Considering both climate change, and the present very high price of diesel fuel, one might hope that ALL the new trains will be battery, or battery OHLE hybrids.
Whilst there maybe a few routes for which diesel power is more suitable, cascaded diesel units will be available for many years yet. No need to build ANY new diesel units.

 

Level Boarding at last to be specified for new rolling stock!


And there you have it. They won't do this unless it can be shown that it WILL do so

Edit just to clarify quoting

 

Although there is quite a lot of research to show that shopkeepers habitually overestimate the number of customers who come by car:


(from https://ggwash.org/view/96602/survey-most-shopkeepers-shoppers-overestimate-car-use, which has lots of interesting links)

To be honest I think 90% of the High Street problem is online shopping. We buy stuff from Amazon and eBay and the like, not Debenhams or BHS or Woolworths. Town centres are just too big for modern shopping habits. The only options are to major on the visitor destination/experience angle - as JohnM says, "having a pedestrianized high street during most of the day made it magnitudes nicer as a place to shop/loiter" - or to shrink the town centre. Much better to turn town centre buildings over to residential use, where the residents might spend time and money in the town centre, than to build acres of new suburbia where the residents will just drive to Tesco.

 

I am not sure these people have much of a clue; when they say 'removal of diesel traction' do they mean partially or completely? Energisation of around 25% of the existing non-electified network implies the former. One assumes they think the remaining 75% can be served by purely battery- or hydrogen-powered rolling stock. Best of luck with that, it would cost billions.

Or are they thinking the madness that is discontinuous electrification coupled with a large fleet of new battery-electric trains will do the job?

If I was in charge there would be a proper rolling programme of 'full fat' electrification. 

 
Also a potentially important strategy shift in that some or all of the new vehicles may be directly purchased and not leased out by ROSCO's.

 

Slight bias involved?  .  I have visited Nailsea, as friends live there. Would like to visit Tyntesfield again, but there doesn't seem to be a safe walking route between N&B station and the NT site?

 
Thought I would quote the section on Regional fleet (one of 4 types of train, the others being Intercity, commuter and metro) from newly published Rolling stock strategy, as it gives hints to what is intended


So comfort will be the priority on Regional Express

Meanwhile for those more interested in Bristol or Exeter commuter services
 
The strategy seems to favour Battery electric multiple units, but there will be many years old cascaded trains, with an expectation that about a quarter of the currently unelectrified network will be (eventually) wired

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6aba4b47997a4b2950ccefc0/gbr-rolling-stock-infrastructure-strategy.pdf

 

That is true but it is a strategy and not a plan.  I would venture that it is more likely to be delivered than any of the previous rail strategies of the last 30 years.

The method of funding changes for Network Rail Control Period (CP) 7 is the last one, it changes to "Funding Period (FP) 1)" for GBR this to reflect a whole industry approach.

 
I have mirrored that (here) for easy access into the far future, and so that it comes up in our searches - and categorised it as a "key" document - one of just 64 such documents in the archive of 2400.

It's 26 pages - not read and absorbed it all yet.  In the earlier part I note


Reliability not frequency, nor size of the network, I note.  Good to see "facilities" noted and whilst this is a train related paper, that overlaps a little onto the stations.  The whole is qualitative rather than quantitative - as I say, nothing on frequency, and not on length of trains either.  Standard 30 minute frequency, 5 car train, Swindon to Weymouth anyone, or just 2 through trains a week, 3 in summer, of 2 or 3 carriages each as it is at present?   That improvement in frequency and capacity would sure as heck make it attractive to increase revenue.   And it might be attractive enough to allow fares to rise. Even with higher fares, I doubt the extra cost would reduce subsidy needs.


 

 
Oh, hang on, I think I can see them.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/rPqSy38t8agUP6CT7

 

They stored them where?!!!

 
Ah, Nailsea has a post office. Good. Bath: your move.

 

To be quite expected due Spring High Tides (4 mtres) this evening and Strong SE winds of more than 18 mph forecast  so undesirable for the newer trains ( IETs ) to stop between D.Warren and Teignmouth and passrs thus travel in the local and a bit more reliable trains.
As for salt water/corrosion effects in the problematic cl 175 units, well we have yet to find out , but know two years stood and forgotten uncared for at Holyhead in the Salt / wet air did their electrics no good, a well known fact to all but their owning ROSCo Angel and DfT ‘remotes’.

 

and the following service:

 
10 years ago today - how time flies!

The nature of progress is that there are big increments and then consolidations.   10 years ago today, TransWilts trains through the day switched from being a trial service to being a formal ongoing part of the franchise, and from being a local community group that had declared itself to be a community rail partnership to a much more formal Community Rail Partnership.   And we celebrated loading hundreds of people onto an HST every weekend through the summer to Weymouth - not really to promote Weymouth, but rather to promote the availability of the service.

We have seen incremental changes since - the platform rebuilt and extended, longer trains, a handful of additional trains that now give us a thin service "all day every day". But we are still very much "work in progress".  On the train service side, we need more trains and more reliable trains.  On the station access side, we need it to be much more friendly and customer aware - better walking routes, busses that connect, and a friendly and helpful welcome to customers.

 
The rolling stock and Infrastructure strategy is now published

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6aba4b47997a4b2950ccefc0/gbr-rolling-stock-infrastructure-strategy.pdf

A couple of snippets


Which it then describes each of Intercity, Regional Express, Commuter, Metro with comfort, seating, standing, other facilities.   Interestingly it suggests some Metro fleet will be used on seasonal holiday routes to provide extra luggage and cycle space

Quite a lot of ideas and intentions (but no actual detail) of way forward

 

"Ever" is a very dangerous word.  I am reminded that the original electrification on the London and South Coast Railway was overhead, and that was replaced by third rail around 100 years ago.  Third rail around the Newcastle area was replaced by overhead ...

 

These days, private cars dominate so many places, but there are many excelllent sections within towns and cities which aren't overrun ...

Places I have enjoyed by train from West Wiltshire include:
Bath
Bristol
Frome
Oxford
Salisbury
Stroud
Gloucester
Cardiff - Central and Bay
Barry Island
Penarth
Salisbury
Hamble
London
Marlow
Dawlish
Exmouth
Poole
Weymouth
Chepstow
Worcester
Malvern
Bournemouth
Southsea
Tiverton (by bus from Parkway and canal walk back)
Isle of Wight (if you allow a ferry and have a deep pocket!)

And places that I really should take a (further) look at might include:
Exeter
Reading
Cheltenham Spa
Chichester and onwards toward Brighton
Sherbourne, Gillingham, Axminster, Honiton
Didcot, for rail centre

Less that 5 hours (for me), but fun:
Yetminster
Avoncliff
Severn Beach
Lymington
Brockenhurst
Bicester Village
Oldfield Park (to Midford)
Yatton
Burnham (for Highbridge)

Overrun with cars IMHO from the station might include Dorchester, Weston-super-mare and Newport

Not listing post-apololyptic places, nor "home" places within West Wiltshire.  Many more options if you allow a relatively short bus ride from a railhead.  And others if you are looking for countryside / canal walk

 
This has got to be a mistake, surely?

17:36 London Paddington to Plymouth due 21:25
17:36 London Paddington to Plymouth due 21:25 will no longer call at Dawlish Warren, Dawlish and Teignmouth.
This is due to forecasted severe weather.

17:50 Penzance to London Paddington due 23:59
17:50 Penzance to London Paddington due 23:59 will no longer call at Teignmouth and Dawlish.
This is due to forecasted severe weather.

 

Well - we now owe the credit card company rather more than was planned for the end of September, rather than buying in the Interrail Black Friday sale as we have done over the past three years. When and where we will be going remains roughly thought about for the next month or two and pretty vague for 2027.

 
The National Railway Museum in their Podcast episode 7Our "Most Controversial Episode Yet? Beeching Cuts" the head creator and one of the other museum creators discuss the lead up to the Beeching, Marples era and also touch on the 1982 Serpell report. 



 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3biVm1ju9x8

 

That's Swindon off the list then!

 
Those restrictions seem to exclude Weymouth. 

Nailsea? (That includes Tyntesfield, a rambling National Trust property, just to the north).

 
With thanks for your post here, infoman, I rather think that is a possible issue you need to take up with Hampshire County Council and Network Rail, who are actually doing the work.

 
If i have got this wrong please correct me.

I was under the impression that all new structures(bridges?) that they have to clearance for the possibility over head wires installation.
Although the images are not very clear if their is enough room for the over head wires

I think the chances of over head wires ever being installed on the that south coast line is very remote.

 
Do you have any suggestions for a day out, meeting the following criteria?

• A day trip by rail from Western Wiltshire
• Enough at the destination to occupy about five hours
• Decent cafe (doesn't have to be Michelin...)
• Destination doesn't look post-apocalyptic, which includes places that have become car-dominated

 
My view from Nailsea (a town of over 20,000 residents):  I'll try to keep this brief, as most of the points have been covered in posts above.

Nailsea High Street is a shadow of what it used to be, when we first moved here, over thirty years ago.  Long gone are the independent family butchers, bakers, greengrocers.

Similarly, long gone are the 'big four' Banks, and Nationwide Building Society, each closing down over the years.  We now have a 'banking hub', sponsored by the Post Office - but that's only available for pre-booked face-to-face appointments with a representative from a bank, not for any financial transactions.

Many of the previous independent shops in the High Street are now Turkish barbers (I've lost count of them), Chinese takeaways (there are now two, after a Chinese restaurant directly across the street from one of them closed), two nail bars and a myriad of charity shops.

Car parking is now subject to a charge, which the feedback I get from my occasional chats with a couple of businesses has had a detrimental effect on their trade.

A rank of what used to be shops towards the upper end of the High Street is being extensively refurbished / rebuilt: I haven't been able to ascertain, but I think they're going to become residential.

To end on a more positive note: we do have some successful and clearly busy shops on our High Street: Waitrose at one end, Tesco at the other, a Boots the Chemist (and Opticians) and a Post Office.

Chris from Nailsea. 

 
You certainly don't want a large fire in the Thatch ... 

 
Cancellations to services between Reading and Newbury

Due to a fire next to the track at Thatcham all lines are closed. Disruption is expected until the end of the day.

Train services between Reading and Newbury will be cancelled.

Customer Advice
We've been informed of a large fire close to the railway in the Thatcham area. As a result it has been necessary to close the railway, and no trains will be going through the area for the rest of the day.

 

Traffic is indeed getting slower - due at least partly to the ever increasing number of 20mph speed limits being introduced - with speed cameras to enforce them, sometimes.  I experienced the delay effects of that, in my grocery delivery van driving days.

CfN.