Recent Public Posts - [guest]
| Re: Seatfrog Upgrades In "Fare's Fair" [374398/31920/4] Posted by Phantom at 09:30, 23rd April 2026 |      |
Whenever I upgrade to First Class, the carriage is always full of GWR staff giving the wink to the train Manager
| Re: Appealing against Delay Repay payment In "Fare's Fair" [374397/31915/4] Posted by TaplowGreen at 08:41, 23rd April 2026 Already liked by grahame | |
I’d second that.
I successfully appealed an initial decision to refuse compensation on Groupsave tickets as it was suggested my delay could have been reduced had I caught a Cross Country service. I went back to them pointing out Groupsave is not valid on those services and promptly received the correct refund.
I successfully appealed an initial decision to refuse compensation on Groupsave tickets as it was suggested my delay could have been reduced had I caught a Cross Country service. I went back to them pointing out Groupsave is not valid on those services and promptly received the correct refund.
Classic evidence of a rail fare system so complex ... that it can't really cope
Classic evidence of why it suits the railway to keep it that way.
| Re: Appealing against Delay Repay payment In "Fare's Fair" [374396/31915/4] Posted by grahame at 08:22, 23rd April 2026 | |
I’d second that.
I successfully appealed an initial decision to refuse compensation on Groupsave tickets as it was suggested my delay could have been reduced had I caught a Cross Country service. I went back to them pointing out Groupsave is not valid on those services and promptly received the correct refund.
I successfully appealed an initial decision to refuse compensation on Groupsave tickets as it was suggested my delay could have been reduced had I caught a Cross Country service. I went back to them pointing out Groupsave is not valid on those services and promptly received the correct refund.
Classic evidence of a rail fare system so complex ... that it can't really cope
| Re: Appealing against Delay Repay payment In "Fare's Fair" [374395/31915/4] Posted by bobm at 04:43, 23rd April 2026 | |
I’d second that.
I successfully appealed an initial decision to refuse compensation on Groupsave tickets as it was suggested my delay could have been reduced had I caught a Cross Country service. I went back to them pointing out Groupsave is not valid on those services and promptly received the correct refund.
| Re: Seatfrog Upgrades In "Fare's Fair" [374394/31920/4] Posted by trainbuff at 22:53, 22nd April 2026 | |
I believe that you can. Certainly on GWR and XC. As long as you have a bvalid priv ticket. Best to check though if using different TOC's
| Re: Swindon <-> Westbury service updates and amendments, ongoing discussion - 2026 In "TransWilts line" [374393/31359/18] Posted by grahame at 22:50, 22nd April 2026 Already liked by Chris from Nailsea | |
22:31 Swindon to Westbury due 23:12
22:31 Swindon to Westbury due 23:12 is being delayed at Swindon.
This is due to the train departing late to maintain customer connections.
22:31 Swindon to Westbury due 23:12 is being delayed at Swindon.
This is due to the train departing late to maintain customer connections.
Left Swindon 14 minutes late - holding this train for connections is usually the right move
| Seatfrog Upgrades In "Fare's Fair" [374392/31920/4] Posted by GWR 158 at 22:17, 22nd April 2026 | |
Hi everyone!
I have been pondering this question, as a staff travel facilities holder would I be allowed to purchase 1st class upgrades for weekday travel using seatfrog? The reason I ask being some websites say yes some say no.
Any input is greatly appreciated!
| Indeed, 'the lighter side': Ideal conditions to see peak of Lyrid meteor shower In "The Lighter Side" [374391/31919/30] Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 22:11, 22nd April 2026 | |
From the BBC:
Ideal conditions to see peak of Lyrid meteor shower in UK
With lots of clear skies over the coming nights there is a good chance of seeing the Lyrid meteor shower.
While it has been ongoing since the 16 April, the peak is expected on Wednesday night.
Expect to see around 10 to 15 meteors an hour with surges of activity that could bring up to 100 an hour.
The Lyrid meteor shower is an annual event as a result of the Earth passing through dust left behind Comet Thatcher.
With lots of clear skies over the coming nights there is a good chance of seeing the Lyrid meteor shower.
While it has been ongoing since the 16 April, the peak is expected on Wednesday night.
Expect to see around 10 to 15 meteors an hour with surges of activity that could bring up to 100 an hour.
The Lyrid meteor shower is an annual event as a result of the Earth passing through dust left behind Comet Thatcher.
| Doncaster-Sheffield trains hit by 213 hours of cable theft delays In "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" [374390/31918/51] Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 22:03, 22nd April 2026 | |
From the BBC:
Cable theft costs passengers 213 hours in delays
Trains between Doncaster and Sheffield have been hit by 50 incidents of cable theft in the past five years
Cable thefts on railway lines between Doncaster and Sheffield have delayed passengers by more than 213 hours in the past year, figures show.
Passengers on services between the two South Yorkshire cities, which also passes through Rotherham, often see services cancelled or severely delayed as a result of the thefts.
Network Rail is publicly funded, meaning each theft is an additional cost to the taxpayer to repair.
The company said thefts had rise in line with an increase in copper prices, and that it was "working closely" with British Transport Police to catch and prosecute offenders.
According to figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, there had been 50 incidents of railway cable theft between Doncaster and Sheffield in the last five years, including 16 in 2025/26 alone.
The total delay in the 12 months to February 2026, linked directly to cable thefts, reached 12,809 minutes – or roughly 213.5 hours, the Local Democracy Service reports.
A Network Rail spokesperson said in 2025 alone, crime incidents on the North and East route cost the company over £1.3 million.
It said it was employing a range of strategies to catch offenders, including the use of drones and security cameras, and by forensically marking assets.
Trains between Doncaster and Sheffield have been hit by 50 incidents of cable theft in the past five years
Cable thefts on railway lines between Doncaster and Sheffield have delayed passengers by more than 213 hours in the past year, figures show.
Passengers on services between the two South Yorkshire cities, which also passes through Rotherham, often see services cancelled or severely delayed as a result of the thefts.
Network Rail is publicly funded, meaning each theft is an additional cost to the taxpayer to repair.
The company said thefts had rise in line with an increase in copper prices, and that it was "working closely" with British Transport Police to catch and prosecute offenders.
According to figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, there had been 50 incidents of railway cable theft between Doncaster and Sheffield in the last five years, including 16 in 2025/26 alone.
The total delay in the 12 months to February 2026, linked directly to cable thefts, reached 12,809 minutes – or roughly 213.5 hours, the Local Democracy Service reports.
A Network Rail spokesperson said in 2025 alone, crime incidents on the North and East route cost the company over £1.3 million.
It said it was employing a range of strategies to catch offenders, including the use of drones and security cameras, and by forensically marking assets.
| Re: Should finding your bus be easier? Better local information? In "Buses and other ways to travel" [374389/31917/5] Posted by grahame at 21:06, 22nd April 2026 | |
As long as you also ensure that you post a map of both stops locations ...
You are so right. My suggestion was half-formed ... not as fully developed as it might have been,
There are other issues - the bus stop outside the surgery doesn't even have a timetable or list of services calling there. and the one around the corner has a good showing of each other routes and a combined departure list, but so high that I (at 6 foot) had to read it the lady at four-foot-nothing and he spaniel. There is much about bus stops and their information that has improved over the last years, but there is still a vast amount to do.
| Re: Difficulty of booking international rail tickets In "Fare's Fair" [374388/31906/4] Posted by eightonedee at 21:04, 22nd April 2026 | |
I'm with Bob B on this one. There's plenty of booking sites on the web, and if you Google "Train tickets from Paris to Madrid" or something similar several come up. There's no excuse for not being able to compare deals on popular routes, and even if there are two or more "tickets" required, my experience is that you can buy all stages through the same outlet in one transaction. I've also never heard of any archaeologists finding remains of a laptop with unsuccessful ticket searches on its hard drive when excavating Neolithic sites!
My wife and I are going back to Aachen in June, and this year (as last) SNCB "won" with the best deal from St Pancras and I have been able to buy and download tickets for all stages at the same time.
The Greenpeace report also quoted in the same Guardian article is also a somewhat poor piece of work. It blames the sometimes (but far from invariable) price premium for cross-border train fares over air fares on unfair advantages given to cut-price airlines. It fails to mention that the big drawback of rail travel, namely that it takes far longer to cover the distance. Much as I enjoy train travel and watching the countryside passing and changing as a journey proceeds (especially now I am retired), if you are working and trying to use valuable holiday allowance time to go away, or someone travelling on work that wants to get home in good time to see his family before bedtime, you will choose the plane unless the time to get to and from the airport(s) and check-in time eats up the time savings, even if it costs more.
The Greenpeace report also contains some interesting statements and recommendations. It repeats the statement about buying different tickets for different stages of the journey being a barrier, claims that Norway has "a relatively dense rail network", and suggests that more high-speed rail networks are needed (must have forgotten their call for HS2 to be abandoned in 2021..) including one from Madrid to Rome. Get out your atlases, folks and see if you an work out what the problem is for that last one. I don't suppose that their members in the Maritime Alps, Livorno, Spezia or Pisa will be happy with the idea, but fortunately for them I don't think anyone looking at the economic case would be either.
| Re: Difficulty of booking international rail tickets In "Fare's Fair" [374387/31906/4] Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 19:31, 22nd April 2026 | |
Weston super Mare generally closes on a Sunday - it's in rural Somerset.
| Re: Difficulty of booking international rail tickets In "Fare's Fair" [374386/31906/4] Posted by eXPassenger at 19:16, 22nd April 2026 | |
I am chary of Google after I asked it (search not maps) for bus times to Weston SM on 14 April and was told there were no buses as it was a Sunday.
| Re: Should finding your bus be easier? Better local information? In "Buses and other ways to travel" [374385/31917/5] Posted by bobm at 18:48, 22nd April 2026 | |
Today the Swindon Advertiser has reported on issues with Stagecoach services not being updated at affected stops following service changes, apparently not for the first time.
https://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/26042569.anger-swindon-bus-users-left-stranded-stagecoach-mess/
Angry bus passengers were "left stranded and made late for work or college" after Stagecoach failed to put up new bus timetables in some areas of Swindon.
Some had important journeys delayed or interrupted due to the bus schedule issue.
Stagecoach delayed putting the new timetables for revised number 7 services on stops around town, including Flint Hill in Toothill.
Cllr Sean Wilson, representing Lydiard and Freshbrook, said on Monday: "Once again Stagecoach have let down their passengers by not posting their new schedules on bus stops and shelters around Swindon.
“The same issue happened two years ago which reveals a lack of planning.
“People have been left stranded and made late for work or college as a result."
Some had important journeys delayed or interrupted due to the bus schedule issue.
Stagecoach delayed putting the new timetables for revised number 7 services on stops around town, including Flint Hill in Toothill.
Cllr Sean Wilson, representing Lydiard and Freshbrook, said on Monday: "Once again Stagecoach have let down their passengers by not posting their new schedules on bus stops and shelters around Swindon.
“The same issue happened two years ago which reveals a lack of planning.
“People have been left stranded and made late for work or college as a result."
Article continues in link
| Re: Should finding your bus be easier? Better local information? In "Buses and other ways to travel" [374384/31917/5] Posted by ChrisB at 18:18, 22nd April 2026 | |
As long as you also ensure that you post a map of both stops locations so those who do not know the town well know how to reach the other stop?
| Re: IET wi-fi upgrades - pilot scheme on West of England trains In "Across the West" [374383/31108/26] Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 18:16, 22nd April 2026 | |
Thanks, matth1j: I've now merged all the previous posts into this definitive topic.
| Should finding your bus be easier? Better local information? In "Buses and other ways to travel" [374382/31917/5] Posted by grahame at 17:59, 22nd April 2026 | |
There's nothing like catching the bus to see how it works. And I did that today on a local journey from the Town Centre to The Spa Medical Centre. Now I know a bit about our bus services ... but using in anger?
I finished what I was doing, Melksham Market Place, at about 2 O'Clock. The choice of services is:
* From the King's Arms: Routes 15, 272 and 273. Also some x34 and 271 journeys
* From Bud's Bar, 14, all 271s, and 273
None of which is turn-up-and-go frequency. The bus stop timetable at the Kings Arms does give departure times from that stop, ans also directs you to Bud's Bar, but without information as to whether there will be a bus for you when you get there. I did have time to walk up to Bud's, see that I had just missed the 271 and there wasn't a 14 - which I happen to know goes all around the houses - for three quarters of an hour.
OK - I am being critical, but I should also be constructive. For a handful of journeys that are busy flows and complex - Melksham Town Centre to Spa Medical, and to Bowerhill, The Foresters to Bath, and Spa Medical to the Town Centre, a listing at each of the departure stop of all the departures from the stops around. Here's a snippet example:
| Re: Appealing against Delay Repay payment In "Fare's Fair" [374381/31915/4] Posted by grahame at 17:48, 22nd April 2026 | |
My understanding and personal experience is that it is worth appealing in complex cases. Automated systems may get most of the easy cases right, but those few more challenging ones something get initially decided to the detriment of the claimant. I suspect (but have no confirmation) that GWR have customer and claim data.
Very much like so many other things on the UK railway, things are so complex and systems too basic to cope. Try freedom tickets in ticket gates, this delay-repay example, or on-platform indicators that are obviosuly wrong.
| Re: IET wi-fi upgrades - pilot scheme on West of England trains In "Across the West" [374380/31108/26] Posted by matth1j at 15:56, 22nd April 2026 | |
https://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=31108 ?
| Re: IET wi-fi upgrades - pilot scheme on West of England trains In "Across the West" [374379/31108/26] Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 15:50, 22nd April 2026 | |
From the BBC:
Train wi-fi upgrades will 'transform' businesses
The government said £12m of its £57m investment in rail wi-fi nationally would be on services in the west and south west of England and Wales
Having reliable and high-speed wi-fi on trains could be "transformative" for businesses, an expert on rural branch lines in Cornwall says.
A UK-first pilot scheme for faster internet connections on trains, using technology originally developed for Formula 1 cars, was launched on Great Western Railway (GWR) services in the South West in November 2025.
The government said it would invest £57m in rail wi-fi nationally as part of its scheme Project Reach, with £12m of that being spent in the west and south west of England and Wales.
Deputy editor of Modern Railways magazine Andy Bowes-Roden said businesses currently faced a "time penalty" due to "patchy" internet connections on trains. "Getting anywhere up-country takes a long time and, while you can do some work with the existing internet system, it relies on mobile phone data, and that can be very patchy in plenty of areas of Cornwall and beyond where there's not a signal," Bowes-Roden said.
Deputy editor of Modern Railways magazine Andy Bowes-Roden said having fast and reliable wi-fi on trains would be a "game changer" for Cornwall
"Having high-speed reliable broadband on the trains effectively eliminates almost all of that time penalty for businesses because you can do all of the things you can do in an office." He said for him personally, having fast connectivity on the train would be a "game changer".
The government said Project Reach was a multi-year scheme, with the first installation of mobile infrastructure expected to begin in 2026 and be fully rolled out by 2028. It said: "The project's innovative commercial model brings together public and private sector investment and infrastructure and is expected to save taxpayers around £300m while creating a high-performing digital connectivity backbone for businesses, supporting the UK's digital ambitions."
Bowes-Roden said instead of the government viewing it as an investment in rail network, it would be a "clearer case" if its focus was on businesses. "It hits so many of the government's objectives in terms of regional growth, regional inequality and boosting businesses," he said. "For a relatively small investment from government, the returns look like they'll be absolutely fantastic."
A spokesperson for the Department for Transport said it continued to work with transport bosses and GWR to assess the success of the pilot scheme and how wi-fi could be improved on the network. "We understand connectivity on trains can be patchy, which is why we're working to harness cutting-edge satellite technology to ensure passengers can enjoy fast, reliable internet on our mainline trains," they added. "Great British Railways will deliver a railway fit for the 21st Century, with more comfortable and convenient trains for passengers."
The government said £12m of its £57m investment in rail wi-fi nationally would be on services in the west and south west of England and Wales
Having reliable and high-speed wi-fi on trains could be "transformative" for businesses, an expert on rural branch lines in Cornwall says.
A UK-first pilot scheme for faster internet connections on trains, using technology originally developed for Formula 1 cars, was launched on Great Western Railway (GWR) services in the South West in November 2025.
The government said it would invest £57m in rail wi-fi nationally as part of its scheme Project Reach, with £12m of that being spent in the west and south west of England and Wales.
Deputy editor of Modern Railways magazine Andy Bowes-Roden said businesses currently faced a "time penalty" due to "patchy" internet connections on trains. "Getting anywhere up-country takes a long time and, while you can do some work with the existing internet system, it relies on mobile phone data, and that can be very patchy in plenty of areas of Cornwall and beyond where there's not a signal," Bowes-Roden said.
Deputy editor of Modern Railways magazine Andy Bowes-Roden said having fast and reliable wi-fi on trains would be a "game changer" for Cornwall
"Having high-speed reliable broadband on the trains effectively eliminates almost all of that time penalty for businesses because you can do all of the things you can do in an office." He said for him personally, having fast connectivity on the train would be a "game changer".
The government said Project Reach was a multi-year scheme, with the first installation of mobile infrastructure expected to begin in 2026 and be fully rolled out by 2028. It said: "The project's innovative commercial model brings together public and private sector investment and infrastructure and is expected to save taxpayers around £300m while creating a high-performing digital connectivity backbone for businesses, supporting the UK's digital ambitions."
Bowes-Roden said instead of the government viewing it as an investment in rail network, it would be a "clearer case" if its focus was on businesses. "It hits so many of the government's objectives in terms of regional growth, regional inequality and boosting businesses," he said. "For a relatively small investment from government, the returns look like they'll be absolutely fantastic."
A spokesperson for the Department for Transport said it continued to work with transport bosses and GWR to assess the success of the pilot scheme and how wi-fi could be improved on the network. "We understand connectivity on trains can be patchy, which is why we're working to harness cutting-edge satellite technology to ensure passengers can enjoy fast, reliable internet on our mainline trains," they added. "Great British Railways will deliver a railway fit for the 21st Century, with more comfortable and convenient trains for passengers."
| Appealing against Delay Repay payment In "Fare's Fair" [374378/31915/4] Posted by Clan Line at 14:34, 22nd April 2026 Already liked by Witham Bobby, Oxonhutch, GBM | |
Might be of use to anyone travelling to The Isle of Wight.
Some weeks back, my wife travelled from Warminster to West Cowes. Her tickets (OPDRs), split at Salisbury, costs £31-60. Her train arrived late at Southampton, causing her to miss the dedicated bus to the ferry terminal - and, of course, miss the ferry. Rather than wait for the next dedicated ferry bus, she caught a normal City bus down to the vicinity of the ferry terminal (she has a bus pass). The next ferry was 70 mins after the one shown in her itinerary - so she arrived in Cowes 70 mins late.
She duly submitted a Delay Repay claim for the 70 min delay, this resulted in a payment of £3.95 for the delay experienced on her "journey to Southampton" ! She then submitted a lengthy detailed appeal against this repayment. She stated that she bought a "conventional" rail ticket from a Train Operating Company and that both her origin and destination points (not Southampton!) had a 3 letter railway station code - WMN & WTW. Nowhere, that we could find, in the GWR website, The Passengers' Charter nor the National Rail Conditions of Travel does it state that the whole of a delayed "journey" has to be carried out by train.
I somehow thought that she might experience problems with this claim, as it involved a bus, and a ferry as well as the train (which actually caused the delay)..............but was pleasantly surprised with their speedy capitulation on receipt of her appeal. A further £11.85 arrived in the post - 50% of the total ticket price.
| Re: Portishead Line - possible meeting of forum members to explore the route? In "Campaigns for new and improved services" [374377/31490/28] Posted by chuffed at 13:55, 22nd April 2026 Already liked by Witham Bobby | |
Or about 75 million a mile.. which somehow makes it even more staggering. Are the rails being gold plated, and the Bat Ritz's and Newt Hiltons serving afternoon tea ??
| Re: Squirrels - red, grey or albino, on the railways or otherwise - ongoing discussion In "The Lighter Side" [374376/5560/30] Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 13:55, 22nd April 2026 Already liked by johnneyw | |
From the BBC:
Cumbria Nature Festival mixed up with event for nudists
Red squirrels can be seen at several sites in Cumbria
Wildlife enthusiasts are urging visitors to "dress appropriately" after a mix-up saw their event for naturalists confused with one aimed at nudists.
Cumbria Nature Festival issued what it called an important clarification and offered a refund to anyone who had "booked in error".
The event is being staged from 8-10 May at a site in Workington and will feature a range of guest speakers and activities for all ages.
Sam Griffin, a member of the organising committee, said the announcement followed a "misunderstanding" and that "we haven't ultimately had to refund anyone so we're hopeful our offering has been sufficient to retain their interest, despite imposing a dress code".
In a Facebook post, the event said: "After a recent enquiry we need to clarify - Cumbria Nature Festival is primarily aimed at NATURALISTS… not NATURISTS. Whilst we aim to be as inclusive as possible, and certainly do not judge anyone, we are aiming the event at wildlife enthusiasts. Please do dress appropriately."
(BBC article continues)
Red squirrels can be seen at several sites in Cumbria
Wildlife enthusiasts are urging visitors to "dress appropriately" after a mix-up saw their event for naturalists confused with one aimed at nudists.
Cumbria Nature Festival issued what it called an important clarification and offered a refund to anyone who had "booked in error".
The event is being staged from 8-10 May at a site in Workington and will feature a range of guest speakers and activities for all ages.
Sam Griffin, a member of the organising committee, said the announcement followed a "misunderstanding" and that "we haven't ultimately had to refund anyone so we're hopeful our offering has been sufficient to retain their interest, despite imposing a dress code".
In a Facebook post, the event said: "After a recent enquiry we need to clarify - Cumbria Nature Festival is primarily aimed at NATURALISTS… not NATURISTS. Whilst we aim to be as inclusive as possible, and certainly do not judge anyone, we are aiming the event at wildlife enthusiasts. Please do dress appropriately."
(BBC article continues)
| Re: North Cotswold line delays and cancellations - 2026 In "London to the Cotswolds" [374375/31371/14] Posted by ChrisB at 12:13, 22nd April 2026 | |
Maybe the guard went sick? DOO from Oxford - Didcot
| Re: North Cotswold line delays and cancellations - 2026 In "London to the Cotswolds" [374374/31371/14] Posted by Witham Bobby at 12:00, 22nd April 2026 | |
22/04/2022
Despite 2E77 0510 Oxford to Worcester Shrub Hill running okay this morning, arriving at it's destination just a few minutes late, the Up Parly, did not run as the return working
According to RTT 2E80 0700 from Worcester Shrub Hill was cancelled, because of "a problem with the train". The unit returned to Oxford empty cars, where it picked up the rest of the working as the 0827 to Didcot
| A tale of (four) cities: comparisons in ticket pricing In "Fare's Fair" [374373/31914/4] Posted by Mark A at 11:11, 22nd April 2026 Already liked by ray951 | |
Thinking of the two pairs of cities: Bath and Bristol vs Leeds and Bradford. In each case, one of the pair offers interchange with long distance services. Distances between the two pairs are similar. Let's look at the costs.
The distance:
Leeds to Bradford is either 9.4 dieselly miles over the hills or 13.6 miles (around the hills, but direct trains and electrified).
Bath to Bristol is 11.5 dieselly miles.
The fares:
Leeds & Bradford (both stations)
There's no period return.
Anytime day return: £9.20
Off-peak day return: £7.80
Anytime day single: £5.80
Advance single: ~£2.90 (Widely available and at a short horizon)
Bath & Bristol
Anytime return: £21.00 (Outward validity, five days, return within a month)
Anytime day return: £11.60
Off-peak day return: £10.20
Anytime day single: £10.50
Off-peak day single: £10.20
Advance single: not available.
My takeaway from this: GWR makes it quite expensive to travel a short distance on their rail network in order to make a longer journey on someone else's rail network.
Someone from Bradford accessing the Crosscountry network for travel away from home for a few days may take advantage of two plentifully available advance singles and pay ~£6 return. From Bath, and a journey via Bristol, the same journey pattern will add £21 to the cost of a longer rail journey.
(This will not be specific to Bath: there are a large number of possible starting points that feed in to Bristol: having checked a few, advance tickets are available for some but not at short horizons, and the advance tickets I found discounted the full price single by only a pound.)
Also, of course, the IEPs aside, peak-time services Bath to Bristol have long-term been wildly capacity-constrained so GWR is over many years doing what they can with what they have and an element of the pricing may be demand suppression.
Mark
| Re: Difficulty of booking international rail tickets In "Fare's Fair" [374372/31906/4] Posted by grahame at 09:40, 22nd April 2026 | |
A follow up - NOT our plans, though similar in some ways.
Google is remarkable in many ways. I asked SN12 7NY, Spa Rd, Melksham to Aurillac, France for tomorrow and got
BUT - I don't trust Google to allow enough connection time - especially in London (St Pancras) at the moment, and the sting is in the tail:
Tickets and information
Eurostar - Ticket information - 00 32 2 400 67 76
Faresaver
GWR - Ticket information - 0345 700 0125
RATP - Buy tickets
RER - Buy tickets
SNCF Voyageurs - 00 33 1 84 94 36 35
TER Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes - Ticket information - 00 33 9 69 32 21 41
Transport for London
Île-de-France Mobilités - Transport Data Producer and Transport Authority
Eurostar - Ticket information - 00 32 2 400 67 76
Faresaver
GWR - Ticket information - 0345 700 0125
RATP - Buy tickets
RER - Buy tickets
SNCF Voyageurs - 00 33 1 84 94 36 35
TER Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes - Ticket information - 00 33 9 69 32 21 41
Transport for London
Île-de-France Mobilités - Transport Data Producer and Transport Authority
Any of those items include links to web sites ... but Utopia would be a single "I want to book that" link, and a promise / guarantee that if a connection missed you would have a safety net.
| Re: Exeter to Okehampton line closed after train hit deer In "Shorter journeys in Devon - Central, North and South" [374371/31913/24] Posted by bradshaw at 09:22, 22nd April 2026 | |
From the BBC
Disruption is expected until 10:30 BST on Wednesday for rail passengers after a deer was hit by a train in Devon, resulting in a diesel spillage on tracks.
Great Western Railway (GWR) said the crash happened between Okehampton and Crediton on Tuesday evening, leaving the line blocked and services "cancelled, delayed or revised".
The Environment Agency was called to investigate the level of pollution after the train's diesel cap was knocked off during the collision, resulting in the 500-litre (110-gallon) spill.
Great Western Railway (GWR) said the crash happened between Okehampton and Crediton on Tuesday evening, leaving the line blocked and services "cancelled, delayed or revised".
The Environment Agency was called to investigate the level of pollution after the train's diesel cap was knocked off during the collision, resulting in the 500-litre (110-gallon) spill.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1l96yg2dqno
Just announced on X
Following overnight work to clean-up a fuel spill following a train hitting an obstruction on the line between Crediton and Okehampton, train services are resuming with the first service departing Exeter St Davids at 0935.
The site has been made safe and will reopen shortly, however, there maybe some disruption later today in order to finish the clean-up operation.
The site has been made safe and will reopen shortly, however, there maybe some disruption later today in order to finish the clean-up operation.
https://x.com/gwrhelp/status/2046866859971010762?s=61&t=VlafMC5gF9tidw36b1Y8JQ
| Re: Difficulty of booking international rail tickets In "Fare's Fair" [374370/31906/4] Posted by grahame at 08:10, 22nd April 2026 | |
I would venture to suggest that this article is, at least partially, complete nonsense.
Has the author never heard of https://www.seat61.com/index.html?
Has the author never heard of https://www.seat61.com/index.html?
There is plenty of good advice on seat 61, but it's advice and not a booking system. It's a map to the most effective route to booking but you. still need to go through a whole variety of sites for many journeys and can end up with multiple window all at the same time.
The article is wrong in suggesting the system is "stone age" - it's not, but it's disjoint and takes advantage in each country, or area at times, of its own systems which the joy of modern online systems have come even more complex / disjoint for the less common journeys.
I commend to you Interrail tickets which used to slash the complexity, and often the cost. BUT ... they still do somewhat, but on so many trains there are "reservations required", "supplement payable" and "not in pass network" labels which make it more complex again, and in some cases help the train operating company make more money from journeys made by people who have already paid for a ticket. It is especially noticeable that on some trains the number of reservations / supplements available for pass holders (people who have already paid substantially for block travel) are limited, and that reservations fees do not reflect the actual cost to the company of making that reservation.
| Re: Exeter to Okehampton line closed after train hit deer In "Shorter journeys in Devon - Central, North and South" [374369/31913/24] Posted by TaplowGreen at 08:02, 22nd April 2026 Already liked by johnneyw, a-driver | |
Venison on the GWR BBQ on Sunday!
