 0655 (SY), 1045 (SY), 1450 (SY), 1646 (WL), 1926 (WB)

SY: To Salisbury | WB: To Westbury | WL: To Waterloo | YJ: To Yeovil Junction
1926 Yeovil Pen Mill - Westbury commences London Waterloo at 1650.

The new SWR timetable for Yeovil Pen Mill trips has 5 Waterloo journeys, so no change there, and 2 on Sundays (currently none).

Good that SWR are trying to fill the gaps left by GWR and providing some connections between Yeovil Junction and Yeovil Pen Mill.

Dave

 


It's trying to be 3 different services without the capacity to run anyone of them successfully.

 
Not sure I would refer to the Bristol to Weymouth services as Regional Express bearing in mind they stop at every shack a long the line.

 

Not "TransWilts" in my terms in this thread - Heart of Wessex. 



Agree with all of that. The same story in many other places too ... from the longer distance arguments of where Cross Country should stop through to the very slim TransWilts (really!) since line between Trowbridge and Chippenham looking to pass regional passenger trains, heavy freight, and significant flows of diverted passenger expresses too at times.

 
Very interesting thread. The   Heart Of Wessex (Transwilts) )ine is trying to be all things to all men.

Firstly it is a Regional (Express) serving Weymouth,  Dorchester, Yeovil, (Frome?), (Westbury for connections) Trowbridge, Bath and Bristol
A Regional Stopper serving the other intermediate stations South of Westbury .
A S Bahn serving Bristol Westbury.

What it shows is that it was the BR track/signalling  rationalisations in the 70s and 80s that did as much harm as the Beeching proposed closures. We are now faced with the tremendous cost of replacing the missing infrastructure.

Editted to take out Transwilts and make it Heart OF Wessex

 
A very useful post indeed, thank you.   I've only quoted small parts that I want to specifically add comment on - but the rest is valuable data too.


Agreed and I don't think it would / should be risked.


Agreed and very much noticed by the two train operators.    Reminds me of pre-2013 when the Swindon times of TransWilts trains were 07:48 and 18:44 and they were carrying fresh air.  Add an 08:30 and a 17:20 and you might find the new trains rather busy ... and the old trains growing too as passengers have move up from one 11 hour option to 4 options - with the three are ones actually suited to working day return trips.

 
The Saturday 'sand & cycle' service is scheduled to cover Yeovil to Dorchester in under 30 minutes - but then it doesn't stop at the halts south of Yeovil. There are a few logistical issues:

1. The speed limit from Dorchester to Yetminster is 75mph max with a fair few restrictions but a minimum of 55mph save for the loop at Maiden Newton. However the Yetminster-Yeovil section is only 45mph. Whilst the track seems to be slowly being converted to continuous welded rail I don't know if the speed limit will be increased at all afterwards, but I wouldn't count on it. Skipping Chetnole is a particular time saving both due to the 75mph speed limit and the fact it gives southbound trains a better run-up the 1 in 51 gradient to Evershot summit.

2. The points at Dorchester, Maiden Newton and Yeovil PM are all pneumatically worked, meaning a maximum speed of 15mph. Add in the token system at Maiden Newton and entering and leaving the loops tends to be very slow. Upgrading this system might well save more time than increasing the linespeed although I wouldn't claim to be an expert. However I wouldn't expect it to be upgraded until it's life-expired.

3. A major problem with the Bristol-Weymouth service is that it has to weave around the Bristol-Paddington, Cardiff-Portsmouth, Paddington-West of England and Waterloo-Weymouth services, whilst also being the lowest priority service out of all of them. This both means a fair number of services have long waits at various stations, and also that if there's any disruption, it's not going to be a priority. The opportunities for it to be delayed by other services are numerous - and then there's the fact it's largely combined with the Gloucester/Great Malvern service to give even more opportunity for disruption.

It might be possible to run an hourly service passing at Dorchester and Yeovil where one train skips the halts and the other doesn't, then vice versa the next hour (e. g. the halts get northbound departures at 09xx, 11xx, 13xx etc and southbound departures at 10xx, 12xx, 14xx etc). However the opportunities for something to go wrong wrecking a timetable requiring precision are so numerous I suspect its reliability would be appalling.

You can see the problem of long single line running by looking at the domino effect on the West of England line between Exeter and Salisbury when something goes wrong - and that's largely self-contained west of Basingstoke. It's quite common for a westbound service running 20 minutes late to be held at Honiton for another 15 minutes to keep the eastbound service on time, as that's the least worst option.

For now what would be nice is to at least fill in the longer gaps by ensuring 2 hours is the maximum between trains (there's a southbound 3 hour gap between 1149 and 1449 and nearly 3 hours between the 1730 and 2021 northbound). If there was a way of serving Yeovil at peak times so commuters could use the train that would help build numbers and improve the business case. The current options are around 0730 and 1820 in each direction - not much use for most people. Pen Mill is not a very well located station but it's less than a mile to the (edge of the) town centre so commuting is possible for most people. The fact that Dorchester West is better-used despite being unstaffed, serving a town half the size and once being called the worst station in the country (albeit it's much improved now) suggests there's room for improvement.

I would also agree that better connectivity at Castle Cary would help numbers as there are a reasonable number of people wanting to head west from South Dorset and vice versa. As the X53 / X51 has contracted to an hourly service which finishes early in winter and doesn't start on winter Sundays, reliable connections at Castle Cary would certainly be attractive for many. A good connection could allow a journey between Exeter and Weymouth in about 2 hours, which isn't greatly different from the time by road a lot of the time.

 
The Wessex RUS issued some time ago included the strategy for making the CLC - YVJ section more resilient to enable use as the diversionary route for the GWR. However, this seems only to have included some intermediate section signal which would allow services to be fleeted in a manner similar to that at  Crewkerne.
With the additional SWR services via Castle Cary one might question the need for additional services on the section north of Yeovil.
Can one justify an hourly service south of Yeovil? I am not sure. The line below Yeovil serves a number of different traffic flows but probably the main flow is leisure traffic to Weymouth.
One might look at connectivity at Castle Cary with the new two hourly service and develop the service around that.

 
I would contend that the entire Pinhoe - Yeovil Junction - Yeovil Pen Mill - Castle Cary track should be redoubled so that we have a much more usable South West<>Paddington diversionary route. This would have the additional benefits of enabling an hourly HoW service and a much more reliable Barnstaple<>Axminster (or possibly even further east) 'Devon Metro' service.

One can but dream! 

 
With very few exceptions in GWR land, train services should run at least hourly. Towns and cities linked are large enough, close enough, and economically linked enough with regular and frequent travel between them to make "hourly" an appropriate minimum threshold.

There are a couple of lines where trains are not running hourly (yet?) and one of those is the Heart of Wessex - the line from Westbury via Frome, Yeovil and Dorchester to Weymouth, on which traffic has exploded upwards over the years, but neither service numbers nor length of train over the whole line has. Some extras are run (by SWR) between Westbury and Yeovil, and GWR have been running an extension of the Swindon - Westbury service to Frome at lunchtime, though that ceases come December.

So - Heart of Wessex - hourly?

Current running time from Yeovil Pen Mill to Dorchester West is 34 minutes.  There's just one intermediate loop on that single line section, and that's at Maiden Newton - so for an hourly service, trains must pass at Maiden Newton.  With a 21 minute running time from Yeovil Pen Mill to Maiden Newton, that means that if a train leaves Yeovil at (say) 14 minutes after the hour, the one it passes at Maiden Newton will get back to Yeovil at 56 minutes after the hour.  So far, so good ... until you look north from Yeovil Pen Mill and find that the northbound train should leave there to continue towards the next passing opportunity at Castle Cary at around 58 minutes after the hour and find that the next southbound train needs to leave Castle Cary - also - at around 58 minutes after the hour, or there abouts. 

No option then. Passing trains at Maiden Newton if they're to be hourly. But that leads to a conflict on the single line section north of Yeovil.

Impasse?  Let's take a wider look at some of the options

1. Accelerate Yeovil Pen Mill to Dorchester services so that passing can be at both of those stations.  Not easy - you could propose skipping the intermediate stations, You could do major engineering to increase line speed including none-stop fast line with loop at Maiden Newton.  But you will still be perilously close to the half hour running time with a resultant lack of robustness, you'll bring in a very long turn around time at Weymouth - a train sat there for 40 minutes in every hour, and you'll effectively close four stations.

2. You could add an extra loop north of Maiden Newton ("move Maiden Newton") so that trains can pass at Castle Cary ... but again, you'll need an extra train because there won't be time to get the train down to Weymouth and back.

3. You could redouble Yeovil Pen Mill to Castle Cary.   Very attractive as that will help provide robustness and paths for trains headed for Yeovil Junction too - SWR and also GWR diversions.

4. You could split the service - Westbury to Yeovil and Yeovil to Weymouth. Operationally, it would work.   Traffic wise, I don't think that through passengers would appreciate the change of trains at Pen Mill and the time it took, even though it would disguise the problem. Would there be enough platforms? Excellent station buffet concession?

5. Could you go for a service every 90 minutes rather than every 60?

6. You could have one of the trains wait 20 minutes at Yeovil Pen Mill - or perhaps make a trip to and from Yeovil Junction and back. This may be more attractive than it sounds and (at the risk of loosing service regularity all day) look at the traffic flows and add the Junction trip to whichever direction is quieter at that time of day.

7. Please add your ideas ...

 

The 2021 is formed off the previous but one ex Great Malvern.    The 1640 ex Gloucester is the previous one which shunts out of the way.    There are still many things to be tidied up regarding the December Timetable which cannot be reliably relied on until it has been released into the Journey Planner.

 
So many thanks to Timmer in another thread for waving the magic wand and reinstating the later Mo-Fr evening service WEY-BRI/GCR. I can assure everyone that this service was not in the RTT listing (along the route) last Sunday or early Monday evening. I looked several times.

The timing for this revised service at 20.15 is shown as a Class 150, not a 158 as current. So the journey is about 5 mins longer to WSB. Mind you the 158 timings nearly always get delayed now - for no apparent reason of hold-ups or excess passengers. As the departure is now closer to the previous arrival at 20.06, let us hope there is no waiting around for a delayed incomer just to give the WSB crew a lift back home. The 20.21/20.15 train is normally formed from the previous incoming unit.

 
I have been looking at the (draft) Dec 19 timetables on RTT with my particular interest in Heart of Wessex services. I was expecting little change as predicted and that is largely the case. I have not yet looked at WSB connections.

Those party animals in Trowbridge, Westbury and Frome will now get more drinking time. The late service now leaves BRI at 23.45, FRO 00.45. Good in some respects, less so in others! SWI residents not too jealous please.

The more serious issue is the missing 20.21 WEY-BRI on Mo-Fr. I sincerely hope this is an error since otherwise we have a major service reduction. It does seem incredible that the last service will now apparently be at 17.23 which is slightly earlier than currently. Although not usually busy this service clearly provides a public good. Young people often travel Dorchester to Maiden Newton after a social night or study night. Travellers heading West will change at Castle Cary. I can and possibly will list more later.
 
I have congratulated GWR on running the current service at a reasonable time, allowing some evening activity in Weymouth, Dorchester or Yeovil. This is better than the BR post-Beeching offer which was at 19.33 in a loco-hauled mail train timing.

The other strange issue is that the three inbound evening trains to WEY, all still run apparently delivering an "extra" set to WEY.

The only mitigating factor is the late SWR service from Castle Cary  to WSB/SAL but this does not address the main market.

 
Might be be best avoided IF Journeycheck is correct:


Hopefully another unit can be found or replacement coach will be provided as back up.

 
Serious delays late afternoon onwards for various reasons, not helped by the lack of track capacity.  Got to feel sorry for those on the 1608 from Weymouth.  Not only were they delayed for 40 minutes at Maiden Newton but they had no toilet facilities available. 1730 left 39 late following the late arrival of the inbound working

 
Seems to be happening a fair bit this week, guessing GWR are down on a few Turbos!

 
Couple of short forms today that shouldn’t be too much of an issue with the forecast for today not being the best.

 
Problems with the token machine at Maiden Newton for a time not helped the day either.

 

And more difficult to get any more units to Westbury

 
That diagram has been short formed all day.  Although with rail replacement buses north of Westbury it probably won't be as busy as on a normal weekend.

 
Dont worry, youve caught it in plenty of time - Once they read that, it'll be 5 coaches  (rail, not road hopefully...)

 
Beautiful spring day ... school holidays ... great for a trip to the seaside


Oops - probably not one to short-form!

 
This has been confirmed by a Westbury driver as their night shift. If the 165/6s need to go to Jersey Sidings, drivers are taxied to/from Mess room at Weymouth.

 
It's probably similar to a SWR NIGHT turn for Basingstoke crew who do the 01:05 Waterloo to Southampton.  The Driver is then on PNB until 04:52 Southampton to Waterloo (being relieved at Basingstoke on the up journey).

 
Not getting any better either:

 
Yet more problems today(15 August). 1531 Weymouth left as ecs to Westbury, presumably no guard. The 2048 Bristol to Weymouth cancelled beyond Westbury, lack of crew. This might impact on 0533 tomorrow.
The train from Great Malvern skip stopping north of Bristol to gain some lost time.

 

The driver's hours start when he/she signs on and finish when they sign off

 
A long wait to take the train back to Westbury.

 
Does the 6 hours and 20 minutes break between drives count toward the drivers hours? Just one shift with a very long paid break between drives?

 

As an educated guess, Westbury based driver ... something like
21:40 Westbury to 23:13 Weymouth
05:33 Weymouth to 07:10 Westbury
... which would be a 9 hour 30 minute duty.

 

What does that mean in the particular example of the the late drive into Weymouth?

 
In the past there was a BR hostel in Redland, Bristol, not far from Redland Railway Station where rail crew on an out and back turn would stay overnight and would be provided with an evening meal and breakfast, I know, I delivered the bread on my Saturday Job.

 

No, it's a through turn of duty.  ATW have one where crew stay at Hereford overnight

 

They wouldn't be driving the 0533. 'Hidden' rules stipulate anyone doing safety critical work must have a 12 hour gap between shifts.

No idea on the lodging arrangements or whether the late arrival driver is taxied home.

 
Is hotel accommodation provided for the driver coming in on the late arrival into Weymouth? Not a lot of time to sleep to be back at the station in time to take the 5.33 departure surely.

 
Trying to think what the logic would be of having depots with guards and no drivers.  In the absence of DOO, if you need one, you need the other.

 

No.   A Westbury driver is taxied in for the 0644 departure

 
Don't GWR have any drivers based at Weymouth? I know they have guards based there.

 

The 0533 ex Weymouth is worked by a Westbury driver who should have worked the cancelled one Sunday night and stays at Weymouth overnight unless it has changed

 
The cancellation of the first train from Weymouth and replacement by a bus to Westbury was first signposted on Journeycheck late on Sunday afternoon so at least some advance warning was given.  The second bus from Yeovil was added overnight.

 
When you couple shortage of train crew, infrastructure issues etc with the loss of the Weymouth Wizard HST service, its not been a good summer on the Heart of Wessex for the many passengers who used or have tried to use the line. 165/166s aren't great for long distance travel in their current seating format.

 
Grahame said:-

Yesterday, I visited Weymouth on what was originally planned to be the young carer's day out, but which we aborted.  I noted:
10:43 arrival into Weymouth didn't get there until 11:44
11:45 arrival into Weymouth arrived 12:01
11:00 departure from Weymouth left at 12:04 and terminated short of destination

I believe that the 10.43 arrival met a tree on the line which caused the delay. And of course there is often a short turnaround time at Weymouth so late in means late out! I can only agree that the performance (availability of trains and crew) are very poor.

The cancellation (and unusually a bus replacement arranged) of the first departure from Weymouth was due to the unit on the last down on Sunday being terminated at Westbury due to crewing issues!

 
I think there are a number of issues here. One is crew availability. I presume the lack of crew meant that the unit for today’s 0533 did not get to Weymouth. I still wonder if a crewing system based on Westbury might work better, rather like Salisbury and WoE. It may mean more ecs moves however.

A second issue is the diagrams. While these may optimise usage of the units they do leave possibilities of knock on effects. The two Great Malvern services to Weymouth show less than 30% arrive within 5 minutes, over the last 8 weeks.

If I need to go to the Bath and Bristol areas I consider using Crewkerne or Axminster. It may take longer but is more reliable and has an hourly service. In addition the ticket to Bristol is the same fare via Salisbury or Exeter, thus effectively giving an half hourly service. Both connect well for the onward journey.

 

Consideration should be given to re-arranging the carer's day out during the autumn - with less crowds on the trains and Weymouth being quieter.  Many of the young people that plan to go on this trip are, of course, at school from Monday to Friday - but a Sunday trip during term time, with a shorter stay in Weymouth (mid rather than late afternoon return) might work even better for everyone than what we had originally planned.  As you say (Bignosemac), annual leave issues for everyone - staff and also stand-in carers - will be far less of a problem.

 
Still "work in progress" after two months.

I predict it'll be another few weeks before things settle down. Around the time when the kids are back in school and fewer leisure travellers are using the line. And fewer staff are on annual leave.

A natural fix, rather than anything Hoppity and Co will have achieved.

 
From Journey Check this morning ...



The Heart of Wessex line is one of four the was highlighted by GWR themselves (Mark Hopwood on 15th June to the Community Rail Conference) as performing significantly worse than most of the GWR network, and where additional attention would be given to the raising of performance to at least a similar level to other GWR services.  Being kind, this appears to remain "work in progress".  Issues such as the above, where the first train has been replaced by two buses should be very rare indeed.   I note that (on most trains) passenger's destinations from Frome and south thereof is beyond Westbury, and that a later arrival at Westbury by bus will mean they cannot connect into the train intended, which is still running north thereof.

Yesterday, I visited Weymouth on what was originally planned to be the young carer's day out, but which we aborted.  I noted:
10:43 arrival into Weymouth didn't get there until 11:44
11:45 arrival into Weymouth arrived 12:01
11:00 departure from Weymouth left at 12:04 and terminated short of destination
14:14 departure was a very busy 2 car train with inadequate seating for a long journey; standing from Frome
15:55 arrival into Weymouth has started short of its timetabled starting point
16:10 departure was terminated at Westbury due to shortage of crew to run it beyond.
23:07 arrival was cancelled ( train terminated at Westbury)
With just 5 arrivals and 5 departures scheduled, that's 70% of services noted for being below par ...