Strictly, not a Parliamentary.

Definition of a Parliamentary is a once-a-day/week/month train run to prevent closure notices on stations. This servve runs twice daily at the stations that would otherwise be closed

 
"Track Layout Diagrams of the GWR and BR (WR) – Section 65 Chester -Wrexham by R.A. Cooke" - said to cover most of the GWR and BR (W) area - there seem to be about 60 publish with perhaps a further 9 to come.

Has anyone got either a list of all the sections - and/or a source of them and/or a copy of the one that includes Melksham?  Anyone up on how they are copyrightwise?

 
1W25 12:52 London Paddington to Worcester Foregate St (15:00) : Reading +14, arrived Shrub Hill +17 and cancelled thereafter.


More difficult to see what to make of this:
Is it running non-stop from Paddington to Shrub Hill perhaps? It's not listed on JourneyCheck as "cancelled", though RTT has it running empty all the way.

 
RTT (but not GW JourneyCheck) is showing 1W30 1523 Paddington to Foregate Street as cancelled today, 8th December 2025, for an unknown reason

The return working, 1T40 1802 Foregate Street to Paddington is, at present, shown on RTT as still operating

 

 
An opening to start up quietly a wind-back milometer business?

 

Same here. Regular Friday evening entertainment is going into the Bull to find which expensively coiffed muppet has parked their armoured personnel carrier on the double yellows again, preventing the S3 from getting down Church Street.

 
The Melksham Public Transport Timetable from 14th December 2025 (put together by MTUG) through the winter and into spring is back from the printers.

Over three days (Leekes the previous weekend, and at the Assembly Hall) we from Melksham Transport User Group have distributed somewhere between 400 and 425 bus and train timetables from our initial stock of 500, and all of those into the hand of people willingly and knowingly receiving them. I suggest that this was a very effective way of reaching people.

As well as getting information out there, this exercise has been useful in connecting with actual and potential used of Melksham’s buses and trains.  In no particular order:

1. Multiple requests for the x34 to run in the evening from Trowbridge and Chippenham - last bus is presently far earlier than people like. People like the extra Saturday evening buses from Bath and would love them during the week too, where there’s a gap of over 2 hours before the last bus at 23:15.

2. A number of comments that people find Melksham Station unfriendly and also the walking approach over the ‘yard’ unsafe.
 
3. Several people looking at how to get to / from the station and make other journeys around the town that would be solved by the suggested “16” bus route (Station - Town - Sandridge Road - MERR - Bowerhill Business - Hampton Park West and back the same route.

4. Concerns at train service frequency and reliability with many of the more informed people asking about the possibility of a passing loop 

5. The lack of any such booklet for Trowbridge, Corsham, Calne and Chippenham and the lack of a current public transport map for Wiltshire.

None of these a surprise - what was a surprise was quite a few people doing a “no thank you” as they walked past, but then changing their mind and coming back and asking for a timetable … or the number who said “I don’t use the bus” but then adding “but actually I do when going in to Bath”; some glad of the enhanced Saturday evening service and would like to see it earlier in the week.

Also a high proportion of private car users who take an attitude of public transport being beneath then or too inconvenient for them - and for many that inconvenience is correct but over coming years can be made much less of an issue. There are also those - and in particular at Leekes - who are reliant on their cars and ability to drive, but who are not in the first flush of life and will face a serious challenge when they are no longer able to drive.


The whole timetable is 28 pages ... and has been proofread by all six operators.  A lot of work and no easy way for us to know how effective it is; so many people look online (which has the advantage that it provides late changes, tracking, ticket purchase etc) but indications are that there is still something of a call for a local printed piece.   It can be also be downloaded from https://www.mtug.org.uk/MKM_TransportBrochure25-26_web.pdf

 

Well - they ARE going to be charging "per mile" in the future - that came in the budget.  But they are trying to work out how.

My understanding is that it might be based on the recorder milage each year at road tax renewal.     Starting 'small' at 3p per mile, but I suspect that one the principle is established and system running an furrory has blown over, there will be a significant increase.   Income tax was brought in by Pitt the Younger to finance the Napolionic War, repealed and re-introduced by Henry Addington - later Viscount Sidmouth at 5p in the pound ... so there is a precedent for a little tax becoming much bigger.

 

I can see the merits of such a system, but how would you tax electric vehicles ?  I do not mind treating electric vehicles more favorably initially, so as to encourage greater use, but this cant carry on forever. Taxing the energy used for charging wont work, as the vehicle could be charged from any standard outlet.

 
RTT reports 1W13 0652 Paddington to Great Malvern did not get further than Wolvercote Jcn, having arrived at Oxford on time and departed westwards 20 mins late, because of a problem with the traction equipment

The return working, 1P24 0956 Great Malvern to Oxford was started back to Paddington from Oxford, on-time at 1132

Unit 800 006

 

Wheel flats on the loco. 

 

Because the DfT have never requested it, nor permitted the increase in staffing costs or numbers.

 

Indeed - but have other(s) had/ve camping coaches too

 
Blue Anchor, Dawlish Warren, Hayle and St Germans have (had?) camping coaches.

 

Taunton to Castle Cary line is closed all week for drainage works.

 
Monday 8/12/2025

Problem with the 2-car unit for the Up Parliamentary this morning, according to RTT

The Down train 2E77 0555 from Oxford arrived just a minute late at Shrub Hill, at 0616

But the return Up service, 2E80 did not run for passengers.  It seems to have gone to Oxford as empty cars, stopping only at Charlbury to wait for the single line.  Left Worcester at 0700 and got to Oxford at 0840.

 
At the HS1 end of the route, the infrastructure is already in place for the connection. The route between the HS1 connection and HS2 into Euston is already a rail corridor - although on a somewhat speed limited alignment - in situ. There is currently unused (but in situ) rail corridor infrastructure that could be reused to separate current and HS services with minimal demolition required to completely effect complete separation.

I think the connection is very doable at not too enormous effort or expense.

 

And the 07:00 Worcester Shrub Hill to Didcot Parkway halts service "cancelled between Worcester Shrub Hill and Oxford due to unknown cause (ZW)."

 

Yes ... but so is Corkicle ... good connection but not the group I have, nor a connection I made.

 
Severn Beach, Blue Anchor, Carbis Bay, Dawlish Warren  - All directly on the coast near a beach

 
07:10 Penzance to London Paddington due 12:57
Facilities on the 07:10 Penzance to London Paddington due 12:57.
Will be formed of 5 coaches instead of 10 to Bristol Temple Meads. There are no reservations on this service.
No additional coaches waiting at Plymouth.
Cozy.
In addition the service shows Bristol Temple Meads [BRI]
Service stops to drop passengers off only  (yeh, right!).

I see Penzance has lost the 0503 Paddington service, and all services (today?) run via Bristol.
Why?

 
Loco issues, or carriage issues?

 
The HS2 to HS1 link was descoped from the HS2 Programme in 2015, and I am not making this up, it was replaced by an enhanced walking route between Euston and St. Pancras. See https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a7f79bae5274a2e8ab4c681/HS2-HS1_report.pdf

Of course now that HS2 won't get to Euston until 20??, even the enhanced walking route would be of no use, although it will probably still be built

A map of the proposed HS2-HS1 link can be found here https://assets.dft.gov.uk/publications/hs2-maps-20120110/hs2arp00drrw05140issue2.pdf

 
The loss of two containers of avocados should surely be the subject of celebration? 

 

Yes - that is exactly the first connection I had ...

 
Battersby, Bere Alston, Bodmin General, Coombe Junction

All locations where through trains stop and reverse, before continuing along a different line of route to that which they arrived on.

 

Not in the centaury, judging by the ability of UK plc to take and fund infrastructure projects.  It reality in my view given all the previous challenges of building the link in London,  the only viable HS1 HS2 link would skirt around North London from the existing HS1 Thames Tunnels and linking up with HS2 in the Wendover / Aylesbury area, providing the Northern Powerhouse with a link but missing a vital link to London

 
The hidden Violet, (in terms of  Modesty and Humility) is at 8^th is Farringdon from a fairly obscure station now such a key National rail interchange with Thameslink.  Thameslink providing services to St Pancras, Bedford, Cambridge, Peterborough,  Gatwick, Brighton, London Bridge, Sevenoaks and many more.

 


Actually no - in fact I had to scroll back to the questions, and to look up Fiesch, to help me put your answer in context.  Having done so, I can see why you might think ...

The quiz (now from yesterday) was a particularly tricky one - I'll leave it open for another day or two, but then come in with the answers to those not yet solved.   By the way - if I "like" an answer, it's correct ... I will also be coming back and filling all of those correct answers in on the original a bit later.