I've seen a late running earlier service (sometime last week) take the west chord (I think that's its name) from Reading West platform 2 and out onto the GWML^▸ (Great Western Main Line), so I know that it has been done before too.

Having accidentally fallen asleep on trains many times (and always with a ticket I must add), I would appreciate being woken up more often (particularly late at night on the approach to Reading) to avoid expensive taxis usually from Swindon!

Not any guards/inspectors faults that I have fallen asleep I know, but sometimes announcements on the approach to stations on late night services could be a little louder maybe!

I apologise for taking this thread even further off topic...

Found this forum by accident, and though I wouldn't normally contribute to forums (I'm a habitual lurker on several others) I felt I needed to contribute to this one.

Coincidentally I was handed a questionnaire on the Reading to Basingstoke (am peak) train late last week, and I voiced my concerns that the state of the trains is very poor - particularly the afternoon trains back from Basingstoke.  I appreciate that a cleaner does sometimes board at Reading (I have seen them when meetings have left me going from Reading to Reading West in the late afternoons) but I think some are needed at Basingstoke too (even if they travel aboard from Reading).  The evening peak trains from Basing (which I try my best to avoid anyway) are terrible for litter and bad smells.

I guess we should be thankful we can at least open the windows at the moment!