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grahame
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« Reply #45 on: July 13, 2012, 06:45:32 » |
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*To mods - I hope my use of the word "Chaos" is not deemed to dramatic here - on the Saturday I was caught up in it it caused about 2 hour delays to our journey and gridlock in the surrounding areas  I (personally) am happy with the use of the odd dramatic word here and there - as it emphasises what the poster feels. Where such dramatisation and capitalisation becomes routine from any particular source, it tends to loose effect and devalue the source in the readers eyes, so is self-defeating. And it's mostly up to the provider of the source if he/she wants to go down that road. |
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Coffee Shop Admin, Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, TravelWatch SouthWest Board Member
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Btline
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« Reply #46 on: July 13, 2012, 09:02:29 » |
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That's bizarre. Even last night on newsnight they said it would be closed for ages.
Anyway, good news for commuters...
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Bristolboy
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« Reply #47 on: July 13, 2012, 22:05:39 » |
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To run risk of restarting the argument I was on train today from London and one other passenger was on it having taken the train in to work on Sunday night and returned today. they said normally they would drive but took the train on Sunday night due to the risk of traffic!
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grahame
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« Reply #48 on: July 14, 2012, 06:19:20 » |
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Noticably busy at Paddington last night:  Picture taken (according to my iPhone) at 19:13. It's the 19:15 to the Swansea on the left, and a newly arrived train that formed the 19:30 to Weston-super-Mare (not yet emptied, let alone announced) on the right. I suspect that FGW▸ were an HST▸ down as they were doing some impressively quick turn arounds. Not sure, but I rather suspect that there were some end-of-week folks in this jamboree who had spent then week in London; it wasn't just commuters, and the 19:30 which is always full to Reading was "rammed" last night. Even by Chippenham (where I got off) there were people sitting in the entrance lobbies / on the floor. Had any of those decided to use the train rather than drive due to earlier M4 issues? I think it's likely; speaking personally, I had so much luggage with me (for work) that it was a knife-edge decision if I could practically do it by train and I may well have driven if it wasn't for shuddering at the potential chaos on Thursday morning (hence need to travel up the previous evening) and parking issues in the London Bridge area. |
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Coffee Shop Admin, Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, TravelWatch SouthWest Board Member
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johoare
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« Reply #49 on: July 14, 2012, 15:05:16 » |
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Wow... that is busy even for Paddington on a bad day when there are no trains!  I've been over the elevated section of the M4 four times today (no more though, four was enough) and was very glad it was open!! |
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Bristolboy
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« Reply #51 on: July 15, 2012, 10:44:21 » |
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Noticably busy at Paddington last night: Picture taken (according to my iPhone) at 19:13. It's the 19:15 to the Swansea on the left, and a newly arrived train that formed the 19:30 to Weston-super-Mare (not yet emptied, let alone announced) on the right. I suspect that FGW▸ were an HST▸ down as they were doing some impressively quick turn arounds. Not sure, but I rather suspect that there were some end-of-week folks in this jamboree who had spent then week in London; it wasn't just commuters, and the 19:30 which is always full to Reading was "rammed" last night. Even by Chippenham (where I got off) there were people sitting in the entrance lobbies / on the floor. Had any of those decided to use the train rather than drive due to earlier M4 issues? I think it's likely; speaking personally, I had so much luggage with me (for work) that it was a knife-edge decision if I could practically do it by train and I may well have driven if it wasn't for shuddering at the potential chaos on Thursday morning (hence need to travel up the previous evening) and parking issues in the London Bridge area. That was in fact the train I was on and like the service you were on, when I got off at bristol parkway there was still widespread standing in aisles, doorways etc. |
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Southern Stag
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« Reply #52 on: July 15, 2012, 18:10:16 » |
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19:00-19:30 at Paddington is always incredibly busy, especially on Fridays as it's when Super Off Peak tickets become valid again after the evening peak.
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eightf48544
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« Reply #53 on: July 16, 2012, 09:10:30 » |
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19:00-19:30 at Paddington is always incredibly busy, especially on Fridays as it's when Super Off Peak tickets become valid again after the evening peak.
Just another reason why restrictions on these tickets don't make sense. Isn't there 18:55 from Euston to somewhere which is empty and a 19:05 which is full and standing. |
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JayMac
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« Reply #54 on: July 16, 2012, 18:48:12 » |
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Noticably busy at Paddington last night:
I've been looking at the picture above for ages and I still haven't found Wally.....    |
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"A clear conscience laughs at a false accusation."
"Treat everyone the same until you find out they're an idiot."
"Moral indignation is a technique used to endow the idiot with dignity."
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johoare
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« Reply #55 on: July 16, 2012, 19:32:39 » |
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Noticably busy at Paddington last night:
I've been looking at the picture above for ages and I still haven't found Wally..... The first thing I did when I read what you said, bignosemac, was do exactly the same thing!!  |
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grahame
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« Reply #56 on: July 17, 2012, 05:59:37 » |
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19:00-19:30 at Paddington is always incredibly busy, especially on Fridays as it's when Super Off Peak tickets become valid again after the evening peak.
Just another reason why restrictions on these tickets don't make sense. The ticketing consultation which closed last month ( http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=10580.0 ) was - amongst other things - wondering about adding extra fare levels so that the big stair-step times where everyone waits for a significantly cheaper off peak service (thus making it peak) are reduced. Having said that, a big point of offpeak is to encourage passengers onto trains which would otherwise be rather queit, so there could be an argument that says that this is working. Offpeak fares / times are regulated. I think that it's "super offpeak" that's regulated on the flow from London to Bristol, and that anything after 19:30 in the evening has to be super offpeak. Have I got that right? |
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Coffee Shop Admin, Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, TravelWatch SouthWest Board Member
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Southern Stag
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« Reply #57 on: July 17, 2012, 12:27:02 » |
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19:00-19:30 at Paddington is always incredibly busy, especially on Fridays as it's when Super Off Peak tickets become valid again after the evening peak.
Just another reason why restrictions on these tickets don't make sense. Isn't there 18:55 from Euston to somewhere which is empty and a 19:05 which is full and standing. Yes, it is particularly bad out of Euston. On FGW▸ it is slightly better as there are Off-Peak and Super Off-Peak tickets, whereas on Virgin there are no Super Off-Peak tickets. |
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