I had to go to London today but was alarmed by the reports of the points failure at Charlbury yesterday. Turned up at Kingham this morning to be told that the 0820 (the Cathedrals Express) was the last train going to London and no guarantee of trains back as the points problem still hadn't been fixed.
So I went to Banbury and had two clean efficient on-time journeys courtesy of Chiltern.
Get back this evening and I see there's still a problem. Given the point work must be fairly new given the redoubling is not that long ago, what's the issue? Two days worth of trouble - come on...........?
And is somebody being held accountable for this? Seems ridiculous to me - OK I'm not an engineer but what's going on?

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/first-great-western-driver-gets-on-wrong-train-092152569.html#r7AQUBp

Could you believe it!

Strikes me the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) website has got less clear and more difficult to use (in terms of finding what you want) over the last year or so. Could this be a case of trying to bury bad news - on the basis there's more and more of it?

Tell me, do the leaves affect the 3rd and 4th rails on the Met. I know LU trains carry de-icer and have a rubber device to scrub the conductor rails.

Of course you could cut out the unnecessary announcements about taking care on escalators, minding the gap between train and platform edge, not trying to board train until it's come to a complete stop, taking care to lock your car, being aware of stray luggage/not leaving your luggage unattended, not drinking too much alcohol and the myriad other things us older people took for granted you should or should not do without having to be told every five minutes..............................

Brings to mind the celebrated case of the judge who actually threw out a claim by someone who claimed they got burnt because their coffee was too hot with the comment of what else did they expect of their coffee and he wondered if they would have complained if their coffee had been cold.

Come on BTLine, let's get stuck in on those pesky stops like Pershore, Hanborough and Reading. As you know, I agree with you but I had considered the battle lost. But what's this a train cutting out Kingham - my world is truly turned upside down?

I await the usual abuse.

I agree - but how long before we see the wires going to Plymouth or Penzance? Or further down the Berks & Hants line? And electrification of the Cross Country route from Bristol to Bromsgrove won't help (if that gets done anytime soon).

This is really exciting stuff - so many railway services start from a big city (let's call it "London") with a lotta services each hour, and electric is obvious.  But the along the way, the lines branch, some services terminate and the remaining services reduce in frequency.

OK - but, for example, I live in Gloucestershire and use the Cotswold Line; I used to live in Hereford. For the Oxford to Worcester/Hereford stretch, batteries aren't much use and a DMU^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit) (effectively) lugging electric traction equipment - and vice versa - around doesn't seem that sensible. Same if you live beyond Bristol, say around Plymouth or Penzance (and I'm sure the diesel engines will welcome hauling the electrical equipment up the South Devon banks).

For emergency use doesn't a small diesel unit in a driving unit seem a useful idea; otherwise have an electric locomotive on one end and switch it to a diesel when required as on ECML^▸ (East Coast Main Line).

I wonder how on earth we've managed up until the second decade of the 21st century.

Could not the driving trailer have a small diesel for emergency purposes?

Just like the freight train derailment at Gloucester back last year.

Aren't we going over old ground here? Although I seem vaguely to recall that opinion was in favour of the IEP^▸ (Intercity Express Program / Project. This will offer more capacity on routes, save money, give a consistent and safe service and meet customer requirements. Intended to replace HSTs.), I know that I and a number of others expressed a view in favour of locomotive haulage enabling switches between diesel and electric power.

Seems to have come full circle in favour of locomotives - personally why a train has to lug "dead" power units around is beyond me.

And perhaps people could bombard Patrick Hallgate - the route director for Western Region at NR^» (Network Rail - home page). I see he's quoted in the local press around Oxford about electrification and redoubling to Hanborough and Charlbury in the 2020s.

That will not be said in public much now, it upsets the principle funders .............. Her Majesty's Gouvernment (HMG)

Perhaps a co-ordinated campaign of letters to travellers' MPs^▸ (Member of Parliament, or Mile Post - a method of measuring the railway in miles and chains from a starting point - usually London, depending on context) might help. If their postbags start bulging questions will be asked.

Also, Her Majesty's Gouvernment (HMG) might get some credibility by being upfront about the past lack of investment and saying they're trying to correct it. But I suppose honesty is not a concept that is well understood by many MPs (unless you're the Member for Clacton........?)

Edit: VickiS - Clarifying Acronym

Clearly an EU^» (European Union - about) directive on this matter may be required.............. (or not).

I seem to recall there was another furious outbreak of messages some months ago so the problems are, as I said, ongoing.

I'm not getting at the workers but please would somebody (a) at a very senior level in Network Rail say we're sorry (seems partly to have been done); (b) at a very senior level within NR^» (Network Rail - home page) say what they're going to actually do to get a serious and realistic grip on the problem and follow it through; and (c) persuade FGW^▸ (First Great Western) to cough up properly for what happened on Monday (though ultimately that should be for NR's account).

OK the Great Western line may not have seen serious investment for years but that is part of the challenge NR has to face. If there are serious issues then how about being upfront about it and say we have a problem because of past under investment, this is what we propose to do to deal with it and these are short term knock-on consequences. Nobody likes (constant) surprises.