Due to my lack of any experience of travel between North and South Wales, 'I have no opinion either way'.

Could that perhaps be added as another option in the poll - simply to include any 'don't know / none of the above' voters in the results?

CfN. 

 
Some stunning photos in this Facebook Group of the loop and associated works, including one, taken from a drone, showing two trains side-by-side within the loop. (Not direct linking due copyright claims on some)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/384010423010289/?hoisted_section_header_type=recently_seen&multi_permalinks=1403705101040811

 
From the BBC:

 
Most signage for road works appears to be contracted out nowadays.

 
Visited: 13
UK, Portugal, France, Canada, Turkey, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, USA, Greece, Netherlands, Spain, Germany.

Used a train in: 10
UK, Portugal, France, Switzerland, Italy, USA, Greece, Netherlands, Spain, Germany.

 
Perhaps a word could be had with HRH The Duke to see if the Duchy might be inclined to contribute to the financing of a "Nansleden Platform/Nansleden Road/Gorsaf Nansleden".

 

 
Hmm. That looks as though it could have been more unpleasant than it was.

Mark

 


It's a good idea and will help ease crowding on the T1 and T2 services in particular as well as offering a faster north-south journey time

 
Although the A36 closure signs have been taken down at Beckington roundabout, and Bath repainted as lane white road marking, there are lots of signs still up saying it was closed.

This morning passed one on Warminster bypass, and another approaching White Row roundabout, and diversion signs were still up on A361 at Rode.

So Highways agency is not good at correct engineering works info either

 
Short runs on Paddington - Hereford services today and cancellations for LM services between Worcester and Hereford because of this bridge strike in Herefordshire

https://www.herefordtimes.com/news/24976248.pictures-show-a4103-lorry-crash-herefordshire/

 
From Transport for Wales press release

 

Tip for those who need to call nature at Paddington: he can also be called for free at platform 1 nowadays, and I'm please to report that the venue was bright and clean when I visited on Friday morning.

 
Our introduction and chat board, these days, include in its subtitle "including records of your personal journeys" so here goes on my log of the trip I'm taking this week.    I watch and think as I travel and look and see things, idiiosyncracise (which I can't spell), many things write and a few things where I think "if only".   

Monday 3rd March 2025

Part 1 - from asleep to The Lawn

To my local station

Up at 6 a.m. to pack for an 07:30 walk from home to the station. Slight panic to find 7 emails sent over the weekend jammed in my outbox (an I had been wondering why I had not had even a single ackledgement - thank goodness Lisa and I email each other occasionally because that's how I found the problem - "did you get the copy of my schedule" I asked ... "no".  So rushed shower and pack - travelling light with just a pack, clothes change, medical necessities.  Also bottle of iced tea, packet biscuits, booking papers ... and European Train Timetable and book 1 of European Rail Maps (getting into practise for May to August)

At Station
- No sign of Coffee Stand that was there on Mondays when I last checked.
TVM working and picked up tickets for Tuesday and Wednesday
(I already had my tickets for today - picked up last month)
Machine which was not working the other day (unresponsive to touch) worked.

08:02 Melksham to Chippenham
- on time + Circa 20-25 on, handful off
- 2 car 158 / 48 in one carriage 47 in second = 95 to Chippenham
- With passengers off. that's about [100/30] how we used to measure - passengers total on single line (service unique to TransWilts) and Melksham users
- Ticket checked (and 'clipped') - "Sir" can I see your railcard.
- Guess around 30-35 off and say 25 on at Chippenham.

08:26 Chippenham to Paddington (9 carriage IET)
- Grabbed coffee and flapjack at Hearty Hare - do not trust on train supply.
- It's several weeks since I was at CPM station but waiting room on platform still boarded up
- Noting display says "peak tickets only" but mine is a cheap advanced.
There isn't any such thing as a peak ticket, is there??
- Reserved seat already occupied (and one next to it with bag)
- Bag cleared but I would rather have had the window seat I booked
- Left on time, but signal halt a few minutes later and proceed under caution
- Ticket check - call for "any more unchecked tickets please" - as mine had been checked and stamped already I just sat and TM (?) passed by ... noting he was checking rail cards as routine but not using the patronising "sir" to people in a way I had felt on the other train.
- Announcement @ 08:45 - "now running 11 minutes late due to signalling probs"
- My reserved seat cleared at Swindon; I have chosen not to move being settled and at a table, 2 laptops diagonally works best with 2 unoccupied seats.
- "Please take all your belongings with you" - always tempted to say I'm fortunate to have many more belongings at home that I'm unable to carry ... being far too much of a pedant this morning!
- Announcement @ 08:50 - "full catering service this morning - trolley coming through standard class - please keep aisles clear for us to pull it backwards. We have a range of herbal teas. Do not accept cash but full range of cards and contactless"
- 09:07 into Didcot, out at 09:09.
- Around 09:20 off Reading. Still just 4 persons in 8 bays at tables.
- 09:32 "Catering service has now closed to let us set up for our next journey"
P.S. We never saw the catering trolley, so what was "full service" about it?
- 09:44 came to a halt - 10 minutes late

At Paddington
- Noticed that our train was due back out at 10:00 - so 15 minute turn around
- Onto the lawn at 09:47 (busy train and one of the gateline staff opened the wide barrier to let us floow through).
Stopped a few minutes for the call of nature, in the knowledge that nature can be called for free these days at Paddington if you go around under the taxi rank / platform 12.

 

From the photo it looks like the thieves have pretty much trashed it when cutting out it's front half.  Hopefully repairable though.
The tent round the bench made it look somewhat reminiscent of a murder scene.....I wonder if this was something of a tongue in cheek gesture by the local police?

 

https://midcornwallmetro.com/2025/02/stage-three-of-mid-cornwall-metro-work-underway/

Here's the latest on the scheme.  Looking at that Rail piece, it says the commissioning work for the signals will be in September and the service introduction will be after that.  Slightly different to saying the service will start in Sept.  Too early to say and we'll see soon enough.

 
That is one page?…..

 
Travellers travelling the day would just check journeycheck to see if their chosen train is running/fully formed, etc.
Then have to check the engineering page for engineering works as well?
It would be helpful if engineering works appeared on the daily journeycheck page as well.

 

The line was closed Chippenham - Swindon on Saturday and Sunday and also Bath - Chippenham on Sunday , with the only trains serving Chippenham being from Westbury (possibly a first!) on Sunday. Even there, a crew shortage on Saturday evening lead to the last round trip from Westbury to Chippenham being at  18:50 rather than 21:25 - so that looks like timetabled service reduced in the plan due to engineeringm then further reduced on the day because of s lack of crew.

Although all stations WERE served,  rail replacement services still needed from Chippenham to Swindon - not realistic to expect anyone but a rail enthusiast to travel a long way round for such a short journey even if there're enough crews and trains. 

When Bath - Chippenham closed, some logic in reversing hourly trains at Bradford Junction and with calls at Melksham and B-o-A (for changes) the local service could be replaced for the day.   When Chippenham - Swindon closed, is there any logic in an hourly London - Swindon - Parkway - Temple Meads - Chippenham - Westbury - London route?  I suspect not - just too far round.   With Chippenham accessible only from Westbury, some sense I'm making that into an hourly shuttle and advising change at Trowbridge for London - Bristol service via the Berks and Hants.    All of which comes down to "what price", "where do you get crew and trains from"?

 
from Newbury in Berkshire.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd7egx029l9o

 
Could the services not run London to Chippenham via Swindon and then terminate at Chiienham and then go back to London

AND

then have a Paddington to Bath via Bristol Parkway and BTM terminate at Bath and then make the return trip via BTM and Bristol Parkway?

No need for replacement services

My suggestion reminds of an airplane story from Australia many years ago

British Airways plane route was London Sydney Melbourne Sydney then back to London
capacity on the Sydney to Melbourne and Melbourne to Sydney was only 20 per cent full
so British Airways decided to change the route to London Sydney Melbourne then onto London
which meant there was nearly 100 per cent capacity on the route from Sydney to Melbourne

 
I agree it's pathetic.

Now if only the money was paid up 20 years ago and Sundays were inside the working week. I would have liked that option.

 

Oh, that's alright then. Just a shame it gets to Exeter half an hour after the last service to Plymouth leaves
 

 
More likely to be the staff shortage that has reappeared this weekend.

It would need more staff than usually scheduled to run as you suggest & they can't even rustle up the usual number!

 


Hmmmm. someone is mistaken. I hope that 1 person doesn't lose their job owing to the loss of the service.

 

2103 Exeter is shown as running. Also the above trains not showing on RealTime trains so cancelled well in advance?

 
Railway pay is four weekly, 13 pay days a year so March or April is the freebie month. Also every few years there's a single week bank credit.