I never understand the obsession with making it suitable for 5car trains, not 6car.   Especially as the rumours are that Project Churchward (or whatever the class 158, 165, 166 diesel unit replacement is now called) is likely to be 3car suburban units and 5car regional units.   The last I heard was going to be no 2car units.

So if the suburban trains are going to be 3car, or multiples (6, 9 etc) why make the platforms 5car.   

My understanding is that stations like Parson Street & Bedminster were rebuilt in 1930s with platforms over 200m long (although part is now not used) so why have some platforms only about 125m long, not nearer 145m

Hey! I hope you are keeping well.
 
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Graham

25% ! An absolutely splendid increase in capacity. Indeed shorter trains could be used and STILL  provide "a useful increase in seating capacity".

One of Cornwall's best known and biggest breweries is set to close.

Canadian-American owner Molson Coors Beverage Company has announced that it is looking to close Sharp's Brewery in Rock and has now entered consultation with staff.

The brewery is known as the home of Doom Bar which has been a staple beer at pubs, restaurants and supermarkets up and down the country for years and is the UK's best-selling cask ale.

No of course not. Plans are probably underway to "increase capacity" which is railway code for reducing legroom and tables

I attended the Portishead Railway Group (PRG) AGM last evening.

It was confirmed that the current plan is to run trains from Portishead through to Henbury, and that Pill and Portishead will be able to accommodate 5-car trains.

Plans for a new rail service in Wiltshire and Somerset could derail, unless crucial funding can be found in the coming weeks.

Go-op Co-operative have plans to "compete with Great Western Railway" and offer more stops at stations such as Taunton, Weston-super-Mare, Westbury, Swindon and Frome through use of diesel rolling stock.

The company needs to raise £3.6m by May 2026 to make their plans a reality - but have been unable to reach their target.

Go-op operations director Alex Lawrie said there is "one last chance to make this happen in this decade" and added the opportunity "is available for only a matter of weeks" before support from the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) is withdrawn.

When plans for the new service were approved last year, the ORR said the decision created the"opportunity to bring the first co-cooperatively owned train service and the first regional open access service in the UK".

But since then, Lawrie claims investors "large and small" say "factors outside Go-op's control are making it impossible for them to commit to the investment that is required."

Lawrie added: "People have a right to know why this such a struggle.

"Regardless of the outcome of this particular contract, Go-op will continue to work towards public transport that is accountable to its users; and will explore more innovative approaches to mobilising investment in the Taunton-Swindon corridor."

I attended the Portishead Railway Group (PRG) AGM last evening.

PRG is 'recalibrating' as its purpose, which had been to get the railway rebuilt, changes to looking at how it is delivered and then how it is run. The mood was not quite an outright celebration (I think everyone had seen too many false dawns for that!) It was more a case of rolling up sleeves for what comes next.

Does this increase the legroom ? 

Frustrating this morning. The Gloucester-Southampton service that I catch at Melksham 06:29 to Trowbridge 06:38 left Melksham on time, but then had to wait before joining the line down from Bath outside Trowbridge due to the delayed Portsmouth Harbour service - not unusual. However after it got going again it crawled along, eventually arriving at Trowbridge just in time to wave goodbye to the 06:46 Bristol service I was supposed to be connecting with departing the other platform.

Not a disaster - the next Bristol service was 07:05. But RealtimeTrains shows the Portsmouth Harbour service left Trowbridge at 06:42, while my Southampton one departed at 06:47. That 5 minute gap seems longer than it needed to be - is it the minimum allowed between consecutive trains?

Also, at one point the National Rail app was giving estimated times at Trowbridge for both the Southampton and Portsmouth trains as 06:42. Obviously it's using a simple algorithm to calculate those times - a potential use for AI? Earlier it had also been showing the Southampton service as being in front of the delayed Portsmouth one, whereas I knew from experience we would have to wait - again, something AI would be able to work out.

This change was made and notified in October....people go around not reading....

I agree with you, ChrisB.

That's why I posted this update - just to try to raise this issue among those affected who are still apparently so unaware.

In other news 175002 visited Newquay yesterday.

Interesting stats, maybe the first question could have been "do you go out after dark"?

As we all like to get out about in the plenty of day light hours of the Summer months.

What is the UK's new travel system and how are dual nationals affected?

A new travel system for visitors to the UK comes into force from Wednesday for citizens of dozens of countries like the US and Australia.

The government says electronic travel authorisation (ETA) will improve the immigration system.

However, it has created problems for dual nationals, who have been scrambling to get a UK passport to follow the new rules.

An ETA is a digital permission to travel to the UK.

From 25 February, most people who have been able to travel to the UK visa-free until now will need an ETA.

The new rules apply to people from 85 different countries.

Once approved, your ETA will allow you to stay in the UK for up to six months. It will be valid for two years, or until your passport expires, and allows multiple journeys to the UK.

The visit can be for things like tourism, business or short-term study.

It can also be for people who cross the border and travel through the UK as part of a journey, although people transiting through UK airports and who don't need to go through border security will not need an ETA.

Longer trips and visits for work or longer study will require a visa.

People who usually need a visa to travel to the UK will still need a visa to travel to the UK. They will not need to apply for an ETA as well.

British or Irish citizens will not need an ETA or a visa to visit the UK or to travel through it. There are a few other exceptions, external, such as those with settled status or children travelling from France on a school trip.

The scheme was launched in October 2023 but the government says it was "not strictly enforced to give visitors ample time to adjust to the new requirement".

However, in November, the government said, external ETAs would be mandatory from 25 February.

The government says ETAs will streamline the immigration system, speed it up and make it more secure.

Getting an ETA costs £16, but the government has said it plans to increase the fee to £20 in the future.

To apply, the government recommends downloading the app from Google Play, external or the Apple App Store, external.

You will need to provide contact and passport details, a provide suitable photo, and answer a set of questions.

You must travel using the same passport you used when you applied for the ETA.

The government says most people will get an automatic answer in minutes when using the ETA app, but it recommends people apply at least three working days before travelling.

If a person's ETA application is rejected, the government says they will be told the reason and can apply again.

However, if a person's ETA application is refused, they cannot appeal and instead need to apply for a visa to visit the UK.

One in four councils to miss food waste collection deadline

Almost a quarter of English councils will miss an official deadline to introduce weekly food waste collections to all homes, a BBC investigation has found.

The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) said "every household in England" would get weekly food waste collections from next month under new legislation, but at least 71 councils told the BBC they would not meet that deadline.

Councils blamed the delay on demand for new specialist vehicles, as well as issues with funding despite more than £340m in grants from Defra.

Environment minister Mary Creagh said councils had also had a "significant uplift in this year's budget" to help "make this policy a success".

"Do it slowly, do it right but let's get on with it," she said. "We have been stagnating at these very low recycling rates for far too long."

Roughly half of councils were not collecting food waste weekly before the creation of the Simpler Recycling legislation, while some have had the collections in place for more than a decade.

It meant not all councils needed to make changes to meet the new rules, but the BBC approached each local authority responsible for waste collection to find out what was happening in their area.

At least 56 of those that will miss the deadline are aiming to launch their service for all households by the end of 2026. Nine could not give an approximate start date.

A further 31 councils have secured agreements allowing for a later start date for their weekly food collections, so will not be viewed as missing the deadline.

When those councils are factored in, more than a third of councils will still not be collecting food waste from all homes by March.

(BBC article continues)

Rather than diver Tom Daley, I'd suggest swimmer Sharron Davies MBE for a Plymouth station naming (we attended the same schools, in Plymstock). 

Olympian to stand trial over speeding ticket


Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies is set to go on trial at Bath Magistrates' Court on 11 August

Former Olympic swimmer Baroness Sharron Davies is set to go on trial over a motorway speeding ticket.

Baroness Davies was captured by a speed camera travelling at 65mph (104km/h) on the M4 when the speed limit had been temporarily reduced to 50mph (80km/h), court papers say.

The alleged offence happened near junction 19 in South Gloucestershire just after 23:30 BST on 15 October 2025.

Baroness Davies, who lives in Bradford-on-Avon in Wiltshire, has contested the ticket claiming the signs were "poor" and "easy to miss". She is due to stand trial at Bath Magistrates' Court on 11 August.

(BBC article continues)