Great Western Coffee Shop

Its not like smoking on the platform is a major problem.

1206 pad - pnz will have been overcrowded as there was an obstruction on the line near Bedwyn which caused delay to the 1106 pad - ply. These passengers were they shipped onto the (normal very busy) 1206 from Paddington.

As for smoking, how can the dispatch worry about Punctuality, Safety and Smoking at the same time? Which is more important to you? Its not like smoking on the platform is a major problem.

Tbh they have more than enough staff at EXD and why didn't they dispatch the train without worrying about the guy who was left on board? He had about 6 minutes to get off. Its just silly with the overcrowding in the aisles that if there was an emergency, things would get alot worse.  >:(

The staff were more worried about people being a couple centimetres over the yellow line. They should let them stay past the yellow line, watch them get sucked up the engine and the overcrowding problem is sorted!

The guy had 6 whole minutes! Surely the train not being any later than it already is > than one passanger.

Its just silly with the overcrowding in the aisles that if there was an emergency, things would get alot worse.  >:(

But that is XC. Overcrowding.

Well until either cascaded or new trains are made available to the XC franchise its only ever going to be that way thanks to some very strange decision making by SRA and Virgin a few years back that replacing 7 carriage HSTs with 4/5 car voyagers was a good idea.

Though remember the original Operation Princess service had a standard half hourly service as far south as Plymouth. It's no wonder trains are overcrowded south of Bristol when you consider that an hourly HST has been replaced by a 4/5 coach set with relatively few seats per train.

Talking of HST's, wonder how many XC had running today, on what was always going to be a very busy day given the start of half term. An astute operator would have had all 5 running and soaked up the advance tickets on the HSTs, leaving the 220/221s free for non-advance pax. Bet they only had 2 though.   

Though remember the original Operation Princess service had a standard half hourly service as far south as Plymouth.  

Urghh the discontent from spending just 45 minutes at Exeter St Davids!
After getting off the service from Barnstaple, I had to wait for 45 minutes to get my train home. There was a late XC train available but it was overcrowded. And XC didn't care about the safety of passangers and FGW didn't care about the punctality. So the doors were closing and some old geezer decides to get off the train and gets trapped in the door. (Bearing in mind the train was 5 minutes late and had been at EXD for a long time) So then attempt 2. But some poor woman stops attempt 2, her boyfreind was still inside the carriage. Surely they could have gone with him on board? Then 'Full and Standing' Royal Duchy service. People from what I could see from platform 4 crammed into the aisles and gangways. Not Safe! And just to top things off, FGW blind to the fact somebody was smoking on the platform.
What has gone wrong?!

Well, it looked like survival of the fittest. The XC (1729? to Leeds) Got some backlog of passangers from that. Poor little kid having his face against the door, thats how busy it was. But that is XC. Overcrowding.

1) This evening the incoming stock to form the 2030 EXD-EXM (1932 ex-PGN I believe) was a 4-car 142/143 combination. Is there a reason why FGW would run the same 4-car consist all the way to Exmouth? There would I think have been enough time to uncouple the two sets and the next service into P1 was not due for 45 minutes. Seems like an awful waste of diesel if it is a regular occurrence.

I've had a similar experience at Exeter with connecting trains. My parents where on holiday near Axminster and I was due to join them after work, so I caught a service from Castle Cary > Exeter after work, which ended up being 25 late, which doesn't sound like alot, but I had only 15 minutes to make my connection at EXD. ::)

If I remember rightly, the main problem a few years ago was at Stafford(s?) bridge and was caused by the river underscoring the supports/bank threatening collapse of the bridge itself. Remedial work was done to correct this and prevent any further errosion.

A driver of a double-decker bus which crashed into a steel canopy at a Devon railway station has been ordered to pay nearly ^200.

Sean Ankers, 23, from Gordon Road, Topsham, smashed into the canopy at Exeter St David's station and glass from its windows shattered.

Exeter Magistrates' Court heard it was his first week on a double-decker bus and his first day on the route.

No-one was injured during the crash in October, the court heard.

Defence lawyer Beth Heaton said Ankers had to negotiate a badly parked taxi at the busy station and struck the canopy which juts out. "He simply made a mistake. He has had re-training and feels more confident but is not driving double-deckers for a while."

Prosecutor Mark Haddow said the incident was "a momentary lapse" in judgement as Ankers mistakenly pulled into a bus stop for single-deckers rather than the one for double-deckers."

Ankers admitted careless driving and was fined ^80 and ^105 costs and had three points added to his driving licence.

Exeter St David’s is Devon's most crime-hit train station
Statistics show the British Transport Police were called to a total of 88 crimes at the Exeter station last year

On or near Exeter St David'S (Station) // 88
On or near Plymouth (Station) // 43
On or near Newton Abbot (Station) // 22
On or near Exeter Central (Station) // 16
On or near Totnes (Station) // 13
On or near Paignton (Station) // 7
On or near Tiverton Parkway (Station) // 7
On or near Torquay (Station) // 5
On or near Exmouth (Station) // 5
On or near Starcross (Station) // 4
On or near Digby And Sowton (Station) // 4
On or near Crediton (Station) // 4
On or near Axminster (Station) // 4
On or near Topsham (Station) // 3
On or near Dawlish Warren (Station) // 3
On or near Barnstaple (Station) // 3
On or near Torre (Station) // 3
On or near Exton (Station) // 3
On or near Polsloe Bridge (Station) // 2
On or near Dawlish (Station) // 2
On or near Newcourt (Station) // 2
On or near Pinhoe (Station) // 2
On or near St Budeaux Victoria Road (Station) // 1
On or near Ivybridge (Station) // 1
On or near Whimple (Station) // 1
On or near St James Park (Exeter) (Station) // 1
On or near Lympstone Commando (Station) // 1
On or near Eggesford (Station) // 1
On or near St Thomas (Exeter) (Station) // 1
On or near Teignmouth (Station) // 1
On or near Honiton (Station) // 1
On or near Bere Ferrers (Station) // 1
On or near Morchard Road (Station) // 0
On or near Cranbrook (Station) // 0
On or near Bere Alston (Station) // 0
On or near Feniton (Station) // 0
On or near Lympstone Village (Station) // 0