From Bedwyn trains via Rail User Express (May edition) who are happy to be quoted with source acknowledged

Bedwyn Trains Passenger Group

At a GWR drop in session for MPs in March, MD Mark Hopwood was very positive regarding
restoring direct Paddington services, but there is no timescale. Martin Pearce, GWR's DfT contact,
asked for a summary of the problems with the shuttles. His kind reply acknowledged the issues.

BTPG also spoke with Zach Bailey, responsible for station development, about extending the 'nose
first' parking at Bedywn Station. It has put him in contact with the Parish Council.

A business case is being developed for an hourly Paddington - Westbury service. A Local Transport
Forum also held in March was told that from early to mid 2030s new battery/electric trains are
proposed, but the battery range isn't quite there yet for Newbury to Westbury. BTPG doesn't want
the Westbury extension lost due to the wrong rolling stock being purchased.

If the Bedwyn line is blocked, can you use Didcot or Swindon? Measures are put in place for planned
closures, but for unscheduled events it is down to Control to make the decision. From past
experience these are slow in coming and often not communicated effectively to passengers. So what
if one just drove to Didcot or Swindon and presented oneself at the barrier? GWR responded that
you'd likely be allowed through, but there is no guarantee. If you had to pay for an additional ticket,
BTPG would take up your case with GWR management and request a refund.

The ticket machines (TVMs) do not offer the same walk-on fares available online; eg one can buy an
off-peak day return to Luton for the 0846 Bedwyn departure online, but even after 0830,
its TVM does not offer this option. GWR will soon have aligned TVMs with what is available online.

Apologies if covered elsewhere.

Plymouth MP Luke Pollard touting a "Plymouth Metro" starting with half-hourly services between Ivybridge and Bere Alston, new stations at Plympton and Laira, followed ultimately by Tavistock reopening.

Would the introduction of an hourly Paddington - Westbury service be dependent on the reinstatement of the 4th platform at Westbury?

They seem to be raising the stakes.............

Yup, posturing should be reserved for Tavistock (and regarding Tavistock shouldn't be posturing, there should be progress).

Mark

Remember that the Welsh Government was their share of HS2 costs & this might be a way of achieving it....

Looking from "afar" - it strikes me that Tavistock could really do with a metro rail re-opening and as it's so close to Plymouth and part of the same economic area ... but once you get to St Budeaux, the line is paralleled by a good road all the way to North Road, from where the road usefully branches away to serve the city centre.   There are, similarly, good bus service from much closer to the centre out past Laira to Marsh Mills.   That does not necessarily rule it out, but there are challenges in providing something that will overlap for so much of the way with other provision already made.

To an extent this is a local MP posturing and he would be wise not to raise expectations.

Long time to keep your legs crossed!

Looking from "afar" - it strikes me that Tavistock could really do with a metro rail re-opening and as it's so close to Plymouth and part of the same economic area ... but once you get to St Budeaux, the line is paralleled by a good road all the way to North Road, from where the road usefully branches away to serve the city centre.   There are, similarly, good bus service from much closer to the centre out past Laira to Marsh Mills.   That does not necessarily rule it out, but there are challenges in providing something that will overlap for so much of the way with other provision already made.

Werner Heubeck, who has died aged 85, served in Hitler's Africa Korps during the second world war, but made his real mark in quite a different arena of conflict – by keeping the buses running in Northern Ireland at the height of the Troubles.

My concern would be the availabilty of paths without degrading other services to make a CLOCKFACE service feasible, a metro service would need this as an essential. I'd also be concerned if I lived in Calstock or Gunnislake about reduced service to those destinations. A passing loop somewhere on the route would seemingly be necessary too.

17:57 London Paddington to Worcester Foregate Street due 20:11 will be terminated at Oxford.
It will no longer call at Hanborough, Charlbury, Shipton, Kingham, Moreton-In-Marsh, Honeybourne, Evesham, Pershore, Worcestershire Parkway Hl, Worcester Shrub Hill and Worcester Foregate Street.
This is due to a broken down train.

18:57 London Paddington to Great Malvern due 21:18 will be terminated at Worcester Shrub Hill.
It will no longer call at Worcester Foregate Street, Malvern Link and Great Malvern but will call additionally at Shipton.
This is due to the train making extra stops because a train was cancelled.

20:56 Worcester Foregate Street to London Paddington due 23:41 will be reinstated.
It will be started from Worcester Shrub Hill.
It will no longer call at Worcester Foregate Street.
This is due to the train for this service having broken down.

In the GWR area we have summer-only trains to Newquay, and to Tenby on Saturdays.  Is there a case for more like this, and if so, to where?  Is the case made by the financial railway case, or the broader economic and political benefits brought to the places served?

How about ... a Fishguard service that connects with the Rosslare boat?  A Falmouth service?  Bath to York and Edinburgh? etc.   The UK seems to have pulled back from these services during and in the aftermath of covid, and yet with increased leisure traffic the case for them seems all the stronger.

So was this a "paid for" service by the heritage railway (eyes water at the thought) or does it mean that SWR will be running trains to Swanage?

Stephen Stafford / BBC News / Published 9 September 2024

Work to clear weeds from a heritage railway line in Dorset has been carried out with the help of specialist equipment.

A Multi Purpose Vehicle (MPV) was provided to Swanage Railway to treat and kill weeds growing along five and a half miles (9km) of line.

The train is usually deployed by Network Rail on the south west mainline.

Swanage Railway director Gavin Johns said it was an "effective and efficient" way of clearing weeds to keep trains operating.

"Maintaining our track in a safe and useable condition is essential for our nine-mile heritage line and managing weeds that grow along the track is a key part of that activity as stone track ballast, free of weeds, enables water to quickly drain away," he added.

The vehicle was used as part of a partnership between Network Rail, Balfour Beatty and the heritage line.

MPVs are commonly used in autumn and winter to blast leaves off the line with high-pressure water jets, or de-ice the conductor rail if the temperature falls below five degrees.

Mark Goodall, Network Rail Wessex route director, said: “Heritage railways are hugely popular tourist attractions and play an important role in celebrating and retaining the history of our amazing railway.

"As a rail industry we provide a range of support to help keep heritage railways running safely and reliably and many of our staff volunteer their time and expertise.”