Great Western Coffee Shop

May I take this opportunity to wish all forum members a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

2011 has been an interesting year rail wise. Rail transport has been fairly high up the political agenda and many positive noises are coming out of Westminster. The industry, whilst it still has many faults, appears to be in pretty good shape.

Another year has passed (bar a few days) without any passenger fatalities on trains, whether that be as a fault of the industry or a third party. Travelling by train is safe and remains so. That said the problem of level crossing misuse is one area where there remains the potential for serious accidents. There have been numerous LC incidents this year, and whilst there have been injuries, we should all be thankful that there have been no deaths.

As the year ends fares and capacity/overcrowding are hot topics on this forum, other rail forums and the wider media. The annual spotlight on the rail industry because of fares increases has been dimmed somewhat by the decision of Government to reduce the increases from RPI+3% to RPI+1%. Still, a 6% increase is significant and will impact on those who have to use trains, particularly for those whose income is not matching inflation.

In FGW land capacity/overcrowding is being addressed thanks to stock cascades. The Bristol area is already seeing the benefits from cascaded Class 150s from London Midland. The Thames Valley should also see some benefit when the Class 180s return to the Cotswold Line (and possibly the odd TV diagram) freeing up Turbos for use elsewhere. I don't pretend that this cascade will solve all the problems of capacity and overcrowding, but it's one small step in the right direction. Other areas in the country may well have had as good a case for the freed up stock as FGW, so we in Coffee Shop land should be grateful that FGW were the net beneficiaries.

Paddington station finally got more daylight thanks to the completion of the work on the fourth span.

One of the most positive things from 2011, were the Summer Sunday trains to Weymouth organised by the TransWilts Community Rail Partnership (http://atrebatia.info/). These days out, along with the recent Santa Special really do highlight the viability of a more practical train service on the line through Melksham. Build it (or rather 'Advertise it') and they will come!

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So, what can we expect from 2012?

Well, the biggest thing on the horizon is the retendering of the Greater Western franchise. That process has begun and the DfT has started its consultation process (see http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=10025.msg104191#msg104191  for a current discussion on refranchising and where there are links to the consultation documents). Anyone can submit to the consultation in a personal capacity through bodies such as Passenger Focus and Local Authorities or through their MP. I urge forum members to do so if they feel strongly about issues they feel should be considered for the next franchise. This forum may also, in the coming days and weeks, look to gather opinion from the membership to put to the consultation. That is something under discussion by the admin/moderator team at the moment.

A new and improved Reading station is a work in progress and continues through 2012. Some benefits of the improvement work should begin to show through next year, although the entire project including the track layout and remodelling will continue through to 2015.


I'm sure there are many other things to look back on and forward to. So to that end I'll ask the wider forum for their thoughts on the past year and their hopes for 2012. Over to you.....

Cheers!

bignosemac.

Hmm. My colleague bignosemac has already said much of what I would have offered as my observations on the past year, and the year to come - so I'll be brief, for once!

It has been a great pleasure for me to be allowed to continue to contribute to this forum - with my (perhaps sometimes uncomfortable) news items, my snippets of local information to back up (or refute) the many and varied comments from our members, and my inevitable appalling puns.

I'd like to thank grahame in particular for providing us with this forum, and the other members of our moderator team for their very considerable hard work, 'behind the scenes', in helping to 'keep everything on track', so to speak.

May I wish all of our readers a very Merry Christmas, and a Happy (and hopefully prosperous) New Year!

Regards, and thanks,

Chris from Nailsea.  ;) :D ;D

Since you asked "the wider forum for their thoughts on the past year and their hopes for 2012", here's my (relevant) thoughts:

2011

Governments claim to be green, but still aren't

• Westminster still setting above inflation fare rises
• Westminster gives massive subsidy to aid motorists struggling with their fuel bills, but gives much lesser (in terms of cost to the government) help to rail passengers in reducing 2012's planned RPI+3% rail fare rises back to RPI+1%
• Westminster leaves crucial sections of GWML out of electrification plan (Swansea - Cardiff, Swindon ^ Cheltenham and Reading ^ Penzance, with no long-term strategy for replacement of INTERCITY 125s on Plymouth/Penzance trains, better than new diesel trains though)
• New Welsh government national transport plan pledges continued subsidy for RAF Valley - Cardiff air link (known as Ieaun Air due to previous Welsh transport minister Ieaun W. Jones being the main supporter)

In my area

• Great news for Fishguard line as it is (effectively) re-opened to local passengers by the introduction additional train services, and (sadly several months later) work starts on getting the station for Fishguard opened
• Terrible news for railway heritage as Fishguard^s original station building is demolished under orders from the council, despite being protected by a conservation area and the council^s rules about such areas
• Arriva Buses Wales ruin the Aberystwyth ^ Cardigan bus service by re-timing their X40 (Carmarthen ^ Aberaeron ^ Aberystwyth) services to take away crucial connections with Richards Bros Cardigan - Aberaeron services, and since they run the service on a commercial basis between Aberaeron and Aberystwyth, the council are unable to do anything about it

2012

I look forward to the opening of ^Fishguard & Goodwick^, the station for Fishguard, in March and hope that:

• The council commit to building a replica of Fishguard & Goodwick^s station building sometime in the future
• Efforts to introduce additional express services over the Swansea District Line pay off, or at least the current capacity and capability of the Swansea District Line is safeguarded for future use rather than being cut once redoubling of the Swansea ^ Llanelli line is complete in 2013/2014
• The WAG drop their commitment to Ieaun Air and let the contract lapse, then use the money saved to enhance rail services
• The shinny DVT that has just appeared in Arriva Trains Wales colours means the end of the current pair of Holyhead ^ Cardiff ^WAG express^ services, with a single express train, using the DVT, via Wrexham instead, releasing a 175 to start a cascade which results in a 158 being available to take the daytime Fishguard express boat train with the 150 off that being used to plug most of the 2-hour gaps in the Cardiff ^ Cheltenham ATW service (or something)
• GWML electrification to Swansea and Cheltenham is announced (it might be a bit too much to ask to get Penzance electrification in time for INTERCITY 125 retirement in 2035 announced, but one can hope)
• Electrification of all the ValleyLines, including Maesteg and Ebbw Vale (plus the Cardiff ^ Cheltenham route, which completes the Severn Tunnel diversionary route) is announced
  
• Plans for brand-new bi-mode intercity trains are scrapped, with better use of existing stock (including pantograph cars for the class 22x series and class 67s dragging East Coast^s off-wire services) and new pure-electric trains announced instead
• No stored passenger rolling stock is left aside while there are capacity issues on the network, even if they are only used for extra capacity on special event days, like music festivals, when there are unusually large passenger flows. In particular, I am referring to ATW^s mark 2 coaches, most which have sat unused for some time now.
• You all have some form of success in your campaigns to improve public transport, particularly where the current service is next to useless (as Fishguard's was)

Merry Christmas all.

2011 has been a very full year - much achieved if not (alas) in Wiltshire the goal that I've personally been working for which is to gain and retain an appropriate TransWilts service daily throughout the year.  2012 promise to be another very full year too. I'm delighted to hear people saying "when" rather than "if" now - there's a sea change in this as in some other aspects of rail, though so much potential that could be realised too.

Without all of you - the members, moderators, and my fellow administrators, this forum wouldn't be exist. So can I give a huge personal thank you to everyone who's contributed this year.  I look forward to reading your posts next year too, and to our vibrant discussions of who's who, what's what, and how it's done at the moment, and who should be who, what may be what, and how it should be done over the next 15 years too.

And thank you all, too, for making it so enjoyable.  Wishing everyone a very happy Christmas and a great New Year.

-- Graham

A very Happy Christmas and New Year to everyone on here from me too  ;D

Happy christmas and new year to everyone who is a member of this forum.

My thoughts on 2011:

Good year for rail with should I say partial electrification of the great western mainline being given the go ahead when some feared it would be scrapped.

Another good point was  thw new extra trains to Fishguard Harbour which are being used although more passengers will most likely use the service when Fishguard & Goodwick station is re-opened in march.

As others have said with the TransWilts line people will use the train if it is there for them to use. Hopefuly with the new GW franchise there will be more trains running over the route hopefully with a train providing an arrival into Swindon at 08:35 & a return service from Swindon around 17:30.

I know there have  been many other good points for the uk rail industry this year, for example FGW getting more class 150's & 180's to provide much need extra capacity as well as the go ahead for some electrification of the Transpennine network.

Now for 2012:


Extension of GW electrification to Cheltenham, Swansea & Perhaps to Plymouth. Bi mode IEP is scrapped  and a cheaper alternative  is given the go head whether its a full electric IEP or the proposal from Alstom.

I would also like to see the go head given to wire the Thames Valley branchlines and the line from Reading - Bassingstoke & Oxford - Coventry as well as electrification of the Cardiff Valley Lines network & Acton Wells Jct - Wilesdon  Jct, Gospel Oak - Barking.

I would also like to see a better TransWilts service as well as the go ahead being gievn to re-open the Portishead & Henbury lines in Bristol with electrification if the rumours going around about the wires reaching Avonmouth are true.


Finally I would like to hope all of the hard work by everyone on this forum as well as those working in the government and uk rail industry continues  and that we and sort out this whole financial mess the EU is in.

Having moved out of the main part of FGW's area this year, it has been very interesting keeping up with what's going on back in the West.  It seemed like a different world last time I was in Bristol, seeing 150/1 units operating on the SVB line!

Thank you to everyone who keeps the forums alive (admins, moderators and members) and hope everyone has a very merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from one of the forum clowns ;D

thetrout aka Dominic ;D

Here's hoping the naff puns continue and you don't run out of ideas and hit the buffers.

:P ;) ;D