Recent Public Posts - [guest]
| Re: Swindon <-> Westbury service updates and amendments, ongoing discussion - 2026 In "TransWilts line" [372978/31359/18] Posted by grahame at 19:26, 2nd March 2026 |      |
17:50 Gloucester to Salisbury due 20:06
17:50 Gloucester to Salisbury due 20:06 will be terminated at Westbury.
It will no longer call at Dilton Marsh, Warminster and Salisbury.
This is due to a fault with the signalling system.
17:50 Gloucester to Salisbury due 20:06 will be terminated at Westbury.
It will no longer call at Dilton Marsh, Warminster and Salisbury.
This is due to a fault with the signalling system.
| Re: Why has the world's first hydrogen double-decker fleet failed? In "Buses and other ways to travel" [372977/31681/5] Posted by broadgage at 18:44, 2nd March 2026 | |
Batteries for powering electric vehicles have improved greatly in recent years, but hydrogen still suffers from the same drawbacks.
At room temperature and pressure hydrogen is exceedingly bulky. Vehicles were powered by town gas (which is largely hydrogen) during the last war to save oil. The gas bag was very bulky and needed frequent filling.
Bulk may be reduced by liquefaction, this needs costly and complicated plant which consumes appreciable energy. The liquid hydrogen, if not used boils away.
Alternatively compressed hydrogen may be used, also expensive and the high pressure tank is rather a risk.
Fuelling a hydrogen vehicle requires specially trained staff, unlike electric power which simply needs an industrial plug and socket, or diesel fuel which needs only hose and pump.
| Re: Seagulls: particularly in Bath, Bristol, Cornwall and Minehead - ongoing discussion In "The West - but NOT trains in the West" [372976/19857/31] Posted by broadgage at 18:18, 2nd March 2026 | |
Earl the cat has killed a seagull ! In cooperation with the other cat from the same household. This operation required careful planning.
EARL said I can grasp the bird with all four of my paws, but then can not kill it. Can you remove the head whilst I hold it ?
Other cat. that sounds fun !
The other cat is much smaller than Earl, but very fierce.
Both cats dismantled the seagull, looking for the edible parts, without success.
| Re: Swindon <-> Westbury service updates and amendments, ongoing discussion - 2026 In "TransWilts line" [372975/31359/18] Posted by matth1j at 17:48, 2nd March 2026 | |
15:15 Swindon to Westbury due 15:58
15:15 Swindon to Westbury due 15:58 will be starting late from Swindon.
This is due to a road vehicle colliding with a bridge.
15:15 Swindon to Westbury due 15:58 will be starting late from Swindon.
This is due to a road vehicle colliding with a bridge.
| Re: Swindon <-> Westbury service updates and amendments, ongoing discussion - 2026 In "TransWilts line" [372973/31359/18] Posted by grahame at 17:18, 2nd March 2026 | |
Starts Sunday 24 May 2026 to Sunday 24 May 2026
Route(s) affected
Between Warminster and Swindon and between Swindon and Westbury and also between Westbury and Bristol temple Meads
Description
Engineering work is taking place until 09:00 between Bradford-on-Avon and Warminster, closing some lines.
The 08:06 Warminster to Swindon trains will not run and will be part replaced by an earlier rail replacement bus departing at 07:45 from Warminster, calling at Dilton Marsh, Westbury, Trowbridge and Melksham to Chippenham. Rail connections available between Chippenham and Swindon.
etc
Route(s) affected
Between Warminster and Swindon and between Swindon and Westbury and also between Westbury and Bristol temple Meads
Description
Engineering work is taking place until 09:00 between Bradford-on-Avon and Warminster, closing some lines.
The 08:06 Warminster to Swindon trains will not run and will be part replaced by an earlier rail replacement bus departing at 07:45 from Warminster, calling at Dilton Marsh, Westbury, Trowbridge and Melksham to Chippenham. Rail connections available between Chippenham and Swindon.
etc
Not unusual for the first Sunday morning train. When this train was first provided (it did NOT arrive December 2013 like the rest) there was much discussion about it "won't be used" and "it won't always be able to run". Well - it came first in summer, then all year, then we fought to re-instate it after the peak of covid.
"Official" stance. Yes - it needs bustituting far more than any other service, but with good notice and in all the official systems, a price that's fair enough to have a Sunday morning service at all. And it's one of the busiest trains - if not THE busiest - of the day.
| Re: Travelling on invalid ticket - what should the operator do? In "Fare's Fair" [372972/31693/4] Posted by grahame at 17:11, 2nd March 2026 | |
I would be interested to know what the problem was with the Melksham ticket.
Was it invalid due to conditions such as time of day or route, or an advance ticket being used on the wrong train? In this case the industry has some responsibility due to the complexity of the ticketing system. It may be that purchasing a single to Westbury and catching a London train from there would solve the problem.
If it is a totally invalid ticket then the TOC has no responibility.
Was it invalid due to conditions such as time of day or route, or an advance ticket being used on the wrong train? In this case the industry has some responsibility due to the complexity of the ticketing system. It may be that purchasing a single to Westbury and catching a London train from there would solve the problem.
If it is a totally invalid ticket then the TOC has no responibility.
I quite intentionally failed to document the particular problem here in public - sorry. In my view, it is very possible - as was the case of the people flying to India - that a third party was responsible for incorrect ticketing, and the person actually travelling was unaware of the problem until stopped on the train. But not knowing the parties / situation / background to repeating issues as staff do, I am not making a definite call on who knew what. We love Melksham, but putting a potentially vulnerable person off there rather than - say - at Chippenham where the are people around to help sort out struck me as a harsh decision. If the person had had a good communication ability, it would not have been as bad - IMHO only.
| Re: Barriers to bus and tram travel - lessons from Florence In "The Wider Picture Overseas" [372970/31691/52] Posted by eXPassenger at 17:06, 2nd March 2026 | |
It is also possible to be bamboozled by local customs.
Some years ago we were staying in a Brussels suburb and wanted to use the metro to go to the city centre. We had not realised quite how small the Brussels French island was and the ticket machine was firmly Flemish with no French or English language options. Fortunately we were able to get assistance from another passenger.
| Re: Where in Wales? Quiz! In "Shorter journeys in South and West Wales" [372969/31701/23] Posted by Western Pathfinder at 17:01, 2nd March 2026 Already liked by grahame | |
No 8. Sugar Loaf.
| Re: Barriers to bus and tram travel - lessons from Florence In "The Wider Picture Overseas" [372968/31691/52] Posted by eXPassenger at 17:01, 2nd March 2026 | |
Are things done differently in North Somerset?
Thanks for posing that question, Bob.
Yes, we do have something of a tradition of 'doing things differently in North Somerset'.
I can't recall the exact details, but I think I didn't need to tap out on my arrival at the Bristol Hospital, but I did have to at the Weston super Mare Hospital.
As a fellow N Somerset resident I have always tapped in and never tapped out in N Somerset, Bristol, Bath or elsewhere.
| Re: Travelling on invalid ticket - what should the operator do? In "Fare's Fair" [372966/31693/4] Posted by eXPassenger at 16:52, 2nd March 2026 | |
I would be interested to know what the problem was with the Melksham ticket.
Was it invalid due to conditions such as time of day or route, or an advance ticket being used on the wrong train? In this case the industry has some responsibility due to the complexity of the ticketing system. It may be that purchasing a single to Westbury and catching a London train from there would solve the problem.
If it is a totally invalid ticket then the TOC has no responibility.
| Re: Swindon <-> Westbury service updates and amendments, ongoing discussion - 2026 In "TransWilts line" [372965/31359/18] Posted by matth1j at 16:44, 2nd March 2026 | |
15:15 Swindon to Westbury due 15:58
15:15 Swindon to Westbury due 15:58 will be starting late from Swindon.
This is due to a road vehicle colliding with a bridge.
15:15 Swindon to Westbury due 15:58 will be starting late from Swindon.
This is due to a road vehicle colliding with a bridge.
| Re: Swindon <-> Westbury service updates and amendments, ongoing discussion - 2026 In "TransWilts line" [372963/31359/18] Posted by John D at 16:28, 2nd March 2026 | |
Starts Sunday 24 May 2026 to Sunday 24 May 2026
Route(s) affected
Between Warminster and Swindon and between Swindon and Westbury and also between Westbury and Bristol temple Meads
Description
Engineering work is taking place until 09:00 between Bradford-on-Avon and Warminster, closing some lines.
The 08:06 Warminster to Swindon trains will not run and will be part replaced by an earlier rail replacement bus departing at 07:45 from Warminster, calling at Dilton Marsh, Westbury, Trowbridge and Melksham to Chippenham. Rail connections available between Chippenham and Swindon.
The 09:08 Swindon to Westbury will start from Chippenham. No connection from Swindon into this train. However there will be road transport at 09:45 from Chippenham dropping off only at Melksham, Trowbridge and Westbury. Earlier rail connections from Swindon to Chippenham to connect into this replacement bus.
The 08:39 Westbury to Bristol Temple Meads will depart 09:06 and will operate later than normal throughout.
Route(s) affected
Between Warminster and Swindon and between Swindon and Westbury and also between Westbury and Bristol temple Meads
Description
Engineering work is taking place until 09:00 between Bradford-on-Avon and Warminster, closing some lines.
The 08:06 Warminster to Swindon trains will not run and will be part replaced by an earlier rail replacement bus departing at 07:45 from Warminster, calling at Dilton Marsh, Westbury, Trowbridge and Melksham to Chippenham. Rail connections available between Chippenham and Swindon.
The 09:08 Swindon to Westbury will start from Chippenham. No connection from Swindon into this train. However there will be road transport at 09:45 from Chippenham dropping off only at Melksham, Trowbridge and Westbury. Earlier rail connections from Swindon to Chippenham to connect into this replacement bus.
The 08:39 Westbury to Bristol Temple Meads will depart 09:06 and will operate later than normal throughout.
https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/engineering-works/chippenham-24-may-20260524/
| Re: Swindon <-> Westbury service updates and amendments, ongoing discussion - 2026 In "TransWilts line" [372962/31359/18] Posted by grahame at 15:33, 2nd March 2026 Already liked by matth1j | |
15:15 Swindon to Westbury due 15:58
15:15 Swindon to Westbury due 15:58 will be starting late from Swindon.
This is due to a road vehicle colliding with a bridge.
15:15 Swindon to Westbury due 15:58 will be starting late from Swindon.
This is due to a road vehicle colliding with a bridge.
| Re: TravelWatch SouthWest General Meeting, Friday 6 March 2026 In "Diary - what's happening when?" [372961/30742/34] Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 12:51, 2nd March 2026 | |
Thanks for warning us, ChrisB. Do you have a yellow T shirt?
| Re: TravelWatch SouthWest General Meeting, Friday 6 March 2026 In "Diary - what's happening when?" [372960/30742/34] Posted by ChrisB at 12:46, 2nd March 2026 | |
I'm coming too...
| Re: TravelWatch SouthWest General Meeting, Friday 6 March 2026 In "Diary - what's happening when?" [372958/30742/34] Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 12:37, 2nd March 2026 | |
I plan to be there
... I'll be the tall bearded one in a yellow T shirt!
Rather strange apparel, for a squirrel.
I'm rather inclined to turn up with my own current beard, wearing a yellow T shirt, just to confuse everyone.
(As something of a spoiler, Tim's yellow T shirt is Bristol Rail Campaign, while mine is TransWilts.
)| Re: Bristol Rail Campaign (FoSBR) AGM In "Diary - what's happening when?" [372957/31295/34] Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 12:22, 2nd March 2026 Already liked by GBM, Red Squirrel | |
... I'll be the tall bearded one in a yellow T shirt!
Rather strange apparel, for a squirrel.
| Re: TravelWatch SouthWest General Meeting, Friday 6 March 2026 In "Diary - what's happening when?" [372956/30742/34] Posted by Red Squirrel at 12:03, 2nd March 2026 | |
I plan to be there
| Re: North Cotswold line delays and cancellations - 2026 In "London to the Cotswolds" [372955/31371/14] Posted by charles_uk at 12:02, 2nd March 2026 | |
Sunday 1 March:
0844 London Paddington to Great Malvern cancelled due to a problem at the depot (MU)
0944 London Paddington to Hereford cancelled due to unknown cause (ZW)
1157 Great Malvern to London Paddington cancelled due to late arrival of an inbound service (YI)
1428 Hereford to London Paddington cancelled due to unknown cause (ZX)
2150 London Paddington to Worcester Shrub Hill cancelled between Oxford and Worcester Shrub Hill due to unknown cause (ZW)
The first four due to a track side fire between Paddington and Reading. The 2150 truncated due to shortage of train crew which resulted in:
Monday 2 March:
06:43 Worcester Shrub Hill to Paddington cancelled between Worcester Shrub Hill and Oxford due to unknown cause (ZW)
| Re: Server slow ... In "News, Help and Assistance" [372954/30293/29] Posted by Mark A at 11:47, 2nd March 2026 | |
Can't recall if I've mentioned it. Having used Statcounter for site stats for yonks, recently they've needed to introduce a slew of tools to weed out visits by various bots and have issued at least two newsletters to users to keep us informed about what they're up to.
Mark
| Re: Where in Wales? Quiz! In "Shorter journeys in South and West Wales" [372953/31701/23] Posted by Mark A at 11:43, 2nd March 2026 Already liked by Chris from Nailsea | |
& a classic case of seeing what I expected to see in a photo rather than what was actually in Graham's photo - where there are no buffer stops.
Mark
| Re: Where in Wales? Quiz! In "Shorter journeys in South and West Wales" [372952/31701/23] Posted by Mark A at 11:40, 2nd March 2026 | |
Haha! Bridge: tick. Two lines converge: tick. Buffer stops: tick. Graffiti: tick. A case of "All the right notes, but not necessarily in the right order."
Below: Carmarthen...
Mark
| Re: Passenger Growth - railway termini of the South West In "Across the West" [372951/31692/26] Posted by REVUpminster at 11:39, 2nd March 2026 | |
A surprise is the number achieved by Okehampton. (Also, always tickled that St Ives eclipses Penzance, though that's for... reasons.)
Mark
Okehampton in 2005 was virtually nil. Did Falmouth have a half hour service then; Paignton did, but only in the rush hour.Mark
If the railway increases a service passengers do come in most circumstances.
In London the Victoria Line was built despite a declining London population. The decline turned round in the 1980s and the line is at capacity.
| Re: Passenger Growth - railway termini of the South West In "Across the West" [372950/31692/26] Posted by Mark A at 11:31, 2nd March 2026 | |
A surprise is the number achieved by Okehampton. (Also, always tickled that St Ives eclipses Penzance, though that's for... reasons.)
Mark
| Re: Passenger Growth - railway termini of the South West In "Across the West" [372949/31692/26] Posted by REVUpminster at 11:30, 2nd March 2026 Already liked by Mark A, Witham Bobby | |
The "Devon Metro" (doesn't exist) figures illustrates the continuing growth of Exeter in terms of job creation and which has created a commuter railway.
Paignton is a perfect example; thousands of houses being built on the ring road from White Rock to Kings Ash Hill that require a bus to Paignton station or being dropped off.
The Kingskerswell-by-pass campaigned for 40 years was meant to bring jobs to Torbay but had the reverse effect in allowing commuting to Exeter which luckily for the railway is not car friendly. Exeter (138,000) will overtake Torbay (140,000) in population size.
I expect when Okehampton Interchange opens there will be a significant drop in passengers from Okehampton who transfer to the new station. Barnstaple really needs a half hour service and Exmouth a 20 minute service but needs new track infrastructure.
