Recent Public Posts - [guest]
| Re: Melksham trains - "useless" has improved, but only to thin and unreliable In "TransWilts line" [367726/30717/18] Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 21:57, 3rd November 2025 |      |
To support grahame, in his clear frustration - from one of his posts elsewhere:
... 5. Don't even think about the train - be amazed if it runs ...
At the end of the last couple of my visits to Melksham, I decided to catch the bus, which goes from the end of grahame's driveway in Melksham to Bath Spa station - for just £3.
| Re: Gatwick Airport - facilities, improvements and incidents - merged posts, ongoing discussion In "Buses and other ways to travel" [367725/20849/5] Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 21:34, 3rd November 2025 | |
From the BBC:
Gatwick second runway challenge filed at High Court
A legal challenge to the government's decision to approve a second runway at Gatwick Airport has been filed at the High Court, campaigners have said.
In its judicial review claim, Communities against Gatwick Noise Emissions (Cagne) alleges officials unlawfully failed to properly assess the environmental impact of the project.
Cagne told the government in October it planned to challenge its decision to back the expansion.
The Department for Transport said it was unable to comment due to ongoing legal proceedings.
Gatwick said it intended to participate in the proceedings as an interested party but "while legal proceedings are in progress it would not be appropriate to comment any further".
The £2.2bn privately-financed project includes effectively moving the existing northern runway to bring it into regular use, alongside other developments, such as extending the airport's terminals.
Gatwick estimates the expansion could result in more than 100,000 extra flights per year by the late 2030s, and says passenger numbers could rise to 80 million.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves said in September the plans would create "thousands of jobs and billions in investment".
The West Sussex airfield is currently Europe's busiest single-runway airport with more than 40 million passengers using it every year.
(BBC article continues)
A legal challenge to the government's decision to approve a second runway at Gatwick Airport has been filed at the High Court, campaigners have said.
In its judicial review claim, Communities against Gatwick Noise Emissions (Cagne) alleges officials unlawfully failed to properly assess the environmental impact of the project.
Cagne told the government in October it planned to challenge its decision to back the expansion.
The Department for Transport said it was unable to comment due to ongoing legal proceedings.
Gatwick said it intended to participate in the proceedings as an interested party but "while legal proceedings are in progress it would not be appropriate to comment any further".
The £2.2bn privately-financed project includes effectively moving the existing northern runway to bring it into regular use, alongside other developments, such as extending the airport's terminals.
Gatwick estimates the expansion could result in more than 100,000 extra flights per year by the late 2030s, and says passenger numbers could rise to 80 million.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves said in September the plans would create "thousands of jobs and billions in investment".
The West Sussex airfield is currently Europe's busiest single-runway airport with more than 40 million passengers using it every year.
(BBC article continues)
| Re: Mid Cornwall Metro - Newquay, St Austell, Truro & Falmouth In "Shorter journeys in Plymouth and Cornwall" [367724/27102/25] Posted by grahame at 20:00, 3rd November 2025 | |
The entire South West so easily feels constrained in capacity and services. Makes me wonder what the optimum levels of both might be.
Mark
Mark
There is a psychology in passenger use of public (rail) transport ... the higher up this list, the more likely people are to take the train. And I would suspect that where a service frequency moves lots of people's planning from one category to another, it results in a sharp rise in passenger numbers.
1. Just turn up at the station to travel
2. Plan your day and make a minor adjustment to catch the best train
3. Work out your trains, then plan your day around them
4. Look at the trains to see if they work for you
5. Don't even thing about the train - be amazed if it runs at a useable time
| Re: Mid Cornwall Metro - Newquay, St Austell, Truro & Falmouth In "Shorter journeys in Plymouth and Cornwall" [367723/27102/25] Posted by RailCornwall at 19:45, 3rd November 2025 | |
My major concern is the use of Platform 3 at Truro for the St Austell bound services, faffing around with the footbridges at the station for passengers from Falmouth will be a hinderance. It's a shame there's no facility to switch eastwards of Truro from platform 2 to the upmain in the vicinity of the new switch that was installed with the new signalling to enabling of routing down services onto platform 3.
| Re: Mid Cornwall Metro - Newquay, St Austell, Truro & Falmouth In "Shorter journeys in Plymouth and Cornwall" [367722/27102/25] Posted by Mark A at 18:21, 3rd November 2025 | |
The entire South West so easily feels constrained in capacity and services. Makes me wonder what the optimum levels of both might be.
Mark
| Re: Derailment of Glasgow to London train near Shap in Cumbria - 3 November 2025 In "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" [367721/31028/51] Posted by Mark A at 18:15, 3rd November 2025 | |
Quicker going Glasgow/Carlisle - Edinburgh/Newcastle and south than Carlisle/Leeds
Given that both are 2 carriages, 30 trains a day Carlisle - Newcastle and 8 Carlisle to Leeds, it might be about the capacity as well as the speed, the S&C offers around 25% more train, though perhaps, the two options counted as one, not more seats.
(Taking an October last-train-of-the-day southbound Carlisle to Skipton the other year, and progress south of Kirby Stephen to the summit felt... stately, with a sort of 'Ok, lets do this again' vibe from the 158...).
Mark
| Re: Derailment of Glasgow to London train near Shap in Cumbria - 3 November 2025 In "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" [367720/31028/51] Posted by Mark A at 17:58, 3rd November 2025 | |
***snip***
You must immediately switch on the hazard warning indication where provided.
If you cannot do this, you must display a red light forward.
***snip***
Looking at the abraded front end of that pendolino, I wondered if some of the inner components should be coated in something passively reflective. It's not likely that they will ever be exposed as a result of an impact, but if they are the reflectivity can deputise for the headlights... a lot of 'Ifs' though.
Mark
| Re: Portishead Line reopening for passengers - ongoing discussion In "Campaigns for new and improved services" [367719/231/28] Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 17:55, 3rd November 2025 | |
Thank you for your post, BahnCard100 - and for quoting your source and disclaimer of any commercial interest.
On the Coffee Shop forum, we are delighted to see members posting such links to relevant reference material.
CfN.
| Re: Mid Cornwall Metro - Newquay, St Austell, Truro & Falmouth In "Shorter journeys in Plymouth and Cornwall" [367718/27102/25] Posted by Red Squirrel at 17:49, 3rd November 2025 Already liked by Chris from Nailsea, Mark A | |
The current plan to increase the service from 2 hour to one hour will mean more passengers but GWR know from experience with Falmouth and Paignton going from one hour to half an hour increases passenger number even more.
[...]
[...]
My recent experiences on the Falmouth Branch (offspring at uni in Penryn) have been a real eye-opener - trains very well-loaded.
| Re: Mid Cornwall Metro - Newquay, St Austell, Truro & Falmouth In "Shorter journeys in Plymouth and Cornwall" [367717/27102/25] Posted by REVUpminster at 17:23, 3rd November 2025 | |
The current plan to increase the service from 2 hour to one hour will mean more passengers but GWR know from experience with Falmouth and Paignton going from one hour to half an hour increases passenger number even more.
I think Newquay could well go half hourly in the future if they have the stock. Barnstaple also might be a candidate for a half hour service with the additional 175s
| Re: North Cotswold line delays and cancellations - 2025 In "London to the Cotswolds" [367716/29711/14] Posted by Worcester_Passenger at 17:16, 3rd November 2025 | |
1W01 09:52 Paddington to Hereford : started from Reading
1W02 1152 London Paddington to Hereford : arrived Great Malvern + 18 and cancelled thereafter.
15:18 Hereford to London Paddington due 18:29 will be started from Great Malvern.
This is due to a fault on this train.
Last Updated:03/11/2025 14:21
This is due to a fault on this train.
Last Updated:03/11/2025 14:21
| Re: Derailment of Glasgow to London train near Shap in Cumbria - 3 November 2025 In "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" [367715/31028/51] Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 17:15, 3rd November 2025 | |
Thank you for your clear and indeed authoritative post here, IndustryInsider.
Chris from Nailsea.
| Re: Portishead Line reopening for passengers - ongoing discussion In "Campaigns for new and improved services" [367714/231/28] Posted by BahnCard100 at 16:28, 3rd November 2025 Already liked by Mark A | |
I note Mark A's reference to Thingley Junction and the associated OLE terms mentioned. I can recommend Garry Keenor's self published "Overhead Line Electrification for Railways" available both as a pdf and a hard back book. Garry is a Chartered Engineer, have a gander at www.ocs4rail.com. Perhaps I ought to add I have no connection to Gary, just a strictly amateur interest.
| Re: Multiple stabbings on a London bound train in Cambridgeshire - 01 Nov 25 In "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" [367713/31017/51] Posted by TonyK at 15:53, 3rd November 2025 | |
It is beginning to become clear that a member of on train staff has acted selflessly to protect those they have a duty of care toward. I believe the training focuses on avoiding conflict. Just occasionally though the incident is so serious and immediate that there isn't time to talk, just act.
In what must have been a chaotic and horrific environment that bravery is to be applauded. That member of train crew is a hero. I really hope they pull through.
Absolutely agree. The latest report says that the person involved is now in a "critical but stable" condition, which gives cause for cautious optimism.In what must have been a chaotic and horrific environment that bravery is to be applauded. That member of train crew is a hero. I really hope they pull through.
| Re: Derailment of Glasgow to London train near Shap in Cumbria - 3 November 2025 In "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" [367712/31028/51] Posted by IndustryInsider at 15:19, 3rd November 2025 Already liked by PrestburyRoad, Oxonhutch, Worcester_Passenger, Mark A, Timmer | |
Query to a-driver, please.
How the heck do you, as a driver, deal with this?
You will be badly shaken; adrenaline flowing.
Your training says the safety of passengers and the train.
Who do you call first - as in - the train manager/guard to check on passengers; signalling centre to stop everything; call the regional operational centre; Just where do you start!
How the heck do you, as a driver, deal with this?
You will be badly shaken; adrenaline flowing.
Your training says the safety of passengers and the train.
Who do you call first - as in - the train manager/guard to check on passengers; signalling centre to stop everything; call the regional operational centre; Just where do you start!
From the relevent rule book module:
You must immediately switch on the hazard warning indication where provided.
If you cannot do this, you must display a red light forward.
You must tell the signaller about the accident, and whether the electric traction current needs to be switched off, in the quickest way possible.
You must then check:
• if any other lines are obstructed (if in doubt, treat them as obstructed), and decide the quickest way to stop any approaching trains
• the exact location of your train.
When the signaller tells you that signal protection has been provided, you must place a track-circuit operating clip on:
• every other line that is obstructed, and
• the line on which your train is standing if the whole train has been derailed.
You must carry out emergency protection if:
• the signaller cannot provide signal protection, or
• you have not been able to contact the signaller.
If you need help in carrying out emergency protection, you must reach a clear understanding with the guard or any other competent person as to which lines that person will protect.
Contacting the signaller these days means placing an REC (Rail Emergency Call) on the GSM-R which simulaneously sends a 'stop immediately' message to all other trains in the area. They then acknowledge that they've stopped and can hear the conversation between the diver who placed the REC and the signaller (and join in on that call if appropriate).
Depending on the nature of the emergency, the driver might also then have to deal with emergency alarms being pulled on the train, passengers operating egresses etc. as well as liaising with the guard (if there is one) or other members of staff on the train and potentially speaking to their control and/or the police.
| Re: Derailment of Glasgow to London train near Shap in Cumbria - 3 November 2025 In "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" [367711/31028/51] Posted by ChrisB at 15:00, 3rd November 2025 | |
Quicker going Glasgow/Carlisle - Edinburgh/Newcastle and south than Carlisle/Leeds
| Re: Mid Cornwall Metro - Newquay, St Austell, Truro & Falmouth In "Shorter journeys in Plymouth and Cornwall" [367710/27102/25] Posted by Noggin at 14:51, 3rd November 2025 Already liked by eightonedee | |
From Cornwall Live:
The concerns that a local or regional service that calls only once every 2 hours is so thin that it puts off a substantial proportion of potential users are, in my experience, correct. I do not, however, know the potential user base at Bugle or Roche and cannot quantify / qualify the size of the market it will make a difference to.
At a meeting of Cornwall Council's sustainable growth scrutiny committee today (Tuesday, October 7 [2025]), Kevin Towill - Reform UK councillor for Newquay Porth and Tretherras - said: "It was always envisaged from the beginning of the Mid Cornwall Metro project that the train would stop at the villages - including Roche and Bugle - but I've heard a rumour this might not be happening now and the train will be running right through without stopping." He asked Cllr Dan Rogerson, Liberal Democrat cabinet member for transport, to clarify.
Cllr Rogerson said: "It is correct that the hourly service to Newquay will not stop at every station. I think it's more like a two-hourly service to those stations, which is not ideal. We want to encourage people to be able to get to a frequency of travel like perhaps there is on the Truro to Falmouth route which is half-hourly where people don't have to plan ahead quite so much and can hop on.
"There are real opportunities to do better in the future but for now, unfortunately, it will be an hourly service to Newquay and slightly less frequently to some of those clay country stations, which is not what I want to see, but that's where we're starting."
A recent report by the Diocese of Truro and Plymouth Marjon University found that poor transport links are hitting rural areas of Cornwall, particularly in the clay country area.
Cllr Rogerson said: "It is correct that the hourly service to Newquay will not stop at every station. I think it's more like a two-hourly service to those stations, which is not ideal. We want to encourage people to be able to get to a frequency of travel like perhaps there is on the Truro to Falmouth route which is half-hourly where people don't have to plan ahead quite so much and can hop on.
"There are real opportunities to do better in the future but for now, unfortunately, it will be an hourly service to Newquay and slightly less frequently to some of those clay country stations, which is not what I want to see, but that's where we're starting."
A recent report by the Diocese of Truro and Plymouth Marjon University found that poor transport links are hitting rural areas of Cornwall, particularly in the clay country area.
The concerns that a local or regional service that calls only once every 2 hours is so thin that it puts off a substantial proportion of potential users are, in my experience, correct. I do not, however, know the potential user base at Bugle or Roche and cannot quantify / qualify the size of the market it will make a difference to.
In my experience of commuting on the Bristol to Gloucester line, a 1 hour+ gap in service (planned or unplanned) is far from ideal, but many people will work around it if there's a practical plan B such as a bus, or if they have a partner/parent/sibling able to act as a backup.
What really made the difference though was when it dropped to half-hourly, at which point many in my office switched to the train from the car or bus. My pal in HR told me that it also made recruitment much easier, as early career people would baulk at the idea of having to buy a car, but were reasonably happy with 15 minutes on a train from Bristol and a 5 minute walk from the station.
| Re: Derailment of Glasgow to London train near Shap in Cumbria - 3 November 2025 In "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" [367709/31028/51] Posted by Mark A at 14:40, 3rd November 2025 | |
Avanti ticket acceptance between Edinburgh and Kings Cross, between Carlisle and Newcastle among others, but not Carlisle-Leeds, mind.
Mark
| Re: Derailment of Glasgow to London train near Shap in Cumbria - 3 November 2025 In "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" [367708/31028/51] Posted by Oxonhutch at 13:38, 3rd November 2025 | |
My first reaction would be to get everything else stopped, especially if foul of the other running line - I believe there is an emergency GSM radio button for this. Don't know if track-circuit clips are still used on these routes but if they were, and it is still in the rules, I would get those on the fouled running line too.
| Re: The last days of the Lynn and Dereham railway (1968) In "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" [367707/31022/51] Posted by CyclingSid at 13:22, 3rd November 2025 Already liked by lympstone_commuter | |
Interesting, but slightly depressing.
This happened before I had connections in North Norfolk. Before the days of pubs being open all day every day. The bus service had been reduced to one day a week, into the market in the morning and a rather merry bus back late afternoon/early evening.
There was reputed to be a firm who rented out horse-drawn gypsy caravans for holidays. If you didn't have a plan, supposedly the horse would take you on a tour of the local markets, where the pubs were open all day. Would be nice to believe.
| Re: Two trains collide at Fisherton Tunnel near Salisbury - 31 October 2021 In "South Western services" [367706/25621/42] Posted by grahame at 13:21, 3rd November 2025 Already liked by Chris from Nailsea | |
Facebook Public Post from Martin Miller, shared many times.
4 years ago, I got up and went to work as normal. Little did I know that it would be the beginning of the end of my career on the railways, and that hours later, I would be involved in a train crash at Salisbury Tunnel. I am very thankful that no one was killed, and I'm very grateful for the support I received from family and friends and the health professionals who put my mind back together afterwards.
| Re: Multiple stabbings on a London bound train in Cambridgeshire - 01 Nov 25 In "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" [367705/31017/51] Posted by ChrisB at 12:33, 3rd November 2025 | |
Man charged in connection to major incident at Huntingdon station – Cambridgeshire
A man will appear at court this morning (3 November) charged in connection to a major incident on a train Cambridgeshire on Saturday evening (1 November).
Anthony Williams, 32, of Langford Road, Peterborough, is charged with ten counts of attempted murder, one count of ABH (Actual Bodily Harm), and one count of possession of bladed article in connection to the incident at Huntingdon.
He is also charged with another count of attempted murder and possession of a bladed article in connection to an incident at Pontoon Dock DLR station on 1 November.
He is due to appear at Peterborough Magistrates' Court later this morning.
Deputy Chief Constable Stuart Cundy said: "The criminal investigation and support for the victims is a priority for British Transport Police.”
“Our investigation is also looking at other possible linked offences. Following the charges authorised by the Crown Prosecution Service I would stress the importance of not saying or publishing anything which might jeopardise or prejudice ongoing criminal proceedings, or the integrity of the investigation."
Anthony Williams, 32, of Langford Road, Peterborough, is charged with ten counts of attempted murder, one count of ABH (Actual Bodily Harm), and one count of possession of bladed article in connection to the incident at Huntingdon.
He is also charged with another count of attempted murder and possession of a bladed article in connection to an incident at Pontoon Dock DLR station on 1 November.
He is due to appear at Peterborough Magistrates' Court later this morning.
Deputy Chief Constable Stuart Cundy said: "The criminal investigation and support for the victims is a priority for British Transport Police.”
“Our investigation is also looking at other possible linked offences. Following the charges authorised by the Crown Prosecution Service I would stress the importance of not saying or publishing anything which might jeopardise or prejudice ongoing criminal proceedings, or the integrity of the investigation."
| Re: North Cotswold line delays and cancellations - 2025 In "London to the Cotswolds" [367704/29711/14] Posted by Richard Fairhurst at 12:09, 3rd November 2025 Already liked by Mark A | |
05:23 Hereford to London Paddington due 08:24 will be started from Worcester Shrub Hill.
This is due to engineering works not being finished on time.
Last Updated:03/11/2025 05:37
This train is formed from a set that is running empty from Stoke Gifford.This is due to engineering works not being finished on time.
Last Updated:03/11/2025 05:37
It passed Abbotswood Junction + 122 and will probably be about 20 late departing Shrub Hill.
53 minutes late by Charlbury. The IET that usually follows it was a "planned cancellation" this morning, and the Oxfordshire Halts train after that was 17 late. In other words, Cotswold Line in the autumn, SNAFU...
| Re: Travel-related apps: a more resiliant architecture In "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" [367703/31006/51] Posted by Richard Fairhurst at 12:05, 3rd November 2025 | |
eXPassenger is right - developers often code something that works successfully in their always-on environment while forgetting that the app will often be used in less connected places. Or rather, the developers code what the spec tells them to code, and the project managers didn't put "work despite a dodgy connection" in the spec. But twas ever thus - I think it was Macintosh System 7.5, way back in 1994, that introduced a new help system that would regularly fail unless you were online.
I'm wondering if the authors of these sort of apps need to concentrate on work to reduce the volume of data that needs to be exchanged at these times, or to make the handling of this situation more efficient so that the app has a better chance of continuing to work when the network connection is less than good. For starters, they don't appear to cache the image and therefore data-heavy operations such as their handling of maps.
I've not used the Firstbus app - we're mercifully free of Firstbus round here - but in my experience, most generalist developers just unthinkingly embed an off-the-shelf map component in their apps and then tick the box to say "map done". Usually this is the platform-native one (i.e. Google or Apple maps), sometimes it's Mapbox or another third party. In-app maps absolutely can run offline or in conditions of limited connectivity, but only if you put the effort in!
| Re: Multiple stabbings on a London bound train in Cambridgeshire - 01 Nov 25 In "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" [367702/31017/51] Posted by bradshaw at 11:35, 3rd November 2025 Already liked by TonyK | |
This is the article in Sky News
British Transport Police held an emergency exercise for press officers in March, which ironically involved a stabbing on a train travelling south near Huntingdon.
In the training drill, the train stopped immediately between stations when a passenger pulled the emergency cord.
It took police 25 minutes to reach the train and casualties, far longer than the eight minutes in which Cambridgeshire firearms officers reached the scene at Huntingdon station.
In the training drill, the train stopped immediately between stations when a passenger pulled the emergency cord.
It took police 25 minutes to reach the train and casualties, far longer than the eight minutes in which Cambridgeshire firearms officers reached the scene at Huntingdon station.
https://news.sky.com/story/police-rehearsed-a-knife-attack-scenario-on-a-train-line-in-march-heres-what-went-differently-this-time-13462585
| Re: Derailment of Glasgow to London train near Shap in Cumbria - 3 November 2025 In "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" [367701/31028/51] Posted by GBM at 11:30, 3rd November 2025 | |
Query to a-driver, please.
How the heck do you, as a driver, deal with this?
You will be badly shaken; adrenaline flowing.
Your training says the safety of passengers and the train.
Who do you call first - as in - the train manager/guard to check on passengers; signalling centre to stop everything; call the regional operational centre; Just where do you start!
| Re: Multiple stabbings on a London bound train in Cambridgeshire - 01 Nov 25 In "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" [367700/31017/51] Posted by Phantom at 11:24, 3rd November 2025 | |
Awful news...... but, the driver of that train deserves huge praise. Exemplary response that potentially saved lives.
It was interesting to hear on GMB this morning that LNER have running training exercises on how to react to a stabbing occuring on a train, the spooky part is that the training has been taking place to pull a train off the fast line and to a stop at Huntingdon
| Re: Derailment of Glasgow to London train near Shap in Cumbria - 3 November 2025 In "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" [367699/31028/51] Posted by ChrisB at 11:15, 3rd November 2025 | |
Watson says around 20 minutes later, staff told them the train hit a landslide, caused by heavy rain at the weekend.
| Re: Derailment of Glasgow to London train near Shap in Cumbria - 3 November 2025 In "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" [367698/31028/51] Posted by Mark A at 11:14, 3rd November 2025 | |
The derailed trains, the 04:28 from Glasgow with ~85 aboard after Carlisle, it derailed after 6:09am.
Hat-tip to the staff of the Shap Wells Hotel which was on hand to receive the passengers.
Photos show that the train came to a halt foul of the down line. A service from Manchester to Glasgow, due to pass the location at 06:20, last recorded on Realtimetrains at Oxenholme at 6:05.
Mark
https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:W09849/2025-11-03/detailed#allox_id=0
https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:C26825/2025-11-03/detailed
| Re: Derailment of Glasgow to London train near Shap in Cumbria - 3 November 2025 In "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" [367697/31028/51] Posted by a-driver at 10:38, 3rd November 2025 | |
Image on X/Twitter shows derailed unit, with crash structure performing as it is designed to do.
https://x.com/rail/status/1985269697265512568?s=61&t=VlafMC5gF9tidw36b1Y8JQ
\https://x.com/rail/status/1985269697265512568?s=61&t=VlafMC5gF9tidw36b1Y8JQ
Will be interesting to see the initial findings. Other pictures suggest its only the front bogie that has derailed and there maybe some fortune that it derailed towards the 6ft and the other running line.
