My long memory going back to the introduction of Voyagers by Virgin over 20 years ago is that they started of with such a facility, but you had to be careful if you bought one of their all-day breakfast toasted sandwiches, with their volcanically hot fillings if eaten straightway on purchase....

 
I travelled from Taunton -Bristol (GWR local), Bristol - Paddington (GWR), Euston - Birmingham (Avanti), and Birmingham - Taunton (CrossCountry) yesterday (Sat 9/8/25). All in 1st Class.

On GWR local no catering - none expected. On GWR from Bristol I had three passes from the 1st Class host. On offer to drink were teas, coffees, juices and pop. To eat there was a selection of biscuits, cakes and a savoury snack box.

On Avanti there was nothing. Advertised on weekends is an at seat service including hot and soft drinks, bacon rolls, toasted teacakes, fruit salad, porridge. With a larger plate option of smoked salmon & scrambled eggs or mushroom bruschetta. Sadly, none of this was available to me as I'd chosen to ride on one of Avanti's new 5 car Class 805 Everos - actually 2x 5 car. 1st Class passengers at the weekend have to collect their complementary items (allegedly the full advertised weekend menu) from the on board shop. Three carriages away from 1st Class. The shop on my unit was closed - staff shortages, and only announced after departure when it was too late to change units. When I enquired about this with the TM she was full of apologies. Asking me what I'd like to drink and she'd fetch it from the closed shop for me. I said I quite fancied one of the ciders advertised on the 1st Class menu. None of those in the shop so she brought me back a can of Inch's cider - a retail product. I switched units at Milton Keynes. Bagged my 1st Class seat and walked the three carriages to the shop. No 1st Class stock had been loaded and the host wouldn't comp me anything, not even a hot drink. I purchased snacks and drink instead, keeping the receipt to add to a complaint - as suggested by the host. Now, I fully understand 'subject to availability' but it's a bit off to only find out this after swapping units and walking nearly the length of said unit. Along with the announcement about there only being a shop in the front unit, the host should also have apologised over the PA for the lack of any 1st Class complimentary items. Lesson learnt though. Next time I'll choose a service operated by a single 7 car Class 807 Evero, or Class 390 Pendolino.

Finally CrossCountry. Full, attentive and cheery service from the 1st Class host. Catering as advertised. Two passes between Birmingham and Bristol. A tuna crunch roll, savouries, cake, hot & cold drinks. A third pass after crew change, so I took the opportunity to grab another sandwich. In the bag for supper when I got home!

Marks out of ten, based on the advertised offering and the service onboard.

GWR 7/10.
Avanti 2/10. Those two points for the free cider the TM fetched. Would've been zero otherwise.
CrossCountry 9/10.

On a side note. My first journey on one of Avanti's Everos. Very nice trains. It seems they've looked at many of the things wrong with earlier iterations of Hitachi's AT300 UK classes (800, 801, 802, 803) and improved them. I particularly liked the information screens at the ends of carriages. Lots of information pages, showing journey progress, moving map, calling points... along with adverts for the onboard shop and safety/security information. Also shows CCTV feed...

 

Aware of the slow running, BobM ... will be taking a look at the pattern of traffic that's causing it.  It's intermittent but I do have logs to go back through when I'm fresher over the next couple of days.   I came home a week before originally planned / both Lisa and I find that beyond 2 weeks apart gets hard / so have a quiet few days once I recover from my 04:10 to 23:30 journey (door to door) on Friday.

 

I travelled Bristol TM - Paddington yesterday (Sat 9/8/25) in 1st Class. Quiet 0700 train. No sign of the TM for the entire journey. Which savesld me the £20 Weekend 1st upgrade.

I had a few rounds of refreshments from the host. Perhaps GWR should empower their hosts to take upgrades. I did offer, but he said to wait for the TM.

 
Look behind you!

I suspect because the site seems to be running a little slow, you didn't see my post just before yours.   Mine took 30 seconds from pressing post til actually submitting.

 

It reminds me of a pantomime - "oh yes it will" - "oh no it won't" - "oh yes it will" - "oh no it won't".  How are the customers supposed to organise their day with this going on?

 

Oh no they won't.



Perhaps that's a service that is supposed to be staffed by an Exeter crew for route learning and crowds at Newquay are delaying trains and have a knock on in Wiltshire?

 
Only the 18:10 from Castle Cary has been cancelled again because crew were delayed so the 19:43 is also a non runner.

 

Wot?  They (GWR) didn't pick that one up on their early warning radar?? 

 
See also, from the BBC: https://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/articles/czjm4zl20wzo 

 
Ticked 'Yes' because I have hospital appointments and wait until after a visit in case I need further treatment.

 
There is a saying down here in West Dorset that the weather changes from one end of Beaminster Tunnel to the other. On my numerous journeys through aforesaid tunnel that is often the case.

More recently perusing the Met Office rain radar you can see the rain progressing nicely from the west. However to the south of the arc defined by Lyme Regis, Beaminster and Eggardon Hill the rain seems to disappear from the radar.

Certainly, we have had very little here over the past few months and what we have had has hardly disturbed the soil.

 

Which means the 19:43 from Swindon to Westbury will now also run.

 

Good summary ... Services from Swindon to Westbury and beyond usually *do* use the short bay platform 2, but it's far from rare for them to use platform 1 or platform 3.    In summary, a system that is so stretched that when something goes wrong there aren't the resources available to organise or run the logically mitigated services.

Of course, we're talking one service here as to why it didn't run ... and just accepting the seven that were cancelled later in the day with a stoic shrug of the shoulders. 

 
Graham - Make Melksham great again! 

 

At face value it would have seemed sensible to send the empty stock from Bristol straight to Swindon.  However it is formed of two units totalling five carriages.  One unit is normally detached at Westbury station and goes to the sidings. Unfortunately it had already set off and reached Bath before being blocked.  Had it reached Swindon it would have been too long for the bay platform so would have taken up one of the through platforms until time to set off for Weymouth. 

It could probably have run to Westbury as a five with the rear two locked out of use but I suspect the bigger issue was crewing.  The empty units would have had no guard and there probably wasn’t time to get one up from Westbury even if the driver was able to take the train forward.   In the limited time available I suspect Control went for the defensive option.

 

 


GWR never manage to get this event right do they?

13:38 Newquay to London Paddington due 18:22
13:38 Newquay to London Paddington due 18:22 will no longer call at Totnes, Newton Abbot, Tiverton Parkway and Taunton.
It has been delayed at Newquay and is now 49 minutes late.
This is due to more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time.
Will be formed of 5 coaches instead of 9.

Onward connections from Plymouth packed to the rafters too apparently - fortunately the GWR Sunday BBQ syndrome isn't too bad today.

And please there's no need to jump in with "well better 5 than none" or similar, thanks! 

 

 
Delays to services between Newquay and Par

Due to overcrowding because of an event between Newquay and Par the line is disrupted.

Train services running to and from these stations may be delayed. Disruption is expected until 1700 10/8

 
Yesterday (Saturday 9th August 2025) was one of those days where so many trains were cancelled and some of it was bit by bit that I have used Real Time Trains to summarise:



The first cancellation was understandable due to "person hit by train" though that happens far too often and at dreadful cost.  The second train should have run with the empty going up to Swindon for it from Bristol rather than through the closed line at B-o-A.  The later cancellations were TOC failures to provide enough trains or staff to work them.

 
5Z86 0705 Laira T.& R.S.M.D. to Newquay (9 cars) was late leaving Laira, and arrived Newquay 40 minutes down.
It left Newquay 52 late, showing overcrowding (1Z86).
Journeycheck now offering ticket acceptance on local busses.
The local unit from Par to Newquay was held somewhere on the branch awaiting 1Z86 passing.
It left Newquay 54 late.
This being a 2 car unit.  Yet 2Z89 1235 Par to Newquay (5 car) still sits at Par.

Hardly a surprise there are huge crowds to move from Newquay, yet the 2 car unit is running.

 
Wow. Presumably one of the ex-Avanti Voyagers with their buffet counter left in-situ?

 
Different company. Yesterday I caught a Reading to Bournemouth Cross Country. Absolutely rammed (Southampton football match + half a dozen cruise ships). But instead of bicycle spaces, a manned buffet counter. First time that I could remember such "luxury".

 
Years ago, I heard a similar reason given by conductors (or whatever they were called, back then) who were issued with Avantix Mobile machines: "Sorry, I can't do that - the battery has just died".

 

 Ye Gods²  !!

 

"We're not checking/selling tickets on this journey - we don't actually have the equipment to do so with us" ... first hand comment to me, and recent.

 
If selling tickets on the train earns a commission why does there seem to be a marked reluctance by on board train staff to venture out and do so ?
I travelled from WMN to CDF last week, amongst other things: half length train (2 car 158), no air con.......... the guard made absolutely no appearance between WMN and BRI. I assume there was one, as someone was opening/closing the doors en route. After BRI (new crew ??) the guard appeared, not only checking tickets but she opened the windows !!

3p to scan each ticket ? Ye Gods !!

 



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