Just to point out that you don't need to be an expert to use one of these (though it certainly helps you to stay calm!). A bit of familiarity is useful, as is being able to recognise that it needs using, but the machine itself talks you through it and checks if it should be used.

One barrier to availability is that while funding to buy them is relatively easy to generate, the ongoing expense of replacement batteries as they pass their best before date is harder, being somewhat less glamorous.  I know of several out of use for that reason.

Cardiff to London connecting with the Gatwick train at Reading perhaps, but I doubt you’ll see IETs/387s heading to Gatwick from Cardiff any time soon!

New towns should not just be judged by the number of homes they deliver, but by whether they are properly connected to jobs, education and opportunity through a proper rail infrastructure, writes Mark Hopwood

05:11 Gloucester to Southampton Central due 08:09

05:11 Gloucester to Southampton Central due 08:09 has been delayed between Trowbridge and Westbury and is now 9 minutes late.
This is due to a fault with barriers at a level crossing.

Commuter thanks stranger who restarted his heart


Spencer Stevenson believes he would have died without Hollie Page's expert help

Spencer Stevenson nearly died on his way to work one morning in December, as he suddenly suffered a cardiac arrest after getting off his train.

"I got to the top of the stairs and felt a bit dizzy. I remember thinking I'm going to fall over. I got onto one knee and then, that was it, I don't remember anything else."

As it happened, he was in the right place at the right time. "All the stars aligned that morning. But Hollie is the reason I'm still here."

Hollie Page, a cardiac physiologist at Bart's Hospital, happened to pass him as he lay on the concourse of Liverpool Street station.

With the help of other passers-by, she performed chest compressions and used a public defibrillator to restart his heart, bringing him back.

The 54-year-old has since made a full recovery.

Stevenson told the BBC he was "so lucky to have Hollie there, who knew what she was doing, and the defibrillator on hand, that I've come out of it virtually unscathed...it's crazy."

Page said she had spotted Stevenson lying on the ground unconscious - and thought "this is something that I can actually help with".

"He had no pulse. Three other people were already helping. We all went straight into resus [resuscitation] mode. CPR is a big part of the work I do. You go into autopilot. Your training kicks in."

After four rounds of CPR and two shocks, Stevenson came round and began to talking. "We got a return of spontaneous circulation," Page said. "It was an incredible moment."

Afterwards, Page went to work and Stevenson was taken to the Royal London Hospital "awake and well enough to call my wife Karen from the ambulance".

He said words were "too small to express how massively grateful" he was to Page and the others who saved his life.

Joining Stevenson in speaking to the BBC, Page said: "It's always a strange feeling...but it does really make you feel like what you've done has been worthwhile and you really have made a difference."


Cardiac Physiologist Hollie Page hopes more people will get the skills to save lives

According to NHS England, fewer than one in 10 people who have a cardiac arrest outside hospital survive.

Defibrillators were rolled out in Tube and railway stations across London. However, there are large gaps in provision and many neighbourhoods do not have any at all.

Stevenson is now campaigning for more defibrillators to be installed in public places. "Luck was smiling on me that morning. But we shouldn't rely on luck. Every office should have at least one AED (automated external defibrillator. If you're a manager, take five minutes to ask whether your building has one, and make sure your team knows where it is. You might save someone's life."

Page also wants more people to learn resuscitation skills, either through first aid training or even at home. "There are so many resources that are online - and they are skills that will save someone's life."

In the end left half an hour late.   That had a knock on effect to the 09:46 from Westbury to Swindon which departed 11 minutes behind schedule.

Thanks to a generous layover at Swindon, the 11:05  back to Westbury left almost on time.

Indeed.  As railway line remain open all night (don't they?), perhaps there is social use in restarting one of the services from [much] further west.  I have vague memories of a Maesteg (via Bristol?) to Waterloo train, and wonder about Cardiff to Gatwick, connecting at Reading into the Paddington train.

3 year old cars have some of the highest fail rates of any age vehicle.

It certainly won’t be a massive money spinner, after all none of the existing late night/overnight/early morning services are either, but it will be a socially useful service …and that’s what the railways should be for.

Hats off to them for trialling it.

08:44 Swindon to Westbury due 09:26

08:44 Swindon to Westbury due 09:26 is being delayed at Swindon.
This is due to trespassers on the railway.

Twyford or Maidenhead pax perhaps; small fry compared to possible connections from west during the day, but if every possible passenger counts to make this service viable...

That's one thing on which I would disagree with you, Jaymac. A neglected car can become dangerous (tyres and brakes in particular) long before it's five years old. Cars now seem to last longer than they used to, so I think I'd rather see even longer leases (6 or 7 years) to save a triennial renewal payment. But keep the annual test after three years, possibly with a reduced fee for Motability vehicles.

What isn't acceptable is penalising ALL motability users (actual and potential) for the actions of a few by making an already hard scheme to qualify for even more restrictive.

06:35 Salisbury to Worcester Foregate Street due 09:47

06:35 Salisbury to Worcester Foregate Street due 09:47 will be delayed at Swindon and is expected to be 11 minutes late.
This is due to train crew being delayed.

"Denial of service" activity this evening ... I think I have dealt with it ... sorry the site was working like glue if at all for you earlier. Looking better now but time will tell.

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