Sorry - why "of course"?

There was a collision early this morning between a TGV and a military transporter vehicle at a level crossing at Bully-les-Mines (Pas-de-Calais). This was not a high-speed line, of course

TGV collides with lorry, one dead and two in critical condition

Driver of lorry carrying military equipment has been arrested after fatal level-crossing smash

A collision between a TGV high-speed train and a lorry on Tuesday morning at a level crossing in Pas-de-Calais, northern France, killed the train driver, and left two people in critical condition and 11 with minor injuries, local authorities said.

The lorry driver has been taken into custody, AFP has learnt from a judicial source. The lorry was carrying military equipment, according to a spokesperson for the local prefecture.

An earlier provisional toll had put the number of injured at 27.

On Tuesday morning, large numbers of rescue workers and technical teams were deployed around the scene of the accident, AFP journalists observed, noting that the front of the train was badly damaged.

At around 07:00, the TGV travelling from Dunkirk to Paris, with 243 people on board, collided with a lorry at a level crossing in the town of Bully-les-Mines, between Béthune and Lens, the Pas-de-Calais prefecture said in a statement...

I really wasn't thinking of an IET or 387 to Gatwick - though I recall a stylised advert showing an IET passing over a jammed motorway on its way to Gatwick, don't I?   Rather looking back and seeing if there were any learning lessons from the 158 that under Wales and West used to make its way from South Wales into London.   As purely a paper exercise ... what might be possible?    Lots of "yes, but" questions such as how to make optimal use of the stock for previous and subsequent journeys, and the Heathrow and Paddington connections are not great.  As a socially useful service it mops up all sorts of flows - though you might have the Welsh government preferring you to fly from Cardiff, or an express coach being an alternative.

23:45 at Swansea
01:30 - 01:45 at Bristol Temple Meads
03:15 arrival at Reading from the west
carries on at 03:24 / 03:30 to Gatwick
(03:40 bus leaves to Heathrow)
(04:13 train leaves towards Paddington)
04:55 arrival at Gatwick

01:24 from Gatwick - arrived Reading
(02:34 arrival of existing connection from Paddington)
(00:15 bus arrival from Heathrow)
02:44 arrival at Reading
02:50 departure towards the west
04:15 - 04:30 at Bristol Temple Meads
06:45 at Swansea

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.