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Great Western Coffee Shop
Recent Public Posts - [guest]
Re: Night Riviera Sleeper train - between Paddington and Penzance
In "London to the West" [370754/489/12]
Posted by TaplowGreen at 12:52, 8th January 2026
 
23:45 London Paddington to Penzance due 07:55

23:45 London Paddington to Penzance due 07:55 will be cancelled.
This is due to forecasted severe weather.

Re: Eurostar - merged posts, ongoing discussion topic
In "The Wider Picture Overseas" [370753/26929/52]
Posted by grahame at 12:49, 8th January 2026
 
From The BBC

Ashford International is marking the 30th anniversary of its opening, despite international rail services not having stopped at the station for years.

The UK's second Eurostar station opened on 8 January 1996 following an 18-month, £80million construction project, heralding a new era in travel for passengers across Ashford and east Kent.

However, Eurostar services have not called there, or at Ebbsfleet, since 2020, when passenger numbers fell during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The landmark birthday has sparked renewed calls for international rail services to be brought back to the station.

Re: Storm Goretti
In "Shorter journeys in Plymouth and Cornwall" [370752/31405/25]
Posted by ChrisB at 12:40, 8th January 2026
 
Just the Okehampton and Gunnislake branches, unless they’ve changed their minds


Service suspensions from 6pm today
Devon: Services between Exeter and Okehampton, and Exeter and Barnstaple, will stop after the final services return to Exeter before 6pm.

So only those west of Exeter.....

Storm disruption
In "Shorter journeys in Plymouth and Cornwall" [370750/31405/25]
Posted by Sleepy at 12:32, 8th January 2026
 
If your travelling to Cornwall from London today the latest you can depart is at 1303. Sleeper's cancelled and all other services will terminate at Plymouth.

Re: Storm Goretti
In "Shorter journeys in Plymouth and Cornwall" [370749/31405/25]
Posted by grahame at 12:31, 8th January 2026
Already liked by Timmer
 
Just received from GWR:


Dear Graham,

We’re warning our customers that Storm Goretti is expected to have an impact on rail services over the next few days, particularly in the South West.

The Met Office has issued multiple weather warnings for the storm, which is forecast to bring strong winds and snowfall. Storm Goretti is being described as a multi-hazard event due to its potential impact on travel, infrastructure and public safety. On the railway, high winds increase the risk of falling trees and debris, while snowfall and icy conditions can affect the safe operation of trains.

Service suspensions from 6pm today

Due to an amber weather warning for strong winds, the following services will be suspended from 6pm this evening:

Cornwall: All train services will be suspended from 6pm this evening until Friday morning, with all trains stopping after reaching their final destination before 6pm.
Devon: Services between Exeter and Okehampton, and Exeter and Barnstaple, will stop after the final services return to Exeter before 6pm.
Passengers planning to travel on these routes are strongly advised to travel earlier in the day and not to attempt travel late this afternoon or into the evening. Replacement road transport will not be available, as road conditions are also expected to be hazardous.

Ongoing disruption and advice

Services on the affected routes are expected to remain disrupted on Friday morning, with short-notice cancellations possible.
While we will continue to operate as many trains as possible on all other routes, the severe weather may lead to short-notice changes and cancellations.
All other routes are currently expected to operate as normal, but customers are advised to check before travelling this evening and on Friday morning.
Customers with tickets for the affected routes may use them to travel earlier today or on Friday.
Network Rail engineers will be on standby in key locations to clear fallen trees and debris as quickly as possible. Station teams are preparing by gritting platforms, ensuring trains are ready for icy conditions, and adapting service patterns as the situation develops. Customers are advised to take extra care at stations, as platforms, steps and car parks may be slippery.

We strongly encourage customers to check their journey before travelling and throughout the day, and to allow extra time where possible. The latest travel information is available at https://www.gwr.com/storm-goretti. You can also read our media release here.

Any help you can give to make your networks aware would be much appreciated, and as ever, if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Best wishes,

Olivia and Heledd

I have bolded the "please share" which with today's copyright discussions may be taken as clearance to share  Image not available to guests

Metro Mayor defends Merseyrail performance in cold snap - Jan 2026
In "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" [370748/31407/51]
Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 12:27, 8th January 2026
 
From the BBC:

Image not available to guests
Metro mayor Steve Rotheram says lessons have been learned from when snow hit in January 2025

The mayor of the Liverpool city region has defended the performance of the Merseyrail network after icy conditions caused some delays and cancellations earlier this week.

Steve Rotheram said problems lay with the rail infrastructure, rather than the fleet of trains. One rail commuter said repeated cancelled services had turned going to work into "Russian roulette" in the winter months.

Operator Merseyrail said the issues were caused by ice on the tracks, with trains struggling to draw power from the third rail, which is the power source on the ground for the network.

Merseyrail said that despite Network Rail treating all lines with anti-ice solution throughout the night and during the morning's peak period – and implementing a "full range of preventative measures" – trains had struggled to take power in several locations.

On Tuesday, the Ellesmere Port and Chester lines were suspended from Rock Ferry. Services on the Ormskirk line and Hunts Cross line were also suspended during the morning.

One commuter told the BBC that using Merseyrail to travel to work was inconsistent in the winter months.

David Fairclough, who travels every day from Moreton in Wirral to Waterloo in south Sefton, said he liked the new trains and they were a "great investment" but added: "In winter you can't 100% rely on the network".

He said: "If we have a network that is unable to operate efficiently with a little bit of frost on the line then we've got something wrong."

"I don't remember this being as bad with the old trains," he added.

"The new trains are great, fantastic, you can plug your phone in, you can charge them, which is really handy. But we need to sort out the current trains, the current network, ahead of any other grandiose schemes that the metro mayor has."

Speaking on BBC Radio Merseyside's hot seat phone-in, Rotheram said the fleet of £500m trains had performed "really well", although this was not the experience of many of the listeners who rang in.

Rotheram said lessons had been learned from January 2025, when icy conditions caused the rail network to grind to a halt. In April, he commissioned transport expert Vernon Everitt to investigate what had gone wrong.

Rotheram said some infrastructure improvements had been made, but that it was not just the rail company's responsibility. He said: "We're having to foot the cost because we want the improvements for passengers, but this is something that national infrastructure should be paying for."

He added: "The problem that we have, consistently, are issues around infrastructure and that's because previous governments of all persuasions have not invested in the infrastructure, in the tracks and the signals. We've got analogue signals, but digital trains."

Rotheram said lessons would be learned from the events that impacted Tuesday's services and vowed to improve the passenger experience. "From last year, we've improved by more than 50% and we'll get better and better and better because we'll learn".

The Metro Mayor added that he travels by train "every day" and said he was committed to making Merseyrail "the best operating system in the country with targets of 97% for performance".


Re: Wales explorer 4 in 8 ticket: trip 3
In "Introductions and chat" [370747/31395/1]
Posted by grahame at 11:36, 8th January 2026
Already liked by Chris from Nailsea
 
Update: arrived in good order, after the service picked up an entire school full of children at Harlech.

Mark

It does / they do  Image not available to guests

The School just outside the station has classes that start and end to co-incide with the the times the trains pass there, and you'll see teachers escorting children to the station and onto the trains in the afternoon.   The closest a train comes to the school bus these days?


Re: Delivering South West England’s New Economy - Greenguage21 Report
In "Across the West" [370746/31402/26]
Posted by Witham Bobby at 11:27, 8th January 2026
 
How much would it cost?

I think it's possible that the proposals could be realised at a fraction of the cost-per-mile that's being poured into HS2 (which has all the signs of being a money pit with now bottom)

The cost of not making the south-west more resilient and better connected also needs to be weighed

Re: Three children fall from window of double-decker bus - Manchester, 7 Jan 2026
In "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" [370745/31399/51]
Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 11:25, 8th January 2026
 
An update, from the BBC:

'Stay seated' warning after boys fall out of bus

Image not available to guests

Pupils are being warned to stay seated on their school bus after three boys fell through the window of a double-decker.

The children were injured on Bolton Road in Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan, shortly before 16:00 GMT on Wednesday.

The boys' school, St Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic High, said there were "no life-threatening injuries and all three had been assessed in hospital".

The school urged parents to "please reinforce our message in school that pupils must sit in a seat for their journey if they choose to use the top deck of a bus".

The school said it was in contact with the boys' families "to offer our support" and was also offering support to pupils who witnessed the incident.

In a statement, the school head teacher, Mark Dumican, said: ""Contrary to some reports, there are no life-threatening injuries, and all three boys have been assessed in hospital. We are working with the police and with Vision Bus Company to determine the circumstances that led to this incident."

"Could all parents please reinforce our message in school that pupils must sit in a seat for their journey if they choose to use the top deck of a bus."

Greater Manchester Police said an investigation into the incident was in the early stages, but it appeared "to be an unfortunate accident".

The BBC has also contacted Vision Bus Company for comment.


Re: Bristol Temple Meads - station, facilities, incidents and events (merged posts)
In "Bristol (WECA) Commuters" [370744/10737/21]
Posted by BahnCard100 at 11:25, 8th January 2026
 
For those who wish to delve further into the work at Temple Meads there is an article in the current, that is January 7th, issue of Rail, entitled "Shipshape and Bristol Fashion... But at what cost?" Happy New Year to all!

Re: Bristol Temple Meads - station, facilities, incidents and events (merged posts)
In "Bristol (WECA) Commuters" [370743/10737/21]
Posted by Sulis John at 10:58, 8th January 2026
 
While it’s too much to expect that the canopies at the Eastern end can be reinstated to their original length (now that the Royal Mail “bridge” has gone), I hope that the truncated ends can be finished with something rather better than the current decaying plywood - which as yet is untouched.

Gains, Losses, Trials, Risks over the years
In "TransWilts line" [370741/31406/18]
Posted by grahame at 10:35, 8th January 2026
Already liked by Chris from Nailsea, Timmer
 
G - Gains,
L - Losses,
T - Trials,
R - Risks

The current ongoing issue (at Dilton Marsh) has encouraged me to think "is this a sensible campaign" to try to save a peak service there.  And the conclusion I come to is - yes - absolutely it is.  It's a question I have always asked myself, and always will, on any public transport campaign.  Things need to be moved on / modernised / made fit for the future and sometimes that means accepting, perhaps sadly, the loss of a service for the greater good.

Looking at Melksham and some related constituency issues, here are some of the more notable concluded losses and gains that I have been close to over the last 20 years.   Some dates may be subject to correction; all reported are the date the change happened.

L* - December 2006 - most trains through Melksham
G - December 2008 - Southbound Sunday train at Melksham
T* - Summer 2011 - Trail Sunday day trip service to Weymouth
G* - December 2013 - most trains at Melksham
G - May 2014 - Summer Sunday morning trains
G* - Summer 2014 - Melksham Rail Link Bus
G - Summer 2014 - Saturday through service to/from Weymouth
L* - Summer 2015 - Melksham Rail Link Bus
L* - 2015 - 234 bus route (evening)
R* - 2016 - All remaining evening and Sunday buses
G* - December 2017 - All year Sunday morning service
L - March 2020 - D3 bus route
G* - March 2020 - Evening runs on 273
L* - March 2020 - Half the Town Bus service
G - December 2021 - extra very early morning train
L* - December 2021 - Through trains Bradford-on-Avon to London (Waterloo)
G - December 2023 - Saturday evening train from Westbury to Swindon
L - December 2023 - loss of extra Saturday round trips
L - December 2023 - Through trains Bradford-on-Avon to Brighton
G* - September 2024  - Sunday buses to Chippenham and Trowbridge
L - December 2024 - loss of very early morning Swindon train
G* - December 2024 - later evening train, Monday to Friday
G* - December 2025 - early morning train connects to Weymouth

Items marked "*" were what I would describe as key campaign items.  That is NOT to suggest that I or we swung the balance on any of them - most of them are common sense, and our effect from the community is hypothetical. 

Where something is marked "L*" it is a very sad loss, and looking back at all of those, I feel they were poor decisions and defeats for the community.  The services lost were not neccessrily ideal ones, but their loss is still keenly felt where where no later gain shows

I've also looked through items marked "G*" and in all cases I am - err - relieved to report on their success. Sadly, the Rail Link bus got pulled for political reasons and at the cost of a large number of train journeys.  And I have not documented the arrival of improved car parking at Melksham Station, its initial success, and then its failure when charges were introduced and almost all the users who had been regular user switched to driving to other stations. If they have to pay to park, they may as well do so at a station with far more frequent trains, and direct trains to where they want to go.

Not listed above - ongoing issues.  This is a historic summary post.

Re: Wales explorer 4 in 8 ticket: trip 3
In "Introductions and chat" [370740/31395/1]
Posted by Mark A at 10:34, 8th January 2026
 
Update: arrived in good order, after the service picked up an entire school full of children at Harlech.

Mark

Re: Storm Goretti
In "Shorter journeys in Plymouth and Cornwall" [370739/31405/25]
Posted by a-driver at 10:25, 8th January 2026
 
There will be no services operating on Cornish branch lines from late afternoon today. 

I would also expect some disruption tomorrow morning whilst route proving is undertaken.

This INCLUDES the Devon branches too, according to Journeycheck. Complete journeys before 1800

Just the Okehampton and Gunnislake branches, unless they’ve changed their minds

Re: Three children fall from window of double-decker bus - Manchester, 7 Jan 2026
In "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" [370736/31399/51]
Posted by rogerpatenall at 10:16, 8th January 2026
Already liked by rogerw
 
How on earth can three children falling from the upper window of a bus be deemed 'an unfortunate accident'? Nevertheless, a sad tale. Hope the outcomes are as good as can be.

Re: North Cotswold line delays and cancellations - 2026
In "London to the Cotswolds" [370735/31371/14]
Posted by Richard Fairhurst at 10:09, 8th January 2026
Already liked by Witham Bobby
 
Very disappointing - it might get snowy up towards Chipping Campden, but there's no snow forecast here this evening, and it's perfectly possible to turn a train round at Charlbury. (And, in fact, the evening trains aren't going any further west than Moreton anyway due to engineering works!)

Re: Copyright of images - do you need to check your old posts?
In "News, Help and Assistance" [370734/31403/29]
Posted by Oxonhutch at 10:00, 8th January 2026
 
[snop] You may need the permission of people whose pictures you publish, or of their parents / guardians if they are children. You may not post indecent images, or images that incite or show violence, for example.

That said Graham, in UK law, there is no implied right of privacy when in a public place - and that includes a railway platform owned by Network Rail behind a ticket barrier. If you are in a public space, man or boy, you can be photographed, and that photograph can be published. If you took the picture, you own the copyright, not the subject in the frame.

The owner of the premises, in my example above - Network Rail, can ask you not to take photos at all, or maybe just not of certain objects, such as safety critical equipment - their land, their rules.

Re: Copyright of images - do you need to check your old posts?
In "News, Help and Assistance" [370733/31403/29]
Posted by grahame at 09:23, 8th January 2026
 
In keeping the posts on-topic of copyright in this thread, I have not re-iterated other reasons you cannot post even your own images.  You may need the permission of people whose pictures you publish, or of their parents / guardians if they are children. You may not post indecent images, or images that incite or show violence, for example.

Re: Copyright of images - do you need to check your old posts?
In "News, Help and Assistance" [370732/31403/29]
Posted by grahame at 09:13, 8th January 2026
 
That all makes sense.

Where do you/the poster stand when all a post does is to quote another webpage? I'm guessing the same? I think confirmation of that might help members?

Otherwise, we can provide a link to the original content where viewing can take place.

Yes, Chris - the same applies - "If you source images directly or indirectly from ..." in the original post that stared this thread.

The issue has arisen to be flagged up on the Coffee Shop NOT because of something that's happened here, but because of an article on the Daily Mail website about a rail issue, which was then copied onto a user group web site.  It seems that the Daily Mail had licensed an image for their article which, however, did not allow it to be copied onward by the user group.  The "oy" came not from the Daily Mail, as I understand it, but from the licensing company representing the original photographer who had made in available to them, probably to monetarise his/her picture.

If in doubt, provision of a link is a good idea.

Re: Storm Goretti
In "Shorter journeys in Plymouth and Cornwall" [370731/31405/25]
Posted by ChrisB at 09:03, 8th January 2026
 
There will be no services operating on Cornish branch lines from late afternoon today. 

I would also expect some disruption tomorrow morning whilst route proving is undertaken.

This INCLUDES the Devon branches too, according to Journeycheck. Complete journeys before 1800

Re: Storm Goretti
In "Shorter journeys in Plymouth and Cornwall" [370730/31405/25]
Posted by John D at 08:54, 8th January 2026
 
A few in our area

GWR
Oxford - Hereford
Forecasted severe weather between Oxford and Hereford means from 15:00 there will be no train service between Great Malvern and Hereford, and from 18:00 services will be cancelled between Oxford and Hereford. These alterations will continue until the end of the day.

Cross country
CrossCountry will reduce frequency on the following routes to hourly from 15:00:
Manchester Piccadilly - Birmingham New Street
Birmingham New Street - Reading
Birmingham New Street - Bristol Temple Meads

There is also a reduction in service on the Nottingham - Birmingham New Street / Cardiff Central route from 15:00.

SWR
The following trains have been cancelled. Please be aware that across the network, trains that do run may be delayed, cancelled or altered at late notice due to the severe weather.
19:20 Weymouth to London Waterloo
21:35 London Waterloo to Weymouth
22:18 Brockenhurst to Lymington Pier
22:35 London Waterloo to Poole
22:36 Lymington Pier to Brockenhurst
23:32 London Waterloo to Portsmouth Harbour
23:36 London Waterloo to Bournemouth

TfW
The following routes will be suspended today:
Between Maesteg and Ebbw Vale Town:

Starting from approximately 15:00 the following routes will be suspended:
Between Liverpool Lime Street and Chester:

The following routes are also affected but we don't have any additional information as of yet:
Between Bidston and Wrexham (Borderlands line)
Between Llandudno / Llandudno Junction and Blaenau Ffestiniog (Conwy Valley line)
Between Shrewsbury and Swansea via Llandrindod (Heart of Wales line)
Between Carmarthen and Whitland / Pembroke Dock / Milford Haven / Fishguard Harbour
Between Treherbert and Cardiff Central

Starting from approximately 15:00 the following routes will have a reduced service:
Between Merthyr Tydfil / Treherbert / Rhymney and Cardiff Central:
Between Coryton and Cardiff Bay:
Between Cardiff Central and Penarth / Barry Island / Bridgend
Between Cardiff Central and Carmarthen:

The following routes are also affected but we don't have any additional information as of yet:
Between Manchester and Chester
Between Holyhead and Shrewsbury
Between Crewe and Shrewsbury
Between Crewe and Cardiff Central
Between Birmingham International and Shrewsbury
Between Shrewsbury and Aberystwyth
Between Gloucester and Cardiff Central




Re: Looe Branch Line - timetables, cancellations, engineering work, closures and incidents
In "Shorter journeys in Plymouth and Cornwall" [370729/569/25]
Posted by a-driver at 08:47, 8th January 2026
 
There’s a lot of work that needs to be undertaken, possibly two weeks worth if not more.

There’s also planned engineering work closing the line from Monday 23 February to Friday 6 March

Re: Copyright of images - do you need to check your old posts?
In "News, Help and Assistance" [370728/31403/29]
Posted by ChrisB at 08:44, 8th January 2026
 
That all makes sense.

Where do you/the poster stand when all a post does is to quote another webpage? I'm guessing the same? I think confirmation of that might help members?

Otherwise, we can provide a link to the original content where viewing can take place.

Re: Storm Goretti
In "Shorter journeys in Plymouth and Cornwall" [370727/31405/25]
Posted by a-driver at 08:39, 8th January 2026
 
There will be no services operating on Cornish branch lines from late afternoon today. 

I would also expect some disruption tomorrow morning whilst route proving is undertaken.

Thanks for that update - noted.    I also note that at the time of writing, the Cornish main line service I still in place for normal service.

I suppose it allows them to focus resources on one particular area but I still think that could be an optimistic hope

If it’s as bad as the forecasters are making out, and depending on when high tide is, I can’t see them keeping Penzance open.

Re: Delivering South West England’s New Economy - Greenguage21 Report
In "Across the West" [370726/31402/26]
Posted by TaplowGreen at 08:34, 8th January 2026
 
How much would it cost?

Re: Looe Branch Line - timetables, cancellations, engineering work, closures and incidents
In "Shorter journeys in Plymouth and Cornwall" [370725/569/25]
Posted by ChrisB at 08:31, 8th January 2026
 
That will depend on the work assessments needed on the bridges damaged

 
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Current Running
GWR trains from JourneyCheck
 
 
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