Cancellations, Changes and Crass Christmas
* Two trains cancelled on 9th, one on 13th, and I wonder if we'll see some trains not running again this week.
* The new timetable - publicly - looks nearly standstill, with one slight improivement that we must hale as a step forward at least - the return of a single southbound train on Sunday. The morning train (06:42) going on through to Southampton, and the evening one coming up from there (18:27) is to be applauded too, but half a cheer rather than three cheers as there would be if we had three more round trips
* Away from the published timetable, things don't look good. For saying as there's a Sunday improvement on paper, it's more than taken away by bustitutions for the initial weekends - the new train runs on the very first day of the new timetable from Chippenham only. Then is a bus ....
* Bewteen Christmas and the new year wesee the trains turning around at Chippenham (nice to see it can be done) with a wait of FIFTY FIVE MINUTES for anyone who changes from Swindon. We asked for a 17:30 departure from Swindon; well - we have it. But then it's still not into Melksham until after a quarter past seven. Is someone taking the piss, or what?
* I have three delegates coming up from Salisbury to Melksham for 4 days this week - that's 24 single journeys - and I don't expect that even one single journey will be made by rail. And I have two other vivitord on Wednesday. Last year, they wopuldl have arrived on the lunchtime train but one has already said"bus" and the other "car". What a far cry from the reasonable through service that Wessex trains provided.
Written 2007-11-18 19:25:37
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