• Danny Kruger (MP for the East Wiltshire constituency, which includes Bedwyn) – please click here.
• Lee Dillon (MP for the Newbury constituency, which includes Hungerford,  Kintbury, Newbury and Thatcham) – please click here.
• Olivia Bailey (MP for the Reading West & Mid Berkshire constituency, which includes Midgham, Aldermaston and Theale) –  please click here.

Update 2 October 2025

Restoring our off-peak direct trains to and from Paddington

We previously mentioned that we were due an update from the DfT, GWR, and our local MPs regarding how the introduction of the Class 175 trains will affect our service. Once in service, these Class 175s will allow our three IETs, redeployed post-Covid, to be returned to Paddington. We are concerned that the DfT and the GWR will, instead of restoring our direct services, use the returned IETs to bolster the Paddington fleet.

Having chased the MPs, we received the following responses:

The DfT responded with:

“GWR and the Department recognise the timetable reductions made post-pandemic at Kintbury, Hungerford and Bedwyn when the industry faced significant revenue challenges. They are working together to develop the appropriate business case submission for approval of direct off-peak services for Kintbury, Hungerford and Bedwyn. This will mean that the requisite rolling stock will be in place against a background of competing demands.”

GWR responded with:

“There isn’t a concrete update on the IETs at the moment. The Class 175 trains we’re adding to our fleet in Devon & Cornwall will allow us over time to free up some trains and look at opportunities. It will take around 18 months for the Class 175s to be rolled out fully across the network.”

Taking the DfT response first, it is a real concern that the rhetoric has shifted, and we now require a ‘business case’ to restore a service that was only temporarily taken away from us. Therefore, we have responded to Lee Dillon MP:

“We shouldn’t be in a position of having to go through a ‘business case’ to reinstate a service that in 2022 was only temporarily taken away. Mark Hopwood MD of GWR has always stated it is the intention to reinstate the direct services to Bedwyn. This is a case of ‘when’ not ‘if’. To now hear a business case is required is very concerning. We’d be very grateful if you could raise this point with the DfT.”

GWRs use of the word ‘opportunities’ is concerning. Mark Hopwood (Managing Director of GWR) was interviewed for an article in the September issue of ‘Modern Railways’ magazine. This gives further details of how the 175s will be rolled out:

1. The 175s will be deployed between Exeter and Penzance, replacing the IET leg of this journey.
2. The IETs will still run between Cardiff and Exeter.
3. The 175s will also be deployed on some other services.

When Mark Hopwood informed us of the need to redeploy our three 5-car IETs to the Cardiff to Penzance route, he made it clear that for them to return, GWR would need to source alternative traction on the Cardiff to Penzance route. We now note that the 175s will not cover Cardiff – Exeter and will also be used on some other services (e.g. Okehampton and Barnstaple). We have therefore written to Mark asking him the following:

1. Upon complete roll-out of the 175s, how many 5-car IETs are expected to remain on Cardiff – Exeter duties?
2. How many IETs will be released for other duties?
3. Are there any more IET sets on other non-Paddington-based services?
4. Mention has previously been made of such released sets being used on Paddington based services. As Paddington – Bedwyn clearly falls into that category, should we not be a priority for three of those sets, particularly as the DfT mentioned in their Fleet Plan, reintroduction of Paddington – Bedwyn as just such a priority?’

To date, we haven’t received a reply from the DfT or GWR. We have asked the MPs to pursue this.

Delays and connections not held at Newbury

Please inform us of any delays and connections not held at Newbury. We forward these on to GWR and keep ‘banging the drum’.

Engineering works

• Thursday 2 September to Friday 3 October 2025

Monday to Thursday from approximately 2145 until end of service each evening – Buses will replace trains between Newbury and Bedwyn.

Friday – The 0531 Bedwyn to London Paddington will not run. Passengers should travel on a later service.

• Saturday 11 to Friday 17 October 2025

Monday to Thursday from approximately 2130 until end of service – Buses will replace trains between Reading, Newbury and Bedwyn. A few other trains will either not run, or will be retimed, in some cases, EARLIER than usual.

Tuesday to Friday – The 0531 Bedwyn to London Paddington will be slightly retimed and will finish its journey at Reading. An alternative rail connection will be available from Reading to London Paddington.

• Saturday 18 to Friday 24 October 2025

Sunday – The 0804 (departing 0753) London Paddington to Penzance will not call at Newbury or Pewsey. The 0844 (departing 0828) London Paddington to Penzance will call additionally at Newbury and Pewsey. The 0806 Reading to Newbury will not run and the 0833 Reading to Bedwyn will start from Newbury and run slightly later throughout. A replacement bus will run EARLIER from Reading to Newbury.

Tuesday and Wednesday – The 0531 Bedwyn to London Paddington will be slightly retimed and will finish its journey at Reading. An alternative rail connection will be available from Reading to London Paddington.

• Saturday 25 to Friday 31 October 2025

Monday to Thursday – The 0838 London Paddington to Westbury will not run. Passengers should travel on alternative earlier or later services. The 0934 London Paddington to Paignton will call additionally at Pewsey. The 2230 London Paddington to Bedwyn will start from Reading. An alternative rail connection will be available from London Paddington (departing at 2230) to Reading.

Monday to Friday – The 0531 Bedwyn to London Paddington will be slightly retimed and will finish its journey at Reading. An alternative rail connection will be available from Reading to London Paddington.

• Saturday 1 to Friday 7 November 2025

Saturday until approximately 0700 – Trains between Reading, Newbury and Bedwyn will be revised. Some trains will be replaced by buses for all or part of their journey, departing EARLIER than usual.

Sunday – The 2333 Newbury to Reading will be replaced by a bus

• Saturday 8 to Friday 14 November 2025

Monday to Thursday from approximately 2145 until end of service each evening – Buses will replace trains between Newbury and Bedwyn.

Tuesday to Friday – The 0531 Bedwyn to London Paddington will be slightly retimed and will finish its journey at Reading. An alternative rail connection will be available from Reading to London Paddington

• Saturday 15 to Friday 21 November 2025

Sunday – The 0804 (departing 0757) London Paddington to Penzance will not call at Newbury or Pewsey. The 0844 (departing 0831) London Paddington to Penzance will call additionally at Newbury and Pewsey. The 0806 Reading to Newbury will not run and the 0833 Reading to Bedwyn will start from Newbury and run slightly later throughout. A replacement bus will run EARLIER from Reading to Newbury, to connect into the train.

• Saturday 22 to Friday 28 November 2025

Monday to Thursday from approximately 2130 until end of service – Buses will replace trains between Reading, Newbury and Bedwyn. A few other trains will either not run, or will be retimed, in some cases, EARLIER than usual.

Tuesday to Friday – The 0531 Bedwyn to London Paddington will be slightly retimed and will finish its journey at Reading. An alternative rail connection will be available from Reading to London Paddington.

Update 11 August 2025

Managing missed connections

On occasion, passengers have been able to request that the Newbury to Bedwyn shuttle be held, to meet a late-arriving connecting train, by messaging GWR on WhatsApp at 07890 608043. This also applies to Sunday connections at Reading.

However, one doesn’t always get a positive response – and sometimes no response at all. Recently, on a Sunday, I was on a delayed service from Paddington to Reading, missing the connection for Bedwyn. Faced with a two-hour wait, I asked the gate line staff, who advised me to speak to the Duty Station Manager. This proved to be good advice as he arranged a taxi for me. It appears that if you are at Reading, and the delay is going to be well over an hour or indeterminate, the thing to do is to ask to speak to the Duty Station Manager.

If stranded at Newbury, speak to the platform staff. If the station is unstaffed, then use the Help Points located on Platforms 1 and 2.

Recently, we have been in touch with GWR regarding two incidents where the Newbury to Bedwyn shuttle departed with passengers either on the overbridge or about to board. GWR has reminded all staff and drivers not to allow this to happen. If this happens to you, or you miss a connection at Newbury due to a train not being held, please do let us know.

Given the two-hourly service on a Sunday, we have also asked GWR to introduce a holds policy at Reading on a Sunday. GWR, at our request, introduced one for weekdays, but not for weekends. So, we are asking for clarity so the GWR Control staff know which Reading to Bedwyn trains need to be held for delayed inbound connections from Paddington.

We have also asked GWR to try and arrange a contract with a Newbury-based taxi firm. At present taxis have to be sent down from Reading.

Restoring our off-peak direct trains to and from Paddington

We still haven’t had a response from GWR, or our local MPs, regarding how the introduction of the Class 175 trains will affect our service. Once in service, these Class 175s will allow our three IETs, redeployed post-Covid, to be returned to Paddington. We are concerned that DfT and the GWR will, instead of giving us our direct services back, use the returned IETs to bolster the Paddington fleet.

The next timetable change, December 2025, isn’t showing any changes, making the next possibility for the return of our direct off-peak Paddington services May 2026.

We have chased the MPs and GWR. We are grateful to Wiltshire Councillor Tamara Reay who has Dan Okey, GWR’s Head of Regional and Welsh Development.

Not a steam train

In the last newsletter, we stated that a steam train would pass through Kintbury, Hungerford and Bedwyn on Saturday, 23 August. We have been advised that this is running as a historic diesel. Therefore, not so exciting!

Engineering works

• Tuesday 12 to Friday 15 August 2025

The 0531 Bedwyn to London Paddington will not run. Passengers should travel on a later service.

• Saturday 16 to Friday 22 August 2025

Monday to Thursday from approximately 2145 until end of service each evening – Buses will replace trains between Newbury and Bedwyn. In addition, on Monday to Wednesday, the 2230 London Paddington to Bedwyn will only run from Reading to Newbury. Passengers travelling from London Paddington should change at Reading. Tuesday to Friday – The 0531 Bedwyn to London Paddington will be slightly retimed and will finish its journey at Reading. A connecting rail service will be available from Reading to London Paddington.

• Saturday 23 to Friday 29 August 2025

No service alterations that affect Bedwyn, Hungerford or Kintbury.

• Saturday 30 August to Friday 5 September 2025

Monday to Thursday from approximately 2130 until end of service – Buses will replace trains between Reading, Newbury and Bedwyn. A few other trains will either not run, or will be retimed, in some cases, EARLIER than usual.

Tuesday to Friday – 0531 Bedwyn to London Paddington will not run. Passengers should travel on a later service

• Saturday 6 to Friday 12 September 2025

Tuesday to Friday – The 0531 Bedwyn to London Paddington will not run. Passengers should travel on an alternative earlier or later service.

• Saturday 13 to Friday 19 September 2025

Sunday – Trains between London Paddington and the West of England will be revised. Trains will be diverted, not calling at Newbury, Hungerford, Pewsey, Westbury or Castle Cary, but will call additionally at Bristol Temple Meads and some will also call additionally at Swindon. Most trains will depart EARLIER from London Paddington and Reading. Some trains will not run, including all direct trains between London Paddington and Paignton. Passengers travelling to / from intermediate stations between Reading and Taunton should use alternative rail connections, changing where necessary to complete their journey. Pewsey will be served by replacement buses running to / from Swindon only. Replacement buses will also run between Westbury, Castle Cary and Taunton.

• Saturday 20 to Friday 26 September 2025

Saturday until approximately 0700 – Trains between Reading, Newbury and Bedwyn will be revised. Some trains will be replaced by buses for all or part of their journey, departing EARLIER than usual.

Sunday – The 0806 Reading to Newbury will not run and the 0833 Reading to Bedwyn will start from Newbury. A replacement bus will run from Reading to Newbury. The 2333 Newbury to Reading will be replaced by a bus.

Sunday – Trains between London Paddington and the West of England will be revised. Trains will be diverted, not calling at Newbury, Hungerford, Pewsey, Westbury or Castle Cary, but will call additionally at Bristol Temple Meads and some will also call additionally at Swindon. Most trains will depart EARLIER from London Paddington and Reading. Some trains will not run, including all direct trains between London Paddington and Paignton. Passengers travelling to / from intermediate stations between Reading and Taunton should use alternative rail connections, changing where necessary to complete their journey. Pewsey will be served by replacement buses running to / from Swindon only. Replacement buses will also run between Westbury, Castle Cary and Taunton. Passengers are strongly advised to check their journeys before travelling.

Tuesday to Friday – The 0531 Bedwyn to London Paddington will not run. Passengers should travel on a later service.

• Saturday 27 September to Friday 3 October 2025

Monday to Thursday from approximately 2145 until end of service each evening – Buses will replace trains between Newbury and Bedwyn.

Tuesday to Friday – The 0531 Bedwyn to London Paddington will not run. Passengers should travel on a later service.

Update 6 June 2025

Discounted advanced fares

We know that a number of you rely on advanced fares to keep the cost of your commute down. Recently, some of these reductions have been removed. We checked in with GWR, their response was:

“These fares are not intended for everyday business or commuter travel but are designed to support the leisure market, encouraging customers to use less busy trains in order to reduce loadings on busy, peak time services. We do regularly review and reduce/increase quotas or remove/add Advance tickets to different routes and services.

“This dynamic pricing allows us to manage loadings and helps us to protect revenue. This last is important as the rail industry has yet to fully recovery from Covid and we are still therefore receiving significant subsidy from Government. 

“All revenue we receive from rail fares therefore goes to the Department for Transport. This helps to reduce the cost of rail to taxpayers and it is important therefore that we are careful when offering discounted fares. We will of course continue to monitor the situation, and we are very aware of the need for balance. That said, Advance tickets are not a guaranteed fare and quotas can be reduced or removed at any time.”

Steam trains

We are sometimes asked whether we know when steam trains are scheduled to come through Kintbury, Hungerford and Bedwyn. Unfortunately, there’s no easy way of keeping tabs on them. However, we are aware of one making the following calls on Saturday, 23 August:

• Newbury 0845
• Hungerford 0900
• Pewsey 0920 and 2020
• Hungerford  2040
• Newbury  2110

Please note that timings are subject to change. It is also advisable to be twenty minutes early.

Getting to Heathrow

In the last newsletter (see below), we described various options for getting to airports. It’s been pointed out to us there is another option for Heathrow, which we’ve added as option 4 below.

1. Travel to Paddington and catch the Heathrow Express,
2. Travel to Reading and catch the RailAir coach link,
3. Change at Reading for Slough and catch the local bus to Heathrow. As many people from Slough work at the airport, the buses are frequent, or
4. Travel to Reading, take the Elizabeth Line to Hayes and Harlington then change onto the Heathrow Express.

Engineering works

• Saturday 7 June to Friday 13 June 2025

• Sunday 8 June – The 2323 Newbury to Reading will not run and will be replaced by a bus.
• Monday 9 to Thursday 12 June from approximately 2130 until end of service each evening – Buses will replace trains between Reading, Newbury and Bedwyn. A few other trains will either not run, or will be retimed, in some cases, EARLIER than usual.
• Monday 9 to Friday 13 June – Due to engineering work taking place elsewhere on the network, some trains from London Paddington to Newbury will run slightly later than usual.
• Tuesday 10 to Friday 13 June – The 0531 Bedwyn to London Paddington will not run. Passengers should travel on a later service.

• Saturday 14 to Friday 20 June 2025

• Sunday 15 June – The 0806 Reading to Newbury will not run and the 0833 Reading to Bedwyn will start from Newbury. A replacement bus will run from Reading to Newbury. The 0804 (departing at 0800) London Paddington to Penzance will not call at Newbury or Pewsey. The 0844 (departing at 0835) London Paddington to Penzance will call additionally at Newbury and Pewsey.
• Monday 16 to Friday 20 June – Due to engineering work taking place elsewhere on the network, some trains from London Paddington to Newbury will run slightly later than usual.
• Tuesday 17 to Friday 20 June – The 0531 Bedwyn to London Paddington will not run. Passengers should travel on a later service.

• Saturday 21 to Friday 27 June 2025

• Nothing affecting Newbury, Kintbury, Hungerford or Bedwyn.

• Saturday 28 June to Friday 4 July 2025

• Saturday 28 June until approximately 0700 – Trains between Reading, Newbury and Bedwyn will be revised. Some trains will be replaced by buses for all or part of their journey, departing EARLIER than usual.
• Sunday 29 June – 2333 Newbury to Reading will be replaced by a bus.
• Tuesday 1 to Friday 4 July – 0531 Bedwyn to London Paddington will not run. Passengers should travel on a later service.

• Saturday 5 to Friday 11 July 2025

• Monday 7 to Thursday 10 July from approximately 2145 until end of service each evening – Buses will replace trains between Newbury and Bedwyn.

• Saturday 12 to Friday 18 July 2025

• Sunday 13 July – The 0806 Reading to Newbury will not run and the 0833 Reading to Bedwyn will start from Newbury. A replacement bus will run from Reading to Newbury. The 0804 (departing at 0747) London Paddington to Penzance will not call at Newbury or Pewsey. The 0844 (departing at 0833 London Paddington to Penzance will call additionally at Newbury and Pewsey.

• Saturday 19 to Friday 25 July 2025

• Monday 21 to Thursday 24 July from approximately 2130 until end of service each evening – Buses will replace trains between Reading, Newbury and Bedwyn. A few other trains will either not run, or will be retimed, in some cases, EARLIER than usual.
• Tuesday 22 to Friday 25 July – The 0531 Bedwyn to London Paddington will not run. Passengers should travel on a later service.

• Saturday 26 July to Friday 1 August 2025

• Tuesday 29 July to Friday 1 August – The 0531 Bedwyn to London Paddington will not run. Passengers should travel on a later service.

• Saturday 2 to Friday 8 August 2025

• Nothing affecting Newbury, Kintbury, Hungerford or Bedwyn.

• Saturday 9 to Friday 15 August 2025

• Saturday 9 August until approximately 0700 – Trains between Reading, Newbury and Bedwyn will be revised. Some trains will be replaced by buses for all or part of their journey, departing EARLIER than usual.
• Sunday 10 August – The 0806 Reading to Newbury will not run and the 0833 Reading to Bedwyn will start from Newbury. A replacement bus will run from Reading to Newbury. The 0804 (departing at 0747) London Paddington to Penzance will not call at Newbury or Pewsey. The 0844 (departing at 0833 London Paddington to Penzance will call additionally at Newbury and Pewsey. The 2333 Newbury to Reading will be replaced by a bus.
• Tuesday 12 to Friday 15 August – The 0531 Bedwyn to London Paddington will not run. Passengers should travel on a later service.

Update 1 May 2025

Update 19 March 2025

Update 18 February 2025

Connecting south west England in place of A303/A358 road widening

Following the decision not to proceed with the A303 tunnel and widening scheme past Stonehenge, and the withdrawal of the A358 link road from the A303 to the M5 motorway that would have cost over £2.5bn, Transport Action Network commissioned Greengauge21 to examine what should be done in their place. Full details can be found on The Stonehenge Alliance’s blog page: https://stonehengealliance.org.uk/scrapped-stonehenge-road-could-fund-south-wests-sustainable-travel-revolution.

This includes a link to the report, https://transportactionnetwork.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Connecting-South-West-England-Report-Web.pdf, which discusses enhancements to our railway line, including putting Kintbury, Hungerford and Bedwyn on an hourly Paddington to Westbury service.

This option was first published in Network Rail’s “Wiltshire Rail Strategic Study”, something Bedwyn Trains Passenger Group contributed to: https://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/media/14237/Wiltshire-Rail-Strategic-Study/pdf/Wiltshire_Rail_Strategic_Study.pdf

A tip for Kintbury passengers on either the 1035, 1235, 1635 or 1836 off Paddington

These four services call at Newbury and Hungerford, but not Kintbury. If the train is late into Newbury, and the connecting shuttle has not been held, then consider staying on the train, alighting at Hungerford and catching the shuttle back to Kintbury. Depending on delays and timings this may be a quicker option than waiting at Newbury for the next shuttle. 

Engineering works

• Tuesday 25 to Friday 28 February

The 0531 Bedwyn to London Paddington will not run. Customers should travel on the next service. 

• Thursday 6 March 

0600 Bedwyn to London Paddington will end its journey at Reading. Change at Reading for an alternative train to London Paddington.

• Monday 17 March to Thursday 20 March

From 2135 until 0200 the following morning – Services between Reading and Newbury/Bedwyn will be amended with buses replacing trains for all or part of the journey. 

• Tuesday 18 March to Friday 21 March

The 0531 Bedwyn to London Paddington will not run. Customers should please use the next train service.

Update 30 January 2025

Bedwyn station car park

All, or at least part, of the station car park will be closed from 0001 this Saturday to 0600 on Monday 3 Feb.  Notices state that failure to comply may result in a £100 fine.

Connecting buses at Bedwyn station

Great Bedwyn Parish Council has asked for feedback on the requirement for fixed timetable buses meeting trains at Bedwyn Station. Therefore, do you travel to Bedwyn Station by bus? If so which existing rail services do you catch? Are there any other rail services, not currently serviced by a bus, you would like to see included in a fixed bus timetable? Please state where you catch the bus from (eg Marlborough High Street). 

Stops on race days at Newbury Racecourse

We’ve been asked why our Bedwyn to Newbury shuttles do not stop at Newbury Racecourse on race days. GWR has responded that, when we had through trains, it was easy to put an extra stop in. However, with the shuttles terminating at Newbury, it’s hard to schedule this. 

Sunday travel

With staffing issues on GWR’s long-distance routes, please check before you travel. 

Engineering works

• Sunday 2 February

The 0806 Reading to Newbury will be replaced with a bus service departing Reading at 0755. The 0833 Reading to Bedwyn will start from Newbury. Customers should travel on the earlier replacement bus from Reading to connect with the train. The 0751 (departing 0747) London Paddington to Penzance will be diverted and will not call at Newbury

• Monday 3 to Thursday 6 February

From 2130 Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday until 0200 the next day – services between Reading, Newbury and Bedwyn will be amended with buses replacing trains for all or part of the journey.

Update 15 January 2025

Getting our direct off-peak services back

On 16 December Bill and I attended a Zoom call hosted by GWR. Mark Hopwood, the MD of GWR, spoke outlining the challenges faced by the rail industry. Notably, improvements are slow due to a lack of funds and demands being made by the unions regarding working Sundays and resistance to driver-only operations.

In the question and answer session, we asked what the delay was in GWR obtaining the Class 175s, freed up from Wales. These would be ideal for working in Devon and Cornwall, returning IETs to London operations (including the three that used to operate our off-peak Paddington service). Mark explained the delays are over funding (it has to be authorised by the DfT) and the maintenance required to bring them back into service.

Of concern is that Mark went on to say, in relation to the introduction of the Class 175 fleet:

• The priority is to get rid of the remaining HST trains (dating from the mid-1970s).
• The second priority is to use the IET trains returned to London operations to bolster resilience.
• There will not be enough IETs freed up to satisfy everybody on this Zoom call.

Point three is of real concern to us. This could mean that the three five-car IETs taken away from us are returned to working out of Paddington, but not reassigned to us. We contacted Danny Kruger MP, who raised it for us in a Westminster Hall debate on rail services in the South West on 14 January 2025. You can watch the clip here: https://www.dannykruger.org.uk/news/westminster-hall-debate-rail-services-south-west-14-january-2025

For those of you in Berkshire, could you please write to your MP, Lee Dillon lee.dillon.mp@parliament.uk, with something along the lines of “Please can you support Bedwyn Trains Passenger Groups and Danny Kruger MP to ensure that any five-car IETs which, as a result of the introduction of the Class 175s on the GWR network, are returned to working out of Paddington are prioritised to reinstating the direct Paddington off-peak service for Bedwyn, Hungerford and Kintbury.”

Also, if we get to the situation of having to negotiate for one or two IETs to be returned, please could you also let us know which off-peak trains are the most important to you.

GWR’s WhatsApp

Due to staff sickness the GWR WhatsApp service is only available until 1900. However, whatever the time, please do use it to request holds at Newbury. There might be somebody listening and ‘missed messages’ will be a reminder that the full WhatsApp service needs to be reinstated.

The reduced hours were a particular problem last week when a fatality occurred on the line between Reading and Newbury. Passengers on a bus replacement service messaged GWR’s WhatsApp to ask for the Bedwyn shuttle to be held so the bus could meet it. As nobody was staffing the WhatsApp, the connection was missed for the sake of five minutes.

Sunday travel

Train crew availability can mean a significantly reduced service on GWR’s long-distance routes. Please check before you travel.

Engineering works

• January 2025

Due to extensive work at Westbury station, all train services running via Westbury will be affected from Friday 27 December to Thursday 23 January 2025. GWR’s long-distance services between London Paddington/Reading and the West of England will call at Frome instead of Westbury. So, if you are heading west during this period, check your trains.

• Sunday 19 January

0806 Reading to Newbury will depart at 0824 and will run later through to Newbury 

• Sunday 26 January

0806 Reading to Newbury will be replaced with a bus service departing Reading at 0755. 0833 Reading to Bedwyn will start from Newbury. Customers should travel on the earlier replacement bus from Reading to connect with the train. 0751 (departing 0747) London Paddington to Penzance will be diverted and will not call at Newbury or Pewsey. The 0850 (departing 0844) London Paddington to Penzance will call additionally at Pewsey.

• Sunday 2 February

0806 Reading to Newbury will depart at 0824 and will run later through to Newbury.

• Monday 3 to Thursday 6 February

From 2130 Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday until 0200 the next day – services between Reading, Newbury and Bedwyn will be amended with buses replacing trains for all or part of the journey.

Update 7 December 2024

I hope I can get this information out between power cuts, the lights flicking are dramatically as I type, and a Microsoft Windows update is making things take ten times longer than they need to. Anyhow, following Red and Amber weather warnings, in relation to Storm Darragh on parts of GWR’s network, GWR advises customers to change their travel plans if possible this weekend (Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 December).

Although GWR still expects to be able to run services, strong winds mean Network Rail will impose speed restrictions to ensure the safe running of trains, increasing journey times. Fallen trees and other debris may also impact services.

Customers with tickets for this weekend can use them on Monday, December 9, and if they no longer wish to travel at all, they can claim a refund. The latest journey information is available at www.gwr.com/check, and it will remain updated as usual throughout the weekend. GWR will also provide updates through their social media channels.

Sunday travel

On Sunday 8 December, train crew availability means a significantly reduced service will run on GWR’s long-distance routes. Online journey planners will be updated overnight on Saturday. This is a problem which, for the foreseeable future, will apply to all Sundays.

Engineering works

• Monday 9 December

From 2155 Monday until 0200 Thursday – Trains will run to an amended timetable between London Paddington, Reading and Newbury. Replacement buses will run between Newbury and Bedwyn.

• Tuesday 10 to Thursday 12 December

There will be a full line closure between Newbury, Bedwyn and Westbury. Bus replacements will operate. Please see the journey planners. Please also note, that Newbury station’s car park will fill quickly on these days.

The first off-peak buses will be:

• Bedwyn 0810
• Hungerford 0825
• Kintbury 0835

GWR has agreed that monthly or longer season ticket holders can use Swindon or Didcot. South West Trains have agreed to accept tickets from/to stations Basingstoke – Grateley, via Woking to London, or via Basingstoke towards Paddington. Unfortunately, you’ll have to pay for your parking. Overton and Whitchurch have limited parking.

Refunds can be claimed on season tickets for anyone not travelling subject to the usual terms and conditions (and where applicable, admin fees). Refunds are not available by way of compensation during these works, as GWR put mitigations in place (ticket acceptance from other stations, replacement buses etc).

A tip from another passenger is to use the Sainsbury’s car park at Newbury. A day pass can be purchased by clicking here. 

• Friday 13 December

The 0532 Bedwyn to London Paddington will not run. Please use alternative services.

• Sunday 15 December

The 0806 Reading to Newbury will be replaced with a bus departing at 0755 from Reading and calling all stations to Newbury (except Newbury Racecourse). The 0833 Reading to Bedwyn will start from Newbury connecting with the 0755 Reading to Newbury bus 

• Saturday 21 December

0508 Reading to Bedwyn will be replaced with a bus running earlier than usual train times as far as Newbury. This will connect at Newbury with the 0539 (departing Reading) at 0555 and running fast to Newbury, Kintbury, Hungerford and Bedwyn. Customers travelling from Reading West to Newbury Racecourse should travel on earlier or later services. 0608 Bedwyn to Reading will start from Newbury. A replacement bus will run earlier than usual train times from Bedwyn to Newbury to connect with the train. 0635 Bedwyn to Newbury and 0658 Newbury to London Paddington services will depart slightly later than usual train times.

• Sunday 22 December

0806 Reading to Newbury will be replaced with a bus running earlier at 0755 and calling all stations to Thatcham then Newbury where the bus journey will end. 0833 Reading to Bedwyn will start from Newbury connecting with the 0755 Reading to Newbury bus. Also the 0751 (departing 0747) London Paddington to Penzance will be diverted and will not call at Newbury or Pewsey. The 0850 (departing 0842) London Paddington to Penzance will call additionally at Newbury and Pewsey. 2323 Newbury to Reading will be replaced with a bus service.

• Wednesday 25 and Thursday 26 December

The entire GWR network will be closed.

• Friday 27 to Sunday 29 December

All lines between Ealing Broadway and London Paddington will be closed. If you wish to travel to Paddington, catch an Elizabeth Line service at Reading then change onto the Underground at Ealing Broadway. 

• Saturday 28 December 2024 to Friday 3 January 2025: general

An amended level of train service will run across the GWR network over the Christmas and New Year holiday period.

• January 2025

Due to extensive work at Westbury station, all train services running via Westbury will be affected from Friday 27 December to Thursday 23 January 2025. GWR’s long-distance services between London Paddington/Reading and the West of England will call at Frome instead of Westbury. So, if you are heading west during this period, check your trains.

Update 25 November 2024

Update 10 November 2024

Forthcoming engineering works

• Monday 11 to Thursday 14 November

There will be a full line closure between Theale and Bedwyn. Bus replacements will operate. Please see the journey planners. GWR, at our request, has timetabled some of the bus replacements to not call at Newbury Racecourse, Midgham and Aldermaston. This is to speed up the journey. GWR has agreed that monthly or longer season ticket holders can use Swindon or Didcot.

At our request South West Trains have agreed to accept tickets from/to stations Basingstoke – Grateley, via Woking to London, or via Basingstoke towards Paddington. Unfortunately, you’ll have to pay for your parking. Overton and Whitchurch have limited parking. Refunds can be claimed on season tickets for anyone not travelling subject to the usual terms and conditions (and where applicable, admin fees).

Refunds are not available by way of compensation during these works, as GWR has put mitigations in place (ticket acceptance from other stations, replacement buses etc). The 0725 bus from Bedwyn (0740 Hungerford) and the 0735 bus from Kintbury are the first off-Peak services during the work.

• Friday 15 November

The 0532 Bedwyn (0538 Hungerford and 0543 Kintbury) to London Paddington will not run.

• Saturday 16 November

Train services to and from London Paddington will run to an amended timetable. Some trains will not run and some services will not run for all of their normal journey. Many services will also depart earlier than usual. Please check your train times before you travel if your train is due to run to/from London Paddington.

• Sunday 17 November

All lines between Ealing Broadway and London Paddington will be closed. If you wish to travel to Paddington, catch an Elizabeth Line service at Reading then change onto the Underground at Ealing Broadway.

• Tuesday 18 to Thursday 21 November

The 0532 Bedwyn (0538 Hungerford and 0543 Kintbury) to London Paddington will not run.

• Saturday 23 November

0508 Reading to Bedwyn will be replaced with an earlier bus from Reading as far as Newbury. 0539 Reading to Bedwyn will depart at 0555 and will run non-stop to Newbury then Kintbury, Hungerford and Bedwyn. For stations between Reading and Newbury please use alternative services. 0608 Bedwyn to Reading will start from Newbury. A bus will run from Bedwyn at 0530 to connect with the train at Newbury. 0635 Bedwyn to Newbury and 0658 Newbury to London Paddington will depart slightly later than usual train times.

• Sunday 24 November

The 2323 Newbury to Reading will be replaced with a bus service

Travelling off-peak after 0830

On weekdays, The 0846 from Bedwyn is the first off-peak. However, the ticket machine at Bedwyn isn’t selling off-peak tickets prior to 0846. We’ve reported this to GWR.

Using WhatsApp to get a connection held at Newbury

In our newsletter of 14 October we reported that a passenger used WhatsApp to ask for a connection hold at Newbury. The WhatsApp team contacted GWR Control and got the connection held. GWR’s WhatsApp number is: 07890 60 80 43. Thanks to those of you who have reported similar success. So keep using it! The WhatsApp team is open until 2300 each evening.

Getting around the evening off-peak from June

We’ve described this tip in a previous newsletter. However, as it is proving so useful, and as people continuously join our email list, we’ll describe it again.

To recap, the weekday evening peak, for trains departing Paddington, is from 1600 to 1900. This does not apply between Reading and Bedwyn, nor does it apply on the Elizabeth Line between Paddington and Reading. Therefore, if you are returning with an off-peak ticket between 1600 and 1900 there are options, it’ll just be a longer journey. Here are some updated examples:

• Catch the 1548 Swansea train from Paddington, arriving Reading at 1613. You can then catch the 1636 Reading to Newbury, arriving 1700. You can then catch the 1724 for Bedwyn, arriving 1744.
• Catch the 1648 Elizabeth Line train from Paddington, arriving Reading at 1741. You can then catch the 1803 Reading to Newbury, arriving 1817. You can then catch the 1822 for Bedwyn, arriving 1842.
• Catch the 1720 Elizabeth Line train from Paddington, arriving Reading at 1812. You can then catch the 1837 Reading to Bedwyn, arriving 1914.
• Catch the 1750 Elizabeth Line train from Paddington, arriving Reading at 1842. You can then catch the 1901 Reading to Bedwyn, arriving 1930.

Update 5 November 2024

Meeting with Danny Kruger MP

Bill and I recently met with Danny Kruger MP today to discuss the reinstatement of our direct Paddington trains. There is an industry-wide rumour that GWR is getting additional stock, suitable for the Cardiff to Penzance route. This may free up the three IETs taken away from us in May 2022 (causing us to end up on a shuttle service to Newbury). We have asked Danny to write to GWR and the DfT reminding them of our expectations.

Engineering works

See the 15 October update below for details of engineering works in November.

Due to extensive work at Westbury station, all train services running via Westbury will be affected from Friday 27 December to Thursday 23 January 2025. GWR’s long-distance services between London Paddington/Reading and the West of England will call at Frome instead of Westbury. So, if you are heading west during this period, check your trains.

Update 14 October 2024

Great Bedwyn road closure

The road between The Three Tuns and Marlborough will be partially closed between 17 and 21 October . For those coming to the station from Marlborough, please click here for further details.

Holding the connection

We always welcome any tips you discover. A passenger contacted GWR on WhatsApp asking for a connection hold at Newbury. The WhatsApp team contacted GWR Control and got the connection held. GWR’s WhatsApp number is: 07890 608043. They are open until 2300 each evening. So, please use this if you are on a delayed train heading towards Newbury.

Wiltshire Rail Strategic Study

Along with other organisations, Bill Wells and I have collaborated with Network Rail on their “Wiltshire Rail Strategic Study”. The final report has been published. If you would like a PDF copy then please email me.

Significantly, Network Rail wishes to run an hourly service between Paddington and Westbury, including calls at Kintbury, Hungerford, Bedwyn and Pewsey. As this would require an additional platform at Westbury, this will not happen in the short term. This is something we’ve always wanted to happen. However, if implemented, we will campaign, for the peak time half-hourly infills and the late evening trains to be retained. In the meantime, the restoration of our direct off-peak service to Paddington remains our priority.

Forthcoming engineering works

• Tuesday 22 October 22 to Friday 25 October

The 0532 Bedwyn to London Paddington will not run.

• Monday 28 October  to Thursday 31 October

The 2157 and 2247 Newbury to Bedwyn will be replaced with a bus service.

• The 2230 London Paddington (Wednesday starting Reading) to Bedwyn will end its journey at Newbury. A replacement bus will run from Newbury to Bedwyn.
• The 2225 Bedwyn to Newbury will be replaced with a bus departing earlier from Bedwyn.
• The 2317 Bedwyn to Reading will start from Newbury with an earlier bus connection from Bedwyn. An additional 2338 Bedwyn to Reading replacement bus will also run.
• The 0532 Bedwyn to London Paddington will not run on Tuesday to Friday.

• Monday 11 to Thursday 14 November

There will be a full line closure between Theale and Bedwyn. Bus replacements will operate. Please see the journey planners.

GWR, at our request, has timetabled some of the bus replacements to not call at Newbury Racecourse, Midgham and Aldermaston. This is to speed up the journey. GWR has agreed that monthly or longer season ticket holders can use Swindon or Didcot. At our request South West Trains have agreed to accept tickets from/to stations Basingstoke to Grateley, via Woking to London, or via Basingstoke towards Paddington. Unfortunately, you’ll have to pay for your parking. Overton and Whitchurch have limited parking.

Refunds can be claimed on season tickets for anyone not travelling subject to the usual terms and conditions (and where applicable, admin fees). Refunds are not available by way of compensation during these works, as GWR put mitigations in place (ticket acceptance from other stations, replacement buses etc).

• Tuesday 10 to Thursday 12 December

There will be a full line closure between Newbury and Bedwyn. Bus replacements will operate. Please see the journey planners.

Please also note, that Newbury station’s car park will fill quickly on these days. You can also use alternative stations described above in the “Monday 11th to Thursday 14 November” closure. A tip from another passenger is to use the Sainsbury’s car park. A day pass can be purchased by clicking here.

• Sunday 17 November

All lines between Ealing Broadway and London Paddington will be closed. If you wish to travel to Paddington, catch an Elizabeth Line service at Reading then change onto the Underground at Ealing Broadway.

• 25 and 26 December

The entire GWR network will be closed.

• 27 to 29 December

All lines between Ealing Broadway and London Paddington will be closed. If you wish to travel to Paddington, catch an Elizabeth Line service at Reading then change onto the Underground at Ealing Broadway.

Update 27 August 2024

Engineering works

• 0532 from Bedwyn

Monday to Friday (30 August): the 0532 Bedwyn to London Paddington is not running this week. This is the 0538 from Hungerford and the 0543 from Kintbury. It will also not run Tuesday 10 September to Friday 13 September inclusive.

• Travelling early on Saturday 31 August?

Saturday until approximately 0700: trains between Reading, Newbury and Bedwyn will be revised, with buses replacing trains for some journeys. Please check the journey planners.

• Travelling late on Monday 16  September?

From approximately 2145 until end of service: buses will replace trains between Newbury and Bedwyn.

Tuesday 17 to Thursday 19 September – full blockade

No train services at all between Newbury and Westbury. Trains between London Paddington and Devon or Cornwall will be diverted between Reading and Taunton via Swindon – some will continue via Bristol Temple Meads and some via Melksham Trains between London Paddington and Bedwyn terminated at Newbury. Reduced trains between Swindon and Westbury due to diverted services.

Replacement buses planned (please see journey planners):

• Newbury to Bedwyn via Hungerford
• Newbury to Hungerford via Kintbury
• Pewsey to Swindon

GWR has agreed that monthly or longer season ticket holders can use Swindon or Didcot (and of course Newbury). Unfortunately, you’ll have to pay for your parking. Refunds can be claimed on season tickets for anyone not travelling subject to the usual terms and conditions (and where applicable, admin fees). Refunds are not available by way of compensation during these works, as GWR put mitigations in place (ticket acceptance from other stations, replacement buses etc).

We have asked if season tickets can also be used from Andover or Whitchurch. We are waiting for a response from GWR.

Since the pandemic, travel patterns have changed and Saturdays and Fridays are now the busiest and second busiest days respectively. This is why the blockade is Tuesday to Thursday.

Further blockades

Just a reminder, there are further full blockades Monday 11 to Thursday 14 November and Tuesday 10 to Thursday 12 December.

Marlborough Buses

Wiltshire Council has made changes to the fixed bus timetable between Bedwyn and Marlborough. From 2 September:

• The 12.00 110 will provide an additional timetabled service from Hungerford to Great Bedwyn at lunchtime by going around the loop in the opposite way to now.
• The 15.35 120 will now be extended from Hungerford to Marlborough offering an additional timetabled journey from Great Bedwyn to Hungerford and Marlborough.
• The 16.20 110 departure from Marlborough will run 10 minutes later and will return from Great Bedwyn Railway Station at 16.50, offering a better connection with the 16.36 arrival from Newbury.

Customer Information Screen (CIS) at Bedwyn

The CIS link between trains arriving and departing has stopped working again. This means a train marked as arriving late on Platform 1 will not be reflected with a delay to the service it then forms from Platform 2. Those blessed with good eyesight are advised to look across to the board on Platform 1 to see if the inbound train is delayed – though do keep behind the yellow line. This issue does not apply to through trains.

GWR is looking for a solution.

Update 9 August 2024

Sorry I haven’t written a newsletter for some time. As you’ll see from the updates below, it doesn’t mean we’ve been resting on our laurels.

Forthcoming Bus Replacements

Network Rail is planning the following engineering works:

• Replacement of track in the Newbury area.
• Flood alleviation work at Newbury station.
• Level crossing improvements at Kintbury, Thatcham and Midgham.

This will affect train services between Reading and Westbury in three separate blockades:

Tuesday 17 to Thursday 19 September; and Tuesday 10 to Thursday 12 December

No train services between Newbury and Westbury. Trains between London Paddington and Devon or Cornwall will be diverted between Reading and Taunton via Swindon – some will continue via Bristol Temple Meads and some via Melksham Trains between London Paddington and Bedwyn terminated at Newbury. Reduced trains between Swindon and Westbury due to diverted services.

Replacement buses planned:

• Newbury – Bedwyn via Hungerford
• Newbury – Hungerford via Kintbury
• Pewsey – Swindon

Monday 11 to Thursday 14 November

No train services between Theale and Westbury. Trains between London Paddington and Devon or Cornwall diverted between Reading and Taunton via Swindon – some will continue via Bristol Temple Meads and some via Melksham. Trains between London Paddington and Bedwyn terminated at Theale. Reduced trains between Swindon and Westbury due to diverted services.

Replacement buses planned:

• Theale – Bedwyn stopping at all stations except Kintbury
• Newbury – Hungerford via Kintbury
• Pewsey – Swindon

Following complaints from us, GWR is putting more bus coordinators in place. If, during these bus replacements, you find confusion at Theale or Newbury, with no coordinator to speak to, please let us know.

New Service from Paignton

With the summer upon us, please don’t forget about the new 2131 stop at Bedwyn on the weekday 1904 from Paignton. This is something we requested of GWR. Hungerford and Kintbury passengers can make use of this by changing at Bedwyn onto the 2137 shuttle.

Changes to advanced fare tickets

A decision has been taken to withdraw the very cheapest advance purchase tickets from the 0729 and 0824 services from Bedwyn, and the 1736 off Paddington. Advanced Purchase tickets on the 0729 and 0824 will now start, from Bedwyn, at £38.00 and on the 1736 at £26.50.

This is to help address crowding/capacity on these services, as well as to minimise split ticketing. The 0600, 0626 and 0651 services to Paddington will continue to have the £12.50 fare available for up to 9 weeks before date of departure. Similarly, the 1635 and 1808 from Paddington will continue to have the £12.50 fares available too.

Change at Hungerford or Newbury

Bedwyn passengers will note that, when booking a Paddington ticket, the train planning applications sometimes recommend a change at Hungerford. This has caused issues with passengers alighting at Hungerford only to find the connecting service cancelled. It’s always best to stay on the shuttle to Newbury and change there.

Elizabeth Line ticket validity

Following our recent recommendation on how to travel back with an off-peak ticket, during the evening peak, we have been asked if GWR tickets are valid on the Elizabeth Line. The answer is, yes they are. The only exception is if your ticket states specifically that it’s for a specific GWR service.

Cancellations, delays, missed connections and overcrowding

Recently, complaints from passengers to us have dropped back. However, we note that there are still some cancellations. Please do let us know if your journey is disrupted. It always helps our case if we can cite actual passenger complaints to GWR.

We note, following our protests, that GWR are more prepared, where possible, to put in substitute trains than to cancel a service (e.g. replacing an IET with a Turbo or a nine or ten-car IET with a five-car IET). However, this does lead to overcrowding and we have made GWR aware of this. GWR have been pressing Hitachi (who maintain the IET fleet) to improve the number available on a daily basis. Additionally, GWR has appointed a new member of its Executive team who is tasked with getting Hitachi to deliver the right number of trains every day

We are also pleased, again following our complaints, GWR have amended the driver’s diagram to make the 1822 shuttle departure for Bedwyn more reliable. This connects with the 1736 off Paddington and, with driver shift changeover, was vulnerable to cancellation.

We have also asked if the 1906 is shown as cancelled, and if you are early enough to catch the 1836, whether your off-peak ticket will be valid. GWR replied saying passengers should ask GWR staff on a case by case basis. We have requested a more robust policy.

Visit to Thames Valley Signalling Centre at Didcot

On 18 June Bill Wells and I visited the Thames Valley Signalling Centre at Didcot. This is run by Network Rail staff.

Because it controls a strategic part of the rail network, we were struck by the level of security, including multiple layers of security fencing.

It was interesting to understand the complexities of a signaller’s job and the challenges they face. We were particularly interested in the desk used to control the signalling at Newbury and how much jigging around they have to do to operate our shuttle while allowing the through trains to have access to the platforms.

We also learned that the Network Rail signallers do not implement the holds of our shuttle at Newbury. Instead, a hold is requested by the Swindon based GWR Control Centre or Newbury platform staff. This is somewhat disappointing as it means a hold (whether requested by the GWR Control Centre or platform staff) request is made to the Didcot signallers who then hold the signals and/or contact the driver. It would be easier if the signallers operated the holds policy but the nature of the industry is that the request has to be manually made by GWR staff for the signallers to then consider.

We also learnt that recent issues with failure to couple five-car IETs together, to form a ten-car set, have been hampered by i) five-car sets not being on the same software revision level and refusing to recognise one another and ii) dips in the track at Paddington’s Platform 10, causing the couplings to not align.

Getting our direct trains back

Following our request, thanks to all of you who wrote to councils and the MPs backing our campaign to get our direct Paddington services reinstated. We were due to meet with Danny Kruger and Laura Farris, but then the election was called. However, quite a few councils wrote on our behalf.

We noted that the winning MPs did not make the reinstatement of our trains a campaigning issue and neither has been in touch since the election.

Therefore Bill Wells and I are continuing the campaign with GWR. A glimmer of hope is that GWR look to be taking on twenty-seven class 175 trains (capable of replacing the displaced IETs, returning them to work out of Paddington). We have requested GWR take this opportunity to reinstate our full IET hourly timetable.

Bill spotted an online document detailing The Secretary of State’s Business Plan Commitments (2023 – 2024) for GWR. In it GWR are requested to set out the proposed reintroduction of through trains between London and Bedwyn. This is positive and we put in a Freedom of Information Request to ask how GWR responded. Unfortunately, our request was declined due to it being commercially in confidence.

With 95.4% of passenger journeys going beyond Newbury, it’s imperative we get our direct trains back.

Update 2 May 2024

More strikes

ASLEF members will be on strike at GWR on Wednesday 8 May. This will likely mean no service for Kintbury, Hungerford and Bedwyn.

Any customers that do travel should check before doing so at www.gwr.com/check . There may also be alterations to services on the evening of Tuesday 7 May and the morning of Thursday 9 May. Anybody who has already bought a ticket for travel on Wednesday 8 May will be able to claim a full refund. For full information please visit www.gwr.com/strike .

ASLEF has also announced action short of a strike (work to rule) effective from Monday 6 May to Saturday 1 May. There may be short-notice alterations and cancellations because this industrial action will mean GWR only has a very limited number of spare drivers.

Our campaigns

Many thanks to all of you who responded positively to our proposal (by switching one IET diagram to Cardiff with Class 387s running to Newbury) to reinstate two of the three off-peak IETs taken away from us. The document is available at https://tinyurl.com/ReinstatingTwoClass800bi-modes

Some of you asked how you can help. There are two ways:

• Write in support of us to your MP. laura.farris.mp@parliament.uk or danny.kruger.mp@parliament.uk
• Always claim Delay / Repay for any delays over fifteen minutes. Please see https://www.gwr.com/help-and-support/refunds-and-compensation/delay-repay We won’t get anywhere unless we punish the rail industry in the pocket.

Getting around the evening off-peak from June

The new timetable starts at the beginning of June. This means the timings of the evening off-peak workarounds will vary slightly.

To recap, the weekday evening peak, for trains departing Paddington, is from 1600 to 1900. This does not apply between Reading and Bedwyn, nor does it apply on the Elizabeth Line between Paddington and Reading. Therefore, if you are returning with an off-peak ticket between 1600 and 1900 there are options, it’ll just be a longer journey. Here are some updated examples:

• Catch the 1548 Carmarthen train from Paddington, arriving Reading at 1613. You can then catch the 1636 Reading to Newbury, arriving 1700. You can then catch the 1724 for Bedwyn, arriving 1744.
• Catch the 1648 Elizabeth Line train from Paddington, arriving Reading at 1741. You can then catch the 1803 Reading to Newbury, arriving 1817. You can then catch the 1822 for Bedwyn, arriving 1842.
• Catch the 1720 Elizabeth Line train from Paddington, arriving Reading at 1812. You can then catch the 1837 Reading to Bedwyn, arriving 1914.
• Catch the 1750 Elizabeth Line train from Paddington, arriving Reading at 1842. You can then catch the 1901 Reading to Bedwyn, arriving 1930.

Update 28 March 2024

More strikes, more misery

ASLEF members will strike on Saturday 6 April. On this day many parts of the GWR network will have no service whatsoever. Where GWR can run services these will start late and finish much earlier than usual. For Bedwyn, Hungerford and Bedwyn this will probably mean no service.

Any customers intending to travel should check before doing so at www.gwr.com/check. There may also be alterations to services on the evening of Friday 5 April and on Sunday 7 April.

GWR is working on getting journey planners updated as soon as possible. Anybody who has already bought a ticket for travel on Saturday 6 April will be able to claim a full refund. For full information please visit www.gwr.com/strike.

ASLEF has also announced action short of a strike for Thursday 4, Friday 5, Monday 8 and Tuesday 9 April. While GWR plans to run as full a service as possible, there will be short-notice alterations and cancellations due to a very limited number of spare drivers.

Getting around the evening off-peak

We are often asked about the evening off-peak rules. The weekday evening peak, for trains departing Paddington, is from 1600 to 1900. This does not apply between Reading and Bedwyn, nor does it apply on the Elizabeth Line between Paddington and Reading. Therefore, if you are returning with an off-peak ticket between 1600 and 1900 there are options, it’ll just be a longer journey. Here are some examples:

1. Catch the 1548 Carmarthen train from Paddington, arriving Reading at 1611. You can then catch the 1636 Reading to Newbury, arriving 1700. You can then catch the 1724 for Bedwyn, arriving 1744.
2. Catch the 1648 Elizabeth Line train from Paddington, arriving Reading at 1741. You can then catch the 1803 Reading to Newbury, arriving 1817. You can then catch the 1826 for Bedwyn, arriving 1846.

Update 18 February 2024

An anniversary

“This is our three-hundredth newsletter, ” the latest communication from the BTPG begins. “The first was in June 2006. The last eighteen years have been quite a journey. We formed to fight off cuts to our off-peak services. Having won that battle we then, after electrification was announced only as far as Newbury, had a ten-year battle to retain our direct Paddington services. This we achieved with the introduction of three dedicated IETs to serve us plus stops on some peak-time through services. With the post-pandemic financial crisis we lost these three IETs. We continue to fight to get them back. If you want to learn more about our eighteen-year history, please see the various sub-menus on our website.”

Engineering works on weekend of 24 and 25 February

All weekend, long-distance services between London Paddington, Reading and the West of England will be diverted and will not call at Newbury or Pewsey. Some trains will also not call at Westbury or Castle Cary. Most trains from London Paddington and Reading will depart earlier than usual. Trains between London Paddington, Reading and Newbury to Bedwyn will be replaced by buses between Reading and Newbury. Trains between Newbury and Bedwyn will be retimed. Pewsey will be served by replacement buses to and from Swindon. Please check before travelling.

Turbos replacing IETs

You may have noticed that there are some short-notice replacements of IETs with Turbos. Although far from ideal, this is preferable to cancellations. GWR have informed us that they have a larger than normal number of IETs out of action. This is due to damage (such as from flooding or hitting things on the line). Hitachi (which maintains the IETs under contract) has put a dedicated team in place to try and get damaged IETs back in service as quickly as possible. Additionally, there are three sets out at any one time for repairs to cracks. On top of that there are always sets unavailable due to routine maintenance.

Getting savvy

Please remember that there are a local stopping services between Reading and Newbury. When things are going wrong at Paddington, do consider getting on the first fast train to Reading then look for something to get you to Newbury.

When I commuted I lived by the adage of “keep moving down the line”. For example, if the 1906 is cancelled, or you arrive at Paddington before 1930, don’t wait for the 2003 with the change at Newbury. Instead get the next fast to Reading then get the 2010 off Reading for Newbury. Although this will meet the same connection as the 2003 from Paddington (being the 2049 Newbury shuttle to Bedwyn) it gives you a better chance – the 2003 might be cancelled or delayed and miss the connection.

Holds at Newbury

You’re probably aware that, after campaigning by us, GWR now has a holds policy for connecting services at Newbury. This, for each service, specifies the maximum number of minutes each connecting service can be held for. The limiting factors are (i) not to make the connection so late it then delays the next service it forms (ii) not getting in the way of through trains. We note that some of the holds are restricted by passing freight trains. As freight trains don’t always run (for example, the operator may not have a load to send), we have asked for this to be taken into account with alternative hold times.

Exploring the area

The Visit Hungerford website has added an interesting page describing a walk you can do to take in some of the sights and history of the line between Hungerford and a few miles west of Bedwyn.

Travelling this Sunday?

We wrote to you last week about ASLEF (train drivers union) industrial action starting today and running until Sunday 10 December, with a strike at GWR on Thursday 7 December and action short of a strike (ie a work to rule) for the other affected days.

GWR has informed us it can only run a very limited service this Sunday 3 December, as they have fewer drivers available. As such, some parts of the GWR network will have no service at all, including all long distance trains out of London Paddington to Bristol, South Wales, and the South West. There will be no replacement bus services in operation either.

GWR is advising you travel before the weekend or after Sunday. Where they can run services (and they expect to this include most of their local services), only a limited number of trains will run, and they will be much busier than usual, and services will be subject to short notice alteration or cancellations.

Customers with tickets to travel from Saturday 2 December to Friday 8 December can use these the day before they are valid or up to and including Tuesday 12 December.

For full information please visit GWR’s dedicated strike page www.gwr.com/strike and be sure to check the journey planners prior to travelling.

December timetable change

The new timetable starts on 10 December. Please check any trains you regularly rely on for timing changes. The holding trains policy at Newbury has been updated. Please contact us if you want a copy of this.

We are the only service on the GWR network which has a holds policy. At one level we could congratulate ourselves on attaining such a concession but reality tells us that the need is indicative of the problems with shuttles running back and forth to Newbury. Bill and I won’t rest until we get our service restored.

Speaking of which…

Restoring our service

We’ve mentioned before our request to GWR to consider switching some IETs on the Paddington to Cardiff route with 387s on the Newbury route. As the IETs can run to Bedwyn this would restore our direct services to Paddington. One issue, against this suggestion, has always been that the 387s have a max speed of 110mph, whereas the IETs can do 125mph. This, we have been told, would mean the timings to Cardiff will not have been met.

Recently, due to lack of IETs, GWR have been forced to temporarily replace some IETs from the Paddington to Cardiff route with 387s. Bill and I noted that the 387s from Paddington to Cardiff got there in the same times as the IETs. The only difference being that the IETs can do Paddington to Reading one minute quicker. We have written to GWR pointing this out and also raised it with GWR’s MD (Mark Hopwood) at a recent Q&A session.

Minimum service during a strike

At the same Q&A session, mentioned above, we raised: “We note that in the legislation for minimum service during strikes, there is no mention of Westbury to Reading. Can this be addressed?” Mark Hopwood informed us that the government is requesting that 40% of services run on strike days and that “40% is 40%”. We have subsequently written to Mark asking that all we’d need on strike days is one all stops Westbury to Reading before 0900 and one back after 1800.

Update 31 October 2023

Update 6 October 2023

Weekday Travel After 1900

Thank you to all those who contacted us, following our request in our 4 August newsletter. You gave us great feedback on your use of the post 1900 Paddington trains. Based on this, GWR have decided not to make any alterations as they appreciate our need for the direct 1906 off-peak.

Penalty Fares

We are following up an issue with GWR where a passenger was fined £91 at Paddington when:

• The ticket machine at Bedwyn was broken.
• There were cancellations and short formations making his short formed direct Paddington train packed, thus unable to purchase a ticket on-board.

The GWR rules are clear: “Where a station isn’t staffed, or the ticket machines aren’t working, you must pay for your journey at your earliest opportunity; either on-board or at the first available station.” The passenger in question had followed this to the letter, including trying to pay online (rejected because the train had already departed).

Our advice is (i) if the ticket machine is broken, photograph it (ii) if the train is packed photograph that too (iii) if you do get fined we’ll take it up on your behalf.

Fortunately such incidents are very rare, but very unsettling.

Meeting with GWR

Update 4 August 2023

Do you return from Paddington on weekdays after 1900?

Please could you get in touch with the BTPG as GWR wants to consult with us regarding these services.

Meeting with Network Rail (including a possible new service to Westbury)

On 26 July Bill Wells and I attended a meeting with Network Rail on the ‘Wiltshire Strategic Study’.  This is to “consider the various stakeholder aspirations in the Wiltshire area and possible timetable and infrastructure interventions required to inform an incremental, integrated development programme.”

As you can imagine, we reiterated our case of restoring our direct Paddington services. Interesting for us is that Network Rail wishes to see an hourly Paddington to Westbury service with a stopping pattern of Reading, Newbury, Kintbury, Hungerford, Bedwyn, Pewsey then possibly Devizes Gateway before turning around at Westbury.

This would solve all our problems (and give us the westbound service we have always campaigned for). However, it’d be a minimum of six years away, would require IETs or further electrification, a new platform at Westbury and double heading (ie two locos) the stone trains so they move faster. Therefore, we are still campaigning for the restoration of our pre-Covid service.

Hungerford and Kintbury

Despite its name, the Bedwyn Train Passenger Group is for Kintbury, and Hungerford, and Bedwyn. The only things we don’t campaign for regarding Kintbury and Hungerford are on-station facilities – though we’re always happy to pass comments on to GWR.

It’s been mentioned to us a couple of times that there is a feeling that the non-stop 1321 from Newbury to Bedwyn (not calling at Kintbury or Hungerford) is a concession to us in the passenger group. This is not so. When the timetable changed in May 2022 there were two trains that were non-stop Newbury to Bedwyn. We protested on behalf of Kintbury and Hungerford and GWR managed to sort one of them out and add a Hungerford stop on the 1316 Newbury to Exeter departure.

The 1321 from Newbury remains as not calling at Kintbury and Hungerford. It has to provide a connection from the above Exeter departure and then ‘belt its way down to Bedwyn’ to not get in the way of a freight train. GWR is very aware that this is still a problem, but it can only really be solved by the reintroduction of a direct train from Paddington which would run ahead of the Exeter service.

Please claim and spread the word

If you get delayed by more than 15 minutes please always claim compensation: click here for details. It’s important that the poor service we get costs the rail industry. If we rest on a laurels things won’t change.

Please also ask others to do the same and, if possible, join our email list. The more protesting we do the better.

Buses to Marlborough

Wiltshire Council is now saying that changes which affect Great Bedwyn are now scheduled for 4 September (Marlborough and Great Bedwyn) then 30 October (Marlborough, Great Bedwyn and Hungerford). We do have some leaflets: if you’d like one then please let me have your address.

Update 7 July 2023

On 7 July 2023, GWR provided the following response to the BTPG’s question about short formations (see below):

“Currently we are seeing too many short notice short forms (e.g. five car IETs instead of ten cars). We have a train plan that allows for 13 IET sets to be out at any one time for maintenance, repair and regular required examinations.  At the moment there are 19 sets out. This is due to a combination of higher than expected sets needing repair due to damage and vandalism and too many sets being out for heavy maintenance at the same time. We have spoken to Hitachi about this and the need for better planning.”

Update 27 June 2023

Strikes

The RMT (on board and station staff) will strike on Thursday 20, Saturday 22 and Saturday 29 July. On these dates GWR will only be able to run a limited service, starting later and finishing much earlier than usual – and most of the network will have no service whatsoever. Trains that are planned to run will be subject to short notice changes and cancellations. GWR are also expecting there to be an impact on the days before and after strikes too, in particular Friday 21 July.

GWR’s teams are working to get journey planners updated as well as their dedicated webpage at www.gwr.com/strike as soon as possible.

ASLEF (train drivers) has also announced a ban on overtime working from Mon 3 July to Sat 8 July. While GWR does not anticipate that this will have a major impact on services, customers should check before they travel using www.gwr.com/check . As a result, the Night Riviera Sleeper service will not run from Sunday 2 July to Friday 7 July, restarting on Sun 9 July.

Short formations

We note that a number of our nine/ten carriage IETs are being substituted for five carriages. We are complaining regularly to GWR about this. We suspect that extending IETs to Carmarthen means the IET fleet is under so much pressure we are now getting looted. We are pushing for clarification.

The train manager does have the option to declassify first class. So if your train is running with only five carriages with standing room only, then feel free to remind the train manager of this option. Obviously there has to be room in first class for this decision to be made. Also, if you are travelling in first class and they declassify it, you are due a refund.

Bus service to Marlborough

On June 20th we had a meeting with Wiltshire Council regarding the bus service. The new Demand Responsive Transport (DRT) bus service is now scheduled to come in to operation on 30th October. Therefore the current bus service will remain until at least the end of October.

The new service will have a route number 110 and be a mix of a fixed timetable and a bookable service. The fixed timetable has not yet been finalised.

Cracked crossing at Theale – impact for Bedwyn services until 0626 on 28 June.

Due to a track defect near Theale, Network Rail needed to take an emergency possession on 27 June. This means the 0534 and 0600 services on 28 June are cancelled. The first train east from Bedwyn will be the 0626, the first train east from Newbury will be at 0631.

Update 18 June 2023

Please find some update below.

Glastonbury: minor changes to services on Wed 21 June, Thu 22 June and Fri 23 June

• The 0703 Paddington-Paignton will not call at Newbury.
• The 1035 and 1235 Paddington-Exeter St Davids will not call at Hungerford.

Let’s keep the pressure up

For any delay over fifteen minutes, you are entitled to compensation. Please do always claim. The more refunds the rail industry has to pay out, the more likely we will get our service back.

If you are being inconvenienced by poor service, or having to change at Newbury, please can you write to your MP saying how it impacts on your life (such as childcare arrangements, missing meetings etc)? For Bedwyn, it’s danny.kruger.mp@parliament.uk and for Hungerford, Kintbury and Newbury it’s laura.farris.mp@parliament.uk. We need to keep our problems in the minds of our MPs.

There are still occasions when connections are not held at Newbury when they should have been. We always complain to GWR when this happens. Please do always let us know about missed Newbury connections. The more we complain to GWR the better.

1906 last week

Other than Friday, the 1906 from Paddington did not run beyond Newbury last week. We didn’t find out until Wednesday when a passenger emailed us. We contacted GWR straightaway and they apologised for not informing us. It was taken off due to engineering works. Had we known we would have asked for a bus replacement to serve Kintbury, Hungerford and Bedwyn. Bill and I are both retired commuters so we are dependent on information from GWR or passengers. So, if you see something in the timetabling that looks a bit odd then please do let us know.

On Thursday GWR ran the 1808 as a five-car instead of a nine-car set. Given, with the 1906 chopped, this was the last direct service that day it was very overcrowded. We protested to GWR. It feels like one thing after another as the lack of investment bites.

Getting our direct Paddington trains back

This is still ongoing. Like us, others are questioning GWRs decision to start to run IETs on to Carmarthen from Swansea. This is going to put pressure on IET availability at the same time as we are calling for the return of our IETs.

We are also concerned about terminology that GWR would ‘have to find three additional IETs’ to restore our direct service. We point out, each time, that we had three IETs taken from us and the use of the word ‘additional’ makes it look as if we are asking for something new.

Bill and I met with Railfuture last week. They offered some advice, including (i) contacting all candidates standing in the local seats at the next election (ii) researching the lost revenue in running shuttles instead of directs.

So, it all continues…

Update 1 June 2023

(Written by Penny Post, not the BTPG).

We’ve written many times about the pretty terrible rail service between Bedwyn and Newbury and highlighted the excellent work done by the Bedwyn Train Passenger Group (BTPG)  to lobby GWR into doing something to improve this.

Local MP Laura Farris has recently issued a statement on this matter in which she says that she has asked for government time to debate “the adequacy of GWR’s performance” through West Berkshire. This, she explains, “follows changes to timetables that have seen capacity on the busy morning commuter service from Newbury to Reading slashed, resulting in overcrowding, in a move that Ms Farris has called “short-sighted”. Ms Farris says she was told by GWR that the decision to reduce capacity on this service was a result of a network-wide need to reduce fleet size due to financial constraints.”

The statement adds that “this intervention by the Newbury MP follows a continued campaign to improve local rail services. Last year, Ms Farris and her constituency neighbour Danny Kruger MP (Devizes) successfully campaigned for service improvements which resulted in the reinstatement of one direct evening service between Hungerford and Paddington.” This also includes a comment from the BTPG that the shuttle service “is causing missed connections, extending journey times and making passengers having to run at Newbury. The three stations have had the majority of their direct trains allocated elsewhere with no consultation.”

I contacted the BTPG about this and the group confirmed that it had recently had a Zoom meeting with Laura Farris’ office. “It’s good that she is highlighting this,” a spokesperson told me. “This is likely to form part of a wider campaign over the rest of this year to try to get our through services reinstated.”

I also asked to what extent the group had been involved in the restoration of the service to which Laura Farris referred. “The two MPs have made efforts to improve matters,” I was told, “and the evening service mentioned was one success. We did specifically ask for this train to be reinstated. Just to get this back took a considerable effort.”

We’re all being exhorted to use trains although there’s little in the either the simplicity or the prices of the tickets to encourage this. Having a perfectly simple journey to Reading or London split in two with an unreliable connection doesn’t make it stack up on timing or convenience either.

To some extent, this is down to the failure to electrify the line west of Newbury (the whole network could be been electrified for the cost of HS2) but I was more surprised by the reference to the “financial constraints” placed on GWR. This is, of course, a trump card for any organisation to play – don’t blame us, guv, it’s the government’s fault. However, I thought these companies were privatised, so enabling them to invest what they wanted in order to attract customers. Could it be the the Department for Transport is micro-managing their spending?

A bit of research suggested that this is exactly what’s happening. It’s less clear why. Perhaps the government doesn’t trust the rail companies. Certainly, several of them have been placed on the naughty step over the years. It also seems pointless privatising something if you’re then going to try to do everything yourself. Rail privatisation only created an artificial market in any case: if I want to go from Hungerford to London, I don’t have a choice of operators in the way that I do with telecoms or utilities. In this respect the rail firms are like those that provide our water.

It thus seems even odder that whereas GWR would perhaps like to improve the service, the DfT is preventing it from doing so and telling it how to spent its money: whereas with the water companies, which have only recently woken up to the fact that they need to improve their services, the government and its agencies seem disinclined to force them to do so. Just remind me – why did we privatise these industries in the first place?

Update 21 May 2023

Poor performance

Anybody commuting over the last week will know how bad the service has been. Our evening direct trains have run at only 40%. We have been in contact with GWR over this and it was caused by a variety of industrial action, points failures and a fatality. GWR knows how unhappy we are.

Meeting with Newbury MP Laura Farris’ office

Bill Wells and I recently met with Laura Farris’s staff. Laura is planning to raise the loss of many of our direct trains in the House.

We discussed GWR’s reluctance to switch 387s (all electric) from the Newbury route to the Cardiff route, freeing up IETs (which can run beyond Newbury). We countered GWR’s claims, that as the 387s do not have buffet cars or first class they will lose revenue, with the costs they must be incurring to run a shuttle between Newbury and Bedwyn.

We also raised our concern that we really need  late night staffing at Newbury to manage the changes of train now required for Kintbury, Hungerford and Bedwyn passengers. We stressed that Newbury Station is a lonely old place late at night and we have safety concerns. We also raised the point that people have moved here since a full direct service was introduced in 1992.

Hopefully Laura will get a chance to raise this.

Timetable changes

The new timetable comes in on Monday 22 May. There are three things to note for Bedwyn commuters.

• The 0803 no longer calls at Bedwyn, instead you can catch it at Newbury by getting the 0749 shuttle from Bedwyn.
• On the upside we now have a new 0823 service, direct to Paddington.
• The 0729 Bedwyn departure has been downgraded from two x five car units to a single five car unit. On occasion, this has already happened for operational reasons and has led to standing room only from Hungerford. GWR have done this to free up an IET to use elsewhere. We have protested to GWR – our line has been looted of enough IETs already.

Please report to us all occurrences of not being able to get a seat on the 0729. We will then petition GWR with this. We do have a concern that the rail industry has a ‘trick’ to reduce overcrowding by removing stops. We know how important the 0729 is – Bill and I pressed for it since we formed in 2006, right up until we finally got it in December 2019.

Update 28 April 2023

Please note the following updates:

Strikes

Dates have been announced for full strikes on Friday 12 May, Wednesday 31 May and Saturday 3 June. There will also be action short of a strike on Saturday 13 May, Monday 15 May through to Saturday 20 May and Thursday 1 June. Please keep an eye on www.gwr.com/strike

Please Complain

Please do always let us know of missed connections at Newbury. The more we complain, the more likely we are to get our direct service restored. Also, please always claim compensation for any delay of fifteen minutes or more. The more it costs the rail industry, the more likely we are to get our direct service restored. Please see https://www.gwr.com/help-and-support/refunds-and-compensation/delay-repay

Progress on Restoring our Direct Rail Service

GWR has been making certain commitments to IET trains which have caused us concern with regards to returning our three IETs for our off-peak direct services to Paddington. We wrote to GWR three times regarding this and failed to get a response. We therefore had a meeting with Laura Farris MP and Danny Kruger MP to share our concerns. They wrote to the MD of GWR, stating:

BTPG would like clarification on the following:

1. Will the proposed Swansea to Carmarthen extension require the use of more IETs and, if so, are GWR prioritising this extension over the reinstatement of IET services on the Bedwyn route?
2. Has GWR considered the BTPG’s proposal to switch bi-mode IETs from the Paddington to Cardiff route with the electric-only Class 387s on the Newbury route? These IETs could then come to Bedwyn, replacing the shuttle service.
3. Is GWR planning to use IETs on the Bristol to Salisbury route, and other routes in the evolving MetroWest area?
4. Finally, is GWR considering bidding for other rolling stock that might become available (namely Avanti West Coast’s Class 221s and East Midlands Railway’s Class 222s), which might free up IETs for the Bedwyn service?

Here follows Mark Hopwood’s (MD of GWR) response to Laura and Danny:

Thank you for your letter of 13 March (attached for ease) and for your kind comments about the improvements we have been able to make for Kintbury, Hungerford and Bedwyn to help with connections.  Generally the timetable does now seem to be working well.  There are still some occasional incidents, a number of which have been associated recently with rail replacement buses, and there has been some missed connections linked to disruption, rather than scheduling.  The Bedwyn Train Passenger Group (BTPG) are very helpful in keeping us informed and we investigate each incident that they report. We also meet them regularly to discuss the timetable and performance.  

We will be introducing more Intercity Express Trains (IET) on our Cardiff to Penzance route in May.  This will mean we can continue to remove Castle Class high use diesel services from our fleet.  This will reduce costs, helping us to meet the financial challenge of reducing public subsidy, as well as helping us to support Net Zero carbon emissions.    

You will remember that it was the need to make financial savings that led to the initial change to services for Bedwyn, Hungerford and Kintbury.  We needed to make better use of our all electric fleet Class 387 fleet. This also released IETs to begin the process of removing the Castle Class trains.  We would have been happy to run the 387s through to Bedwyn, retaining the direct London services, but we cannot call beyond Newbury without further electrification of the line.    

Further electrification would allow for the return of direct services and indeed would further reduce diesel emissions in Wiltshire and West Berkshire. 

In order to take more Castle Class trains out of service on our Cardiff to Penzance route we are reducing a number of our ten carriage IET services to five carriages.  This will impact services on routes across our network.  It also means that we are making changes to where the IETs are stabled and maintained. This includes moving some IETs from North Pole depot (outside London Paddington) to Stoke Gifford (outside Bristol).    As a result, we now have capacity to be able to meet a long promised extension of our Swansea services to Carmarthen.  These are not new services but are existing services that will now run through to Carmarthen, giving West Wales a two hourly service to London.   As the trains are no longer stabled at North Pole they could not be used in the Kennet Valley.   I understand the frustration, and of course it is difficult to see improvements elsewhere in the timetable when there is a continuing ask to restore services here, but I have taken the view that if we can make improvements within budget, especially in this case, where we are making better use of the fleet overall, then we should do so.  

This does not mean that we are not committed to the Kennet Valley, we are, and we do want to see the return of direct services.  We are not yet able to do so, but we will continue to look for opportunities and we will keep working with BTPG to offer the best connecting services that we can until we can restore more direct services. 

This will not however include bidding for additional rolling stock. You will know that we are now in a National Rail Contract with the Department for Transport. This means we need to submit an annual business plan that meets the budget set by the Treasury. Quite rightly, the amount of taxpayer subsidy is being reduced and we have been set a very challenging budget for 2023/24.  Revenue is also not yet fully restored, and this does mean we need to reduce costs. In order to protect existing services, we are therefore making savings by reducing rolling stock costs. This comes both from the removal of our Castle Class fleet and from cancelling our plans to introduce a fleet of Class 769 trains.  The savings we are making from reducing the size of our fleet have allowed us to protect more of our timetable and there isn’t any scope for additional leasing at present. 

We have looked at using Class 387s on the London Paddington to Cardiff route, which is fully electrified and we do have one service a day currently operated by a 387.  This ensures we keep crews competent for special events at the Principality Stadium where we use Class 387s to move larger volumes of customers in up to twelve car formations. These trains do not have First Class or catering on board and they are not therefore suitable to fully replace IETs on this long distance route.  This would lead to a reduction in revenue, increasing the savings we would need to make elsewhere.  I know it may sound harsh, but the number of customers using these services far outweighs the number of customers on our Bedwyn, Hungerford and Kintbury services.  This is something that we do have to consider when making decisions about the deployment of our fleet.  In addition, our peak time Cardiff services operate to Swansea, which is also off the electrified route where Class 387s cannot operate. 

I should note that we are not using IETs on the route from Bristol to Salisbury. The new Metrowest services (funded by the West of England Combined Authority) will be operated by turbo services and our Cardiff to Portsmouth services will be operated in the main by Class 158 diesel services.

Our campaign continues!

Update 31 March 2023

Engineering works

there will be replacement buses to Reading Station (not Theale as before) over Easter (Friday 7 April to Monday 10 April) and on Sundays 16, 23 April & 14 May. Please see the following email from GWR:

Update 13 March 2023

Strikes

The next set of strikes are on Saturday 18 March, Thursday 30 March and Saturday 1 April. Services on Sunday 20 will also be impacted with services starting later than normal, and anyone travelling on those dates should check their journey before travel. See www.gwr.com/strike for latest updates.

Newbury Connections

Following our complaints, GWR is making a better job of the holding services at Newbury. However, do let us know of any instances where a train could have been held and wasn’t.

Meeting with MPs

Our meeting with Danny Kruger and Laura Farris went really well. They will now write to the DfT on the matters concerning us: (i) GWR committing IETs (Intercity Express Trains) elsewhere before returning the ones taken away from our off-peak service (ii) other diesel stock being retired, due to new electrification routes, by other train operating companies which could be used further west on the GWR network (where there is no electrification), returning our IETs (iii) moves by the DfT to do away with the per station minimum service level agreements.

Our Website

We’ve updated www.bedwyntrains.org.uk to be more useful when you are travelling. The home page now has the departure boards for Bedwyn and Newbury plus the arrivals board for Bedwyn. So when you go to www.bedwyntrains.org.uk you’ll get a snapshot of the current situation. The home page also has links to the GWR journey planner and GWR’s phone number.

Also from the home page you can use the menus to navigate to:

1. Realtime Info – the live departure/arrivals board (updated in real time) for Bedwyn, Kintbury, Hungerford, Newbury, Thatcham, Theale, Reading or Paddington. It also tells you where the train actually is, aiding your decision making. The idea is that when waiting at the station you bring this up for the latest updates.

2. Recent Performance –  the last week of actual arrival times for weekday services from Bedwyn. For other stations, or weekends, select any one of the menu options, scroll down and change the search parameters. This provides evidence when putting in a claim and a link to the Refunds page is also included on this menu.

3. Timetables –  select the printed timetable you’d see at the station for either Bedwyn, Kintbury, Hungerford, Newbury, Thatcham, Theale, Reading or Paddington.

4. More… – gives lots more information including: these newsletters, hints & tips, Marlborough bus information, local information and more information about the passenger group.

We are really hoping this becomes a portal to aid you when travelling. It is designed to be a single point where you can branch to the other information you need. We welcome feedback. You can put a link to it on your mobile device so it appears like an App. e.g. on the Chrome browser on Android, select the three vertical dots and then the ‘Add to Home Screen’ option. If you do this you’ll then be one click away from lots of useful information to aid your journey.

Update 23 January 2023

Strikes

You may have seen in the media, that ASLEF (train drivers) will be taking strike action on Wednesday 1 February and Friday 3 February. RMT train drivers will also strike on the same days. This will mean no service for Bedwyn, Hungerford or Kintbury on those days, with a likely disrupted service on February 2 and 4 Please keep an eye on GWR’s strike page at www.gwr.com/strike

February and March Blockade

Network Rail will be carrying out track renewals in the Kennet Valley in February and March. Work will start on Saturday 18 February and the first stage of work will run through to Thursday 2March. During this period the line will be closed from Pewsey, through Bedwyn and Newbury as far as Theale. There will be further closures on Sunday 5 March, Saturday and Sunday 11/12 March, Friday 7 April to Monday 10 April, and on Sunday 16  and 23 April and 14 May.

Rail replacement bus services will operate from Bedwyn, Hungerford, Newbury and Thatcham through to Theale, where local rail services will operate to Reading and London Paddington. These will be hourly bus services, calling at each station. After 20:00 on weekdays and on Sundays the bus service will operate to Reading. We are currently pressing GWR for some more direct peak bus services e.g. Bedwyn / Hungerford then direct to Theale. GWR state they are finding it difficult to source buses. However, we will keep pressing this point.

A minibus service will operate from Kintbury – as the renewal work includes the level crossing at Kintbury station, there will also be a road closure. GWR will not therefore be able to operate full bus services for Kintbury. They will have a minibus (16 seater) that will operate from the car park of the Dundas Arms to Hungerford and Newbury only. This will allow for connections to the rail replacement bus service to Theale for onward connections. GWR are not able to operate a larger bus service given the narrow route into the village. Capacity for Kintbury is therefore very limited, and tickets valid to/from Kintbury can be used from Hungerford or Newbury.

Disruption to our service 30 April to 3 May 2023

Engineering work is taking place between Westbury to Taunton on April 30 to May 3. This means that through services will not be running down our line. In short this means the following Bedwyn departures will not run: 0651, 0729 and 0803 and the following Paddington to Bedwyn services will not run: 1808 and 1836.Passengers, who rely on the additional West of England services, calling at Hungerford, will also be affected.

We are pressing GWR for fill-in shuttles.

Poor Service

Please keep reporting delays and cancellations to us. We keep pressing GWR for improvements.

However, it does appear our requests for additional stops, on through services, when our trains are cancelled, is starting to have some affect. Thank you to those of you who have fed back to us incidents where GWR have put additional stops on.

Meeting with GWR Managing Director

Bill Wells and I attended a meeting with GWR’s MD, Mark Hopwood. Mark openly stated that the service was very poor at the moment and they, along with Network Rail, are addressing it. As there were 250 other people in the meeting, GWR didn’t have time for our question. Therefore we have re-submitted it via email and our awaiting the response. The question is:

With the announcement that GWR are planning to extend IET services to Carmarthen, how many extra IET trains will be required? Although it’s an extension of the Swansea service, the additional timing will require more units. Given Bedwyn’s three off-peak IET have been taken away, Bedwyn Trains Passenger Group are concerned GWR are committing further units before restoring Bedwyn’s. We have been repeatedly told that no IETs are available to restore our service so we would be very frustrated if GWR are able to find IETs for new services c.f. restore the service that passengers in the Kennet Valley have bought into.

We are also going to write to our MPs asking them to speak to GWR on this topic. We need to ensure GWR know we are monitoring their use of rolling stock.