https://www.transportxtra.com/publications/local-transport-today/news/79580/housebuilding-around-train-stations-will-be-given-default-yes--says-government



So "770 stations" is 1 in 3 ... and I might suggest that where a line that's not overused goes through an area suitable for housing and is close to a railway without a station, one might be built.   Perhaps this also provides a lifeline for some campaigns should the wish to move forward with extra housing too - land value uplift at places like Langport and Somerton, and Devizes Gateway already on the radar and perhaps some others that may not be so visible (I mentioned a couple in an earlier post).  Some such as Dovey Junction and Achnashellach are rural stations which won't be suitable, and some will raise a local Hugh and cry.

 
Thanks.  The rather annoying thing, for me, is that years ago my wife bought me a copy of Kate Colquhoun's excellent book, 'Mr Briggs' Hat' - but today I can't find it anywhere.

 
A raise of the hat to you Chris.

 
Not good for those travelling down to Devon and Cornwall this evening with both the 17.03 and 18.03 Paddington to Penzance terminating well short of their final destination at Exeter and Taunton respectively. ‘Train fault’ reason given, one is losing time and probably wouldn’t make it up the south Devon banks.

 
Being stuck in with a cold, I got my crayons out to see what this could look like.  Click on images to see them bigger

 
As ever, I stumbled across this reference to the first murder on the railways while I was actually looking for something else.

The first murder on the railways was the killing of Thomas Briggs, by Franz Muller, on 9 July 1864.

There is a very good account on the British Transport Police website.

 
Saturday November 22

1W01 09:50 London Paddington to Hereford (12:43) : Oxford +6, Shrub Hill  +17, arrived Great Malvern +19 and cancelled thereafter "due to it being Autumn (TT)" according to RTT.

The return journey:

EDIT 15:30 - To which we must add

1W25 12:53 London Paddington to Worcester Shrub Hill (15:11) : departed on time, Oxford +14, arrived Shrub Hill +17 and cancelled thereafter. RTT reports this as being "due to a late start from the yard due to an unknown problem (FW)".

The stock does not return immediately, but eventually becomes 1P39 20:03 Worcester Foregate Street to London Paddington (22:23).

 
Hot off the presses - Interrail passes for sale with a 25% discount from 25th November to 17th December.   Applies to global passes and single country passes except Switzerland.  "Usual exchange and refund conditions apply" according to the early data. It's likely that the pass (if electronic) will need to be activated within 11 months of purchase, or a specific start date within that time nominated if you purchase a paper pass.    I will follow up with sale URLs - the presses in France are ahead of the others.

 
GWR will be running a Black Friday sales event.

Promotional fares will be available to purchase from Friday 28 November, until 23.59 Monday 1 December from either the GWR app or gwr.com/blackfriday when it goes live, for travel between Friday 5 December until 23:59 Friday 13 March*.

Tickets will effectively be advance fares, selected journeys only, with a maximum of 9 people per booking, subject to availability, and cannot be used in conjuction with any other offer or discount.

* promotional fares won't be valid on: Sundays, 18-23 December inclusive & 27 December. **
** additional exclusions: 15 Feb, 21 Feb & 14 March London - Cardiff/Swansea/Carmarthen & Pembroke Dock; 10-13 March journeys to/from Cheltenham or Worcester via Swindon

 
Mid evening, a few drivers used to change their scheduled decker for the rest of the evening/night for a smaller single deck.
Invariably told off the next day, with the reason "The Council are paying for a decker, so they want to see one".
Word didn't seem to get back to the Council about paying too much for a larger than required vehicle.

Depot manager would mostly turn a blind eye to the change over.

 
Be careful what you wish for!

 

From Network Rail


From Monday 8 to Friday 19 December, some trees will be cleared along Quays Avenue and Harbour Road in Portishead. Work will mainly take place from 8am-5pm on weekdays. To keep everyone safe, temporary traffic lights will be installed on all approaches to the Quays Avenue roundabout adjacent to Harbour Care Centre, from Quays Avenue itself, Harbour Road and Phoenix Way. There will also be single sections of Harbour Road and Quays Avenue where trees are being cleared that will need temporary traffic lights installed and minor footpath diversions.

Ecology work has taken place to ensure species living near the railway are protected, such as toads, reptiles, badgers and bats.

 
Just to record that the 2056 WOF - PAD actually ran right time all the way to at least Oxford.

 
Politicians being able to remove the head honchos far more easily

 

Then I guess it comes back to the question I asked over a year ago and has never been answered.....what positive differences can customers expect post nationalisation?

When the service collapses the sentiment here is often "don't blame GWR, it's the DfT who pull the strings"

So what'll change for the better?

 
Here's a very interesting, and frankly ludicrous and potentially dangerous development.

An IET ran out of fuel at Lipson Junction this week as it was running with isolated GUs, meaning the other available engines eventually shut down due to fuel starvation.  Having no running GUs meant the train eventually shut down all services as the batteries ran out - lighting, toilets, PA, GSM-R, TMS etc.

Luckily, as it was near Laira depot, a rescue train could be sent out to tow it to Plymouth, but even still, this took 3 hours!

1C98 2104 London Paddington to Plymouth
https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:P08345/2025-11-19/detailed#allox_id=0

 
A recent edition of the Green Signals podcast, which focussed on the ORR award of a licence to use the spare engineering capacity at Temple Mills depot to Virgin Trains, also contained a discussion concerning the potential return to use of both Ebbsfleet & Ashford International stations. The conclusion from a review of statements by interested parties was that they would like to restore services but wouldn't want to be on the hook for the costs of installing the kit required to support the EU EES & ETIAS and UK Home Office immigration management services.

Given the advantages - to them - of potential passengers from some of the SE not having to travel into central London to get a train to Europe it was, I think, assumed that a begging bowl would be thrust in the direction of the UK government (AKA UK taxpayers).

 
I have been applying a few licks of paint in the last few hours, and will be continuing to fiddle during the day - including things like https certificates.   

If you get the odd different / not secure / broken message, please leave it for 20 minutes before reporting as these things are likely to be known to me and in the process of fixing. I do not have the resources of a complete testing / loading environment to ensure seamless-at-all-times, but I do have several levels of backup which will act as a safety net if I manage to screw things up completely.

If problems persist for more than half an hour and are not otherwise notified in the pages you're getting / if you think I may not have noticed an "undocumented negative feature" (bug) I have introduced, please email me.

And - as ever but especially today - please keep a local copy of major content you write before you press post. Just in case.  Keep the copy for 12 hours, after which you can be pretty sure it will be in the various backups even if we go belly up.

 

I am struck by the contrast between the First approach which is leading on "we must make a profit" and the GoAhead approach of "We must serve all the communities". Much of that can be explained by the point we are at in the business cycle - but can all of it be explained in that way?

Looking at precedents, First Bus pulled out of Melksham in 2020 - just after the start of covid - and we were (I admit) very concerned indeed at the time.  However, we did some community input - "Option 24/7" to request saving of evening and Sunday services; looking back, not sure how much of an effect we had and how much they would have been saved anyway, but I note these are areas of significant recent enhancement with now-single operator on most Melksham flows.

A further look - at First looking to make a profit as a primary goal rather than serving the community and I consider whether there are lessons to be drawn with out local train service,  which has moved to a steadily less reliable service in recent years, perhaps because First are overstretching their resources in order to make more profit / have a contract with WECA which whilst the services are welcome they have been short of resources to make it as reliable as it should be.   I am asking, not drawing any conclusions here.


Edit to add

Interesting questions and answers from social media


Original here getting lots of likes:
I have to agree, in somewhat less brutal terms, with the answer.

 
During Friday evening:

1W36 18:57 London Paddington to Great Malvern (21:18) : delayed by signalling issues [RTT] Didcot-Oxford (+33), held Wolvercote (+45), arrived Worcester Shrub Hill +48 and cancelled thereafter.

1W05 19:53 London Paddington to Hereford (22:57) : also delayed before Oxford (+26), held Wolvercote (+35), Shrub Hill +55, saved 14 at Great Malvern but still arrived +58.

1W41 20:52 Paddington to Great Malvern (23:13) : started from Reading.

 
What of the rest of First South West? I can't see the Somerset operation standing on its own two feet.

Will the Somerset operation be folded into First West of England, or maybe First Hampshire & Dorset.

 
Of course it does, TG. That's the way the TUPE regulations work.

 

22:31 Swindon to Westbury due 23:12
22:31 Swindon to Westbury due 23:12 will be cancelled.
This is due to passengers causing a disturbance on a train

 

 

and now ...

 


Wasn't even aware that one had been cancelled ...