Recent Public Posts - [guest]
| Re: Lawrence Hill rail station to become step free with new lift In "Bristol (WECA) Commuters" [367739/30929/21] Posted by stuving at 09:32, 4th November 2025 |      |
It’s going to be a tight squeeze getting a lift in. Presumably the platform end signal will have to be shifted and the operational platform shifted back a bit towards Stapleton Road - it may not actually be necessary to bring any of the currently disused but back from the dead.
This is WECA's artists's impression of the thing:
| Re: Shortage of train crews on Great Western Railway - ongoing discussion In "Across the West" [367738/18719/26] Posted by ChrisB at 09:24, 4th November 2025 | |
The DfT specifies a service level & an overall budget to be spent, and the operator then has to match one with the other to the best of their ability. This budget is shrinking now year-on-year, meaning that savings need to be found in order to continue matching available budget to service level. Next year's is lower still according to a friendly operator.
Of course, they can exceed the service level if they think additional income can be generated, and the DfT agrees. As previously mentioned above, the operator cannot exceed or reduce headcount by more than 5% without agreement.
Removing route-learning from depots of course means that those drivers can be employed in actual driving services, meaning short-term cost gains but not needing as much cover for doing that.....
| Re: [otd] 4th November 2000 - Final printed Great Britain Bus Timetable In "Buses and other ways to travel" [367737/31030/5] Posted by Mark A at 09:16, 4th November 2025 | |
Never heard of that, and what a candid graphic on the cover.
Mark
| Re: Mid Cornwall Metro - Newquay, St Austell, Truro & Falmouth In "Shorter journeys in Plymouth and Cornwall" [367736/27102/25] Posted by Noggin at 09:00, 4th November 2025 | |
The entire South West so easily feels constrained in capacity and services. Makes me wonder what the optimum levels of both might be.
Mark
Mark
There is a psychology in passenger use of public (rail) transport ... the higher up this list, the more likely people are to take the train. And I would suspect that where a service frequency moves lots of people's planning from one category to another, it results in a sharp rise in passenger numbers.
1. Just turn up at the station to travel
2. Plan your day and make a minor adjustment to catch the best train
3. Work out your trains, then plan your day around them
4. Look at the trains to see if they work for you
5. Don't even thing about the train - be amazed if it runs at a useable time
It also raises the ratio of full-fare adults to discounted students/school kids/OAPs
| Re: Lawrence Hill rail station to become step free with new lift In "Bristol (WECA) Commuters" [367735/30929/21] Posted by Noggin at 08:56, 4th November 2025 | |
Incidentally, was it Church Road bridge that potentially needed to be rebuilt for electrification? If so, does anyone know if it's still considered necessary given the newer research around required clearances? Thanks
| Re: Derailment of Glasgow to London train near Shap in Cumbria - 3 November 2025 In "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" [367734/31028/51] Posted by GBM at 08:43, 4th November 2025 Already liked by Mark A | |
From the relevent rule book module:
You must immediately switch on the hazard warning indication where provided.
If you cannot do this, you must display a red light forward.
You must tell the signaller about the accident, and whether the electric traction current needs to be switched off, in the quickest way possible.
You must then check:
• if any other lines are obstructed (if in doubt, treat them as obstructed), and decide the quickest way to stop any approaching trains
• the exact location of your train.
When the signaller tells you that signal protection has been provided, you must place a track-circuit operating clip on:
• every other line that is obstructed, and
• the line on which your train is standing if the whole train has been derailed.
You must carry out emergency protection if:
• the signaller cannot provide signal protection, or
• you have not been able to contact the signaller.
If you need help in carrying out emergency protection, you must reach a clear understanding with the guard or any other competent person as to which lines that person will protect.
Contacting the signaller these days means placing an REC (Rail Emergency Call) on the GSM-R which simulaneously sends a 'stop immediately' message to all other trains in the area. They then acknowledge that they've stopped and can hear the conversation between the diver who placed the REC and the signaller (and join in on that call if appropriate).
Depending on the nature of the emergency, the driver might also then have to deal with emergency alarms being pulled on the train, passengers operating egresses etc. as well as liaising with the guard (if there is one) or other members of staff on the train and potentially speaking to their control and/or the police.
That's a lot to do in a short time for one person! Especially when adrenalin is flowing.
Thank you
| Re: Shortage of train crews on Great Western Railway - ongoing discussion In "Across the West" [367733/18719/26] Posted by John D at 08:19, 4th November 2025 Already liked by Mark A | |
Friday 10October 2025:
The protestations that we hear from time to time by GWR that there really are enough staff to run the scheduled service are wearing a bit thin, now
Multiple cancellations occur on a daily basis because there are insufficient staff
The protestations that we hear from time to time by GWR that there really are enough staff to run the scheduled service are wearing a bit thin, now
Multiple cancellations occur on a daily basis because there are insufficient staff
Staffing levels are within the agreed level set by the DfT.
You can’t drop below or go above that figure by 5%.
I have never understood how this works, DfT sets a service level to be operated under the management contract. Then basically seems to decide a number of staff to be employed even if it is insufficient contracted hours for the service they are financing.
I know in past decades when pay was lower, voluntary overtime was common, but we are in 2020s and concept that anyone would base a contract worth few hundred million pounds on hoping for a bit voluntary work doesn't compute.
Can someone please explain how this apparently works to me, because I cannot see any logic in this. Perhaps I am just being dumb.
| Re: Lawrence Hill rail station to become step free with new lift In "Bristol (WECA) Commuters" [367732/30929/21] Posted by Sulis John at 07:34, 4th November 2025 | |
It’s going to be a tight squeeze getting a lift in. Presumably the platform end signal will have to be shifted and the operational platform shifted back a bit towards Stapleton Road - it may not actually be necessary to bring any of the currently disused but back from the dead.
| Re: Melksham trains - "useless" has improved, but only to thin and unreliable In "TransWilts line" [367731/30717/18] Posted by matth1j at 06:28, 4th November 2025 Already liked by grahame, Mark A | |
The bus has been blossoming in use and we were disappointed / surprised that our service was just a single decker.
We took the bus into Bath the previous Saturday to catch a matinee at the theatre. When it picked us up in Whitley (2 miles down the road from Melksham) at about 12:40 it was already standing room only, and a number of potential passengers after that decided against boarding. A double decker would have been very welcome.It didn't help that there was a local rugby derby on, Bath were hosting Bristol, which also meant that progress was very slow down Walcot Street due to all the cars queuing to get into the Waitrose car park.
I know there's at least one double decker that gets regular use between Bath and Melksham, the 17:15 from Bath, but I don't know about any others.
| [otd] 4th November 2000 - Final printed Great Britain Bus Timetable In "Buses and other ways to travel" [367730/31030/5] Posted by grahame at 05:38, 4th November 2025 | |
25 years ago today - 4th November 2000 - publication of final edition of the Great Britain Bus Timetable.
Fascinating to see how some of the services that were very thin have been lost completely, but others which weren't frequent are now much more frequent.
| Overhead Line Equipment - ongoing discussion In "Campaigns for new and improved services" [367729/31031/28] Posted by grahame at 03:36, 4th November 2025 | |
Bit of a thread drift here, mods !
Noted - probably worth a split for the visibility benefit of both topics.
| Re: Melksham trains - "useless" has improved, but only to thin and unreliable In "TransWilts line" [367728/30717/18] Posted by grahame at 03:34, 4th November 2025 Already liked by Richard Fairhurst, Mark A | |
To support grahame, in his clear frustration - from one of his posts elsewhere:
At the end of the last couple of my visits to Melksham, I decided to catch the bus, which goes from the end of grahame's driveway in Melksham to Bath Spa station - for just £3.
... 5. Don't even think about the train - be amazed if it runs ...
At the end of the last couple of my visits to Melksham, I decided to catch the bus, which goes from the end of grahame's driveway in Melksham to Bath Spa station - for just £3.
We are quite a big town. On Sunday morning, I took the train with 41 other passengers when it left Melksham toward Swindon at 08:32. Yesterday morning, Lisa and I joined the bus into Bath at 07:35, and it was at the "oh my goodness" stage, shouts of "please move down the bus". We (residents of Melksham) need and use both, and that will be all the more the case with future population growth.
Improvements are sought. The train reliability sucks and that is damaging to put it mildly; I am amazed at how robust it has been but numbers are not as they should be and so many people tell me that they don't use public transport here "because". The bus has been blossoming in use and we were disappointed / surprised that our service was just a single decker.
| Overhead Line Equipment - ongoing discussion In "Campaigns for new and improved services" [367727/31031/28] Posted by chuffed at 22:59, 3rd November 2025 | |
Bit of a thread drift here, mods !
| Re: Melksham trains - "useless" has improved, but only to thin and unreliable In "TransWilts line" [367726/30717/18] Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 21:57, 3rd November 2025 | |
To support grahame, in his clear frustration - from one of his posts elsewhere:
... 5. Don't even think about the train - be amazed if it runs ...
At the end of the last couple of my visits to Melksham, I decided to catch the bus, which goes from the end of grahame's driveway in Melksham to Bath Spa station - for just £3.
| Re: Gatwick Airport - facilities, improvements and incidents - merged posts, ongoing discussion In "Buses and other ways to travel" [367725/20849/5] Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 21:34, 3rd November 2025 | |
From the BBC:
Gatwick second runway challenge filed at High Court
A legal challenge to the government's decision to approve a second runway at Gatwick Airport has been filed at the High Court, campaigners have said.
In its judicial review claim, Communities against Gatwick Noise Emissions (Cagne) alleges officials unlawfully failed to properly assess the environmental impact of the project.
Cagne told the government in October it planned to challenge its decision to back the expansion.
The Department for Transport said it was unable to comment due to ongoing legal proceedings.
Gatwick said it intended to participate in the proceedings as an interested party but "while legal proceedings are in progress it would not be appropriate to comment any further".
The £2.2bn privately-financed project includes effectively moving the existing northern runway to bring it into regular use, alongside other developments, such as extending the airport's terminals.
Gatwick estimates the expansion could result in more than 100,000 extra flights per year by the late 2030s, and says passenger numbers could rise to 80 million.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves said in September the plans would create "thousands of jobs and billions in investment".
The West Sussex airfield is currently Europe's busiest single-runway airport with more than 40 million passengers using it every year.
(BBC article continues)
A legal challenge to the government's decision to approve a second runway at Gatwick Airport has been filed at the High Court, campaigners have said.
In its judicial review claim, Communities against Gatwick Noise Emissions (Cagne) alleges officials unlawfully failed to properly assess the environmental impact of the project.
Cagne told the government in October it planned to challenge its decision to back the expansion.
The Department for Transport said it was unable to comment due to ongoing legal proceedings.
Gatwick said it intended to participate in the proceedings as an interested party but "while legal proceedings are in progress it would not be appropriate to comment any further".
The £2.2bn privately-financed project includes effectively moving the existing northern runway to bring it into regular use, alongside other developments, such as extending the airport's terminals.
Gatwick estimates the expansion could result in more than 100,000 extra flights per year by the late 2030s, and says passenger numbers could rise to 80 million.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves said in September the plans would create "thousands of jobs and billions in investment".
The West Sussex airfield is currently Europe's busiest single-runway airport with more than 40 million passengers using it every year.
(BBC article continues)
| Re: Mid Cornwall Metro - Newquay, St Austell, Truro & Falmouth In "Shorter journeys in Plymouth and Cornwall" [367724/27102/25] Posted by grahame at 20:00, 3rd November 2025 | |
The entire South West so easily feels constrained in capacity and services. Makes me wonder what the optimum levels of both might be.
Mark
Mark
There is a psychology in passenger use of public (rail) transport ... the higher up this list, the more likely people are to take the train. And I would suspect that where a service frequency moves lots of people's planning from one category to another, it results in a sharp rise in passenger numbers.
1. Just turn up at the station to travel
2. Plan your day and make a minor adjustment to catch the best train
3. Work out your trains, then plan your day around them
4. Look at the trains to see if they work for you
5. Don't even thing about the train - be amazed if it runs at a useable time
| Re: Mid Cornwall Metro - Newquay, St Austell, Truro & Falmouth In "Shorter journeys in Plymouth and Cornwall" [367723/27102/25] Posted by RailCornwall at 19:45, 3rd November 2025 | |
My major concern is the use of Platform 3 at Truro for the St Austell bound services, faffing around with the footbridges at the station for passengers from Falmouth will be a hinderance. It's a shame there's no facility to switch eastwards of Truro from platform 2 to the upmain in the vicinity of the new switch that was installed with the new signalling to enabling of routing down services onto platform 3.
| Re: Mid Cornwall Metro - Newquay, St Austell, Truro & Falmouth In "Shorter journeys in Plymouth and Cornwall" [367722/27102/25] Posted by Mark A at 18:21, 3rd November 2025 | |
The entire South West so easily feels constrained in capacity and services. Makes me wonder what the optimum levels of both might be.
Mark
| Re: Derailment of Glasgow to London train near Shap in Cumbria - 3 November 2025 In "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" [367721/31028/51] Posted by Mark A at 18:15, 3rd November 2025 | |
Quicker going Glasgow/Carlisle - Edinburgh/Newcastle and south than Carlisle/Leeds
Given that both are 2 carriages, 30 trains a day Carlisle - Newcastle and 8 Carlisle to Leeds, it might be about the capacity as well as the speed, the S&C offers around 25% more train, though perhaps, the two options counted as one, not more seats.
(Taking an October last-train-of-the-day southbound Carlisle to Skipton the other year, and progress south of Kirby Stephen to the summit felt... stately, with a sort of 'Ok, lets do this again' vibe from the 158...).
Mark
| Re: Derailment of Glasgow to London train near Shap in Cumbria - 3 November 2025 In "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" [367720/31028/51] Posted by Mark A at 17:58, 3rd November 2025 | |
***snip***
You must immediately switch on the hazard warning indication where provided.
If you cannot do this, you must display a red light forward.
***snip***
Looking at the abraded front end of that pendolino, I wondered if some of the inner components should be coated in something passively reflective. It's not likely that they will ever be exposed as a result of an impact, but if they are the reflectivity can deputise for the headlights... a lot of 'Ifs' though.
Mark
| Overhead Line Equipment - ongoing discussion In "Campaigns for new and improved services" [367719/31031/28] Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 17:55, 3rd November 2025 | |
Thank you for your post, BahnCard100 - and for quoting your source and disclaimer of any commercial interest.
On the Coffee Shop forum, we are delighted to see members posting such links to relevant reference material.
CfN.
| Re: Mid Cornwall Metro - Newquay, St Austell, Truro & Falmouth In "Shorter journeys in Plymouth and Cornwall" [367718/27102/25] Posted by Red Squirrel at 17:49, 3rd November 2025 Already liked by Chris from Nailsea, Mark A | |
The current plan to increase the service from 2 hour to one hour will mean more passengers but GWR know from experience with Falmouth and Paignton going from one hour to half an hour increases passenger number even more.
[...]
[...]
My recent experiences on the Falmouth Branch (offspring at uni in Penryn) have been a real eye-opener - trains very well-loaded.
| Re: Mid Cornwall Metro - Newquay, St Austell, Truro & Falmouth In "Shorter journeys in Plymouth and Cornwall" [367717/27102/25] Posted by REVUpminster at 17:23, 3rd November 2025 | |
The current plan to increase the service from 2 hour to one hour will mean more passengers but GWR know from experience with Falmouth and Paignton going from one hour to half an hour increases passenger number even more.
I think Newquay could well go half hourly in the future if they have the stock. Barnstaple also might be a candidate for a half hour service with the additional 175s
| Re: North Cotswold line delays and cancellations - 2025 In "London to the Cotswolds" [367716/29711/14] Posted by Worcester_Passenger at 17:16, 3rd November 2025 | |
1W01 09:52 Paddington to Hereford : started from Reading
1W02 1152 London Paddington to Hereford : arrived Great Malvern + 18 and cancelled thereafter.
15:18 Hereford to London Paddington due 18:29 will be started from Great Malvern.
This is due to a fault on this train.
Last Updated:03/11/2025 14:21
This is due to a fault on this train.
Last Updated:03/11/2025 14:21
| Re: Derailment of Glasgow to London train near Shap in Cumbria - 3 November 2025 In "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" [367715/31028/51] Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 17:15, 3rd November 2025 Already liked by GBM | |
Thank you for your clear and indeed authoritative post here, IndustryInsider.
Chris from Nailsea.
| Overhead Line Equipment - ongoing discussion In "Campaigns for new and improved services" [367714/31031/28] Posted by BahnCard100 at 16:28, 3rd November 2025 Already liked by Mark A | |
I note Mark A's reference to Thingley Junction and the associated OLE terms mentioned. I can recommend Garry Keenor's self published "Overhead Line Electrification for Railways" available both as a pdf and a hard back book. Garry is a Chartered Engineer, have a gander at www.ocs4rail.com. Perhaps I ought to add I have no connection to Gary, just a strictly amateur interest.
| Re: Multiple stabbings on a London bound train in Cambridgeshire - 01 Nov 25 In "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" [367713/31017/51] Posted by TonyK at 15:53, 3rd November 2025 | |
It is beginning to become clear that a member of on train staff has acted selflessly to protect those they have a duty of care toward. I believe the training focuses on avoiding conflict. Just occasionally though the incident is so serious and immediate that there isn't time to talk, just act.
In what must have been a chaotic and horrific environment that bravery is to be applauded. That member of train crew is a hero. I really hope they pull through.
Absolutely agree. The latest report says that the person involved is now in a "critical but stable" condition, which gives cause for cautious optimism.In what must have been a chaotic and horrific environment that bravery is to be applauded. That member of train crew is a hero. I really hope they pull through.
| Re: Derailment of Glasgow to London train near Shap in Cumbria - 3 November 2025 In "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" [367712/31028/51] Posted by IndustryInsider at 15:19, 3rd November 2025 Already liked by PrestburyRoad, Oxonhutch, Worcester_Passenger, Mark A, Timmer, GBM | |
Query to a-driver, please.
How the heck do you, as a driver, deal with this?
You will be badly shaken; adrenaline flowing.
Your training says the safety of passengers and the train.
Who do you call first - as in - the train manager/guard to check on passengers; signalling centre to stop everything; call the regional operational centre; Just where do you start!
How the heck do you, as a driver, deal with this?
You will be badly shaken; adrenaline flowing.
Your training says the safety of passengers and the train.
Who do you call first - as in - the train manager/guard to check on passengers; signalling centre to stop everything; call the regional operational centre; Just where do you start!
From the relevent rule book module:
You must immediately switch on the hazard warning indication where provided.
If you cannot do this, you must display a red light forward.
You must tell the signaller about the accident, and whether the electric traction current needs to be switched off, in the quickest way possible.
You must then check:
• if any other lines are obstructed (if in doubt, treat them as obstructed), and decide the quickest way to stop any approaching trains
• the exact location of your train.
When the signaller tells you that signal protection has been provided, you must place a track-circuit operating clip on:
• every other line that is obstructed, and
• the line on which your train is standing if the whole train has been derailed.
You must carry out emergency protection if:
• the signaller cannot provide signal protection, or
• you have not been able to contact the signaller.
If you need help in carrying out emergency protection, you must reach a clear understanding with the guard or any other competent person as to which lines that person will protect.
Contacting the signaller these days means placing an REC (Rail Emergency Call) on the GSM-R which simulaneously sends a 'stop immediately' message to all other trains in the area. They then acknowledge that they've stopped and can hear the conversation between the diver who placed the REC and the signaller (and join in on that call if appropriate).
Depending on the nature of the emergency, the driver might also then have to deal with emergency alarms being pulled on the train, passengers operating egresses etc. as well as liaising with the guard (if there is one) or other members of staff on the train and potentially speaking to their control and/or the police.
| Re: Derailment of Glasgow to London train near Shap in Cumbria - 3 November 2025 In "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" [367711/31028/51] Posted by ChrisB at 15:00, 3rd November 2025 | |
Quicker going Glasgow/Carlisle - Edinburgh/Newcastle and south than Carlisle/Leeds
| Re: Mid Cornwall Metro - Newquay, St Austell, Truro & Falmouth In "Shorter journeys in Plymouth and Cornwall" [367710/27102/25] Posted by Noggin at 14:51, 3rd November 2025 Already liked by eightonedee | |
From Cornwall Live:
The concerns that a local or regional service that calls only once every 2 hours is so thin that it puts off a substantial proportion of potential users are, in my experience, correct. I do not, however, know the potential user base at Bugle or Roche and cannot quantify / qualify the size of the market it will make a difference to.
At a meeting of Cornwall Council's sustainable growth scrutiny committee today (Tuesday, October 7 [2025]), Kevin Towill - Reform UK councillor for Newquay Porth and Tretherras - said: "It was always envisaged from the beginning of the Mid Cornwall Metro project that the train would stop at the villages - including Roche and Bugle - but I've heard a rumour this might not be happening now and the train will be running right through without stopping." He asked Cllr Dan Rogerson, Liberal Democrat cabinet member for transport, to clarify.
Cllr Rogerson said: "It is correct that the hourly service to Newquay will not stop at every station. I think it's more like a two-hourly service to those stations, which is not ideal. We want to encourage people to be able to get to a frequency of travel like perhaps there is on the Truro to Falmouth route which is half-hourly where people don't have to plan ahead quite so much and can hop on.
"There are real opportunities to do better in the future but for now, unfortunately, it will be an hourly service to Newquay and slightly less frequently to some of those clay country stations, which is not what I want to see, but that's where we're starting."
A recent report by the Diocese of Truro and Plymouth Marjon University found that poor transport links are hitting rural areas of Cornwall, particularly in the clay country area.
Cllr Rogerson said: "It is correct that the hourly service to Newquay will not stop at every station. I think it's more like a two-hourly service to those stations, which is not ideal. We want to encourage people to be able to get to a frequency of travel like perhaps there is on the Truro to Falmouth route which is half-hourly where people don't have to plan ahead quite so much and can hop on.
"There are real opportunities to do better in the future but for now, unfortunately, it will be an hourly service to Newquay and slightly less frequently to some of those clay country stations, which is not what I want to see, but that's where we're starting."
A recent report by the Diocese of Truro and Plymouth Marjon University found that poor transport links are hitting rural areas of Cornwall, particularly in the clay country area.
The concerns that a local or regional service that calls only once every 2 hours is so thin that it puts off a substantial proportion of potential users are, in my experience, correct. I do not, however, know the potential user base at Bugle or Roche and cannot quantify / qualify the size of the market it will make a difference to.
In my experience of commuting on the Bristol to Gloucester line, a 1 hour+ gap in service (planned or unplanned) is far from ideal, but many people will work around it if there's a practical plan B such as a bus, or if they have a partner/parent/sibling able to act as a backup.
What really made the difference though was when it dropped to half-hourly, at which point many in my office switched to the train from the car or bus. My pal in HR told me that it also made recruitment much easier, as early career people would baulk at the idea of having to buy a car, but were reasonably happy with 15 minutes on a train from Bristol and a 5 minute walk from the station.
