Twyford to London - help please!

[whole diary]

[adc82140]

Though achieving that without 125mph stock on the Bedwyn's means compromising other services.

They really do need 125mph stock that isn't an HST^▸ (High Speed Train). Oh wait, they did- the Class 180. The perfect train for mid distance semi fasts that could keep up with the big boys on the fast lines. But logic isn't something I credit FGW^▸ (First Great Western) with a great deal of.

[IndustryInsider]

I've heard rumblings from more than one person that the 180's might be reappearing on FGW^▸ (First Great Western). Talk of 5 of them coming back. I would (as ever) take that with a huge pinch of salt though as there's been nothing in the railway press as yet.

[adc82140]

I suppose with NXEC^▸ (National Express East Coast) coming back in to public hands, service expansion is off the agenda there, so those 5x 180s earmarked for them could be looking for a home

[paul7575]

Regarding the ECML^▸ (East Coast Main Line) I'd suggest the exact opposite. ECMLCo are already recruiting for the additional staff they need for the December 2010 '5 tph' standard pattern timetable.

If you think about it, if DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) cancelled all the SLC2 extras because they claimed they couldn't afford them, or there weren't the increases in pax numbers predicted - it would create a bit of a precedent. All the other TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company) would probaly immediately ask if they could withdraw all their recently contracted improvements on the same grounds, eg Southerns required extra services, Virgin's train lengthening etc.   Closer to home, what would there be to stop SWT^▸ (South West Trains) asking to cancel the hourly Exeter service due to the downturn in passenger numbers?

Paul

[BBM]

Further to my post earlier in this thread, the 06:54 from Twyford has indeed become a four-car Turbo as predicted in 'Modern Railways' but the new FGW^▸ (First Great Western) timetable still shows it with an 'H' at the head of the column. Needless to say the train is now wedged solid on departure from Maidenhead although the people there now have an extra departure at 07:08 (however that train starts from Worcester so I don't know how reliable it'll be).

Myself, I'll now go back to taking the 07:22 from Twyford, I might as well have another half-hour in bed before getting squashed and frozen on the way to work... 

[polonia]

The Worcester train is usually pretty reliable (I get it from Reading) though having said that it was cancelled on the first day of the new timetable ! The main issue I suspect will be that there's rarely more than a few seats left by the time it leaves Reading.

[devon_metro]

The Worcester train is usually pretty reliable (I get it from Reading) though having said that it was cancelled on the first day of the new timetable ! The main issue I suspect will be that there's rarely more than a few seats left by the time it leaves Reading.

At 0655!! Blimey