At present whenever a train uses Platform 2 to go towards Cardiff, the signals it steps through are the same as what would be stepped through for Platform 3 previously. This results in incorrect reporting that the train is using Platform 3. It looks like Network Rail need to update their data (SMART) and the background data just needs a slight tweak on RTT to remove this incorrect platform report.

That three minute stop at Bradford-on-Avon was most likely nothing of the sort, almost definitely in this case as there is no way the train could of left Bradford nearly 2 minutes late and only left Avoncliff 30 seconds late. There is no way to identify an accurate departure time from Bradford-upon-Avon when a train stops at Avoncliff as there is no means of a train reporting again until the train has arrived and departed Avoncliff. The reported departure time at Bradford-upon-Avon is based on if the train had not stopped at Avoncliff, obviously with a stop at Avoncliff the train will take longer to get to the next reporting point and therefore the dwell at Bradford will look longer.

The announcements on GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) have been largely the same since the new system was installed, the majority of them are timed based on the trains expected arrival time. This mean that if this time is wrong then the announcements are played at the wrong time. Announcements regarding train stops and formation are typically 3 minutes before expected arrival time, 1.5 minutes (for the slightly shorter announcement), and then on triggering the arrival report. The latter being the only one that is actually triggered by any train movement, the former 2 could play even if the train is stood at a red signal and actually being delayed. Announcements regarding delays are influenced by a range of factors including, but not limited to, how late the train currently is and its current expected arrival time.


This typically occurs when the train is passing through a station on its route, the train running reporting system only understanding trains arriving and departing. Therefore when the train reports as it passes a station an arrival report is made, this pushes the delay up as this is based on the train coming to a stand. Once the train has passed said station a departure report is made and this, in simple terms, cancels out the effect of the arrival report. The train then returns to its previous lateness or what the system has decided based on the time reported at that location.

When you combine this with that at some station where a train isn't timed the system still has an expected passing time and this time isn't always accurate, so results in inaccuracies in the calculation of the trains delay.

When a train is on time you typically won't notice the impact of this, this is because often this will be absorbed by the dwell time at the relevant location or because the system will not announce short delays.

Line has been closed since 1500, expected to re-open around 1630.

If you are referring to the doubling North of Crosskeys to the former Aberbeeg Junction (Just north of Llanhilleth), then this work has not been completed yet. Last I heard it had been paused, although there was never any official source for this. As far as I am aware the aim is to deliver the additional services between Newport and Ebbw Vale by May 2021, so the passing loop will need to be available for then if this is the case.

This is a planned TSR^▸ (Temporary Speed Restriction) following track renewals over the weekend. 50mph in both directions between 19m4ch and 19m35ch, on the main lines.

Update: Just done some digging, turns out the speed has actually been reduced to 20mph ESR^▸ (Emergency Speed Restriction ).

This isn't the case, a coach was swapped with Virgin. This was a coach with a shop from the Virgin set which previously had two shops. This coach was then converted to have the luggage and bike spaces as on the rest of the XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) voyager fleet.

The additional vehicles entered service a few months ago, the result being that 1V46 0640 York-Plymouth and 1S53 1325 Plymouth-Edinburgh (As far as Newcastle) are now double voyager sets, when they are not an HST^▸ (High Speed Train). When they are an HST other services are strengthened instead.

This is what applies now, under the Cancellation and significant lateness metric (CaSL). A train is counted as being a CaSL failure if:

It is cancelled at origin.
It is cancelled en route.
The originating station is changed.
It fails to make a scheduled stop at a station.
It is significantly late (ie it arrives at its terminating station 30 minutes or more late).

Any train which is a CaSL failure also fails PPM^‡(resolve). So therefore even if a train which has missed stops arrives at its destination on time, it is still a PPM failure.

Defect in a set of points on the Down Main at Didcot East. The set of points have in the last 15 minutes been authorised for train movements when in the reverse position, this means everything will have to cross over to the Relief lines if using the Down Main.

5mph ESR^▸ (Emergency Speed Restriction ) due to a broken insulated rail joint. Sounds like they are hoping to replace it this afternoon.

Yesterday there was a report of a missing sign on the Up Main for the changeover to Electric. Drivers were being advised at the Didcot station call or at a signal if not stopping not to raise the pantograph. This went on until this afternoon when normal working resumed. Not sure if this would be the reason though.

Whilst it may look like there is a gap at Reading, there isn't a sufficient gap at Didcot for it to get across from the Relief Lines onto the Main Lines. There is freight paths through Platform 3 shortly after its departure, so it isn't possible to hold the 387 in the platform that bit longer to go behind the Bristol-Paddington. I could see this train perhaps starting from Swindon when the wires eventually extend that far, it could then run just behind the Bristol-Paddington service from Swindon and use the Main Lines throughout. When the 110mph running times are used it could be quite a fast service from Didcot.

It is booked to use the West Curve, and does use it most nights if it is on-time. There is a situation where it can't use the West Curve and that is what happened with this train.

If the train reverses at Foxhall Junction on the Down Main, the West Curve is not accessible, therefore the train has to proceed into Didcot via the Didcot Relief Line and reverse again there. The train has to reverse on the Up Main in order to access the West Curve, obviously this causes disruption to services on the Up Main in unplanned scenarios like this. Similarly the 2145 Reading-Birmingham might get altered to reverse on the Down Main if there is disruption to services on the Up Main.

The points failure was at Didcot East Junction on the points which allow trains to travel between the Down Relief and the Up Relief, there was no detection at all at both ends. This resulted in no route between Didcot station and the Relief Lines and no access to the Down Avoiding Line.

Not the only train in that direction that is like this. To a lesser extent 1003/1203 from Paddington are both booked into Plymouth a minute earlier to make the headline journey time, and have been for years. In more recent timetable changes Exeter also joined the party on these trains, 2 minutes earlier on the 1003 and 1 minute earlier on the 1203 in January.

Although arguably, in the case of 1003/1203 from Paddington, if the train is given a clear run and there are no temporary or emergency speed restrictions, the public times are perfectly achievable because they are the WTT^▸ (Working Time-Table) with the engineering allowances removed.

In the case of the 0633 from Paddington the running time in the passenger timetable from Exeter to Plymouth is 51 minutes, which arguable is achievable - i've been on trains that have done the run in 50 minutes. However in this case the working timetable running time is 53½ minutes, including one minute engineering allowance - so 52½ minutes without the allowance. So whilst it might be possible to do the public timetable running time under the right conditions, it certainly won't be possible all the time.

Up Reception line to be pedantic!