Wednesday 8 June 2016

From Our Own Correspondent [1]

Bristol Result
(see yesterday's blog) It's good to know that folk who run buses do read these blogs, possibly as a precursor to sticking pins in a model (a large model) of fbb. This comment was added yestarday re Wessex buses to UWE.
And indeed it has; although not in numerical order!
The service runs during term time only (e.g. every 15 minutes Monday to Friday) non-stop via the M32.
First Bus also runs service X74 via the M32 to UWE, continuing to Bradley Stoke. The half-hourly service is, oddly, "provided with local authority support".
Unfair competition?

And talking of things Bristolian and Wessexy; news from another correspondent that there are revised timetables registered for TheOne ...
... and TheOne2 too.
Of course, The Traffic Commissioners do not publish the timetables as such; the above is all you get. "Why not?" you may ask. In the days of paper copies of their official organ ("Notices and Proceedings" - catchy title) it would have been too expensive; but now, on-line, surely we should get the facts, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
Have Wessex decided to re-use "resources" released from (sadly and apologetically) withdrawn 13 and 19 to attempt to whop First on their 1 and their 2 too.

Ot maybe not. An anonymous comment on yesterday's blog reads, "Wessex are cutting back the One and One2 from Cribbs Causeway etc. from 1 Aug and running some 3s to Cribbs Causeway instead. (from VOSA)." From VOSA? Perhaps Mr Anon has inside information?

See "What Fun! The One, The One2 and The OneOne2 too." (read again)

It ain't all over till the fat lady sings!

Buckets and Spades
Chum Bob ...
... now retired Axminster Station ticket man (and thoroughly good egg all-round) reminded fbb of a brand new train service, On Summer Saturdays, SouthWest Trains are running a service from London via Salisbury and Yeovil to Weymouth. This will reverse at Yeovil Junction, nip round the bend to Yeovil Pen Mill, reverse again then set off south for sea, sand and summer sun.

fbb has (crudely) extracted the times of the actual trains, minus various connections, from the SWT leaflet.
As you can see the 1128 arrival at Weymouth returns to Yeovil at ...
... 1210. The afternoon train leaves Yeovil at 1405, sits at Weymouth for nearly two hours before trundling back at 1656.
The local paper, always at the forefront of transport news, has been busy electrifying the line between Yeovil and Weymouth without, it seems, telling SWT or Notwork Rail.
That blue train (750 volts third rail elelctric) wouldn't get very far down the branch line!

Also now in operation on Summer Saturdays is the Great Western Railway extras.
This brings a High Speed Train (HST) running at low speed to the branch. Here are the times from the GWR leaflet, again crudely pasted by fbb.
It might make a pleasant day out for the old codger, sampling different types of traction on the Weymouth branch.

 Next correspondent inspired blog : Thursday 9th June 

9 comments:

  1. Wessex Bus 1/2 - There is no inside knowledge but just reading the registration details. The cancelled 1/2 finished at Cribbs Causeway, but the new registrations finish at points around half way out on the existing routes. The route 3 alteration has Cribbs Causeway as a finish point on a route that is currently only Astec West.

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    Replies
    1. The cancelled One2 only goes to Southmead (but shares its registration with the One, which does go to Cribbs).

      The new One registration is indeed only as far as Brentry, but today's update on the S Glos council website (always timely!) shows it as every 10 mins (currently 20) and terminating at Westbury.

      The new One2 registration looks to be same route as now.

      And, regarding the 3, the registration for the 3/3A/3B/3C/3X has not had its routes or destination changed since there was a Wessex 3 to Cribbs a few years ago. There is no Wessex 3, and looking at the S Glos site again, it doesn't look as though there is going to be!

      Delete
    2. N&P (and thus the Traffic Areas in general) are notorious for not updating routes and destinations in the registration headings. It seems once they are in the system, they stay in the system as that no matter how many changes to routes, numbers of timetables occur since!

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  2. The X74 gets LSTF funding for the section to extend it to Bradley Stoke and so provide a link to UWE as well as a fast route from the burbs into centre. It ISN'T for the Centre to UWE section and doubt it can be regarded as unfair competition

    Of course, Wessex could've been on the front foot and proposed such a route before but have been guilty of complacency with a range of UWE funded routes and SGC tenders, very few of which now exist as First have raised their games over the last two and a half years

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    Replies
    1. Remember though that the northern end of the X74 used to be part of Wessex 13!

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    2. And also remember that the Bradley Stoke - UWE section of the 13 also received LSTF funding.

      Delete
  3. Was the LSTF funding just transferred to the X74, as it replaced it?

    ReplyDelete
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