... but with considerable confusion all round. It was like this; your elderly blogger and the redoubtable Mrs were invited to spend some time with chums in Torquay. To make things a little easier, Mr Chum usually collects the travelling twosome from Newton Abbot station and whisks then snappily back to his pad. The standard outward schedule looks like this.
All these screen shots can be enlarge by clicking upon them.
It always makes sense to check whether anything is happening to disrupt this usually-smooth journey.
It always makes sense to check whether anything is happening to disrupt this usually-smooth journey.
National Rail publishes an on-line list of rail companies and shows whether there is any disruption ...
... and there wasn't any. For the geographically challenged, Axminster to Exeter is run by South West Trains aka SouthWest Trains.
Next a look at Axminster to Exeter specifically.
Try the departure boards from Axminster.
What about trains from Exeter to Newton Abbot?
As this panel is now huge for the benefit of travellers who must take their tablets, fbb cannot produce a legible version for the blog. But the 1019 train (fbb's likely journey) was "greyed out" and the following note added underneath.
There are no trains running to the destination at the time you selected.
Please try searching for a different time of day.
You see it is all very straightforward. Disruption does not mean disruption; it meas disruption. When a disrupted service is planned to be disrupted it is not disrupted if the disruption is not disrupted. So the disruption for trains between Honiton and Axminster was not disruption as it was pre-planned although the fbb's journey and a good few others were significantly disrupted. There will be a test on this later.
fbb does not care an ocelot's kneecap whether the disruption is planned, unplanned or disrupted disruption. If his journey is not as normal IT IS DISRUPTED.
So, armed with this information, we can now turn to Stagecoach SouthWest Trains planned engineering (not disruption) page,
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Buses replace trains between Exeter St Davids and Honiton / Exmouth from Friday 1 to Sunday 3 January
Description
Engineering work is taking place between Exeter Central and Honiton / Polsloe Bridge with all lines closed.
Great Western Railway
Trains will not run between Exeter Central and Exmouth.
Buses will run between Exeter St Davids and Exmouth.
Most trains between Barnstaple and Exmouth will terminate/start at Exeter St Davids
Most trains between Paignton and Exmouth will terminate/start at Exeter Central.
South West Trains
Buses replace trains between Exeter St Davids and Honiton.
Planning your Journey
For full details of these changes and the impact on your journey, please use the National Rail Enquiries Journey Planner
Routes Affected
Great Western Railway between Paignton / Barnstale and Exmouth.
South West Trains between London Waterloo and Exeter St Davids, also to/from Exmouth.
Useful links
nationalrail.co.uk which we already know is useless
Additional Maps which are (sic!) shown below ...
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The above information is repetitive, confusing and really not very helpful. It could be, and should be, much simpler. But the journey planner offers a big clue.09:03 Axminster [AXM] Newton Abbot [NTA] 10:38 1h 35m
More Details
bus service
And the "more details" click brings more.
Do you trust journey planners? fbb is always wary. In this case the running time of the bus looked very tight indeed if it were to mirror the train's calling points. Jenson Button with a police escort would struggle with stops at Feniton, Whimple, Cranbrook, Pinhoe and Exeter Central in just 45 minutes.
So we need to check the timetable.
Only there isn't one. SouthWest Trains does not bother to publish an on-line timetable for planned disruption (which isn't disruption at all - remember?) and you can whistle very loud for anything printed.
With a nagging anxiety and a warning of possible schedule collapse to our Torquay hosts, the fbbs decided that they would have to wing it and hope that the planners from SouthWest Trains, Notwork Rail (or Gerald or whoever actually runs these things) have got it right.
We will report on the actual journey tomorrow.
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Meanwhile, no sooner had the pixels been sent whizzing round the ether yesterday concerning First's "West Yorkshire" repaint ...
... there comes news of a Huddersfield Corporation heritage livery.
The bus has been re-painted to mark the close local connection First Bus has with the history of Huddersfield transport which was last seen on local routes in 1974. The bus is named after Fred Krigers ...
... who joined the bus industry in the same year of 1974 as a driver and went on to complete over 40 years service before retiring in 2015. Fred, who sadly passed away last year, was born in 1951 as Uldis Krigers but changed his first name to Fred after the famous Yorkshire cricketer Fred Trueman.
Fred held a number of training and managerial roles in his bus career and was highly respected by everyone who he worked with. His colleagues nominated Fred for the honour of having a bus named after him.
The bus was officially launched last month by Business Manager Oliver Howarth and Fred's two sons Dan and Ben and will operate on routes across the Huddersfield bus network.
And a preserved Huddersfield bus for comparison.
Not quite the same ...
Fred held a number of training and managerial roles in his bus career and was highly respected by everyone who he worked with. His colleagues nominated Fred for the honour of having a bus named after him.
The bus was officially launched last month by Business Manager Oliver Howarth and Fred's two sons Dan and Ben and will operate on routes across the Huddersfield bus network.
And a preserved Huddersfield bus for comparison.
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Next Disrupted blog : Monday 4th January
Try http://www.southwesttrains.co.uk/JanEng2016.aspx#180348 for all timetables for engineering work. I would argue south west trains are the best in the country for dealing with engineering workd publishing full timetables weeks in advance and displaying the same timetables on every station affected and often most other stations too for the whole week prior to the works. Their ticket office staff may not be the best and seem to lack basic training but engineering info is their strength.
ReplyDeleteYes. I didn't find it too hard to find the online amended timetable on the website ... although I agree that the signposting could be better, especially for the unwary traveller. Living out here in Suffolk, I must say that Abellio are good at providing this kind of information on their website, and IMO it is easier to find.
ReplyDeleteOne question which perhaps should be asked is how good are the links between the TOCs and the people who run the National Rail information service?
To sort of ease fbb's mind if you are travelling from the start to the end of the blockage then on a mainline route like this there will be a non-stop (or at least very limited stop) bus from Honiton to Exeter as well as a stopper that serves each rail station. The timetables for rail replacement buses are often a complicated pattern of journeys to ensure all possible travel opportunities whilst trying to minimise the delays caused by the switch to the buses.
ReplyDeleteTry the usually reliable www.realtimetrains.co.uk for details of replacement buses and their intermediate stops. It does indeed show what Dwarfer1979 surmised.
ReplyDeleteHuddersfield has had a vehicle in commemorative livery since 2008 to reflect the 125th anniversary of municipal operation. It's an Olympian (30843) so this may well be its replacement
ReplyDeleteThis is indeed the replacement for 30843 which is due for withdrawal. I was in Huddersfield yesterday but disn't see it. There is also one in Bradford livery as well which I hope to find later this week. I understand a Leeds City Transport one is in the pipeline to go with the Yorkshire Rider, West Yorkshire, and Halifax ones.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteThe Halifax example commemorates Geoffrey Hilditch, G.M. In the 1960s.
DeleteAs an ex `Rail Replacement` driver I found that dependant on the TOC is how you have to drive. TFL is best because you always have street lights and signs on every lamppost to guide you.Get yourself out into the sticks and it`s a different matter.No maps, no signs on lamp posts and timed at 3am on a motorbike leads to problems. Most TOCs will not hold trains for late running buses. Find a landmark on google maps. That will do-turn right at the pub. Unfortunately pub shuts at 2100 on Sunday night and from then on in is in complete darkness. You notice it as you go past it. I leave the rest to your imagination. That includes reversing a double decker out of a side road in Cambridge into 5 lanes of traffic with 50 passengers on board looking for the station.
ReplyDeleteAs an ex `Rail Replacement` driver I found that dependant on the TOC is how you have to drive. TFL is best because you always have street lights and signs on every lamppost to guide you.Get yourself out into the sticks and it`s a different matter.No maps, no signs on lamp posts and timed at 3am on a motorbike leads to problems. Most TOCs will not hold trains for late running buses. Find a landmark on google maps. That will do-turn right at the pub. Unfortunately pub shuts at 2100 on Sunday night and from then on in is in complete darkness. You notice it as you go past it. I leave the rest to your imagination. That includes reversing a double decker out of a side road in Cambridge into 5 lanes of traffic with 50 passengers on board looking for the station.
ReplyDelete