I think that demonstrates the difference of an organisation like Virgin where customer service was embedded culturally throughout all aspects of its business.

Came up "on this day", Virgin pulling out of further rail franchise bids.

It may "just" have been marketing, but those Virgin services I used and saw seemed to have a much more human - customer aware - attitude and approach than others.  When we flew regularly (and that's looking back now) we far preferred Virgin Atlantic over certain other products; not that there was much difference in cost or reliability, but when things went wrong the customer care we received outshone the others.

Hm. It is, but I'm a bit sceptical about claims like this:


An anytime day return from Didcot Parkway to Swindon, about 25 miles, is £65.20. An anytime day return from Hebden Bridge to Manchester, about 25 miles, is £15.60. Neither qualify for Network Card discounts. Not all "full fares" are the same.

Bearing in mind that people (well, most) dress for the weather, it would make sense for the interior temperature of the train to partially track the outside temperature - so that it's (say) 21C much of the year, but 25C when outside is 30C.

Apart from being more comfortable, it would also reduce energy consumption and wear on the A/C system.

A related issue is the diffusion (or not) of the cooled air supplied to the passenger saloon. I've had to move seats on a double-deck train in the Netherlands due to the frigid wind concentrated on my original location.

Cue member grahame on Melksham fares.......

Hm. It is, but I'm a bit sceptical about claims like this:

An anytime day return from Didcot Parkway to Swindon, about 25 miles, is £65.20. An anytime day return from Hebden Bridge to Manchester, about 25 miles, is £15.60. Neither qualify for Network Card discounts. Not all "full fares" are the same.

Zoe Billingham, the director of the IPPR North think tank, has also called for ministers to think about ways to roll out more discounted fares in northern England.

“It’s not right that there’s a Network Railcard that offers discounted off-peak travel for the South East of England only,” she said.

“The North has suffered the double blow of unreliable train services on Victorian infrastructure whilst paying full fares.

And that's rubbish anyway! Their early morning 0615? to Stirling left London with NO working toilets the other day - Lumo even tweeted the news themselves & indicated extra-long toilet stops were going to happen.

Ryanair.

Enough said. 

An excursion returning to Derby from Eastbourne traversed the westbound track at about 17:35; seemingly, the only train to run on this line for quite some time.

This train was very popular with holiday makers heading for the south coast in the 1920s and 30s. It was a direct service from the north avoiding the inconvenience of crossing London. Starting at Manchester at 10.40 a.m. and Liverpool at 10.35 a.m., the two sections joined at Crewe and then headed south. At Willesden a locomotive from the Southern took over the train and then proceeded to skirt through west London on its way to Brighton, Eastbourne, Bexhill and Hastings.

14:19 Westbury to Swindon due 15:01
15:14 Swindon to Westbury due 15:58

15:14 Swindon to Westbury due 15:58 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

One can only hope that there are no crew shortages, and that there are not more buses than usual requiring repairs at the same time.

14:19 Westbury to Swindon due 15:01
15:14 Swindon to Westbury due 15:58

15:14 Swindon to Westbury due 15:58 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

No trains between Ely and Kings Lynn until the end of the day

Trains are returning to normal following an earlier fault with the signalling system between Ely and Kings Lynn.
As services recover, trains may still be cancelled or revised.
Disruption is expected until the end of the day.
Customer advice:
Trains can now run between Ely and Kings Lynn again. You can now travel on your booked route.

your journey may take up to at least 45 minutes longer than usual

I've had to move seats on a double-deck train in the Netherlands due to the frigid wind concentrated on my original location.

... due to the frigid wind concentrated on my original location.

A safety inspection of the track between Lewes and Eastbourne means that all lines are closed.

As a result, trains are unable to operate between these stations.

This is expected until the end of the day.

Customer advice:

No trains can run between Lewes and Eastbourne until further notice. You will need to use an alternative route to reach your destination.

You should allow at least an additional 60 minutes to complete your journey today.

Please talk to station staff, look at the information boards or check your journey planner for the most recent information.

How are Southern changing their service?

While this disruption is ongoing, Southern will be making the following changes to services:
Trains that normally run between Ore and Brighton will now run between Ore and Eastbourne.
Trains that normally run between Eastbourne and Brighton will now terminate at Polegate and restart back to Brighton.

From National Rail - Elizabeth Line suspended between Paddington-Heathrow-Reading (again)

Route(s) affected
Elizabeth line between Abbey Wood and Heathrow Terminal 4 / Reading, and also between Shenfield and Heathrow Terminal 5

Great Western Railway between London Paddington and Didcot Parkway

Heathrow Express between London Paddington and Heathrow Airport

Description

A failure of the electricity supply between London Paddington and Heathrow Airport / Reading means some lines are blocked. As a result, trains may be cancelled, delayed by up to 30 minutes or revised.

Disruption is expected until 16:00.

Warminster has become Roarminster, with a dinosaur takeover.

Warminster Town Council and the Warminster Business Network (WBN) has created a fun dinosaur trail, transforming the town with six dinosaur models installed at five locations until Saturday 5th September.

Visitors and residents will be encouraged to explore the town, find and learn about the different dinosaurs, enter a prize draw and take part in fun activities with a full programme of dinosaur events planned throughout the summer holidays.

Two people dead after light aircraft crash

Two people have died following a light aircraft crash in north Wales.

The aircraft was found in a remote location close to Trawsfynydd, near Porthmadog, Gwynedd, with the two people on board pronounced dead at the scene, North Wales Police said.

The force received reports shortly after 12:00 BST that a light aircraft travelling from an airfield in England had not arrived at Caernarfon Airport as scheduled.

Multi-agency air and ground searches were carried out until the aircraft was found.

A team of investigators have since been deployed by the Air Accidents Investigations Branch (AAIB).

Ch Supt Owain Llewellyn said it has been a "challenging search operation".

"Our thoughts are with the families and friends of those involved in this tragic incident," he said.

He added that his force would support the AAIB in its investigation to "ensure the circumstances leading to this incident are fully understood".

He added: "I am grateful to all of the agencies involved for their professionalism and dedication."

'The train swung wildly,' says passenger on board derailed service in Essex

Summary

A passenger on board a derailed train in Essex tells the BBC it "swung wildly for about 10 seconds"

Emergency services are responding at the scene after a London-bound train carrying up to 45 passengers partially came off the tracks in Wickford - what we know so far

British Transport Police says "the rear carriages of a train derailed in an upright position" at 14:12 BST, adding there are no reported injuries - its statement in full

National Rail says major disruption is expected "until further notice"

It comes a day after a separate train derailment in Lewes, Sussex - the cause of that incident is still being investigated

Responding to the derailment, the Department for Transport says Britain's railways are "amongst the safest in the world"