*snip*
For twenty years they were reluctant to spend their own money in the Southwest.  The (I hate to say it) EU kick started the half hour Paignton service. *snip*

Second scenic Highland rail route to close for upgrade


The line between Kyle of Lochalsh and Dingwall will shut for three weeks - Image © Jim Barton

A second scenic route in the Highlands is to close for an upgrade and repair programme.

The line between Dingwall and Kyle of Lochalsh will be shut for a period of three weeks starting at the end of November.

A number of different locations will see improvements made including the Carron Viaduct and upgrade work will also be done at Inverness railway station.

The £9m overhaul is being carried out a couple of weeks after the West Highland Line is shut for nine days in order to make it more resilient in periods of bad weather.

(BBC article continues)

15:18 Worcester Foregate Street to London Paddington due 17:25 has been cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

15:52 London Paddington to Great Malvern due 18:26 will be terminated at Worcester Shrub Hill.
It will no longer call at Worcester Foregate Street, Malvern Link and Great Malvern.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

17:04 Didcot Parkway to Evesham due 18:23 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

18:51 Evesham to Oxford due 19:50 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

19:02 Great Malvern to London Paddington due 21:28 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

22:51 London Paddington to Worcestershire Parkway Hl due 01:06 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

They could be quite useful on the Portishead Line.

Sorry. CfN.     

FUEL, petrol, paraffin, propane cylinders, gas cartridges, logs, smokeless  fuel.

Candles, batteries, mainly AA and D.

FOOD, mainly tins and dried pasta. Chocolate. lifeboat rations.

Bottled drinking water, barrel of rainwater.

Port, spirits.

Durable goods, oil lamps, battery lamps, tools, sheets, blankets, towels, long and short underwear. Large UPS.

No venison or phesant as perishable.

Cancellations to services between Oxford and Worcester Shrub Hill

Due to a shortage of train crew between Oxford and Worcester Shrub Hill fewer trains are able to run on all lines.

Train services running through these stations may be cancelled or delayed. Disruption is expected until 11:00 10/09.

Customer Advice
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What has happened?
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Due to a fatality earlier this morning in they Hayes and Harlington area, trains and crew are misplaced in the area

1W11 0553 London Paddington to Great Malvern cancelled due to a person hit by a train (XC)

1W13 0652 London Paddington to Great Malvern cancelled between Reading and Great Malvern due to a person hit by a train (XC)

08:56 Great Malvern to London Paddington due 11:27 will be cancelled.
This is due to the emergency services dealing with an incident.

09:56 Great Malvern to London Paddington due 12:23 will be cancelled.
This is due to the emergency services dealing with an incident.

Run the service using an IET! Are IET's even cleared over the Tarka Line? - the web computer says 'No'. A 5-Car 802/0 would be pointless as it only provides 326 seats (if 1st is binned); a 9-Car 802/1 - 647 seats - would do the business. But could it keep to the timetable?

But in the dying days (months, years) of a franchise / management contract, would not any company with shareholders take the same view of investment?

Unless someone else is paying GWR don't invest in the southwest.

Probably best not to let TG see that.

Oops - too late! 

The Inter City - Paddington to Cardiff? (Or was it actually the Inter-City?)

A bit of honesty here. The train is well used, it needs to be frequent to be used more but it's never been over crowded and often runs, like now with plenty of free seats. But throwing false bits of info into the mix is never a good option to take to increase service levels. (and this is coming from some who has used the service not an arm chair critic).

As chair or MTUG, totally agree your sentiment. Capacity - as noted - was an issue in 2017 / into the first half of 2018, on the 17:35 (as it was) from Swindon. It was cured once GWR retired their class 153 trains which were used for many services until then. Not been an issue since except on very rare occasions when disruption elsewhere decants loads of long distance passengers onto our train. From time to time I walk through the train taking a rough count and it's averaging just over 100 passengers using that service on the single line sections that's not duplicated by other passenger trains. In the early days there was also a capacity on the summer / weekend train that extends to Weymouth for day trips; that's a hard one to predict but we have muted publicity. Plenty of seats Swindon to Westbury, gets full and standing and sometimes very full south of Yeovil.

Covid and changing work patterns hit us bad, probably because so many of our passengers were daily commuters into jobs that can be done remotely or indeed automatically. It has built back up, but the peak is no longer as sharp as it was, as work hours have become much more flexible; on the busiest section of the line, you'll find the 15:29 and 19:00 from Chippenham carrying far more passengers that the 18:00 (was 17:50) which is good for load balancing.

There was absolutely no intent to mislead readers into thinking we have a capacity issue on any individual train these days - sorry if it read like that. Issues holding back growth remain frequency, reliability, and the customer experience in particular at Melksham Station.

Huge THANK YOU for using the service; please continue to do so, and let us know of any other issues. You would also be very very welcome to be more actively involved.

Or B9 and B10, possibly?

Learner drivers still forced to wait months to book tests

Learner drivers have to wait an average 20 weeks, or around five months, before booking a practical test, according to new figures, despite attempts to reduce delays.

The data from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) for August is only a marginal improvement from 20.2 weeks in July.  The average wait time between booking and sitting a test is unchanged at 11.1 weeks.

The DVSA initially had a target of reducing the average waiting time to seven weeks by the end of last year. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander pushed the target back to summer 2026, but subsequently admitted even that would not be possible.

The DVSA made a number of changes to its practical driving test booking system earlier this year.  Only the learner driver themself is now able to book their driving test, blocking an instructor or third parties from booking using the learner's details.

There is also a geographical restriction which means a learner can only book a test at their three local test centres, rather than one at the other side of the country if they found a test available.  The number of times a would-be driver can swap a test date has also been restricted.

(BBC article continues)