New timetable - longer commuter journey time....

Mon 25 Jul 2011, 12:32

A Reading resident writes.....
The current layout of Reading station is such that Westbound fast trains can only get through on one track (platform 4 at Reading). This causes a massive capacity problem as trains frequently queue up, slowing everything up. The current works around Reading Station will solve this problem that has remained unsolved since Brunel's day.

As I understand the phasing of works, it will be closer to 2015 before the benefits of the extra capacity are seen, which will enable more trains to run non-stop, and will dramatically increase capacity on the Great Western network. (Longer-term there is a suggestion that there'll be a fast Reading-London shuttle service).

Richard's experience of the effect of Heathrow Express is the same as mine.

Thu 21 Jul 2011, 12:41 (last edited on Thu 21 Jul 2011, 12:42)

Also, FGW are saying that more trains aren't economic - i.e. there aren't enough pax for the trains that they're already running - so more pax are needed to fill the off-peak trains before they'll consider more trains.

Once the September TT is in place, I'm sure the CLPG will be back to encouraging use of the trains more.

Wed 20 Jul 2011, 18:18

Christine, the CLPG will keep up the pressure but we have already come a very long way since the late 1970s when the group was formed, with just eight trains a day each way running on the line at that time.

Even with the gap, the September timetable will still be the highest frequency service ever since the line opened in 1853, with 20 trains from Charlbury to Oxford and 19 back - and almost all of those are to or from London. As recently as 1992, there were only three or four through London trains a day.

An awful lot of much larger places would dearly love to have the rail service that Charlbury enjoys.

Wed 20 Jul 2011, 14:50

William, Not everyone is a commuter, & the gap in the afternoon is something that does on occasions affect my plans. I'm very pleased that there is now a train at 12.07; but otherwise the timetable does not seem much better seems than the existing one: 13.05; 15.05; 16.00; 16.31; 17.18.

I hope we do continue to press for an hourly southbound service in the afternoons. Later trains back from London & more weekend trains would also be welcome.

Wed 20 Jul 2011, 14:08

Christine, up to that gap (13.07 to 15.07) there are trains at 08.31, 09.40, 10.07, 11.06 and 12.07 and the gap is followed by trains towards Oxford and London at 15.41, 16.09, 16.31 and 17.09 - so near enough half-hourly for that period. You might have something to complain about if you lived in Worcestershire, which is getting just one extra train each way a day from September, unlike the stations between Oxford and Moreton-in-Marsh.

Dave the reason the morning trains appear to take so long is that everything running into paddington at that time has extra minutes added. I'm not going into the rights and wrongs of it, that's just what happens. Nothing new in the practice. BR was doing the same thing 20 years ago. Into london Euston from the West Midlands, trains took 10 minutes longer to reach Euston from Watford Junction than those going in the opposite direction took to reach Watford.

Wed 20 Jul 2011, 13:27

Well, there's still a 2 hour gap in the afternoons going south. It would be good to know when the envisaged 1hr service will be put in place.

Tue 19 Jul 2011, 22:12

In a version of the September timetable given to the Cotswold Line Promotion Group a few months ago, the 0634 appears unaltered. It must be a last minute decision to run 5 minutes earlier as far as Oxford. Will try to find out why.
The train times are available on the National Rail Enquiries website, if you request a date on or after 12th September.

Tue 19 Jul 2011, 21:28

In relation to Dave's original post...how it is that FGW can claim on their description of the Cotswold Line improvements "Once the work is complete, we will be introducing a new timetable which will see more trains able to run and quicker journey times"? Is the new timetable posted online anywhere so that we can point this out to FGW?

Tue 19 Jul 2011, 14:13

Long may the Cotswold Line trains continue to stop at Reading!

Ten years ago, neither of the two HSTs then running onto the Cotswold Line - the 17.12 and 18.27 from Paddington - stopped at Reading. The 17.12 was first stop Didcot, the 18.27 first stop Oxford. Which is fine and dandy for those of you who work in London... but not for the fast-growing numbers of people who work in or near Reading.

At the time, I worked in Wokingham, one stop away from Reading. The commute home was horrible: after seeing the 17.12 sail serenely through the station without stopping, with a large number of free seats, I'd squeeze onto the 17.50 Turbo (the 17.18 from Paddington). There was no air-conditioning; the toilet could usually have doubled for the "worst toilet in Scotland" scene in the film Trainspotting; and pretty much every single one of the five-abreast, minimum-legroom seats was occupied between Reading and Didcot. It got a little less busy at Didcot, which was just as well as you typically had a seven-minute wait there to contemplate the majesty of the interior decor of a Turbo.

At the time, Cotswold-Reading season ticket holders paid significantly more per mile than those going to London, yet received a pitiful evening peak service. FGW fixed this aspect of the service, and I'm delighted they have. Cotswold-Reading passengers deserve as good a service as Cotswold-London passengers.

(For what it's worth, my experience is that 'up' trains - i.e. those to London - got significantly slower after the introduction of the Heathrow Express. There's also the issue of "recovery time": in other words, a train's final arrival may be timetabled later than it's actually expected, in order to give some leeway for compensation payments, missed connections etc.)

Tue 19 Jul 2011, 13:29

The morning trains tend to go via Didcot Parkway which probably adds time but I agree, still too long. It annoys me that the evening trains have to stop at Reading forcing us all to endure the mass crowds. Why? when every single train that leaves London Paddington stops at Reading!?

Mon 18 Jul 2011, 21:48

I cannot believe that FGW are advertising a new and improved timetable from September when the 6:34 becomes the 6:29 and will take 90 minutes to get to London. In the evening, the 17:22 and 17:50 will be retimed faster at 72 minutes journey time. How can it take 90 in the morning? In 90 minutes in the evening, the train gets from Paddington to just short of Moreton.. Come on FGW, get us into London as fast as you get us home.. I remember a 6:28pm train from Paddington that was second stop Charlbury in 62 minutes. And that was about 8-10 years ago. Any other hidden gems in the new timetable?