What do YOU want

[whole diary]

[grahame]

Shamelessly quoting out of context:

- you want more standard capacity ...
- you want to be served in your seat ...
- you want the train to run during disruption ...
- you want first class exclusivity upheld ...

Got me thinking.

a) I want ... a train to my county town (just six miles away) for commuters - filling the 06:38 to 09:15 gap
b) I want ... a later train - a round trip back after the 18:38 (Saturday) and 19:37 (Monday to Friday)
c) I want ... the first train on Sunday mornings to run all year
d) I want ... decent connections between the buses that pass the station and the trains that call there

And looking at the logical way to deliver those ...
c) Well - the train's already in place! Business case to be made
b) Extend 2A87 FRO^» (Frome - next trains) to WSB^» (Westbury - next trains) to CPM^» (Chippenham - next trains), leaving WSB 21:15. Then CPM 22:03 to WSB, arrive 22:28, to form 2V97 ...
d) One of 23rd August changes helps. And other change (I think 1st September) may help too.
a) Darn it that's hard ... may need to wait for stock cascades.

[eightf48544]

For Taplow

Sunday service
Reliable service so you don't feel you have to catch the train before just in case!
Reliable connections if needed for journey
Reasonable ticket price.  It cost me more to get to Kings Cross to catch Grand Central than it diid to get to Mirfield

[LiskeardRich]

Better frequency on the main line in Cornwall.

I can't quite make the 1723 (miss it by about 5mins) from Truro so means waiting until 1850 ish if I take the train to work.(ironically during August when the 1723 runs 10 later, I'm not scheduled to finish at 1700!

A better westbound service in the Mornings through Cornwall. Gaps of 2-3 hours isn't good enough on the main line when branch lines to Falmouth and St Ives get half hourly.

[JayMac]

A Henbury Loop service.

[bobm]

A rover ticket valid east of Swindon (I know there is the all line rover - but a regional one).

Better still a rover valid on all FGW^▸ (First Great Western) services - if going west it doesn't take me much encouragement to wait at Bristol or Taunton for a FGW HST^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units)) in preference to a XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) Voyager!

[grahame]

Ah - the Great Wall of Wessex - dividing the South West country where we speaks funny from the affluent South East country of the Home Counties.   And where crossing the border by train often seems to be very expensive compared to more local journeys either side!



(Public domain picture - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hadrian%27s_wall_at_Greenhead_Lough.jpg )

[JayMac]

You cross the border surreptitiously using Swindon to Cholsey or Westbury to Newbury tickets, which can get you as far as Reading...

[Red Squirrel]

1. A re-drawing of Bristol's boundary to encompass the entire contiguous built-up area of Bristol, so that the city can be administered as what it is rather than as a balkanised set of overblown parish councils;
2. Further to (1), that this enlarged area should be known as 'Bristol', not 'the West of England' or 'Fromeville' or any similarly-confected nonsense;
3. That this area be served by an integrated public transport system, to include electrically-propelled light rail, and that the city's planning and transport decisions should reflect the requirements of the whole city and not those of the aforementioned overblown parish councils;
4. That I be granted the Moon on a Stick.

I suspect that (4) may be the easiest to achieve.

[grahame]

2. Further to (1), that this enlarged area should be known as 'Bristol', not 'the West of England' or 'Fromeville' or any similarly-confected nonsense

Not "Avon" then?

[Red Squirrel]

Not "Avon" then?

Got it in one!  

I don't understand the mentality of naming an area which is plainly based on a city or town after some other far-less-relevant geographical feature. If you asked the people who live there where they lived, they would say that they lived in that city or town - so why wouldn't they want that city or town to form part of their address? 'Avon' was pretty bad (though at least it referred to a tangible thing), but 'Thamesdown'? They might as well have called it 'Lymeswold'.

[TaplowGreen]

A reliable, frequent, reasonably/transparently priced rail service throughout the UK^▸ (United Kingdom), not overcrowded to an extent which make travel a thoroughly unpleasant experience, with TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company) that treat customers in a civil manner rather than an inconvenient encumbrance to be tolerated.

..........apart from that, World peace, Penelope Cruz knocking on my door, England winning the Rugby World Cup and Plymouth Argyle winning the Champions League.

I wonder whether the contents of the first paragraph are as much of a fantasy as the latter?  

[JayMac]

Moderator note:

Off topic discussion about Rovers and Rangers in the Thames Valley has been moved to a staff only board temporarily.

[grahame]

Moderator note:

Off topic discussion about Rovers and Rangers in the Thames Valley has been moved to a staff only board temporarily.

I'm quoting two of the removed posts back - neither of which is from the "large personalities" mentioned ... apologies to both of these members for "pulling" the thread to which they had posted.

... I didn't mean for WWIII to break out amongst forum members 

Dare I say...

Regardless of wrong and right, what I would like is for a week to go by without a clash of two large personalities on an otherwise informative and jovial internet forum that I frequent.

That and direct trains from Melksham to Bristol 

The fare system is very complex, and I think we can all agree that we would like to see some simplifications .. and move on.

Oh - there ARE direct trains from Melksham to Bristol all this week, by the way ... just a pity they don't actually stop ;-).

[Tim K]

What I want

a) 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.) service to result in same (or more) seats from Swindon in the morning and to Swindon in the evenings
b) Crossrail interchange at Paddington to save me time getting to Liverpool St and/or Canary Wharf (currently looks like it might save 5 minutes)
c) Shuttle service Paddington to Reading and some long distance services non-stopping at Reading in the evening peaks.

Last is to prevent the current situation where all trains leave Paddington standing room only and end up half full after Reading!

[Red Squirrel]

Moderator note:

Off topic discussion about Rovers and Rangers in the Thames Valley has been moved to a staff only board temporarily.

Would that be Maidenhead Rovers and Slough Rangers? I know nothing about football, me...