Same again this morning, although it arrived at 06:27. It's also scheduled for 06:31 tomorrow, but back to normal on Monday.

 
From the Wiltshire Times

 

Oops


"we are unable to operate our service".  With no suggestion about what customers - that first one (the 10:02 at Melksham) is the busiest northbound of the day - should do.    This is where a volunteer presence at the station would be so helpful ... but that is a subject for a fresh thread.

 
Cancellations to services between Swindon and Westbury via Melksham

Due to a broken down train at Melksham the line is blocked. Disruption is expected until 12:00 14/01.
Train services between Swindon and Westbury via Melksham will be cancelled.

Customer Advice
A freight train has broken down on the line between Westbury and Swindon; as a result we are unable to operate our service.

 
Looks like chaos on the Trans Wilts this morning. A failed freight near Kintbury on the Berks and Hants has meant that up West Country trains have been diverted over the Trans Wilts. Now though it looks as though infrastructure train 6M50 has failed somewhere south of Melksham blocking that line. 1A73 and 1J74 up passenger trains from the West Country have diverted from Westbury up to Bath/Bathampton Junction and reversed there to continue to London.

 
A bit of both - but the end result is the same.

The 07:45 is normally formed from an incoming service from Bristol Parkway.   This morning that train started from Temple Meads and arrived at Westbury 14 minutes late at 07:43.   For some reason the decision was taken not to run the TransWilts service, even with a late start.

 

of if you prefer ...

 
And now ...

 

 

The IET was 1K71 - the 05:10 Bristol Temple Meads to Paddington that usually calls at Kennet Valley stations.  Got to Westbury on time (actually a couple of minutes early at 05:48, but say there until 06:14 and left headed back (16 minutes late) up whence it came, passing Bradford Junction ar 06:22 for the second time and headed, though untracked on my system, via Chippenham and Swindon - it has appeared on the trackers again at 07:28 - 21 minutes late - into Reading.

Oh for increased capacity, Bradford Junction to Thingley Junction.

 
This could be why an unexpected IET was around and delayed the [06:29/06:31].    That won't account for the scheduled change to 06:31 today ...

 
Actually the 06:46 is delayed, showing as 07:01. But that's probably going to be busier than usual, might wait for the 07:05 anyway.

 
Departed Melksham at 06:43 - will miss the 06:46 Trowbridge-Bristol, but at least the 07:05 has 3 carriages Image not available to guests

 
Well an IET just passed through towards Chippenham (at 06:28), might be related...

Don't think 06:31 is likely Image not available to guests

 

There is a 2 minute "Pathing Allowance" at Thingley Junction - a "special" tomorrow; I looked at Wednesday next week and it's back to normal.  Nothing showing on Real Time Trains to need that allowance though.

 
Just buying my ticket for tomorrow morning's Melksham-Bristol commute, and spotted that what is usually the 06:29 Melksham-Trowbridge is scheduled for 06:31 (it was 06:29 on Monday). Anyone know why?

 

 

 

Congratulations to the crew for getting it running just 10 minutes late.   The above message still being issued three quarters of an hour after the train had left Salisbury - even though it implies it's still there - and it still suggests it's stuck at Salisbury at 08:07 as I write.

 

Is it just me or... or are the old crocks put on our line?   Feels like that sometimes!

 

And there was a false alarm cancellation on this one ...

 


It's a piece of text that's used when a "whoopsie" is found in the temporary timetable around engineering.  

In this case, 5M11 ECS arrived as normal at Frome at 13:43.  It normally sets off at 14:05 for Swindon, clearing in good time for the 14:28 call of the (Swindon, but today Chippenham) to Weymouth train.  However, the trains from Frome can't go as far as Swindon today - only to Chippenham - and so it didn't leave until 14:38.    Frome has just one platform ...

 
Today, we have removed the Frome stop from this service.

 

... which means ... exactly what, GWR ?

Your text is just random words, selected from the Oxford Dictionary.

 

 

Here is that same train 4 weeks ago - 14th December.  At that date, it was running to both Chippenham and Swindon.  For today, it had been cut back to Chippenham because of planned engineering, and then less than an hour before it was due, it was cancelled. 


Image © 2026 by Graham Ellis is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. I am taking this opportunity to post / remind readers of the copyright on my photographs shared / used on the Coffee Shop - it's been a recent subject of discussion (here) and it's worthy of occasional reminder.

 

 
With Storm Goretti ranging, it's amazing that the only change on trains that run via the Westbury - Swindon line is:


To some extent, a technical report as far as the TransWilts is concerned - through passengers from South of Swindon to Foregate Street are few and far between, and the 12 minute scheduled wait at Shrub Hill on this train means that it's not attractive anyway.

 
A bit OTT but the central waiting room at Chippenham was flippin cold yesterday evening while waiting for the 1735 Swindon-Westbury. I can understand the heating having trouble keeping it warm in sub-zero temperatures, but the blowers weren't even blowing - something was broken. I reported it to the staff on the main exit barrier (across the bridge) who said they would investigate.

 

In amongst all the other - chaos - on GWR this is minor

 

 
I suspect the 16.23 to Swindon, a 2 car 158, was rather cozy as it would have had passengers off 13.55 Paignton to London. This train terminated at Westbury because of the track issue between Westbury and Pewsey. See:
https://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=31378.msg370461#new

Transwilts to the rescue!

 
I guess that drivers are able to volunteer to do that - as long as their mileage claim to the TOC isn't fraudulent - but the way you posed the question Mark A - it read as though you thought there was a duty on the driver if you so asked? There definitely isn't.

 
Yes, near-midnight Yorkshire taxi person on a railway contract working on a dirty night took me to the door rather than to the... awkwardly situated station some distance from the village.

Mark

 
On the Chippenham-Melksham route they've been kind enough to drop me off at the bottom of Westlands Lane a couple of times (home is in Whitley). Once I was the only passenger so it potentially saved them about 2 x 1.5-2 miles of driving, but there was a couple of us on the most recent occasion.

 

I would agree with that.  And in this case he had to do a drop off and perhaps a pick up too.   They are averse to letting you off early - "you're driving past the end of my street - can I get off here?" either - but then so are buses, and have you ever asked a train not due to call at Dilton Marsh to make a stop there, even if the local train that should call is cancelled?

 

 

Errr......your ticket is to the *station* - not your 'preferred destination'. Taxi drivers are usually required to meter to the station & won't be paid any additional mileage incurred - so don't be surprised if your taxi will only go to the station. This is definitely the case when carrying more than 1 passenger - each passenger can not insist that they are dropped at their 'preferred destination' - but at the station concerned.

 
Here is a summary of yesterday:



1 planned cancellation because (?) it was a public holiday
2 cancellations described as "staff shortage"
6 cancellations described as "fault on this train"
9 services ran

50% cancellation rate

Of note from personal experience

* the 13 minute delay to the 07:21 (2M81) was due to 6M50 (Westbury to Bescot) which passed through Melksham at 07:09 (35 minutes early - it was due at 07:43) but then got held on the single line approaching Thingley, blocking 2M81 on the line approaching Bradford Junction.   At the time the train was due, the display on the platform at Melksham said:


* I was returning to Melksham on 2M30, and arrived into Chippehnam from Bristol (separate story) at 17:34.  I knew to go over to the gateline and ask staff for help.   The announcement system was advising people that the train was cancelled and "The next fastest train will be the 19:00 to Salisbury" - correct advice, but not telling people who didn't want to wait for nearly an hour and a half that they could seek further assistance if they did not want to wait for the train.


Capacity was also limited between Bristol and Bath yesterday afternoon, with single line working on one line while a safety check was made.  Altenate London <-> Bristol trains routed via Bristol Parkway, and just one an hour not 3 running from Westbury to Bristol. One has to wonder as a passenger why one of the trains stuck at Westbury could not have been used in place of the faulty one on the Swindon service.  My taxi driver from Chippehnam was metering his run, and GWR will be invoiced just shy of £45 - not a cheap ride at Bank Holiday rates!

Final thought - why when a train is cancelled does it say "Calling at" on the boards - the whole point is that it is NOT calling at and really it should say "not calling as planned at" should it not?

 

No - that is a taxi dropping three occupants at the station.   On the cusp of a delay-repay claim - 15 minutes late. The taxi was also charged with picking any passenger from Melksham to Trowbridge, so there was logic in him going there. Fuller reports to follow - a very interesting "state of the nation" set of learning journeys!

 
Is that a taxi dropping its sole occupant down at the station rather than at their preferred destination?

Mark

 
A ... wonderful day ...



... four bus journeys, and supposed to be four journeys by train but one turned into this ...

.

 
21:16 Westbury to Swindon due 21:58
21:16 Westbury to Swindon due 21:58 will be cancelled.
This is due to more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time.

22:31 Swindon to Westbury due 23:12
22:31 Swindon to Westbury due 23:12 will be cancelled.
This is due to more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time.

 
and


No alternative offered

 
 18:37 Westbury to Swindon due 19:21

Additional information added just after 15:50.

 
18:37 Westbury to Swindon due 19:21
18:37 Westbury to Swindon due 19:21 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

20:12 Swindon to Westbury due 20:56
20:12 Swindon to Westbury due 20:56 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

 

 

Thank you. Let's hope it's much much much much quieter than this year.

Lisa and I celebrating the New Year tonight - firstly because we like to be ahead of the game, and secondly because I want to be up early on 1st January to catch the first train of the year!

 
Here's another new topic I've primed, ready.  CfN.  Image not available to guests