Passenger numbers look like that are increasing, but, yes, it’s languishing at only 15% of the number of passengers last year compared to what it had in 2019.

Yes and no.  It’s a zombie franchise that is doubling the frequency from Par to Newquay from May, and therefore offering up many more options to and from London.

Providing the crew can be rustled up for them of course.

The airport is pretty well served from east London.  Three per hour from Liverpool Street, Stratford and Shenfield and one from Romford.

Though of course all four of those have a very frequent and fast service to Paddington via the Elizabeth Line nowadays.  Plus the service to Newquay is set to double in frequency from May.

Good luck to them, though these kinds of flights do seem to come along every so often and then end up going again a year or two later.

Given FB are now abandoning their fact checking, that doesn’t surprise me.

Fatality at Hanwell by the looks of it.  The ultimate unhappy new year for somebody then.  Thoughts to friends, family and all involved.

Sadly, we are now ‘in the season’ for such incidents.

Phew, thank goodness for that!  New Year, TG!   

TaplowGreen must be in hibernation. 

I think there'a a bit of truth in both arguments.  There's no doubt Parkway struggles at times even with its four platforms and two goods loops, as so much has to get routed through the flat junction immediately west of the station.  You don't want to make that worse, especially if those trains are starting/terminating there and taking up valuable platform space whilst they do.

Worcester's layout and signalling method means it can be congested with other trains without much else obviously about.

The reversal point is at Henwick.  There's not much space for a station there, let alone room for a car park and so on.  The number of trains that use it only number eleven a day with large gaps, such as one from 07:20 to 11:44, though many others pass through of course. 

A proper station just a little further on at Rushwick is part of a proposed development including 1000 homes and a school.  A study has concluded that a station there has much better potential than other locations nearby, inlcuding Henwick.  The full report is here (page 14 gives details of why Rushwick is the preferred location):  https://www.swdevelopmentplan.org/component/fileman/file/Documents/SWDPR%20Reg%2019%20Docs/Strategic%20site/Rushwick%20SOBC%20Final%20190321.pdf?routed=1&container=fileman-files

For the drivers, during the Westbury blockade at least, it's via taxis to/from Westbury.  For the TM^‡(resolve)'s I believe there is a small number of Weymouth based crew.

I made no mention of GWR in the post you quoted.  If it’s disingenuous at best, what is it at worst?

Come now, TG.  Since Covid you’ve often said in this new era of home/hybrid working that the railways need to encourage more leisure travel.  Yet you criticise when they try to do exactly that via the most persuasive method of doing so…reducing the price of the product. 

Given the story is from 14 years ago, and the trains being talked about (Class 313s) were over 30 years old even then and had never been fitted with toilets, they must be getting really old now?  Scrap that, they were scrapped last year! 

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