REGULAR users of the Cheltenham to Swindon line have hit out at Great Western Railway after facing more cancellations ahead of potential fare rises.

The number of cancelled trains on the line over the last five months has nearly doubled on last year, according to data compiled by GWR.

Since April, 188 services have been cancelled, compared with 99 in the same period in 2017.

And, though GWR has stressed this still meant it ran 93 per cent of booked trains successfully - down on 97 per cent in 2017 - passengers have become increasingly exasperated with the operator.

Stroud-based freelance photographer Carl Hewlett recently took to Facebook to share his partner’s experience, prompting a flurry of comments from other commuters.

“They are cancelling trains pretty much every week - sometimes less than an hour before they are due to leave - giving passengers hardly any notice,” Carl posted.

 

The screenshot Carl posted to Facebook, prompting other frustrated commuters to share their experiences with GWR

“They are cancelling trains pretty much every week - sometimes less than an hour before they are due to leave - giving passengers hardly any notice."

“I'm not really one for badgering rail companies on social media but the image below illustrates the inevitable disappointment that my partner and I have been faced with more or less every week for the past few months.”

GWR’s data, which includes stopping services between Swindon and Cheltenham and services between London Paddington and Cheltenham, also reveals that nearly a third of the cancellations were on a Sunday - to the frustration of those like Andrew Coles from Cirencester.

“On two Sunday evenings in July and August I was due to take visitors to Kemble to catch the train to London,” he told us.

 

Kemble railway station, which is on the Swindon-Cheltenham line

“On both occasions, the train had been cancelled with no replacement bus service provided, which meant I had to take my visitors to Swindon station in order to catch another train to Paddington.

“Although it may be possible to claim compensation from GWR, this is not the answer.”

GWR has blamed the rise in cancellations partly on delays in starting Network Rail’s electrification programme, meaning there has been less time to train up drivers.

As for the short notice for some cancellations, a GWR spokesperson pointed to an agreement by the rail industry in February to reduce timescales for publishing timetables.

“This means we can’t tell customers what trains are running until at least five weeks before travel - in a small number of cases this can be as late as a week beforehand,” they said.

In any case, those like Claire Penketh, who chose to move to Stroud and commute to her job in London over buying a flat in the city, are beginning to regret their decision.

 

Stroud railway station is also on the Swindon-Cheltenham line

“The service is really expensive, it’s really erratic, and it’s impacting my ability to do my job without being completely knackered,” said Claire.

“I’ve been doing this since 2001 and I’ve never felt as fed up as I do now.”

Frustration with the Cheltenham-Swindon line comes amid news fares could increase by up to 3.2 per cent in January. For Swindon to Paddington annual tickets - which cost roughly £9,000 - this could mean a price rise of £280.

Have you got any nightmare journeys to share, either on the Swindon-Cheltenham line or one nearby? Email alex.clark@newsquest.co.uk