Great Western Coffee Shop

A comment to me yesterday (on the phone) that we're quiet on GWR passenger topics at present. And perhaps that's because GWR trains are quiet, and there's not too much newsey / changing.  I had a look through the news feed on the top of this site for the last 24 hours (as of 08:45 this morning  ... 140 stories, virtually nothing pure GWR area and only a handful in overlap territory to TfL / TfW / SWR. In so may ways, no news is good news.    Here's the full set, bolding those of particular interest in our area

Low-bidder named for $400m US rail scheme The Construction Index08:45
Live London Overground updates as police incident near Highmans Park affects Cheshunt rail… Herts Live08:17
Disruption between Manchester Piccadilly and New Mills Central expected until 08:30 National Rail (Press Release)07:52
Watchdog calls for part time season tickets to help commuters back to work London TravelWatch07:44
Disruption between Streatham and Mitcham Eastfields expected until 08:30 National Rail (Press Release)07:42
Person dies after being hit by train near Guildford Get Surrey07:33
National Railway Museum seeks architect for next phase of £55m upgrade Building Design07:27
FS International completes Ferrocarril Central advisory work Railway Gazette07:23
Sydney Trains selects SafeZone for security and emergency management Railway Gazette07:23
HS2 corporate affairs director departs PRWeek07:07
Fenchurch Street station may need to move IanVisits (Weblog)07:03
Disruption through Bicester North expected until 08:00 National Rail (Press Release)06:42
Winvic starts work on DIRFT III intermodal freight terminal Railway Gazette06:23
Crossrail | Supply chain furloughing workers hit productivity New Civil Engineer06:21
HS2 asks SMEs to come up with ideas to speed up building work Building Magazine06:14
Starting whistle blows for next scheme in £55m overhaul of National Railway Museum Building Magazine06:14
Get passengers back on board trains with better fares deals, says watchdog Global Railway Review06:13
Disruption between Leamington Spa and Birmingham Moor Street expected until 08:45 National Rail (Press Release)06:12
North Bay Railway In Scarborough Vandalised Yorkshire Coast Radio06:07
Spencer Group Completes Rail Project Building Design & Construction Magazine06:03
Stonehaven train tragedy: One person remains in hospital as plans to remove carriages from tracks discussed The Press and Journal05:39
Disruption to London Overground services between London Liverpool Street and Chingford / Cheshunt expected until 08:30 National Rail (Press Release)05:32
HS2 launches next phase of ideas accelerator with Innovation Birmingham Business Live03:55
Disruption through Carlisle expected until 08:30 National Rail (Press Release)03:21
HS2 seeks innovation partners to improve railway New Civil Engineer01:10
Amended Thameslink service to / from Sutton each morning from Tuesday 18 until Friday 21 August National Rail (Press Release)00:20
Amended early morning Great Western Railway service between Redhill and Gatwick Airport from Tuesday 18 until Friday 21 … National Rail (Press Release)00:20
Cut rail fares to counter Covid slump in train travel, watchdog urges The Guardian00:03
Indigenous group blocks railway line in northern Mexico Mail Online23:42 Mon, 17 Aug
Racist thug floored after rant at Tube passengers Metro.news23:33 Mon, 17 Aug
Disruption between Totnes / Paignton and Newton Abbot expected until the end of the day National Rail (Press Release)22:59 Mon, 17 Aug
How ‘Peninsula’ became Asia’s pandemic success story ScreenDaily22:18 Mon, 17 Aug
The stories behind 9 strange London Underground station names My London21:22 Mon, 17 Aug
Will Smith and Kevin Hart to star in Planes, Trains and Automobiles remake Contactmusic.com21:09 Mon, 17 Aug
Eye-catching fake Bayswater houses reveal a hidden secret of the London Underground's past My London21:02 Mon, 17 Aug
Disruption between Guildford and Havant expected until 21:30 National Rail (Press Release)20:18 Mon, 17 Aug
Funding in place for new tramstop and Park and Ride on Supertram Tram-Train line British Trams Online20:08 Mon, 17 Aug
Disruption between Birmingham Snow Hill and Kidderminster expected until the end of the day National Rail (Press Release)20:08 Mon, 17 Aug
Tickets Alert: Virtual tours of disused tube stations IanVisits (Weblog)19:49 Mon, 17 Aug
Plans on track to reopen railway station which shut more than 50 years ago Northwich Guardian19:40 Mon, 17 Aug
Man who spat at female doctor on Merseyrail train during coronavirus lockdown sentenced Wirral Globe19:39 Mon, 17 Aug
Bucks residents could save nearly £2,000 in train fares due to new Government guidelines Bucks Free Press19:37 Mon, 17 Aug
Neville’s farewell after 50 years - man retires with Chiltern Railways Bucks Free Press19:37 Mon, 17 Aug
Pictured: Roof sliced off from double decker bus after hitting Wishaw railway bridge Glasgow Evening Times19:37 Mon, 17 Aug
Double decker bus collides with rail bridge in Wishaw Glasgow Evening Times19:37 Mon, 17 Aug
Disruption between Leeds and Dewsbury expected until the end of the day National Rail (Press Release)19:28 Mon, 17 Aug
Disruption between Stratford-upon-Avon and Leamington Spa / Dorridge expected until 19:30 National Rail (Press Release)19:08 Mon, 17 Aug
LNWR announce plans to reopen Bletchley-Bedford line CitiBlog19:04 Mon, 17 Aug
Disruption between Croydon / Crystal Palace and London Bridge / Surrey Quays expected until the end of the day National Rail (Press Release)18:58 Mon, 17 Aug
Greater Anglia managing director welcomes customers back to the railway with pandemic safety… Greater Anglia (Press Release)18:43 Mon, 17 Aug
Minute silence planned for rail crash victims Northern Scot, Scotland18:37 Mon, 17 Aug
Santa Trains and Beeston Panto cancelled South Leeds Life18:27 Mon, 17 Aug
Hull Trains to return after 137 days with incredible offer Hull Live17:47 Mon, 17 Aug
Posh train heading to Gloucester to take passengers on 1930s-style trip to Torquay Gloucester Live17:37 Mon, 17 Aug
August tender for German-Polish bridge Infrastructure Journal17:31 Mon, 17 Aug
Roof sliced off bus as it hits rail bridge BBC17:01 Mon, 17 Aug
Racist Knocked Out With Single Punch After Rant At Black Passengers On London Underground UNILAD17:00 Mon, 17 Aug
London advocacy groups call for Waterloo and City Tube line to reopen City AM16:55 Mon, 17 Aug
Shocking CCTV shows people risking their lives on level crossings - including a father and his young daughter posing… The Scarborough News16:52 Mon, 17 Aug
Singapore watchdog approves Alstom’s acquisition of Bombardier railway-technology.com16:41 Mon, 17 Aug
Delays and disruption after train hits bike Kent Messenger16:39 Mon, 17 Aug
HS2 launches second wave of Innovation Accelerator recruitment Rail Technology Magazine16:39 Mon, 17 Aug
Israeli investor glee met with Emirati caution after deal on ties Reuters16:28 Mon, 17 Aug
White supremacist gets knocked out after racist rant against black people on London Underground IBTimes.co.uk16:26 Mon, 17 Aug
Children trespassing on Aylesbury railway Mix 9616:20 Mon, 17 Aug
Knorr Bremse wins major Siemens Mobility contract Machinery Market16:19 Mon, 17 Aug
Avanti West Coast announce more services from September Rail Technology Magazine16:18 Mon, 17 Aug
Overhead electric wires warning after kite flyers risk their lives Network Rail15:59 Mon, 17 Aug
Innovative imagery survey set to improve passenger journeys Rail Technology Magazine15:58 Mon, 17 Aug
Disruption between Stoke-on-Trent and Stafford / Rugeley Trent Valley expected until 16:30 National Rail (Press Release)15:56 Mon, 17 Aug
Disruption at Maidstone East expected until 17:15 National Rail (Press Release)15:56 Mon, 17 Aug
Tunnel breakthrough marks progress in China – Laos link Railway Gazette15:47 Mon, 17 Aug
Coventry Railway Station £21,000 "temporary" flash crossing removed Coventry Live15:46 Mon, 17 Aug
Bellwin scheme unlocked to support financial impact of Stonehaven train crash The Press and Journal15:25 Mon, 17 Aug
Durham and Darlington passengers told to AVOID rail travel to London on these dates The Northern Echo15:16 Mon, 17 Aug
Murphy chosen to build new Soham rail station Association of Consulting Engineers (Press Release)15:09 Mon, 17 Aug
Ryanair to slash flight capacity by a fifth next month as booking slump over quarantine fears Mail Online15:09 Mon, 17 Aug
Carlisle to welcome steam locomotive 35018 British India Line this Tuesday RailAdvent15:07 Mon, 17 Aug
Disruption between Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury expected until 16:00 National Rail (Press Release)15:06 Mon, 17 Aug
World leading imagery survey set to improve passenger journeys Network Rail14:39 Mon, 17 Aug
Photos from Wishaw crash scene show roof sliced off double decker bus Glasgow Live14:36 Mon, 17 Aug
Double decker bus crashes into Wishaw rail bridge Glasgow Live14:26 Mon, 17 Aug
HS2 signs agreement to access world-leading R&D Machinery Market14:18 Mon, 17 Aug
‘Immediate start’ to station refresh programme Railway Gazette14:16 Mon, 17 Aug
Direct Shrewsbury to London train service to restart Shropshire Star14:15 Mon, 17 Aug
LNER removes restrictions on some Grantham train services Nub News14:07 Mon, 17 Aug
RMT demands action from LUL over rising levels of violent assaults RMT (Press Release)13:44 Mon, 17 Aug
LNER eases Friday ticket restrictions Business Traveller13:42 Mon, 17 Aug
One person remains in hospital after train tragedy BBC13:39 Mon, 17 Aug
Soham station contract awarded Network Rail13:28 Mon, 17 Aug
Manufacturing Technology Centre on track with railway security project TheBusinessDesk.com13:27 Mon, 17 Aug
Cottesmore Rocks by Rail commemorates VJ Day Nub News13:26 Mon, 17 Aug
Anger as Costa Coffee set to open in Eastbourne railway station SussexLive13:26 Mon, 17 Aug
Passengers lucky escape as roof is sliced from double decker bus when it collides with railway… Daily Record13:26 Mon, 17 Aug
Redditch restaurant bosses voice fears over railway station revamp proposal Redditch Advertiser, Worcestershire13:13 Mon, 17 Aug
Double decker bus crashes into Wishaw rail bridge as police attend scene Glasgow Live12:45 Mon, 17 Aug
Video shows racist man knocked out after calling black men 'pets' on the London Underground My London12:38 Mon, 17 Aug
Wakefield passengers warned to avoid travel to London as vital work continues on £1.2billion East Coast upgrade Pontefract and Castleford Express12:32 Mon, 17 Aug
Harrogate rail passengers unable to travel to London on first weekend in September Harrogate Advertiser12:31 Mon, 17 Aug
Vehicle collides with Wishaw bridge as rail services disrupted Glasgow Live12:25 Mon, 17 Aug
Access all areas at Coulsdon South as £3m bridge is finished Inside Croydon12:24 Mon, 17 Aug
East Coast Main Line passengers urged not to travel to London on first weekend of September Business Live12:21 Mon, 17 Aug
Stonehaven rail crash: One person still in hospital after train horror that killed three Daily Record12:18 Mon, 17 Aug
Subway store in Fareham announces permanent closure due to coronavirus The News, Portsmouth12:08 Mon, 17 Aug
Wales lifts essential travel restrictions Passenger Transport11:55 Mon, 17 Aug
Marston Vale's Bedford to Bletchley train line to re-open next Monday in Milton Keynes Milton Keynes Citizen11:49 Mon, 17 Aug
HS2 Ltd launches Part Two of its Innovation Accelerator recruitment programme Global Railway Review11:46 Mon, 17 Aug
Cairo metro Line 3 reaches New Administrative Capital Railway Gazette11:45 Mon, 17 Aug
Fresh plans to build homes in Goring Gap submitted Worthing Herald11:40 Mon, 17 Aug
Train delays and cancellations to continue until this afternoon due to fault The Argus, Sussex11:35 Mon, 17 Aug
Plan could save Warrington to Liverpool commuters £656 a year Warrington Guardian11:35 Mon, 17 Aug
Rail passenger raises Covid complaint about ticket barrier staff Glasgow Evening Times11:34 Mon, 17 Aug
Scotland to hold minute's silence after train crash tragedy — here's when Clydebank Post11:34 Mon, 17 Aug
Call to launch flexible rail tickets as more people work from home Dorset Echo11:32 Mon, 17 Aug
Second entrance could be added to Oxford Train Station in the future Oxford Mail11:30 Mon, 17 Aug
Network Rail makeover Hurst Green station in East Sussex which is in the fourth largest Area of Outstanding Beauty Network Rail11:28 Mon, 17 Aug
York rail passengers told: don't travel to London on first weekend of September York Press11:27 Mon, 17 Aug
Blackpool, Edinburgh, Wrexham and Shrewsbury return for Avanti West Coast trains RailAdvent11:26 Mon, 17 Aug
Movie Review – Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula (2020) Flickering Myth11:24 Mon, 17 Aug
UK’s Liberty Steel acquires French rail producer Hayange railway-technology.com11:20 Mon, 17 Aug
Disruption between Cardiff Central and Barry / Penarth expected until 13:00 National Rail (Press Release)11:15 Mon, 17 Aug
SEC Newgate Inks First Contract For AI Platform With Railway Operator London South East11:09 Mon, 17 Aug
BNSF recognises customers for excellence in product safety Dry Bulk11:00 Mon, 17 Aug
Southeastern unlocks Back to School travel with contactless card Southeastern Trains (Press Release)10:53 Mon, 17 Aug
No trains to London King's Cross over weekend in September Grantham Today10:46 Mon, 17 Aug
Monday essay: Stonehaven answers Railnews10:44 Mon, 17 Aug
Racist thug knocked out with single punch after shouting 'black people are pets' Daily Star10:36 Mon, 17 Aug
HS2 enters research partnership with UKRRIN railway-technology.com10:19 Mon, 17 Aug
LNER eases Friday peak to assist with social distancing LNER (Press Release)10:15 Mon, 17 Aug
No trains in or out of London King’s Cross over first weekend in September as vital work continues on £1.2billion East… Network Rail10:07 Mon, 17 Aug
Concept designs revealed for major Edinburgh Waverley upgrade RailAdvent09:45 Mon, 17 Aug
Hull Trains to restart this week Railnews09:43 Mon, 17 Aug
Old Broughty Ferry lifeboat given new lease of life in Australia Dundee Evening Telegraph09:35 Mon, 17 Aug
Train Graffitist Caught On Camera – But Police Fail To Show Island Echo09:33 Mon, 17 Aug
Signal fault delaying trains in North Norfolk Norwich Evening News09:27 Mon, 17 Aug
Improving railway rolling-stock maintenance Industrial Plant and Equipment Stories Feed09:26 Mon, 17 Aug
Railway crossing safety warning as trains return to Marston and Abbey Vale lines Network Rail09:17 Mon, 17 Aug
Returning pupils can expect 'close to 100pc' of train services, pledges West Midlands Trains boss Leamington Observer, Warwickshire09:09 Mon, 17 Aug
Station's overflow car park closing for Metro work Express & Star09:04 Mon, 17 Aug
RMT urges flexible tickets for home workers after virus crisis ends ITV08:55 Mon, 17 Aug

Yes, it's amazing how quiet it gets when things aren't too bad.  After all, it's much more pleasurable to travel by train than normal at the moment, as long as you can put up with the social distancing and face covering rules.  Punctuality is good, most trains are quiet - doesn't appeal to the headline makers.

One thing struck me last week when we had the three day hot spell with thunderstorms.  Nothing much seemed to go wrong on GWR!  Cast your mind back a few years (last year in the case of IET engines) and as soon as the thermometer breached the 30 degree mark, there was a very good chance of chaos on the rails.  Whether it was the infrastructure failing, widespread heat related speed restrictions, or the trains failing.

Neither seemed to happen to any significant degree last week, or during the previous hot spell this summer.

Is it because fewer people are travelling and fewer trains are running?  Sure, I'm confident that is part of the picture.

But only part of the picture as it does seem that Network Rail and GWR have got on top of things much better in the last couple of years.  The infrastructure, specifically points and signals, seem to hold up much better now that quite a lot of it has been renewed.  The overhead electrification is proving able to cope with any extremes thrown at it.  The trains are behaving themselves, with 387s working very reliably, and even IETs (which were suffering from engine problems last year due to problems keeping them cool) seem to have largely overcome those problems to settle in to becoming reliable trains.

An outsiders view here - but dare I say a brief step back from things generally supports the re-starting?

I am returning to commuting very soon and trialled it yesterday - it was the most peaceful and stress free journey I've ever had.

I could be wrong but wasn't the issue last Summer that the majority of IET's were working diesel a lot of the time at 125mph and the engines/generators overheated?  With the network now mostly electric that issue has faded away as the engines are not working as hard. There's also as you say less people travelling where as normally the trains are ram packed in Summer leading to delays with boarding/deboarding.

In some ways it just goes to show it's not always the railway that's the issue.

The title of this post reminds me of a (probably apocryphal) story of a telegraphic conversation between Evelyn Waugh, sent to report on the war on Abyssinia, and his news editor. Bear in mind that telegrams were charged by the word:

Editor: WHY UNNEWS

Waugh: UNNEWS GOODNEWS

Editor: UNNEWS UNJOB

Waugh: UPSTICK JOB ARSEWISE

The summer before last perhaps, but last summer it was only the Bristol Parkway to Cardiff section (and the bit through Steventon) that were diesel for IETs that aren't now.