Recent Public Posts - [guest]
| Re: Can you find the 40 British railway station names hidden in our puzzle? In "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" [372082/31556/51] Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 19:40, 5th February 2026 |      |
With my renewed thanks to all Coffee Shop members who have contributed here, I've at least tried to update my previous post with a full list of all those railway stations.
If I have missed any, please do post here, and I'll complete the 40. [Image from here is not available to guests]
| Re: HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) - Government proposals, alternative routes, discussion In "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" [372081/5138/51] Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 19:11, 5th February 2026 | |
From the BBC:
Parliament revamp could cost £40bn and take 61 years
[Image from here is not available to guests]
The refurbishment of the Houses of Parliament could cost almost £40bn and take 61 years, under proposals presented to MPs and peers.
It's one option presented by the team working on the long-delayed restoration of the historic building, which is falling apart and costs £1.5m a week to maintain.
[Image from here is not available to guests]
The refurbishment of the Houses of Parliament could cost almost £40bn and take 61 years, under proposals presented to MPs and peers.
It's one option presented by the team working on the long-delayed restoration of the historic building, which is falling apart and costs £1.5m a week to maintain.
Second only to HS2 - or possibly the Portishead Line reopening to passengers ? [Image from here is not available to guests]
| Re: 19, 38, and 349 ... 80, 93, 151, 154, 155, 163, 164 and 470. In "Transport for London" [372077/31576/46] Posted by John D at 18:12, 5th February 2026 | |
There are too elements to this, TfL has a policy of electric buses, and built to non-standard TfL bus standard (the standard in EU rest of UK is apparently not acceptable to TfL). The cost of the charging infrastructure, and more expensive buses has pushed bus costs up.
They were aiming for 100% electric fleet by 2030 (mayor aspiration) or 2032-34 (dates seem to vary over time). However the latest Business plan (which was draft until ratified by today's TfL Board meeting) refers to target of 6000 electric buses by 2030 with no final cutover date.
The second element is fares revenue (which TfL Finance reports show is about 8% below budget for buses. Usage figures have fallen drastically (especially in central London where roads have been blocked for low traffic neighbourhoods, forcing cars and vans onto bus routes), causing congestion and slower buses. TfL have inadvertently made bus travel diabolically slow.
Of course in last few years, have seen extended East London line, extended DLR, Elizabeth line, improved signalling on Victoria, District, Circle, Met and H&C lines allowing higher frequencies. These alternatives are going to attract former bus passengers.
Pre-pandemic buses were losing around £1 - 1.5m per day, (and could be covered by a surplus on the tube), but in recent months bus losses has jumped to nearer £3.5m per day. Clearly London buses losing over £1bn a year (and rapidly rising) is not sustainable so cuts are inevitable.
| Re: Swindon <-> Westbury service updates and amendments, ongoing discussion - 2026 In "TransWilts line" [372076/31359/18] Posted by grahame at 17:51, 5th February 2026 | |
17:35 Swindon to Westbury due 18:19
17:35 Swindon to Westbury due 18:19 will be starting late from Swindon.
This is due to the train departing late to maintain customer connections.
17:35 Swindon to Westbury due 18:19 will be starting late from Swindon.
This is due to the train departing late to maintain customer connections.
9 minutes late off Swindon (17:44), maintaining connection from the 16:33 Paddington to Cheltenham Spa train. Had it set off on time at 17:35, it would have got in the way of the Bristol and Taunton train due to leave Swindon at 17:22, but didn't leave today until 17:36. The delay looks like a sensible call.
| 19, 38, and 349 ... 80, 93, 151, 154, 155, 163, 164 and 470. In "Transport for London" [372075/31576/46] Posted by grahame at 17:25, 5th February 2026 | |
After our - fury - at the breaking of the 205, another batch of routes may be in for re-organisation
from The Standard
TfL is planning to “simplify” its central London bus network – meaning an unspecified number of routes will be shortened or axed over the next three years, primarily to avoid overlapping services and to limit the number of empty buses.
Claire Mann, TfL’s chief operating officer, admitted to the board: “Obviously, moving forward, we as an organisation need to find a way to make the bus subsidy lower.”
Claire Mann, TfL’s chief operating officer, admitted to the board: “Obviously, moving forward, we as an organisation need to find a way to make the bus subsidy lower.”
I was - many years ago - a user of the 19 and 38; don't know the other routes. If developments like the Elizabeth Line and the turning of the Overground lines into metro-frequent routes have abstracted traffic from the buses, so reviewed might make sense. The lack of an appropriate decision on the 205, and the lack of any comment about passenger needs in the comment above, mean I am concerned. It could be that only a snippet of what Ms Mann said has been quoted - I certainly hope so.
| Leicestershire councillor says bid to restore Ivanhoe rail line is 'dead' In "Campaigns for new and improved services" [372074/31575/28] Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 17:20, 5th February 2026 | |
From the BBC:
Councillor says bid to restore rail line is 'dead'
[Image from here is not available to guests]
The railway still runs through towns like Coalville, but does not carry passenger trains
A councillor has said a campaign to restore a passenger rail link through the Midlands has no future.
Funding to restore the Ivanhoe line, which connects Leicester and Burton-upon-Trent through North West Leicestershire and South Derbyshire, was withdrawn after the Restoring Your Railway scheme was scrapped following a change in government in 2024.
Reform councillor Adam Tilbury, Leicestershire County Council's cabinet member for highways, transport and waste said despite decades of campaigning, the project is "dead" and unlikely to acquire support from the current Labour government.
Amanda Hack, Labour MP for North West Leicestershire, raised the issue in a debate in Westminster last week.
Referring to Hack's comments in parliament, Tilbury told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "Her concerns have fallen on deaf ears unfortunately. We are massively in debt as a country. There is no appetite for it. I don't think it's going to happen in this government's lifetime - it's dead really."
The Ivanhoe line used to connect Leicester with Burton, but closed down as part of the infamous Beeching cuts in the 1960s.
Tilbury said it was "ridiculous" there were currently no passenger routes to link commuters in these areas. "People with no car could go to high paying jobs and bring money back into the area. It's very frustrating. Leicestershire County Council always seems to be at the back of the queue. We have got all the investment coming in around the area but no transport links. We've been promised a rail link for years. We just want the same transport links everyone else has in the country," he said.
Following the debate in Westminster, Hack said: "We want to keep putting the pressure on to get this line up and running for passenger traffic as soon as possible." She said the line would also be beneficial in terms of providing greener transport options for the area.
"Currently, 99 per cent of visitors to local attractions like Conkers travel by car. A train link would provide a greener alternative to reduce carbon emissions and encourage more sustainable travel. It could even be branded the 'National Forest Line', which has a nice ring to it. There is no doubt in my mind, nor in the minds of local people, that restoring passenger rail is a priority," Hack added.
A Network Rail-backed business case to reinstate the line had been with the former Conservative government with hopes work could start in 2024. However, Chancellor Rachel Reeves said the Treasury needed to find £5.5bn of savings in 2024 and a further £8.1bn in 2025.
[Image from here is not available to guests]
The railway still runs through towns like Coalville, but does not carry passenger trains
A councillor has said a campaign to restore a passenger rail link through the Midlands has no future.
Funding to restore the Ivanhoe line, which connects Leicester and Burton-upon-Trent through North West Leicestershire and South Derbyshire, was withdrawn after the Restoring Your Railway scheme was scrapped following a change in government in 2024.
Reform councillor Adam Tilbury, Leicestershire County Council's cabinet member for highways, transport and waste said despite decades of campaigning, the project is "dead" and unlikely to acquire support from the current Labour government.
Amanda Hack, Labour MP for North West Leicestershire, raised the issue in a debate in Westminster last week.
Referring to Hack's comments in parliament, Tilbury told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "Her concerns have fallen on deaf ears unfortunately. We are massively in debt as a country. There is no appetite for it. I don't think it's going to happen in this government's lifetime - it's dead really."
The Ivanhoe line used to connect Leicester with Burton, but closed down as part of the infamous Beeching cuts in the 1960s.
Tilbury said it was "ridiculous" there were currently no passenger routes to link commuters in these areas. "People with no car could go to high paying jobs and bring money back into the area. It's very frustrating. Leicestershire County Council always seems to be at the back of the queue. We have got all the investment coming in around the area but no transport links. We've been promised a rail link for years. We just want the same transport links everyone else has in the country," he said.
Following the debate in Westminster, Hack said: "We want to keep putting the pressure on to get this line up and running for passenger traffic as soon as possible." She said the line would also be beneficial in terms of providing greener transport options for the area.
"Currently, 99 per cent of visitors to local attractions like Conkers travel by car. A train link would provide a greener alternative to reduce carbon emissions and encourage more sustainable travel. It could even be branded the 'National Forest Line', which has a nice ring to it. There is no doubt in my mind, nor in the minds of local people, that restoring passenger rail is a priority," Hack added.
A Network Rail-backed business case to reinstate the line had been with the former Conservative government with hopes work could start in 2024. However, Chancellor Rachel Reeves said the Treasury needed to find £5.5bn of savings in 2024 and a further £8.1bn in 2025.
I do love these emotive lines from current journalists:
The Ivanhoe line used to connect Leicester with Burton, but closed down as part of the infamous Beeching cuts in the 1960s.
CfN. [Image from here is not available to guests]
| Re: Class 175s to Great Western Railway (GWR) In "Across the West" [372072/28982/26] Posted by GBM at 15:51, 5th February 2026 | |
2C26 1340 Plymouth to Penzance (175002 to Liskeard) sat down at Liskeard and sulking.
Due to a broken down train at Liskeard disruption is expected until 16:00 05/02.
Train services between Plymouth and Penzance may be cancelled or delayed.
Customer Advice
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What has happened?
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A train has broken down at Liskeard, blocking the line towards Penzance.
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What are we doing about it?
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Our engineers are working with the crew on the train to find the cause of the fault. We are currently unable to run trains from Plymouth towards Penzance. This will also begin to affect services from Penzance towards Plymouth, as trains will not be in the right place.
2C27 1255 Exeter St Davids to Menheniot Signal Dm260 now sitting at said signal for an hour now.
| Re: Swindon <-> Westbury service updates and amendments, ongoing discussion - 2026 In "TransWilts line" [372071/31359/18] Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 15:05, 5th February 2026 | |
I, too, was caught up in the knock-on effects of that earlier failure of a train this morning, somewhere around Stroud apparently.
My own train towards home, from Kemble to Swindon, was initially reported as 'cancelled', then 'reinstated but 11 minutes late'. I arrived at Kemble station, where to add insult to injury the booking office and waiting room were closed all day 'due to staffing issues'. There were many passengers, effectively out in the open, conferring about the delay to their arrival in London - a few of which, I overheard, were time-critical, for business meeting reasons, for example.
The information boards and announcements were then updated fairly frequently, with the delay increasing steadily from 11 minutes to, eventually, 29 minutes. [Image from here is not available to guests]
The other two trains involved in my journey home (Swindon to Temple Meads and Temple Meads to Nailsea) were spot on time throughout.
| Re: Swindon <-> Westbury service updates and amendments, ongoing discussion - 2026 In "TransWilts line" [372069/31359/18] Posted by Mark A at 10:28, 5th February 2026 | |
That is... really very poor. Sorry that people including you were on the receiving end of it.
Mark
| Re: Swindon <-> Westbury service updates and amendments, ongoing discussion - 2026 In "TransWilts line" [372068/31359/18] Posted by grahame at 08:59, 5th February 2026 | |
06:35 Salisbury to Worcester Foregate Street due 09:47
06:35 Salisbury to Worcester Foregate Street due 09:47 was terminated at Swindon.
It will no longer call at Kemble, Stroud, Stonehouse, Gloucester, Cheltenham Spa, Ashchurch For Tewkesbury, Worcester Shrub Hill and Worcester Foregate Street.
This is due to a broken down train.
06:35 Salisbury to Worcester Foregate Street due 09:47 was terminated at Swindon.
It will no longer call at Kemble, Stroud, Stonehouse, Gloucester, Cheltenham Spa, Ashchurch For Tewkesbury, Worcester Shrub Hill and Worcester Foregate Street.
This is due to a broken down train.
| Re: Swindon <-> Westbury service updates and amendments, ongoing discussion - 2026 In "TransWilts line" [372067/31359/18] Posted by grahame at 08:58, 5th February 2026 Already liked by matth1j | |
What the lack of services means to an evening meeting in Trowbridge
From home at 16:05 ... at ASDA, Trowbridge, 16:55 - 50 minute journey for 17:00 meeting (bus)
The plan was 20:00 start homeward, 20:12 train, 20:22 Melksham Station, 20:50 home.
But turned into ... 19:00 from ASDA ... home at 22:20 - 200 minute journey.
We finished in good time, and I was quite happy to sit and do various writing up and things on my laptop in the "Rose end Crown" up to 20:00. But - from "on time" the train switched to "Delayed" and eventually to 21:12 - a 60 minute delay. At 21:12, it switched to being a few minutes later than that, the 21:25, and then it went "Cancelled". And at 21:25, 165101 went through without stopping - I suspected it was the delayed 20:12, moving the empty train back up to Gloucester - turned out to be in service, but skipping all intermediate stations except Swindon.
The 21:22 - next train as far as Swindon - was shown as "on time", then 21:26, then 21:30. And it arrived and left at that time - 8 minutes late. It came to a halt just to the north of Trowbridge - waiting at a red signal - and we eventually go to Melksham Station at 21:45 - 13 minutes late. Would have been home at 22:05, but stopped to get a takeaway for Lisa and me and that added time - far too late to start cooking at home.
Information at Trowbridge - appalling. Departure board "Delayed" not informative. Impossible suggestions being made about 2 trains within a minute of each other which was clearly not able to happen. Announcemnets advising people to wait for the "next fastest train" which, however, was (yet) shown as delayed but was very cleraly going to be. Help point when I asked about alternatives to get to Melksham offered to give me the travelline phone number to call about buses. Train manager dispatched train at Trowbridge and disappeared into rear cab, not seen again until door opened at Melksham. No other rail staff seen the whole evening.
Lisa suggested I was too principled sticking it out and should have looked for a taxi, though they can be sparse in the evening in Trowbridge. and with others waiting too, and five of us off the train eventually at Melksham, that might of been an idea. It was not offered by the help point person, nor were there any indications of the train running screen or in announcements to help / mask that suggestion.. At one point I was considering D1 bus to Bath and 273 bus to Melksham with a midnight arrival home!
| Re: Swindon <-> Westbury service updates and amendments, ongoing discussion - 2026 In "TransWilts line" [372066/31359/18] Posted by grahame at 07:19, 5th February 2026 | |
Chaos this evening ... WWRUG Committee meeting finished around 19:15 in Trowbridge and I have just got home at 22:30. Particularly galling to see trains going through Trowbridge without stopping ... the young lady waiting for the 20:12 there and headed home to Stroud will still not be there.
I have updated my "logging" page to strike through trains that are supposed to stop at Melksham, but run through without calling. From a passenger viewpoint, I consider them to be cancellations.
| Re: London bus driver sacked after chasing and punching thief - 25 June 2024 In "Transport for London" [372065/31547/46] Posted by TaplowGreen at 07:01, 5th February 2026 | |
Whether or not Mark Hehir would want to be reinstated given the shocking way he's been treated by Metroline is unclear, however there's a petition signed by over 135,000 people requesting it as well as the pressure being applied by political leaders of all stripes.
If anyone who hasn't already done so wishes to append their moniker, here's the link.
https://www.change.org/p/reinstate-hero-bus-driver-mark-hehir
| Re: Can you find the 40 British railway station names hidden in our puzzle? In "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" [372064/31556/51] Posted by Oxonhutch at 22:57, 4th February 2026 | |
| Re: Swindon <-> Westbury service updates and amendments, ongoing discussion - 2026 In "TransWilts line" [372063/31359/18] Posted by grahame at 22:40, 4th February 2026 | |
20:06 Westbury to Cheltenham Spa due 22:06
20:06 Westbury to Cheltenham Spa due 22:06 will no longer call at Trowbridge, Melksham, Chippenham, Kemble, Stroud and Stonehouse.
It has been delayed at Westbury and is now 75 minutes late.
This is due to a fault with the signalling system.
20:06 Westbury to Cheltenham Spa due 22:06 will no longer call at Trowbridge, Melksham, Chippenham, Kemble, Stroud and Stonehouse.
It has been delayed at Westbury and is now 75 minutes late.
This is due to a fault with the signalling system.
Chaos this evening ... WWRUG Committee meeting finished around 19:15 in Trowbridge and I have just got home at 22:30. Particularly galling to see trains going through Trowbridge without stopping ... the young lady waiting for the 20:12 there and headed home to Stroud will still not be there.
| Re: Swindon <-> Westbury service updates and amendments, ongoing discussion - 2026 In "TransWilts line" [372062/31359/18] Posted by TaplowGreen at 22:24, 4th February 2026 | |
20:06 Westbury to Cheltenham Spa due 22:06
20:06 Westbury to Cheltenham Spa due 22:06 will no longer call at Trowbridge, Melksham, Chippenham, Kemble, Stroud and Stonehouse.
It has been delayed at Westbury and is now 75 minutes late.
This is due to a fault with the signalling system.
| Re: Class 175s to Great Western Railway (GWR) In "Across the West" [372061/28982/26] Posted by REVUpminster at 20:53, 4th February 2026 | |
https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:K61700/2026-02-06/detailed
Another go from Wolverton. Very late in the day.
| Re: Swindon <-> Westbury service updates and amendments, ongoing discussion - 2026 In "TransWilts line" [372060/31359/18] Posted by grahame at 19:40, 4th February 2026 | |
17:50 Gloucester to Salisbury due 20:06
17:50 Gloucester to Salisbury due 20:06 will be terminated at Warminster.
It will no longer call at Salisbury.
It is being delayed at Swindon.
This is due to a fault with the signalling system.
17:50 Gloucester to Salisbury due 20:06 will be terminated at Warminster.
It will no longer call at Salisbury.
It is being delayed at Swindon.
This is due to a fault with the signalling system.
| Re: London bus driver sacked after chasing and punching thief - 25 June 2024 In "Transport for London" [372058/31547/46] Posted by anthony215 at 19:31, 4th February 2026 Already liked by Mark A, TaplowGreen | |
I know our drivers have been talking about this . I can say its put a lot of drivers on edge making us drivers wonder if we have issues on the.bus why she intervene
| Re: Class 175s to Great Western Railway (GWR) In "Across the West" [372057/28982/26] Posted by plymothian at 19:01, 4th February 2026 | |
175007 was in public service today.
| Re: Changes to Stranraer In "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" [372056/15265/51] Posted by GBM at 18:54, 4th February 2026 | |
A quality page on the last days of Stranraer as a ferry terminal.
Mark
https://www.niferry.co.uk/photo-feature-10-years-on-part-1-farewell-stranraer/
Very sad to see 'real' ferries laid-up and then gone.Mark
https://www.niferry.co.uk/photo-feature-10-years-on-part-1-farewell-stranraer/
| Re: A379 at Slapton In "Buses and other ways to travel" [372055/31569/5] Posted by johnneyw at 18:42, 4th February 2026 Already liked by rogerw | |
When I first visited the beach in the 1960s it still had the notices warning of unexploded ordnance.
Back in October 1977 I spent a few days at the Slapton Field Studies Center as part of my A Level Geography course. The whole group were walking back along the coast path from Start Point but myself and a few others were among the stragglers. The ones ahead of us actually saw (and heard) a wartime mine, discoverd that day on Slapton Sands, being detonated by the bomb disposal chaps.
We didn't see or hear a thing, which rather puts a perspective on my definition of "stragglers".
| Re: Changes to Stranraer In "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" [372054/15265/51] Posted by Mark A at 17:56, 4th February 2026 | |
A quality page on the last days of Stranraer as a ferry terminal.
Mark
https://www.niferry.co.uk/photo-feature-10-years-on-part-1-farewell-stranraer/
| Re: A379 at Slapton In "Buses and other ways to travel" [372053/31569/5] Posted by bradshaw at 17:41, 4th February 2026 | |
When I first visited the beach in the 1960s it still had the notices warning of unexploded ordnance.
