This is a test of GDPR / Cookie Acceptance [about our cookies]
Really irritating test - cookie expires in 24 hour!
Great Western Coffee Shop
As at 17th March 2025 13:35 GMT
Recent Public Posts - [guest]
20th March 2025 - Melksham Transport User Group / new Committee
In "TransWilts line" [359555/30037/18]
Posted by grahame at 13:13, 17th March 2025
 
Very much a group setup and organisation session

If you are, or wish to be, closely involved, please come along on 20th.  We will be somewhat formalising a committee at the AGM in April. We anticipate committee meetings will be held early on a weekday evening about every 2 months.

1. Committee - 20th March 2025, 18:30 
48 Spa Road, SN12 7NY. Plenty of free parking, even for a bus and train group!

2. For your diary - AGM - 10th April 2025, 18:30
Centre of Melksham, venue to be confirmed

A big "Thank you" to Melksham Without Parish Council and Melksham Town Parish Council for each giving us a grant, in the total amount between them of £700. This will allow the group to fully re-establish anew. We have made limited but natural commitments - things we would have done anyway like recording the support we have been given by the councils in our literature, and reporting back on our progress later in the year.

Committee Agenda

1. Introductions

2. Apologies

3. Update on the Public Transport Scene
3.1 Wiltshire, National and even wider framework
3.2 Melksham
3.3 Upcoming meetings
(TWSW Taunton on 21st, MP in London on 25th, Swindon 26th, Chippenham 27th)

4. Report
4.1 Membership
4.2 report

5. Planning for the AGM
5.1 Venue
5.2 Resolutions
5.3 Promotion

7. planning for beyond the AGM
Note - this is during election campaign time and we could usefully speak with candidates
7.1 Group building and planned roled
7.2 Literature and transport advocacy (in person and online)
7.3 Station and bus stop support
7.4 Interaction with users, providers and specifiers
7.5 Fairs, fetes, carnivals and stalls
7.6 Station friend activities

8. AOB and provisional date of next committee meeting

Above put together by Graham Ellis – graham@sn12.net – 07974 925 928
as acting chair until the AGM

Any questions – please ask!

Re: Fatal collision at a level crossing near Arras 17 March 2025
In "The Wider Picture Overseas" [359554/30036/52]
Posted by stuving at 12:57, 17th March 2025
 
Newer reports correct that to a TER not a TGV, and the vehicle was a car with one other occupant who is seriously injured. This was a very violent collision, with the vehicle thrown forward against a house and then a steel stanchion.

Re: 2025 - Service update and amendment log, Swindon <-> Westbury
In "TransWilts line" [359553/29726/18]
Posted by brooklea at 12:50, 17th March 2025
 
12:17 Westbury to Swindon due 12:59

12:17 Westbury to Swindon due 12:59 will be starting late from Westbury and is expected to be 12 minutes late.
This is due to a points failure.

Have to love this - NOT a points failure anywhere near us but a knock on delay from

10:35 London Paddington to Exeter St Davids due 13:07

10:35 London Paddington to Exeter St Davids due 13:07 has been delayed at London Paddington and is now 26 minutes late.
This is due to a points failure.


Indeed not anywhere near Wiltshire - actually this points failure mentioned by GBM elsewhere on the forum https://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=28556.msg359538#msg359538, which was in Cornwall.

Fatal collision at a level crossing near Arras 17 March 2025
In "The Wider Picture Overseas" [359552/30036/52]
Posted by stuving at 12:38, 17th March 2025
 
Yet another collision at a level crossing in France this morning. Initial reports say that a TGV struck a vehicle (perhaps a bus) carrying soldiers, two of whom were killed. This was at crossing 85 on the line between Arras and Lens, at the D49 from Thélus to Bailleul-Sir-Berthoult. Why the TGV was on that line, and where it was going, I don't yet know.

Re: 21st March 2025 - TravelWatch SouthWest General meeting
In "Diary - what's happening when?" [359551/30000/34]
Posted by grahame at 12:26, 17th March 2025
 
Booking links for in-person and online now available via:

https://www.travelwatchsouthwest.org.uk/

Re: 2025 - Service update and amendment log, Swindon <-> Westbury
In "TransWilts line" [359550/29726/18]
Posted by grahame at 12:15, 17th March 2025
 
12:17 Westbury to Swindon due 12:59

12:17 Westbury to Swindon due 12:59 will be starting late from Westbury and is expected to be 12 minutes late.
This is due to a points failure.

Have to love this - NOT a points failure anywhere near us but a knock on delay from

10:35 London Paddington to Exeter St Davids due 13:07

10:35 London Paddington to Exeter St Davids due 13:07 has been delayed at London Paddington and is now 26 minutes late.
This is due to a points failure.

Re: Sad death of Shirley Pope, 82, and her dog, hit by train on foot crossing at Pewsey, Feb 2025
In "London to Kennet Valley" [359549/30033/8]
Posted by Mark A at 11:26, 17th March 2025
 
If you're using a foot crossing on foot, it's useful to consider if you're what the railway might call an 'Encumbered' pedestrian - for example, if you're carrying something, wheeling a bike, have a dog, carrying a canoe, accompanied by a child or have a pushchair (or both) and if you are, it's useful to know to risk-assess that aspect of things before proceeding.

(Photo is a footpath crossing at Coates on the approach to Sapperton)

Mark

https://postimg.cc/1VQGRjKs/f6b26b41

Re: Sad death of Shirley Pope, 82, and her dog, hit by train on foot crossing at Pewsey, Feb 2025
In "London to Kennet Valley" [359548/30033/8]
Posted by grahame at 10:59, 17th March 2025
Already liked by Mark A
 
A key piece of information is missing.

Yes - I do not believe we have the full story here; various things don't add up.

I am very gingerly speculating ... a lot of people walk around and to and from the village in Pewsey, and the typical route is along footpaths and over that wooden footbridge on Hollybush Lane before the dropping down to the lane itself and they go under the bridge on the lane.   With the footbridge closed, they are left with the options of either a long walk around to then come up Hollybush lane from the main road to the south, or taking the alternative path / level crossing over the railway.

Block one route, and people will diversity to the next easiest - which is the pedestrian crossing; there remain other alternatives, but for people on foot they are more substantial diversions.

Re: Plan for M4 to south coast corridor to avoid Bath, through West Wiltshire
In "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" [359547/30025/51]
Posted by Mark A at 10:59, 17th March 2025
 
I think, with hindsight, and a fairly straight face, it is not unreasonable to say that if the money wasted on what was done at Bath had been (better ?) used to bypass Melksham and Westbury then the M4 to Warminster bit of this "strategic" route would now have a reasonable road. Only the A36 to, and round, Salisbury left to do 

A photo of Batheaston/Swainswick bypass's river spans from beneath to follow.

Some years previous to the bypass being built, the bus service up the Swainswick Valley (number 210, hourly to the village) ceased as the buses could no longer maintain the timetable given the standing traffic on the A46. When the bypass opened, there were hopes that it would be reinstated, but nooooh.

And yes, a more economical bypass would have been good and enabled improvements elsewhere on the route. Including for people on foot. Thinking now of the feed into Melksham's bypass-that-isn't, which has murderous tendencies if you're on foot and don't know the road. One of the bus stops near the station is a good hike from... the station, and if you then innocently trot along the pavement in the direction of said station, the urban pavement, without any notice that it's going to do so, thins out slowly to nothing, and on a blind bend for good measure. Google streetview here: https://tinyurl.com/mwuw2nsb

Mark

https://i.postimg.cc/CxkWG8kC/A4-Batheaston-bypass-bridges.jpg

Re: Sad death of Shirley Pope, 82, and her dog, hit by train on foot crossing at Pewsey, Feb 2025
In "London to Kennet Valley" [359546/30033/8]
Posted by stuving at 10:34, 17th March 2025
 
Openstreetmap's useful for this. For one under railway ownership, it's a very singular footbridge.
https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=19/51.344990/-1.762909

But that shows it to be a rail over footway, rather than correctly as footway over rail

There is also a small wooden footbridge over the same lane (Hollybush Lane), 20 m from the railway. And oddly, it's owned by NR and got its "Railway Authority" plate to prove it. But I can't fathom what that, or any other footbridge, has to do with crossing the railway near here. A key piece of information is missing.

Re: Plan for M4 to south coast corridor to avoid Bath, through West Wiltshire
In "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" [359545/30025/51]
Posted by grahame at 10:30, 17th March 2025
 
There's nothing wrong in avoiding Barf. Shame there isn't a Bath avoider for the railway. Never liked the place especially those who can't count when it comes to bikes in the HST TGS.

Given that Bath's in the top ten and possibly the top five in terms of revenue generating stations for GWR that's a little ungenerous.


I am seeing what I'm pretty sure is some good-natured bantering there, but it does remind me that the railways showed startling levels of reliability when there were hardly any passengers travelling during covid - but I then remind myself that there was hardly any income to the railways either and in the continuum there is a need for income, even if it requires the harding of a wide range of passengers.

* Those with heavy luggage.
* Those bringing a bicycle with them
* Those who need customer information
* Those who require boarding assistance
* Those who'll want help buying a ticket
* Those who can't read and understand signs and notices in English or Welsh
* Those who wish to have a guaranteed seat
* Those who are otherwise limited for health or other reasons

Would you restrict the use of the railway to people without certain needs?  Make additional charge for some of those items?

Declaration of interest - I ALWAYS fall into one of these categories, and for certain journeys have fallen into most of the other too.

Re: 2025 - Service update and amendment log, Swindon <-> Westbury
In "TransWilts line" [359544/29726/18]
Posted by grahame at 10:17, 17th March 2025
 
09:46 Westbury to Swindon due 10:29

09:46 Westbury to Swindon due 10:29 will be starting late from Westbury and is expected to be 10 minutes late.
This is due to train crew being delayed.

Looks like a 'false' report - just 1 minute late off Westbury in the end

Re: 2025 - Service update and amendment log, Swindon <-> Westbury
In "TransWilts line" [359543/29726/18]
Posted by grahame at 10:13, 17th March 2025
 
09:46 Westbury to Swindon due 10:29

09:46 Westbury to Swindon due 10:29 will be starting late from Westbury and is expected to be 10 minutes late.
This is due to train crew being delayed.

Re: Plan for M4 to south coast corridor to avoid Bath, through West Wiltshire
In "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" [359542/30025/51]
Posted by grahame at 10:07, 17th March 2025
 
I think, with hindsight, and a fairly straight face, it is not unreasonable to say that if the money wasted on what was done at Bath had been (better ?) used to bypass Melksham and Westbury then the M4 to Warminster bit of this "strategic" route would now have a reasonable road. Only the A36 to, and round, Salisbury left to do 

Certainly the A46 coming down off the M4 through Pennsylvania now dumps the traffic between Batheaston and Bathford ... with onward routes south for smaller vehicles through Bradford-on-Avon who love all the traffic they get - not sure how much is long distance stuff.  Other traffic carries on via Box - eastwards rather than south, and if it's headed south joins the A350 at Chippenham or Melksham.  I would not describe the Batheaston bypass as "wasted" investment, but I would agree that it misses an element that would have made it much more valuable.

Re: Plan for M4 to south coast corridor to avoid Bath, through West Wiltshire
In "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" [359541/30025/51]
Posted by Clan Line at 09:39, 17th March 2025
Already liked by Mark A
 
I think, with hindsight, and a fairly straight face, it is not unreasonable to say that if the money wasted on what was done at Bath had been (better ?) used to bypass Melksham and Westbury then the M4 to Warminster bit of this "strategic" route would now have a reasonable road. Only the A36 to, and round, Salisbury left to do 

Re: Thames Valley infrastructure problems causing disruption elsewhere - 2025
In "Across the West" [359540/29650/26]
Posted by GBM at 09:37, 17th March 2025
 
Alterations to services between Reading and Maidenhead
Due to a points failure between Reading and Maidenhead some lines are closed.
Train services running to and from these stations may be delayed or revised. Disruption is expected until 11:30 17/03.
Customer Advice
A problem with some points (the means by which trains move from one track to another) in the Twyford area means that we have to reduce the number of train services operating over that section of line.

As a result, train services between London Paddington, Reading and Oxford will operate to a reduced frequency in both directions. Any customers travelling between London Paddington and Oxford (and vice versa) may utilise Chiltern Railways services between London Marylebone and Oxford (in both directions) as an alternative. GWR tickets will be accepted on those services and also on London Underground services between Paddington and Marylebone in order to facilitate this.

Train services between London Paddington and Newbury will not operate between London Paddington and Reading. Customers to / from these services will be required to change trains at Reading.

Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience this may cause.

Photo enquiry: Abingdon Branch: pannier tank engine + canvas kayak.
In "Railway History and related topics" [359539/30035/55]
Posted by Mark A at 09:37, 17th March 2025
 
It's not particularly famous 'cos few people will care and any narrative is lost to time: does anyone else recall this photo? I think in the station at Abingdon, a tank engine with a canvas canoe sort-of strapped alongside the boiler. The reason why being lost in history...

Mark

Re: Cornish delays
In "Shorter journeys in Plymouth and Cornwall" [359538/28556/25]
Posted by GBM at 09:36, 17th March 2025
 
Due to a points failure between Plymouth and Penzance the line towards Penzance is blocked.
Train services running to and from these stations may be cancelled, delayed or revised. Disruption is expected until 09:30 17/03.
Customer Advice
We're sorry for the delay to your journey.
-
A set of points at the Royal Albert bridge at Plymouth have failed. Network Rail colleagues are on site investigating.
As a consequence services from Plymouth to Penzance will be disrupted, however services towards Plymouth, Exeter, Bristol Temple Meads and London Paddington will run.

05:03 Penzance to London Paddington due 09:56
05:03 Penzance to London Paddington due 09:56 will no longer call at Taunton.
It has been delayed between Liskeard and Saltash and is now 30 minutes late.
This is due to a points failure.

1A73 0503 Penzance to London Paddington is now non stop between Exeter and Reading.
A rarity surely?

Re: Plan for M4 to south coast corridor to avoid Bath, through West Wiltshire
In "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" [359537/30025/51]
Posted by Mark A at 09:30, 17th March 2025
 
There's nothing wrong in avoiding Barf. Shame there isn't a Bath avoider for the railway. Never liked the place especially those who can't count when it comes to bikes in the HST TGS.

Given that Bath's in the top ten and possibly the top five in terms of revenue generating stations for GWR that's a little ungenerous.

Thinking of the maximum number of bikes I've seen in an HST bike space, yes, that Sunday evening when at least 15 teenagers off the Bristol to Bath path happily piled a collection of wheeled things aboard for the trip home was memorable, and even if there were far too many of them they were helping to pay the railway's wage bill (and everything went aboard because the space was somewhat flexible and everyone including staff were in a good mood, confident, and generally less under the cosh). Of course the DfT has now sorted this out with cycle accommodation on the IEPs that's not particularly useable at all.

Mark

Re: Sad death of Shirley Pope, 82, and her dog, hit by train on foot crossing at Pewsey, Feb 2025
In "London to Kennet Valley" [359536/30033/8]
Posted by ChrisB at 09:22, 17th March 2025
 
Openstreetmap's useful for this. For one under railway ownership, it's a very singular footbridge.
https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=19/51.344990/-1.762909

But that shows it to be a rail over footway, rather than correctly as footway over rail

Re: Plan for M4 to south coast corridor to avoid Bath, through West Wiltshire
In "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" [359535/30025/51]
Posted by Mark A at 09:16, 17th March 2025
 
Here is an interesting 1990 photo of the Batheastern & Swainswick bypass (looking towards Bath).   Those parts got built, by the link to A36 in left foreground was dropped due to local opposition

https://bathintime.co.uk/image-library/image-overview/poster/20931/posterid/20931.html


At the inquiry the potential of the new road to generate noise pollution was recognised, with various mitigations. Concerning the A36/46 link component, this was identified as a problem, as vehicles would come to a stand for its junction and then need to accelerate again for some distance, and uphill for good measure. Short of putting the whole thing underground, there wasn't a way to mitigate this, and also there was the issue that it then dumped the problem on the er, suboptimal A36 route through the Limpley Stoke Valley.

Another aspect of this road is the 50mph speed restriction throughout, but particularly on the flat bit past Batheaston. People who aren't keen on speed restrictions tend to rail against this thinking its for safety reasons, but again, it's an environmental restriction - vehicles are far noisier at 70mph than they are at 50mph.

Mark

Re: Sad death of Shirley Pope, 82, and her dog, hit by train on foot crossing at Pewsey, Feb 2025
In "London to Kennet Valley" [359534/30033/8]
Posted by grahame at 09:05, 17th March 2025
Already liked by hoover50, Mark A
 
** Made me think of that foot crossing on the Westbury avoiding line too. Another that's found itself amid housing. And probably many other examples...

The Westbury avoider now has lights that warn you if a train is coming making a comparison with Pewsey (which I've seen only from the recent article photos and comments) and that crossing should be much safER.  Whether it is "totaly safe" ... I leave open. I am aware of other deaths on crossings within memory at Bedwyn and between Westbury and Trowbridge

Re: When will all stations be "fully accessible"?
In "Across the West" [359533/22629/26]
Posted by grahame at 08:59, 17th March 2025
 
Catching up (rather belatedly, for which I apologise) with this topic here:

I, too, doubt that they will ever be 'fully accessible'.

An opportunity to add a few words so, thanks, Chris - thought I am getting older and forget what I posted years ago.

The other way - and we should be careful - of making "all stations accessible" is to close those which have low passenger numbers and are difficult to do.   Or if it's very hard to make the platform in one direction accessible, close of all access to it and have people "bounce back" at the next station along.   I'm not saying it would be done at Nailsea and Backwell, but it's already done at Pilning.  And if you keep one direction open it's not going to involve a pesky and expensive closure procedure.


Re: Sad death of Shirley Pope, 82, and her dog, hit by train on foot crossing at Pewsey, Feb 2025
In "London to Kennet Valley" [359532/30033/8]
Posted by Mark A at 08:53, 17th March 2025
 
Openstreetmap's useful for this. For one under railway ownership, it's a very singular footbridge.

It's also an instance of a formerly rural location that now has a lot of housing, with, perhaps, little thought to the burden on walking routes**. Looking on old OS mapping, the footbridge has been there from the off, but no ordnance survey mapping marks the descending spur to the road, despite that an old GSV image suggests that it's a built component of the set-up there.

Mark

https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=19/51.344990/-1.762909

** Made me think of that foot crossing on the Westbury avoiding line too. Another that's found itself amid housing. And probably many other examples...

Re: 2025 - Service update and amendment log, Swindon <-> Westbury
In "TransWilts line" [359531/29726/18]
Posted by grahame at 08:50, 17th March 2025
Already liked by matth1j, GBM
 
Just back from a week in Lanzarote, and was pleasantly surprised to find my 0721 Melksham-Chippenham train on time this morning. But it didn't last - the Paddington service that precedes it into Chippenham was running a bit late, so mine was delayed and I just missed the (unofficial) connection with the 0734 Chippenham-Bristol service. Then the next 0809 was cancelled (train fault). And now the 0832 is showing as 'running late' by 11 mins.

Good to be back

Welcome home ... what more can I say?


Re: 2025 - Service update and amendment log, Swindon <-> Westbury
In "TransWilts line" [359530/29726/18]
Posted by matth1j at 08:30, 17th March 2025
Already liked by GBM, Witham Bobby
 
Just back from a week in Lanzarote, and was pleasantly surprised to find my 0721 Melksham-Chippenham train on time this morning. But it didn't last - the Paddington service that precedes it into Chippenham was running a bit late, so mine was delayed and I just missed the (unofficial) connection with the 0734 Chippenham-Bristol service. Then the next 0809 was cancelled (train fault). And now the 0832 is showing as 'running late' by 11 mins.

Good to be back

Re: Great British Railways
In "Looking forward - the next 5, 10 and 20 years" [359529/30032/40]
Posted by Electric train at 06:41, 17th March 2025
Already liked by Witham Bobby
 
Looking at the governments recent decision to abolish NHS England deemed a quango; is the new Briitish Railways just another quango overseen by the Department of Transport.

Oh - the same irony that rail franchising is declared dead and the TOCs will be nationalised, whereas flavour of the month in bus operation is a network designed by the public sector, with routes or areas operated by franchises?

No.

The first phase of GBR is to bring all the National Rail franchise under on body, GBR.   Phase 2 will be the reshaping of the operators, it could see all the London 'metro' services handed to TfL; consolidating Southern, SWT and SE outer services into one operator, the interesting one will be the proposals for a Hampshire IoW unitary authority which looks like transport is part of that proposal, there are likely to be others, Buckinghamshire??.   Cities like Manchester, Birmingham all local services handed to the metro mayors to run.

The Labour Government move with NHS England seems more about devolving power to Health Care Trusts than micro management by the men from the Ministry the same is for GBR ................ However the men from the Ministry tend to be  control freaks, hopefully the Government will be able to prise control out of the dyeing hands of the Civil Servants

Re: North Cotswold line delays and cancellations - 2025
In "London to the Cotswolds" [359528/29711/14]
Posted by Worcester_Passenger at 06:24, 17th March 2025
 
Monday March 17

05:23 Hereford to London Paddington due 08:23
Facilities on the 05:23 Hereford to London Paddington due 08:23.
This is due to more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time.
Will be formed of 5 coaches instead of 9.
Last Updated:17/03/2025 06:12

Re: When will all stations be "fully accessible"?
In "Across the West" [359527/22629/26]
Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 21:40, 16th March 2025
 
Catching up (rather belatedly, for which I apologise) with this topic here:

I, too, doubt that they will ever be 'fully accessible'.

Using Nailsea & Backwell station as my local example: here we have a rather steep slope up to platform 2, but that has to be accessed from some distance along the road, Station Close.

There is no disabled access slope up to (or down from) platform 1.  There simply isn't anywhere to build it, on the embankment below our elevated station.

The solution would be to build a new set of lifts - but that was last costed at around £1million, so that isn't ever going to happen, purely for the 'cost benefit ratio' numbers.

Chris from Nailsea. 

Re: Plan for M4 to south coast corridor to avoid Bath, through West Wiltshire
In "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" [359526/30025/51]
Posted by Clan Line at 21:26, 16th March 2025
 
Here is an interesting 1990 photo of the Batheastern & Swainswick bypass (looking towards Bath).   Those parts got built, by the link to A36 in left foreground was dropped due to local opposition

https://bathintime.co.uk/image-library/image-overview/poster/20931/posterid/20931.html

35 years ago - and all they have managed to do since then is close the Cleveland Bridge to anything over 18 tonnes.

 
The Coffee Shop forum is provided by customers of Great Western Railway (formerly First Great Western). The views expressed are those of the individual posters concerned. Visit https://www.gwr.com for the official Great Western Railway website. Please contact the administrators of this site at admin@railcustomer.info if you feel that the content provided by one of our posters contravenes our posting rules. Our full legal statment is at https://www.greatwesternrailway.info/legal.html

Although we are planning ahead, we don't know what the future will bring here in the Coffee Shop. We have domains "firstgreatwestern.info" for w-a-y back and also "greatwesternrailway.info"; we can also answer to "greatbritishrailways.info" too. For the future, information about Great Brisish Railways, by customers and for customers.
 
Current Running
GWR trains from JourneyCheck
 
 
Code Updated 11th January 2025