12:59 Cardiff Central to Penzance due 18:41

12:59 Cardiff Central to Penzance due 18:41 will call additionally at Bedminster, Parson Street and Weston Milton.
This is due to a fault with the signalling system.

Jumping before....? Have you identified the rolling stock available to run these extras?

Extra stock?  No.  Extra stop on a few suitable existing services was, I think, the idea.

So I have to ask - "with IETs running the Cardiff to Exeter services, would they be able to stop at some three to five extra stations and provide half hourly (or in one case hourly) services in the Bristol commuter area?"

I think they would manage with ease - if the route were electric all the way. It would still be a poor use of a high speed train though.

1 minute late from Bristol, 4 minutes late at Nailsea, 3 minutes late at Weston-super-mare ... and made up the three minutes thereafter - more or less on time beyond Taunton.

So I have to ask - "with IETs running the Cardiff to Exeter services, would they be able to stop at some three to five extra stations and provide half hourly (or in one case hourly) services in the Bristol commuter area?"

Yes - but it is ALREADY poor use of an IET. It struck me on Friday and Saturday and the way traffic at most of the stations gathered in time for the "occasional" hourly service - which is far better than it was at times in the past - possibly offered a latent and significant for passengers opportunity.

I don't think it needs to wait for full electrification.  It could be done - err - now.   Just the thoughts of a seasoned observer; perhaps someone on the political front would like to pick it up?

**snip**

Why we still have a mere shuttle to Filton baffles me, especially as it seems to have to move out of the station and back to a different platform for the return leg. I am hoping this is all part of some great master plan that will become obvious very soon.

I didn't realise that that happened. Filton Abbey Wood is a totally counterintuitive terminus for a service. Agreed, given the new infrastructure it'll be turning at Parkway in the near future.

Mark

GWR suggest Filton Abbey Wood as an interchange.....

I didn't realise that that happened. Filton Abbey Wood is a totally counterintuitive terminus for a service. Agreed, given the new infrastructure it'll be turning at Parkway in the near future.

Mark

We asked GWR quite early on whether it was possible to terminate local services at Bristol Parkway, and got a firm 'no'. I seem to remember the factors were junction capacity, platform capacity, and the undesirability of establishing a service pattern which would have to be unpicked when Brabazon and Henbury open.

It's not clear whether TfW's proposed half-hourly Cardiff - Bristol stoppers would call at Ashley Down - if they did, it would be transformative, leading to a proper 4 tph metro-style service when combined with the 2 tph Henburys.

GWR suggest Filton Abbey Wood as an interchange, although with 2 tph to BPW and quite long connections it's not great; for example ASD - YAE gives journey times of around 40-50 mins, of which over half an hour is spent kicking your heals at FIT. Still quicker that the bus, but could be a lot better.

Sir John [Armitt], who is chairman of the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC), which advises the Treasury, said ministers should consider funding dozens of highway projects up and down the country as a result, rather than seeking to funnel road users on to the railways.

The NIC has said that spending on new tram systems, or the expansion of existing ones, would be justified only in Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds and Bristol.

Half-hourly rail services on some lines in the West are set to continue permanently, after agreement with the Department for Transport.

Since the regional authority, in partnership with Great Western Railway, introduced more frequent services on lines between Bristol Temple Meads and Westbury; Bristol Temple Meads and Gloucester, via Yate; and between Bristol Temple Meads and Severn Beach, there have been over 3 million more train journeys on those routes. This represents an 28% increase in people benefitting from the services, including Jayden from Yate (video on click to open in a new window Facebook | click to open in a new window Instagram | click to open in a new window Bluesky | click to open in a new window LinkedIn | click to open in a new window X (Twitter) ).

The half-hourly trains have boosted rail connections along the following routes and stations:

Bristol Temple Meads to Westbury (part of the Heart of Wessex Line), also stopping at Keynsham, Oldfield Park, Bath Spa, Freshford, Avoncliff, Bradford-on-Avon, Trowbridge, and Westbury
Bristol Temple Meads to Gloucester, via Yate, also stopping at Filton Abbey Wood and Bristol Parkway – and will also serve every hour the new Charfield station currently under construction
Bristol Temple Meads to Severn Beach (the Severn Beach Line), also stopping at Lawrence Hill, Stapleton Road, Montpelier, Redland, Clifton Down, Sea Mills, Shirehampton, Portway Park & Ride, Avonmouth, St Andrews Road (hourly), and Severn Beach (hourly)
The Mayor of the West of England, Helen Godwin, has repeatedly spoken of the need to further increase the frequency of train services across the West. A longer-term ambition is there for four trains per hour to serve stations across the network,  click to open in a new window after the region secured a record £752 million investment for transport infrastructure improvements to enable those increases over the coming years.

More frequent train services from Bristol Temple Meads to continue after government agreement

More frequent trains on a number of lines from Bristol Temple Meads station will continue following an agreement with the government. The West of England Combined Authority (Weca) said that since introducing half-hourly services on certain lines, there had been more than three million more train journeys on those routes.

The routes that will continue to offer more frequent services are:

Bristol Temple Meads to Westbury (part of the Heart of Wessex Line), also stopping at Keynsham, Oldfield Park, Bath Spa, Freshford, Avoncliff, Bradford-on-Avon, Trowbridge, and Westbury;

Bristol Temple Meads to Gloucester, via Yate, also stopping at Filton Abbey Wood and Bristol Parkway – and will also serve every hour the new Charfield station currently under construction;

Bristol Temple Meads to Severn Beach (the Severn Beach Line), also stopping at Lawrence Hill, Stapleton Road, Montpelier, Redland, Clifton Down, Sea Mills, Shirehampton, Portway Park and Ride, Avonmouth, St Andrews Road (hourly), and Severn Beach (hourly).

Weca said its "longer-term ambition" is to have four trains per hour serving stations across the network, after the region secured £752m investment for transport infrastructure improvements from the government last year.

The announcement comes as Weca prepares to unveil a new 'Transport Vision for the West of England' this week, setting out more details about the authority’s goals for the future.

Helen Godwin, mayor of the West of England, said: "Half-hourly services between Westbury, Gloucester via Yate, Severn Beach, and Bristol Temple Meads are important for local commuters, giving people more options to travel on our growing regional rail network.

"Our new agreement to protect these regular services is welcome news for passengers across the West Country. As we build five new train stations, and look to increase the frequency of services across the board, this is another vote of confidence in the West of England."

Claire Young, MP for Thornbury and Yate, said she was "thrilled" with the news that train services in Yate would run on a half-hour frequency permanently.

"This is something I have campaigned hard for alongside local councillors and I raised the issue five times in Parliament," she said.

"It also means that the new Charfield station will be able to run hourly trains. The half-hour service will support jobs in Yate and also help students to access colleges in the area.”

GWR Wales and West of England commercial development manager Hannah Shackleford added: "These aren't just trains – they're vital economic lifelines connecting communities and businesses across the region. The decision validates our belief that reliable rail services are essential for local and national growth."

Two new railway stations have opened in the region in recent years: Portway Park and Ride, and Ashley Down.

Five more are being delivered as part of a wider £400m regional investment: Charfield, Henbury, North Filton, Pill, and Portishead.

Rail minister Lord Peter Hendy said: "I’m delighted the Government has been able to reach an agreement with the West of England Combined Authority to deliver more frequent train services to better connect passengers to jobs and their local communities.

"We're reforming our railways by bringing operators back into public ownership, and creating Great British Railways, which will be accountable to passengers and drive a relentless focus on responding to their needs. By boosting connectivity, we're driving economic growth, jobs and homes, and making public transport an accessible, reliable option for commuters across the UK."