Keynsham station (merged topics)

[whole diary]

[inspector_blakey]

Cast your mind back to July 2006; a fresh-faced new franchise was in its infancy and Arriva Trains Wales were still months away from raiding the 150/2 fleet. A news item mde its way onto the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) website promising a range of improvements at Keynsham station:

http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/NewsItem.aspx?id=378

That was nearly two and a half years ago - anyone know what happened?

[billyo]

My apologies if this has been discussed elsewhere already, I've not been by this site for a while.  I skimmed the subject titles for the last few months and didn't see anything related to this:

Does anyone know what the purpose of the refurbishment of the extended platforms at Keynsham?  I can only assume it is for a more regular stopping of HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train). 

As someone who's recently switched to commuting from Keynsham (instead of Bath, saving myself as stunning ^130 a month), I would be very happy to see a few more services stopping here.

[grahame]

I don't know, Billyo (and perhaps no-one here does?) ... but in order to bump the topic I'm adding this picture of the works:

[Chris from Nailsea]

I would tend to share that assumption, billyo! 

Parson Street and Bedminster, just for example, have (relatively recently) also had platform enhancements, suggesting that more HST^▸ (High Speed Train) stops will be a feature in future ... 

[Btline]

Yet more InterCity trains slowed down...

[devon_metro]

Err, jumping to conclusions??

[Btline]

Name an HST^▸ (High Speed Train) service running along that line which is not an InterCity service!

[cereal_basher]

About either the 20:30 or 22:30 Frome-Bristol Temple Meads ECS^▸ (Empty Coaching Stock) service is definitely not ECS, especially when it runs in service.

[devon_metro]

What?

There are no HST^▸ (High Speed Train) passenger workings between Westbury and Bristol. The HST runs as 5A85 Westbury - St Phillips Marsh

[inspector_blakey]

I'm sensing that there might be a bit of geographical confusion here (apologies if I've got that wrong). Keynsham is about halfway between Bath Spa and Bristol TM^‡(resolve). Lots and lots of HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) (2 an hour in each direction most of the time) go through there every day in service, and a few of them call in the peaks, or used to at least. The station is equipped with HST stopping markers.

[Btline]

I'll clarify. All HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) that pass the station are Intercity trains between London and Bristol.

In my opinion, HSTs should not call here... ALTHOUGH the Bristol morning peak stop is a good idea as few people are travelling from London to Bristol at that time, and the call takes the pressure of the overcrowded 158 services.

But no more.

[cereal_basher]

What?

There are no HST^▸ (High Speed Train) passenger workings between Westbury and Bristol. The HST runs as 5A85 Westbury - St Phillips Marsh

But it has run as a service train at least twice.

[Lee]

Refurbishment of the extended platforms at Keynsham looks pretty much complete. "Deep excavation" in progress on the "existing" end of the platform (Bristol side)

[billyo]

As nice as the new platform refurbishment is, I'd have happily kept the old ones if it meant avoiding the 110% increase in parking fee which came into force this morning, presumably to pay for it.

Joking aside, how is a 110% rise justified, other than a blatant attempt to fill the coffers given this years price hike is a price fall?

I fear this will drive people away from the train or to street parking, which will be fun for the local residents.

[clevedonian]

its not fair is it 

They put the price up at Yatton from a ^1.00 a day to ^2.10 a day.

I complained, and they came back to me with the excuse of they need to pay for maintenance costs.

Rubbish - there has been no maintence at Yatton car park for years, it is just an excuse to get more money out of us.

Well the car park was half empty this morning!!