Buses replace trains on July 28/29

Wed 25 Jul 2018, 10:59

Yes, the trains seem to be back to normal, i.e the 11.11 to London is currently 17 minutes late and the 12.09 London is cancelled.

Wed 25 Jul 2018, 10:23

Are trains to london back to normal?

Tue 24 Jul 2018, 15:29 (last edited on Tue 24 Jul 2018, 15:34)

In my experience of getting "replacement buses" over the last couple of weeks when Oxford station was shut, it was hit and miss. At one point a Saturday bus arriving at Nine Acres Lane at 6:15 didn't know if it was supposed to be the late 5:30 or the early 6:30.

Then one Monday evening there were no connecting buses at Oxford Parkway at all. But if a bus doesn't turn up, and you insist, GWR should arrange a taxi between Oxford and Charlbury as they have accounts with a number of Oxford taxi companies. A steward at Oxford Parkway said that they had been calling taxis all week because of coach companies not sending buses.

Incidentally, Oxford station has been shut for two weeks to increase the flow of trains through it. Needless to say that yesterday, on the first day of re-opening, my train was stuck outside Oxford for 20 minutes on the way back from London. So that was all worthwhile...

Tue 24 Jul 2018, 14:24

Frances & anyone else needing the weekend buses: The person who replied to me from GWR is called Dani Bowers|Customer Support Senior Officer(dani.bowers@gwr.com).

She wrote: ... I raised the issue below with our Train Planning team and there has been some difficulties getting the bus timetables confirmed and onto the public timetable systems. They've assured me though, that everything was uploaded by Network Rail yesterday and should be showing online by tomorrow at the latest. ...

If the buses don't turn up & you need to get a taxi & claim back the cost, that is the name to reference. See also the similar email to Richard via somebody called Tom.

There were numerous emails & phone calls about this both with Network Rail & GWR before it was fixed, so GWR can't pretend that the buses don't exist!

Tue 24 Jul 2018, 12:55

Warning! I had a ticket for the 21.35 to Paddington last Saturday 21 July. A shuttle bus took me up to the Nine Acres bus stop where I and two others, Londoners who had been to a wedding, waited for the replacement bus scheduled for 21.45 ... and waited ... It never came. When we rang GWR they denied such a service existed (despite it having been up on their website earlier in the day), and refused to do anything to help us. In the end I had to ring my husband, who thankfully drove us to Oxford Parkway where we caught a Chiltern train to Marylebone. So I would not count on these buses.

Fri 20 Jul 2018, 21:59

Thank you also, Richard.

I also received a very similar email from a Customer Support Senior Officer at GWR earlier today; but I suspect that it was your intervention that got the Rail Replacement buses put online!

Anyway, that's good news for the Riverside Festival & anyone else travelling by rail to or from Charlbury over that weekend.

Fri 20 Jul 2018, 20:07

They're online now (thanks Tom at GWR)!

Fri 20 Jul 2018, 19:15 (last edited on Fri 20 Jul 2018, 19:15)

Message from a contact I have at GWR Customer Services:

"I raised the issue ... with our Train Planning team and they admitted that they've had some difficulties getting the bus timetables uploaded via Network Rail and onto the public timetable systems. They've assured me though, that everything was uploaded yesterday and should be showing online by tomorrow at the latest."

One can but hope.

Wed 18 Jul 2018, 18:47

I've dropped a line to a GWR contact - will let you know what I hear back.

Wed 18 Jul 2018, 18:36

It is truly ridiculous that there are still no rail replacement buses advertised for any trains to or from Charlbury for the whole of the weekend of 28 - 29 July.

I phoned GWR and they told me that this is a matter for Network Rail. They said that buses are running & that they could see the times on the system for Moreton-in-Marsh, but just not the times for Charlbury.

I emailed Network Rail (twice) & have now been told that this is a matter for GWR because the bus times haven't yet been decided by the train company.

It is extremely important that people know how to get to and from Charlbury during that weekend -- especially since the annual Riverside Festival in Charlbury (with 30 bands booked to play) takes place throughout the weekend. We have no ordinary buses in and out of Charbury on a Sunday, so without the timings being advertised all those who do not drive or cycle & who live at a distance will be unable to get here!

I have now emailed Network Rail & GWR for a final time -- not for me, since I have already decided that I will need to drive to Banbury. But if there's anyone out there who has some influence with either GWR or Network Rail, please could they also get onto this!

Mon 9 Jul 2018, 23:09

Unfortunately the weekend rail-replacement arrangements kick in again for the last weekend in July -- or rather they would do if only the National Rail online journey planner would show the journeys! The Riverside Festival is badly affected, alas.

I have had an email back from National Rail Customer Services saying that they were sorry to learn that the journey planner does not show any services to or from Charlbury for Saturday, 28 July 2018 and Sunday, 29 July 2018, and that they have forwarded my complaint to their Customer Experience Team; but nothing has changed so far.

I do hope other people also contact Network Rail about this, as it has been like this for many weeks now!

Mon 9 Jul 2018, 21:35

No Hanborough trains at weekends I'm afraid - the line's closed all the way between Moreton and Oxford.

Caught the S3 to Oxford today and it was much busier from Charlbury than usual.

Mon 9 Jul 2018, 19:57

Why are there busses travelling from Nine Acres - or was that yesterday only? From what I can make out from the GWR website the train stops at Hanborough where rail replacement busses operate to Oxford. Correct me if I am wrong. Also the inconvenience should end in a fortnight's time so the Riverside Festival on 28/29th should be unaffected. Again, correct me if I am wrong.

Sun 8 Jul 2018, 13:22

You can see the (theoretical!) bus departure times here for Nine Acres Lane: www.realtimetrains.co.uk/search/basic/CVG .

Click "Detailed" and then change "What time?" and the date field, then "Submit", for another day/time. Where it says a bus to/from Charlbury, that means the station. As Christine says, there are no dates entered for 28th/29th yet.

Sun 8 Jul 2018, 12:00

I took a replacement bus yesterday evening from Nine Acres.

It turned up 45 minutes and when asked if it was the late 5:30 or the early 6:30 the driver said he didn't know as GWR had messed up the timings.

We then went trundling off in the direction of Chipping Norton, went to the wrong car park at Hanborough, nearly ended up in Headington then, having found the train station, sailed right past it and headed up Botley Road. This all meant that front door to Oxford city centre took two hours in total.

So yes, it's all going well.

Sun 8 Jul 2018, 10:23

Will the replacement bus service operate from Jeffs Terrace , as the forum has another posting .
This I assume will be because of the traffic issues and the weight restrictions over the river bridge

How long will there be the disruption to the train service last ?

Sat 7 Jul 2018, 09:32 (last edited on Sat 7 Jul 2018, 09:34)

No corrections to the online journey planner yet!

I have now also emailed National Rail Enquiries and, in doing so, also told them about the Riverside Festival. I suggest the festival organisers & anyone else who needs trains to or from Charlbury that weekend also pesters Network Rail. GWR just says -- it's not our fault; talk to Network Rail.

Also, if anyone is taking the rail replacement bus this weekend, could they also talk to any GWR personnel that they come across, and explain that the weekend of July 28/July 29 is missing from the GWR and Network Rail journey planners insofar as Charlbury is concerned.

Fri 6 Jul 2018, 12:37

... which is going to be *very* helpful for all those people trying to get to our wonderful Riverside Festival. I hope that they have MANY buses.
For a summary of my reaction, please assume a 4-letter word beginning with the 6th letter of the alphabet.

Fri 6 Jul 2018, 10:24

At present, if people try to search for train times for journeys to and from Charlbury on Saturday 28th & Sunday 29th July, they come up with a blank. There is simply a statement saying that there are no buses to and from Charlbury until Monday 30th July.

I have now spoken to GWR & also to Network Rail & discovered that there are indeed replacement rail buses. These show up if one uses Moreton-in-Marsh as a starting or end point when planning a journey. But Network Rail has simply missed out Charlbury as a bus stopping & starting point on their timetable planner.

Network Rail is supposed to be correcting their online timetable now that they know this. But until that happens, people might like the reassurance of knowing that the buses will run!