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Great Western Coffee Shop
As at 17th March 2025 17:49 GMT
Recent Public Posts - [guest]
Re: New station at North Filton/Brabazon, Bristol
In "Bristol (WECA) Commuters" [359574/24927/21]
Posted by Red Squirrel at 16:43, 17th March 2025
 
Work underway on another new train station

Dan Norris, the Mayor of the West of England, visited Brabazon on Friday to see the start of work on another new train station for the West of England, with enabling works and site surveys underway.

Brabazon is the new neighbourhood for Bristol being built on the historic former Filton Airfield. The new station will not only serve the new urban community, but also the eagerly-anticipated 19,500 capacity YTL Arena Bristol. Once complete, accelerated to be potentially as soon as Autumn 2026, it should connect Brabazon to Bristol Temple Meads in less than 15 minutes. BAM, who constructed Ashley Down station (which opened last year), will be building the station.

Representatives of project partners YTL Developments, the award-winning developer behind Brabazon, as well as Network Rail and Great Western Railway (GWR) were joined by the Mayor, Dan Norris; local MP, Claire Hazelgrove; and leader and co-leader of South Gloucestershire Council, Councillors Maggie Tyrell and Ian Boulton to mark the start of work on site on Friday 14th March.

Dan Norris, the Mayor of the West of England, said:

“Work is now underway on yet another new train station for the West of England. I’m proud to have opened two new stations in as many years, including the first new one in Bristol in almost a century, but there’s plenty more coming down the track for our region.

“My Mayoral Combined Authority is going full steam ahead to open this station too – serving the new town at Brabazon and helping people get to the new arena. The West of England is continuing to secure major investment to create new jobs and economic growth now and over the coming years.”

The start of work on the new station is a critical milestone in the delivery of the new urban community at Brabazon. Designed to live up to the legacy of this former Airfield’s pioneering past, the approved plans for Brabazon include thousands of new homes, creative workplaces to support up to 30,000 jobs, as well as the largest new urban public park in the South West for over 50 years, equivalent in size to Bristol’s Castle Park.

Brabazon is one of the largest parcels of urban brownfield land in the country, perfectly placed to address the acute need for new homes across the West of England. It is also located on existing road, rail, bus and active travel links, making it ideally suited to become the most sustainable examples of urban regeneration in the UK.

The start of work on the station comes after the YTL Group confirmed in January that it would be investing £4 billion across its UK businesses over the next five years.

Colin Skellett, YTL’s UK Group Chief Executive, said:

“Brabazon is where the pioneers of aerospace created the future. Today the next generation of pioneers are shaping the way we will live, work and play in the 21st century.”

“The West of England faces a housing crisis, so Brabazon, the region’s largest Brownfield site, is part of the solution. Less than five miles from the centre of Bristol, at the heart of a world leading cluster of aerospace, engineering and technology companies and with a rail line, metrobus route and cycle paths. The new train station is essential to our shared vision to create the UK’s most sustainable New Town.”

Great Western Railway Managing Director, Mark Hopwood, said:

"We’ve introduced more new stations than any other train company in recent years, and it’s fantastic that work has now begun on another one, further strengthening our award-winning partnership with the Mayoral Combined Authority and Network Rail.

"The development of Brabazon New Town and its new station highlights the crucial role that rail infrastructure plays in enabling growth, creating jobs, and providing much-needed housing. We are excited to see similar progress at Henbury and Portishead in the near future."

Marcus Jones, Western Route Director at Network Rail, said:

“In the last two years, we’ve built two new stations at Ashley Down and Portway Park & Ride, which are now being well-used by passengers. It’s fantastic to see the new station in north Filton moving forward. This will bring access to the railway to a whole new community at Brabazon and link people from elsewhere in Bristol, and further afield, to this exciting new town development and the eagerly awaited arena.”
Source: West of England MCA

Re: HS2 - Government proposals, alternative routes and general discussion
In "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" [359573/5138/51]
Posted by grahame at 16:40, 17th March 2025
 
Claire Young is MP for Thornbury and Yate, in a constituency which includes a section of the main London to South Wales line on it with a single station which at present does not have a regular scheduled local service to London, being served by only by trains from Cardiff running to and through Bristol toward the West Country - indeed as far as Penzance.

Are the 26 trains mentioned a fresh announcement or are they the class 175 units which will be very welcome.

Is Claire the LibDem Transport spokesman? That would explain why it was her that mentioned these?
I reckon it's the 175s (correct number of units).

Paul Kohler - MP for Wimbledon - in the Commons
Baroness Pidgeon - in the Lords

Re: Caledonian MacBrayne ferries in Scotland - split topic, merged posts
In "Buses and other ways to travel" [359572/30034/5]
Posted by Clan Line at 16:27, 17th March 2025
 



What a surprise that was 

Re: HS2 - Government proposals, alternative routes and general discussion
In "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" [359571/5138/51]
Posted by ChrisB at 16:21, 17th March 2025
 
Claire Young is MP for Thornbury and Yate, in a constituency which includes a section of the main London to South Wales line on it with a single station which at present does not have a regular scheduled local service to London, being served by only by trains from Cardiff running to and through Bristol toward the West Country - indeed as far as Penzance.

Are the 26 trains mentioned a fresh announcement or are they the class 175 units which will be very welcome.

Is Claire the LibDem Transport spokesman? That would explain why it was her that mentioned these?
I reckon it's the 175s (correct number of units).

Re: 2025 - Service update and amendment log, Swindon <-> Westbury
In "TransWilts line" [359570/29726/18]
Posted by grahame at 16:16, 17th March 2025
Already liked by Mark A
 
16:23 Westbury to Swindon due 17:05
17:35 Swindon to Westbury due 18:19

17:35 Swindon to Westbury due 18:19 will be cancelled.
This is due to a problem currently under investigation.

Both re-instated half an hour later.

Oh dear - I think.

I have written before of how difficult it must be for the decision makers as a situation arises as to when to say something in public.  - but, really, broadcasting in public will be cancelled is a very definitive statement and to my gives no room for doubt - it's a statement that the train in question won't run.

I would (personally - is it just me?) like to see an option where a train service could be reported as being at  [low/some/high] risk of cancellation and with a note of a time by which the record will be updated.

Re: 2025 - Service update and amendment log, Swindon <-> Westbury
In "TransWilts line" [359569/29726/18]
Posted by bobm at 16:06, 17th March 2025
 
16:23 Westbury to Swindon due 17:05
17:35 Swindon to Westbury due 18:19

17:35 Swindon to Westbury due 18:19 will be cancelled.
This is due to a problem currently under investigation.

Both re-instated half an hour later.

Re: 2025 - Service update and amendment log, Swindon <-> Westbury
In "TransWilts line" [359568/29726/18]
Posted by brooklea at 16:04, 17th March 2025
 
Ah hmm. Point of order m'lud 

I’ll concede the Twyford points failure didn’t help matters, but maintain that had the 05:03 Penzance to Paddington not lost over half an hour in Cornwall this morning due to a points failure, the train’s next working (1C77, with the TM for the TransWilts on board), would probably not have been late enough into Westbury to have knocked-on to the 12:17 to Swindon. 

Re: HS2 - Government proposals, alternative routes and general discussion
In "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" [359567/5138/51]
Posted by Western Pathfinder at 16:03, 17th March 2025
Already liked by Mark A
 
 Requiring of a rather hefty pinch of salt thinks me.

Re: The Cheddar Valley Lost Railway - the 'Strawberry Line' from Yatton
In "Railway History and related topics" [359566/444/55]
Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 15:30, 17th March 2025
 
In the interests of continuity and ease of future reference, I have moved and merged several topics here.

These posts all relate specifically to the 'Strawberry Line': as ever, nothing has been deleted and the original topic headings have been retained where possible.

I do hope my consolidation of various historic information into this one definitive topic helps our readers.

Also, I should declare something of a personal interest here: the Strawberry Line is local to me, it is a great cycleway, and their cafe at Yatton station is excellent: if you find yourself in North Somerset with some time to spare, please do give it a go!

CfN. 

Re: 2025 - Service update and amendment log, Swindon <-> Westbury
In "TransWilts line" [359565/29726/18]
Posted by GBM at 15:29, 17th March 2025
 
12:17 Westbury to Swindon due 12:59

12:17 Westbury to Swindon due 12:59 will be starting late from Westbury and is expected to be 12 minutes late.
This is due to a points failure.

Have to love this - NOT a points failure anywhere near us but a knock on delay from

10:35 London Paddington to Exeter St Davids due 13:07

10:35 London Paddington to Exeter St Davids due 13:07 has been delayed at London Paddington and is now 26 minutes late.
This is due to a points failure.


Indeed not anywhere near Wiltshire - actually this points failure mentioned by GBM elsewhere on the forum [url=https://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=28556.msg359538#msg359538]https://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=28556.msg359538#msg359538[/url], which was in Cornwall.[/i]
Ah hmm. Point of order m'lud https://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=29650.msg359540#msg359540 

Re: 2025 - Service update and amendment log, Swindon <-> Westbury
In "TransWilts line" [359564/29726/18]
Posted by grahame at 15:27, 17th March 2025
 
16:23 Westbury to Swindon due 17:05
17:35 Swindon to Westbury due 18:19

17:35 Swindon to Westbury due 18:19 will be cancelled.
This is due to a problem currently under investigation.

Re: Plan for M4 to south coast corridor to avoid Bath, through West Wiltshire
In "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" [359563/30025/51]
Posted by UstiImmigrunt at 15:11, 17th March 2025
Already liked by Mark A
 
There's nothing wrong in avoiding Barf. Shame there isn't a Bath avoider for the railway. Never liked the place especially those who can't count when it comes to bikes in the HST TGS.

Given that Bath's in the top ten and possibly the top five in terms of revenue generating stations for GWR that's a little ungenerous.

Thinking of the maximum number of bikes I've seen in an HST bike space, yes, that Sunday evening when at least 15 teenagers off the Bristol to Bath path happily piled a collection of wheeled things aboard for the trip home was memorable, and even if there were far too many of them they were helping to pay the railway's wage bill (and everything went aboard because the space was somewhat flexible and everyone including staff were in a good mood, confident, and generally less under the cosh). Of course the DfT has now sorted this out with cycle accommodation on the IEPs that's not particularly useable at all.

Mark

15 bikes, so you are happy for your exit to be blocked in an emergency then? I was infamous in Wessex days for enforcing the 1600 to 1800 no bikes rule.

Yes, I agree it's a disgrace regarding bike storage on IETs being abysmal but that was chosen by the "experts" at DaFT.

Dear Passenger,

When you get home do you close your front door and then block it with luggage /pram/bike?

No?

So why do you block a door as soon as you board a train?

One of the dispatchers at Barf was abused so much by cyclists he had to be supported in the 6 bike rule, if not then probably 10 plus in the van, again blocking the emergency exit.

Re: HS2 - Government proposals, alternative routes and general discussion
In "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" [359562/5138/51]
Posted by stuving at 15:11, 17th March 2025
 
Then either none do & the current timetable would still work on the main lines, OR this will mean that there will be fewer paths available per hour as some stop (so the more 'locals' - Cotswolds, Bristol (poss not, as XC direct would be quicker than via OOC), Cardiffs, WSMs) while others don't....

Or else it is a very easy promise to make, since by the time Old Oak Common station opens there won't be any Great Western Railway. And as an operational timetabling matter, I would doubt any promise so far into the future, even from the provisional GBR, was worth much.

Re: HS2 - Government proposals, alternative routes and general discussion
In "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" [359561/5138/51]
Posted by grahame at 14:49, 17th March 2025
Already liked by Mark A
 
Bluesky post from an MP, an update on Old Oak Common services.

"After much lobbying from @libdems.org.uk MPs, I am glad to confirm Great Western Railway trains travelling from the South West to London Paddington will not stop at Old Oak Common as standard - as had been proposed - and that there will be an additional 26 trains added to the fleet."

Mark


Claire Young is MP for Thornbury and Yate, in a constituency which includes a section of the main London to South Wales line on it with a single station which at present does not have a regular scheduled local service to London, being served by only by trains from Cardiff running to and through Bristol toward the West Country - indeed as far as Penzance.

Are the 26 trains mentioned a fresh announcement or are they the class 175 units which will be very welcome.  The use of the word "additional" suggests to me a net fleet growth, but other reports including from GWR suggest that some of the trains in this transfer are not additional but rather as replacement for other trains being withdrawn.

Re: HS2 - Government proposals, alternative routes and general discussion
In "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" [359560/5138/51]
Posted by ChrisB at 14:31, 17th March 2025
 
Then either none do & the current timetable would still work on the main lines, OR this will mean that there will be fewer paths available per hour as some stop (so the more 'locals' - Cotswolds, Bristol (poss not, as XC direct would be quicker than via OOC), Cardiffs, WSMs) while others don't....

Re: Train performance data to be displayed at stations
In "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" [359559/29469/51]
Posted by Mark A at 14:27, 17th March 2025
 
Screenshot of performance data displayed at Reading station, via an account from one Ed Fielden on Bluesky.

(Bluesky's an open system, so, to view posts, no need for an account. X has changed and while it supplies content to search engines, an account's needed to view the content)

Mark

https://bsky.app/profile/coriniumtv.bsky.social/post/3ljru5m5yzs2k

Re: HS2 - Government proposals, alternative routes and general discussion
In "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" [359558/5138/51]
Posted by Mark A at 14:19, 17th March 2025
 
Bluesky post from an MP, an update on Old Oak Common services.

"After much lobbying from @libdems.org.uk MPs, I am glad to confirm Great Western Railway trains travelling from the South West to London Paddington will not stop at Old Oak Common as standard - as had been proposed - and that there will be an additional 26 trains added to the fleet."

Mark

https://bsky.app/profile/claireyoungmp.bsky.social/post/3lkgyydpypk26

Re: Caledonian MacBrayne ferries in Scotland - split topic, merged posts
In "Buses and other ways to travel" [359557/30034/5]
Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 13:46, 17th March 2025
 
From the BBC:

Ferguson shipyard misses out on new CalMac ferry order



The nationalised Ferguson shipyard has missed out on a crucial order for seven small all-electric ferries for west coast operator Caledonian MacBrayne.

Ferries procurement agency CMAL has instead named a Polish firm, Remontowa, as preferred bidder for the small vessels replacement programme (SVRP).

Ferguson's, the last commercial shipyard on the Clyde, had vowed to bid "aggressively" for the contract and had made it onto a shortlist of six bidders.

A total of £175m has been allocated to build the new "loch class" vessels and complete harbour and shore power upgrades. The first ferries are due to join the CalMac fleet in 2027.

The contract was a key part of Ferguson Marine's five-year business plan following delays and cost overruns in the construction of two much larger ferries for CalMac.

The 50m (164ft) all-electric ferries are similar to ones it has delivered successfully in the past and could have given it a pipeline of repeatable work lasting several years.

The Port Glasgow shipyard is still pursuing alternative business opportunities, including defence sub-contracting work from BAE Systems and private sector work.

Scottish government-owned CMAL said the award to the Polish firm represented "best value" for the public purse. But Scottish Labour said the government had failed to stand up for key Scottish industries, while the Scottish Conservatives claimed SNP mismanagement could prove to be the "death knell" for Ferguson's.

The Ferguson bid for the SVRP is understood to have ranked well for quality but missed out due to the difficulties in matching overseas yards on cost.

Chief financial officer David Dishon said: "We are very proud of our bid and although we priced it competitively, we were up against extremely tough competition from yards outside the UK which benefit from significantly reduced operating costs and advanced capital investment programmes. The weighting for price will therefore place all UK yards at a disadvantage. However, we were pleased to see Ferguson Marine's bid rated so highly on quality."

Remontowa, based in Gdansk, has previously built the CalMac ferries MV Argyle, MV Bute and MV Finlaggan, and was runner up to Ferguson's when the contracts for MV Glen Sannox and MV Glen Rosa were awarded in 2015.


A concept design drawing of the new all-electric ferries.

CMAL chief executive Kevin Hobbs said the bids had been assessed against a range of technical and financial criteria, weighted 65% on quality and 35% on cost.  He said: "It is our responsibility to follow the Public Procurement Strategy for Scotland and appoint a yard capable of producing quality vessels which meet the needs of islanders, but that also deliver the best value for the public purse. We are confident in Remontowa's ability, and have worked with them before, most recently with the delivery of the MV Finlaggan in 2011."

There now follows a 10-day "standstill period" after which the contract will be signed.

The new ferries will operate on the Colintraive-Rhubodach (Bute); Lochaline-Fishnish (Mull); Tarbert (Loch Fyne)-Portavadie; Iona-Fionnphort (Mull); Sconser-Raasay; Tobermory-Kilchoan (Mull); and Tayinloan-Gigha routes.

Phase two of the programme will see the purchase of three more vessels which are capable of handling more challenging sea states, but that contract will go to tender separately.

(Article continues)



Bath to Ciren and back: 8/3/25
In "Introductions and chat" [359556/30038/1]
Posted by Mark A at 13:43, 17th March 2025
 
tl:dr - a good if slow-across-the-ground day out, if imposing it on others, I'd make considerate choices though...

Needing a public transport fix, it turned into one of those Saturday mornings where the connections fell awkwardly, but working with what was available... Bath's bus system not cooperating, so a walk to the station, just missing the 9:29 to Swindon so, on to the 9:43... which at Swindon allowed 50 minutes for a quick walk to the bus station, which is within a month or five of being closed for good, and then across the forthcoming arrangement for buses to the shops and back.

Debenham's corpse is unfortunately very visible and, with scaffolding sheets torn and slatting in any breeze, drawing attention to itself. In the fenced off space in front of it was one of those automatic security things that looks as though it's going to taser intruders (and may be capable of barking instructions at people who approach, as I found out once...)

The cafe between the bus station and what was an underpass is closed too, either for good or for a refresh.

The new bus street arrangement thing looks all very well but might impose more of a hike for people changing between train and bus - or even between bus and bus. At the station, three platform staff at platform level had been having a loud anti-passenger conversation, which wasn't ideal. I asked one of the staff staffing the barrier if the bus station was still where it was and he let me know that he was having a bad day which wasn't exactly ideal either.

On to the bus to Cirencester. For some reason, Stagecoach's buses seem to have stopped accepting Bathnes diamondcards but the driver was fine with this.

After a spell on the dual carriageway the bus serves Cricklade, and at Latton, allows a glimpse of an odd unexpected culvert beneath what is now a motorway in all but name, and the bus then threads its way through part of what's branded as the Cotswold Water Park, which is always surprising to encounter in what was until recently very much rural and somewhat remote country.

The final approach to Cirencester, the town particularly submerged in traffic, was complicated in that there had been an odd road traffic collision at the roundabout on the bypass by Waitrose. It looked to be driver of an SUV exiting the town via the grass strip in the middle rather than the road, and somehow clobbering a lamp post at speed, pulling that clean out of the ground, both car and lamp post on to the roundabout, stopping the job as it was no longer driveable, but no other vehicles apparent. Police were still there, along with a flatbed truck and ramp, and also a tech team to make the lampost supply safe.

So, a bit delayed, nevertheless the connection was ok for a bacon butty and then the several-times-a-day bus to Stroud.

Leaving the Stroud bus at Coates, at a stop that I'd last used in August 1970** time for a walk through the village and along a footpath to check if the Tunnel House pub is still there.

(It's still there but is currently not a pub. The building is ok but its surroundings are a bit building-sitey. Also, the collection of holiday huts for which I think the Bathurst estate gained planning permission hasn't happened yet).

Rather than walk across to Sapperton for the bus back to Ciren etc etc, Kemble Station was becoming a particularly attractive vision, so down into the canal's cutting and a little contemplation of the canal tunnel, the portal looking rather whiskery for the time being. Heading to Kemble would also allow me to repeat a previous walk that had been ruined by the need to care for the safety of a stray dog, something that was eventually achieved by confining it in the garden of a nearby house. As the garden also contained several geese, the improvement in safety of the dog may have been somewhat relative...

The towpath heads off conveniently in the general direction of Kemble and so did I, the clear water in the canal penned in by the stop planks at Tarlton bridge, the bed dry and thirsty thereafter. Copious snowdrops escaping from the garden in the forever roofless roundhouse there, a momento from the time that the building was an (inconvenient) home.

Eventually thrown off the canal towpath by recent barbed wire into the meadows, past the source of the Thames (or perhaps not) and later, a large pool just upstream of the Foss Way's crossing of the valley (and a nod to the location and time that I managed to wind an extinct form of MZ motorcycle up to 63 mph thereabouts...)

The site of the canal company's wind pump by Thames Head bridge is presumably now beneath the modern road, but east of the bridge, a larger pool that was generating a little flow in what for a couple of hundred yards was very much a stream bed before it petered out once again.

A pause, at least concerning anything resembling flowing water, before what is presumably something called Lyd Well took charge, filling the Thames with a copious flow. The river, very much established as a thing, heading across more meadows to pass beneath the road and Cirencester's railway's vanished bridge, at which point a convenient footpath leads to Kemble Station, where the start of the branch and small quarry has been turned over to pay-by-app car parking.

So, Kemble Station, and around 25 people for the 16:49 on a Saturday which is good to see. The bookiing office and cafe closed and who can blame them. The nearby pub open, but no time before the train. The bus from Cirencester is very infrequent and little indication as to how the people had arrived at the station as about half were not of driving age, (which is also good to see).

The return trip, straightforward. Both IEPs had the deep-vein-thrombosis-seat-defect but that risk only kicks in after 45 minutes sitting, so, not a problem. Swindon has automated stair announcements that I can't tune out, but these now make me think ' Ian Walmsley who writes for Modern Rail - what would he say?'

I'd managed to become too thirsty and the wait at Swindon was just long enough to hammer across to the convenient Queens Tap pub opposite and down a pint of lime juice and water. Then, refreshed, on to the train back to Bath, reflecting on how pleasant it is to be able to use public transport to set up a walk that doesn't involve returning to a vehicle or, even worse, a vehicle shuffle.

Mark



** or rather, hadn't used as the last bus, a bit after nine at night I think, had seen fit to run early, and we missed it, but that is another tale and for that matter, one that's probably been told here already.

20th March 2025 - Melksham Transport User Group / new Committee
In "TransWilts line" [359555/30037/18]
Posted by grahame at 13:13, 17th March 2025
 
Very much a group setup and organisation session

If you are, or wish to be, closely involved, please come along on 20th.  We will be somewhat formalising a committee at the AGM in April. We anticipate committee meetings will be held early on a weekday evening about every 2 months.

1. Committee - 20th March 2025, 18:30 
48 Spa Road, SN12 7NY. Plenty of free parking, even for a bus and train group!

2. For your diary - AGM - 10th April 2025, 18:30
Centre of Melksham, venue to be confirmed

A big "Thank you" to Melksham Without Parish Council and Melksham Town Parish Council for each giving us a grant, in the total amount between them of £700. This will allow the group to fully re-establish anew. We have made limited but natural commitments - things we would have done anyway like recording the support we have been given by the councils in our literature, and reporting back on our progress later in the year.

Committee Agenda

1. Introductions

2. Apologies

3. Update on the Public Transport Scene
3.1 Wiltshire, National and even wider framework
3.2 Melksham
3.3 Upcoming meetings
(TWSW Taunton on 21st, MP in London on 25th, Swindon 26th, Chippenham 27th)

4. Report
4.1 Membership
4.2 report

5. Planning for the AGM
5.1 Venue
5.2 Resolutions
5.3 Promotion

7. planning for beyond the AGM
Note - this is during election campaign time and we could usefully speak with candidates
7.1 Group building and planned roled
7.2 Literature and transport advocacy (in person and online)
7.3 Station and bus stop support
7.4 Interaction with users, providers and specifiers
7.5 Fairs, fetes, carnivals and stalls
7.6 Station friend activities

8. AOB and provisional date of next committee meeting

Above put together by Graham Ellis – graham@sn12.net – 07974 925 928
as acting chair until the AGM

Any questions – please ask!

Re: Fatal collision at a level crossing near Arras 17 March 2025
In "The Wider Picture Overseas" [359554/30036/52]
Posted by stuving at 12:57, 17th March 2025
 
Newer reports correct that to a TER not a TGV, and the vehicle was a car with one other occupant who is seriously injured. This was a very violent collision, with the vehicle thrown forward against a house and then a steel stanchion.

Re: 2025 - Service update and amendment log, Swindon <-> Westbury
In "TransWilts line" [359553/29726/18]
Posted by brooklea at 12:50, 17th March 2025
 
12:17 Westbury to Swindon due 12:59

12:17 Westbury to Swindon due 12:59 will be starting late from Westbury and is expected to be 12 minutes late.
This is due to a points failure.

Have to love this - NOT a points failure anywhere near us but a knock on delay from

10:35 London Paddington to Exeter St Davids due 13:07

10:35 London Paddington to Exeter St Davids due 13:07 has been delayed at London Paddington and is now 26 minutes late.
This is due to a points failure.


Indeed not anywhere near Wiltshire - actually this points failure mentioned by GBM elsewhere on the forum https://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=28556.msg359538#msg359538, which was in Cornwall.

Fatal collision at a level crossing near Arras 17 March 2025
In "The Wider Picture Overseas" [359552/30036/52]
Posted by stuving at 12:38, 17th March 2025
 
Yet another collision at a level crossing in France this morning. Initial reports say that a TGV struck a vehicle (perhaps a bus) carrying soldiers, two of whom were killed. This was at crossing 85 on the line between Arras and Lens, at the D49 from Thélus to Bailleul-Sir-Berthoult. Why the TGV was on that line, and where it was going, I don't yet know.

Re: 21st March 2025 - TravelWatch SouthWest General meeting
In "Diary - what's happening when?" [359551/30000/34]
Posted by grahame at 12:26, 17th March 2025
 
Booking links for in-person and online now available via:

https://www.travelwatchsouthwest.org.uk/

Re: 2025 - Service update and amendment log, Swindon <-> Westbury
In "TransWilts line" [359550/29726/18]
Posted by grahame at 12:15, 17th March 2025
 
12:17 Westbury to Swindon due 12:59

12:17 Westbury to Swindon due 12:59 will be starting late from Westbury and is expected to be 12 minutes late.
This is due to a points failure.

Have to love this - NOT a points failure anywhere near us but a knock on delay from

10:35 London Paddington to Exeter St Davids due 13:07

10:35 London Paddington to Exeter St Davids due 13:07 has been delayed at London Paddington and is now 26 minutes late.
This is due to a points failure.

Re: Sad death of Shirley Pope, 82, and her dog, hit by train on foot crossing at Pewsey, Feb 2025
In "London to Kennet Valley" [359549/30033/8]
Posted by Mark A at 11:26, 17th March 2025
 
If you're using a foot crossing on foot, it's useful to consider if you're what the railway might call an 'Encumbered' pedestrian - for example, if you're carrying something, wheeling a bike, have a dog, carrying a canoe, accompanied by a child or have a pushchair (or both) and if you are, it's useful to know to risk-assess that aspect of things before proceeding.

(Photo is a footpath crossing at Coates on the approach to Sapperton)

Mark

https://postimg.cc/1VQGRjKs/f6b26b41

Re: Sad death of Shirley Pope, 82, and her dog, hit by train on foot crossing at Pewsey, Feb 2025
In "London to Kennet Valley" [359548/30033/8]
Posted by grahame at 10:59, 17th March 2025
Already liked by Mark A
 
A key piece of information is missing.

Yes - I do not believe we have the full story here; various things don't add up.

I am very gingerly speculating ... a lot of people walk around and to and from the village in Pewsey, and the typical route is along footpaths and over that wooden footbridge on Hollybush Lane before the dropping down to the lane itself and they go under the bridge on the lane.   With the footbridge closed, they are left with the options of either a long walk around to then come up Hollybush lane from the main road to the south, or taking the alternative path / level crossing over the railway.

Block one route, and people will diversity to the next easiest - which is the pedestrian crossing; there remain other alternatives, but for people on foot they are more substantial diversions.

Re: Plan for M4 to south coast corridor to avoid Bath, through West Wiltshire
In "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" [359547/30025/51]
Posted by Mark A at 10:59, 17th March 2025
 
I think, with hindsight, and a fairly straight face, it is not unreasonable to say that if the money wasted on what was done at Bath had been (better ?) used to bypass Melksham and Westbury then the M4 to Warminster bit of this "strategic" route would now have a reasonable road. Only the A36 to, and round, Salisbury left to do 

A photo of Batheaston/Swainswick bypass's river spans from beneath to follow.

Some years previous to the bypass being built, the bus service up the Swainswick Valley (number 210, hourly to the village) ceased as the buses could no longer maintain the timetable given the standing traffic on the A46. When the bypass opened, there were hopes that it would be reinstated, but nooooh.

And yes, a more economical bypass would have been good and enabled improvements elsewhere on the route. Including for people on foot. Thinking now of the feed into Melksham's bypass-that-isn't, which has murderous tendencies if you're on foot and don't know the road. One of the bus stops near the station is a good hike from... the station, and if you then innocently trot along the pavement in the direction of said station, the urban pavement, without any notice that it's going to do so, thins out slowly to nothing, and on a blind bend for good measure. Google streetview here: https://tinyurl.com/mwuw2nsb

Mark

https://i.postimg.cc/CxkWG8kC/A4-Batheaston-bypass-bridges.jpg

Re: Sad death of Shirley Pope, 82, and her dog, hit by train on foot crossing at Pewsey, Feb 2025
In "London to Kennet Valley" [359546/30033/8]
Posted by stuving at 10:34, 17th March 2025
 
Openstreetmap's useful for this. For one under railway ownership, it's a very singular footbridge.
https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=19/51.344990/-1.762909

But that shows it to be a rail over footway, rather than correctly as footway over rail

There is also a small wooden footbridge over the same lane (Hollybush Lane), 20 m from the railway. And oddly, it's owned by NR and got its "Railway Authority" plate to prove it. But I can't fathom what that, or any other footbridge, has to do with crossing the railway near here. A key piece of information is missing.

Re: Plan for M4 to south coast corridor to avoid Bath, through West Wiltshire
In "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" [359545/30025/51]
Posted by grahame at 10:30, 17th March 2025
 
There's nothing wrong in avoiding Barf. Shame there isn't a Bath avoider for the railway. Never liked the place especially those who can't count when it comes to bikes in the HST TGS.

Given that Bath's in the top ten and possibly the top five in terms of revenue generating stations for GWR that's a little ungenerous.


I am seeing what I'm pretty sure is some good-natured bantering there, but it does remind me that the railways showed startling levels of reliability when there were hardly any passengers travelling during covid - but I then remind myself that there was hardly any income to the railways either and in the continuum there is a need for income, even if it requires the harding of a wide range of passengers.

* Those with heavy luggage.
* Those bringing a bicycle with them
* Those who need customer information
* Those who require boarding assistance
* Those who'll want help buying a ticket
* Those who can't read and understand signs and notices in English or Welsh
* Those who wish to have a guaranteed seat
* Those who are otherwise limited for health or other reasons

Would you restrict the use of the railway to people without certain needs?  Make additional charge for some of those items?

Declaration of interest - I ALWAYS fall into one of these categories, and for certain journeys have fallen into most of the other too.

 
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