Recent Public Posts - [guest]
| Re: Free bus plan in Guernsey scrapped over fear it would be too popular In "Buses and other ways to travel" [381616/32685/5] Posted by Clan Line at 17:26, 4th November 2026 | ![]() |
Some years back we visited St Peter Port on a cruise. Having done a bit of research beforehand we caught the regular service bus which did a complete circuit of the island - a really scenic drive. The fare structure, then, was £1 each time you got on the bus........... so the whole trip cost us £1 each !! Best value bus ride ever....................
Lidar mapping overlays satellite mapping. This has a number of useful augmentations - such as the ability to change the direction of the 'Shadow'...
https://lidarlens.sarsen.org/
| Re: Swindon <-> Westbury service updates and amendments, ongoing discussion - 2026 In "TransWilts line - Swindon, Chippenham, Westbury" [381613/31359/18] Posted by grahame at 13:48, 4th November 2026 | ![]() |
17:50 Gloucester to Salisbury due 20:06
17:50 Gloucester to Salisbury due 20:06 will be terminated at Westbury.
It will no longer call at Dilton Marsh, Warminster and Salisbury.
This is due to a fault with the signalling system.
17:50 Gloucester to Salisbury due 20:06 will be terminated at Westbury.
It will no longer call at Dilton Marsh, Warminster and Salisbury.
This is due to a fault with the signalling system.
| Re: Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire - HST derailment: three dead - 12 August 2020 In "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" [381612/23891/51] Posted by grahame at 13:30, 4th November 2026 | ![]() |
From BBC
A train derailment which resulted in the deaths of three men could have been avoided if a drain had been built correctly, a sheriff has concluded.
Driver Brett McCullough, 45, conductor Donald Dinnie, 58, and passenger Christopher Stuchbury, 62, died in the crash at Carmont, near Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire, in August 2020.
The train derailed after hitting debris which had washed from the drain following heavy rain.
After a fatal accident inquiry (FAI), Sheriff Lesley Johnston said it was not constructed and installed in accordance with its design, and found there were precautions which could have been taken which "might realistically have avoided the accident".
It follows the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) making 20 safety recommendations in its report back in 2022 into the crash.
That report had also highlighted the drainage system being incorrectly installed.
Driver Brett McCullough, 45, conductor Donald Dinnie, 58, and passenger Christopher Stuchbury, 62, died in the crash at Carmont, near Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire, in August 2020.
The train derailed after hitting debris which had washed from the drain following heavy rain.
After a fatal accident inquiry (FAI), Sheriff Lesley Johnston said it was not constructed and installed in accordance with its design, and found there were precautions which could have been taken which "might realistically have avoided the accident".
It follows the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) making 20 safety recommendations in its report back in 2022 into the crash.
That report had also highlighted the drainage system being incorrectly installed.
| Re: Thames Valley infrastructure problems causing disruption elsewhere - 2026 In "Across the West" [381610/31163/26] Posted by TaplowGreen at 11:43, 4th November 2026 Already liked by nickswift99 | ![]() |
..........until close of play on Friday.
Alterations to services between Reading and Didcot Parkway
Due to damage to the overhead electric wires between Reading and Didcot Parkway fewer trains are able to run.
Train services running to and from these stations may be revised.
Disruption is expected until the end of the day on 06/11/26.
Customer Advice
As a result of some damage being sustained to the overhead electric wires we are unable to operate electric trains along the slow / stopping lines between Reading and Didcot Parkway.
| Re: Thames Valley infrastructure problems causing disruption elsewhere - 2026 In "Across the West" [381609/31163/26] Posted by nickswift99 at 11:41, 4th November 2026 | ![]() |
GWR have been running 3 car Turbos to provide some kind of service between Didcot/Reading. Much better than previous weeks where passengers were abandoned.
Presumably this will have an effect on the North Downs Line given that they never seem to have enough rolling stock?
| Re: Thames Valley infrastructure problems causing disruption elsewhere - 2026 In "Across the West" [381608/31163/26] Posted by TaplowGreen at 11:38, 4th November 2026 Already liked by Witham Bobby | ![]() |
Looks like all of the Didcot Paddington services are canned due to overhead cable issues, plus Elizabeth Line services are reduced due to defective track. A great day for Network Rail bingo players.
Didcot Parkway to London Paddington will be started from Reading.
It will no longer call at Didcot Parkway, Cholsey, Goring & Streatley, Pangbourne and Tilehurst.
This is due to damage to the overhead electric wires.
Didcot Parkway to London Paddington will be started from Reading.
It will no longer call at Didcot Parkway, Cholsey, Goring & Streatley, Pangbourne and Tilehurst.
This is due to damage to the overhead electric wires.
I was on an early morning Elizabeth Line train today and just escaped the defective track issue - not sure if it's the same one that decimated yesterday's service or a new one, but either way it's p*** poor (again) for those in the Thames Valley, especially when combined with the OHL issues.
Tape and bits of string.
Popped up to the tunnel yesterday: no physical progress with the repair yet - the displaced blocks that hadn't fallen now have small orange reflectors on them, and a workboat is tied up at the west end of the tunnel as it has been for some time.
The road continues to have a lights controlled contraflow on it with work at the site suspended.
It came to mind that the as well as the canal, the miscreant trench was possibly intended to cross the somewhat disguised rail bridge there - and the crown of that is also close if not closer to the road surface than the canal. If similar had happened to that it may possibly have been repaired on a tighter timescale...
Alterations to services between Westbury and Salisbury
Due to a fault with the signalling system between Westbury and Salisbury fewer trains are able to run.
Train services running through these stations may be delayed by up to 20 minutes or revised. Disruption is expected until 14:15 04/11.
Customer Advice
Owing to an issue with the signalling system we are unable to operate the full timetable of trains between Westbury and Salisbury.
The long distance services between Cardiff Central and Portsmouth Harbour will continue to operate in both directions to provide an hourly train service. Other services are likely to be terminated short of their destination in order that they do not traverse the affected section; additional services will call at Dilton Marsh.
Please accept our apologies if your journey is impacted as a result.
Due to a fault with the signalling system between Westbury and Salisbury fewer trains are able to run.
Train services running through these stations may be delayed by up to 20 minutes or revised. Disruption is expected until 14:15 04/11.
Customer Advice
Owing to an issue with the signalling system we are unable to operate the full timetable of trains between Westbury and Salisbury.
The long distance services between Cardiff Central and Portsmouth Harbour will continue to operate in both directions to provide an hourly train service. Other services are likely to be terminated short of their destination in order that they do not traverse the affected section; additional services will call at Dilton Marsh.
Please accept our apologies if your journey is impacted as a result.
Delighted with that addition (in red). Very much a step in the right direction; at times of service disruption, passengers waiting at Dilton Marsh have become very used indeed to having the train they planned to catch go missing, and the "following" express then run though without stopping.
| Homeward bound - and a fare comparison In "Fare's Fair" [381602/32687/4] Posted by grahame at 08:58, 4th November 2026 | ![]() |
"I'm on a train"!
Lisa and I did not have our return plans mapped out when we set out - what - 18 days ago, but we are headed home today - booked a couple of days ago. Out of interest, I checked on Rail Europe yesterday to see what fare it offered, see below per person. I will stress this is NOT what I paid - I am on another Interrail pass which runs until midJanuary, and cost me less than the figure quoted just for today's journey. Lisa is on a shorter pass.


| Re: New TfW services to Bristol in December timetable In "Shorter journeys in South and West Wales" [381599/32236/23] Posted by grahame at 07:07, 4th November 2026 Already liked by Mark A | ![]() |
And the BBC reports it, adding https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm0e0j29prwjo
During its application phase, Great Western Railway (GWR), which already runs Cardiff to Bristol trains, said a new line could have a "significant effect" on its revenue. But now the operator says it is looking forward to working with TfW to ensure services are provided in a coordinated way.
Thank goodness for that. Both will be in public ownership and absolutely an integrated service is good for passengers and for the public purse too. I am reminded just how wrong things can be - back in out bad old local bus days where there were 2 and hour - with 2 minutes and 58 minutes between them during the day, and people being turfed off return buses for having a ticket with the wrong operator when a much reduced service was provided in the evening.
| Re: Thames Valley infrastructure problems causing disruption elsewhere - 2026 In "Across the West" [381598/31163/26] Posted by NickB at 07:06, 4th November 2026 | ![]() |
Looks like all of the Didcot Paddington services are canned due to overhead cable issues, plus Elizabeth Line services are reduced due to defective track. A great day for Network Rail bingo players.
Didcot Parkway to London Paddington will be started from Reading.
It will no longer call at Didcot Parkway, Cholsey, Goring & Streatley, Pangbourne and Tilehurst.
This is due to damage to the overhead electric wires.
| Re: Caledonian MacBrayne ferries in Scotland In "Buses and other ways to travel" [381597/30034/5] Posted by broadgage at 01:02, 4th November 2026 Already liked by Witham Bobby, GBM, Clan Line | ![]() |
"more ships than usual needing repair"
| Re: Network Rail sues companies for £5m over Llangennech derailment in August 2020 In "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" [381596/32406/51] Posted by grahame at 22:16, 3rd November 2026 | ![]() |
And there is now a countersuit
From the Swanses Bay News
LLANGENNECH: Train firm blames a signaller for the diesel fire and wants £30m from Network Rail
Network Rail went to court in August wanting £5m from the firms it blames for the fire. One of them has answered with a far bigger bill of its own, and a claim about what should have happened that night.
The company that ran the fuel train that derailed and burned at Llangennech in 2020 says a signaller could have stopped it before it came off the rails. It is suing Network Rail for more than £30m
Network Rail went to court in August wanting £5m from the firms it blames for the fire. One of them has answered with a far bigger bill of its own, and a claim about what should have happened that night.
The company that ran the fuel train that derailed and burned at Llangennech in 2020 says a signaller could have stopped it before it came off the rails. It is suing Network Rail for more than £30m
| Re: Spain - 69 dead after two trains collide south of Madrid - 28 October 2026 In "The Wider Picture Overseas" [381595/32669/52] Posted by JayMac at 21:12, 3rd November 2026 | ![]() |
Taking a bit of responsibility for once.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c6wydqd4yxdyo
Spain's Transport Minister Óscar Puente has resigned - six days after the high-speed train collision in which at least 69 people were killed and dozens injured.
He announced his decision in Congress, where he had appeared to give the circumstances of last Wednesday's crash near the town of Urda, south of the capital Madrid.
"A transport minister in a country like Spain cannot remain in office after two accidents of this seriousness in less than a year," he said, also referring to a deadly crash in January in Andalusia, southern Spain
The latest tragedy in Urda happened when a state-operated Renfe high-speed train smashed into the back of another stationary train operated by the Iryo company.
continues...
He announced his decision in Congress, where he had appeared to give the circumstances of last Wednesday's crash near the town of Urda, south of the capital Madrid.
"A transport minister in a country like Spain cannot remain in office after two accidents of this seriousness in less than a year," he said, also referring to a deadly crash in January in Andalusia, southern Spain
The latest tragedy in Urda happened when a state-operated Renfe high-speed train smashed into the back of another stationary train operated by the Iryo company.
continues...
| Re: New TfW services to Bristol in December timetable In "Shorter journeys in South and West Wales" [381594/32236/23] Posted by ChrisB at 20:47, 3rd November 2026 | ![]() |
From what I read in Wales Online they are approved now
What they failed to report was that approval was only given for 12 months running.....
Transport for Wales (TfW) has been given the go-ahead to run a new cross-border rail service to Bristol. The Welsh Government-owned transport company has secured approval from regulator the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) for a two-hourly service from west Wales to Bristol Temple Meads.
GWR, which currently operates South Wales to Bristol Temple Meads services, had objected, claiming that competition from TfW would lead to revenue extraction. However, from the end of this year, it will come under state ownership.
GWR, which currently operates South Wales to Bristol Temple Meads services, had objected, claiming that competition from TfW would lead to revenue extraction. However, from the end of this year, it will come under state ownership.
What they failed to report was that approval was only given for 12 months running.....
| Re: New TfW services to Bristol in December timetable In "Shorter journeys in South and West Wales" [381593/32236/23] Posted by Noggin at 20:13, 3rd November 2026 | ![]() |
TfW have been running route learning services into Temple Meads for the last couple of weeks. On Monday I saw a class 150 and two class 153's running together from Temple Meads up to Parkway then reversing to head back to Wales.
I think that I saw one at Temple Meads this afternoon and on the Filton Diamond yesterday evening.
Have seen one in the bay at the south side of the station the last two mornings
| Re: Swindon <-> Westbury service updates and amendments, ongoing discussion - 2026 In "TransWilts line - Swindon, Chippenham, Westbury" [381592/31359/18] Posted by grahame at 18:50, 3rd November 2026 | ![]() |
17:50 Gloucester to Salisbury due 20:06
Facilities on the 17:50 Gloucester to Salisbury due 20:06.
Toilet facilities are not available. Disabled toilet facilities are not available.
Facilities on the 17:50 Gloucester to Salisbury due 20:06.
Toilet facilities are not available. Disabled toilet facilities are not available.
The West Somerset Railway is asking people to suggest a new tagline to emphasize it's coastal destinations. Perhaps the collective creative genius that is the Coffee Shop could come up with a few to help them?
....
I couldn't decide if this merited a new topic, perhaps on the "lighter side", or if it should reside more happily here. Admins, feel free to move this if appropriate.
....
I couldn't decide if this merited a new topic, perhaps on the "lighter side", or if it should reside more happily here. Admins, feel free to move this if appropriate.
Thank you for posting, johnneyw.

As this appeal relates specifically to the West Somerset Railway, and it would seem out of context to start a new topic elsewhere, I'm content to continue the discussion here.
CfN.

I suggested (slightly with tongue in cheek) that they could put a name to some of their seasonal services such as "Bucket and Spade Express" or "Flying Beachcomber".
| Re: Oxford Street, London has been pedestrianised In "Active travel: Cyclists and walkers, including how the railways deal with them" [381588/32663/50] Posted by Marlburian at 15:10, 3rd November 2026 | ![]() |
600 cyclists flout ban
The participants may get something out of it, but such action serves only to annoy a great many other people.
| Free bus plan in Guernsey scrapped over fear it would be too popular In "Buses and other ways to travel" [381587/32685/5] Posted by grahame at 15:03, 3rd November 2026 | ![]() |
From The BBC
Proposals for a free bus service in Guernsey will no longer be considered for next year's budget, deputies who suggested the move have said.
Deputies Sally Rochester and Ross Le Brun put the plan forward as an amendment to the 2027 budget, asking the Policy and Resources Committee for £1.9m to "enable the existing public transport service" to be made free of charge in a one-year pilot.
They have now pulled the plans after "concern from [operator] Stagecoach" that increased passenger numbers could mean certain routes not coping with the additional demand.
Deputies Sally Rochester and Ross Le Brun put the plan forward as an amendment to the 2027 budget, asking the Policy and Resources Committee for £1.9m to "enable the existing public transport service" to be made free of charge in a one-year pilot.
They have now pulled the plans after "concern from [operator] Stagecoach" that increased passenger numbers could mean certain routes not coping with the additional demand.














