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Great Western Coffee Shop
Recent Public Posts - [guest]
Re: EU Border control delays - entry / exit system
In "The Wider Picture Overseas" [374120/29537/52]
Posted by Surrey 455 at 20:20, 12th April 2026
 
One thing can do, and media doesn't seem to highlight this is previous week, look up arrivals at airport travelling to and see how many non Schengen flights arrive just before yours.  Gives you good indication if they will still be processing arrivals from previous flights.   (note flight times can vary by day of week so best to check same time previous week)

Thanks JohnD, good thinking. I'm off to Fuerteventura on Saturday. Just checked the scheduled arrivals and the previous Non EU arrival is 5 hours earlier and the next arrival after is 90 minutes later. So hopefully will not have to wait too long. I believe that I am already registered having had my photo and fingerprints taken in Vienna in January.

The downside is I am starting to hear about probable strike action at both Stansted and Fuerteventura airports from this Friday. 

Re: A welcome to lurkers, guests and newly registering members on the Coffee Shop forum (merged post
In "Introductions and chat" [374119/21122/1]
Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 20:19, 12th April 2026
 
Browsing around existing topics and previous posts here on the Coffee Shop forum, as I do, I note that we have recently been joined by some very welcome new members.

Please do take the following step of posting here: we are a remarkably friendly forum, and I would be delighted to have the opportunity to welcome a 'first post' from one of our new members.

CfN.

Re: Two in hospital after bus crashes down embankment on A9 near Aviemore: 12/4/2026
In "Buses and other ways to travel" [374118/31867/5]
Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 19:39, 12th April 2026
 
The BBC have updated their news article:

Two taken to hospital after bus crashes down A9 embankment


Heavy lift recovery trucks were later brought in to recover the crashed bus

Two people have been taken to hospital after a bus crashed down an embankment on the A9 north of Aviemore in the Highlands.

A major emergency response involving firefighters, ambulance crews and police was triggered after it left the road near the Granish Junction at about 9:40 on Sunday.

Police Scotland said two people were taken to hospital for treatment but no details were given about the extent of their injuries.

The bus was an electric vehicle heading to Edinburgh from Inverness, operated by Ember. The A9 was closed for about two hours but has now reopened.

Images from the scene show the large green and black bus halfway down a grassy slope at the side of the road with around 20 emergency service personnel attending.

George Rennie was travelling home to Inverness from Glasgow on another Ember service which arrived at the scene to pick up casualties from the crashed bus. He said they spent nearly two hours at the scene and around seven shaken up passengers boarded before being dropped off at Aviemore Train Station to travel on to the capital.

He told BBC Scotland News "Just as we were approaching the junction we had to turn back. Our bus driver received a message and told him to turn back. Then we heard anyone who was not injured would be coming on board so the company could take them away from the scene. Around nine people got on - most of them just had cuts and bruises from the impact."

The passengers reported that the coach tipped while turning at a junction and they had no idea something was wrong until they heard a loud bang.

Rennie continued: "When the passengers got on they told us only half of them were wearing seatbelts. One guy was thrown to the floor and another smacked his face on the seat which cut his lip. The others said they were just relaxing before they heard a huge crash and saw the front window smash inwards. A lot of people flew forward and banged their heads on seats."

A spokesperson for Ember confirmed one of their fleet was involved in a single vehicle collision on 12 April. He continued: "We would like to offer our thanks to the emergency services for their support, and we are of course fully supporting the police with their investigations."


Re: Two in hospital after bus crashes down embankment on A9 near Aviemore: 12/4/2026
In "Buses and other ways to travel" [374117/31867/5]
Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 18:46, 12th April 2026
Already liked by grahame
 
Ember describe themselves as 'bus'. 

Re: Electronic Travel Authorisation if coming in to the UK
In "The Wider Picture Overseas" [374116/29537/52]
Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 18:40, 12th April 2026
 
Also from the BBC:

Easyjet leaves 100 behind at Milan in border check queues

About 100 people have been left stranded in Milan after a flight to Manchester left without them.

They were due to depart on an Easyjet flight on Sunday but faced queues of up to three hours at Milan's Linate airport because of border control checks.

Marooned passengers told the BBC people had been vomiting and passing out in the heat and now did not know how they would get home.

Easyjet said it was trying to support passengers but that the situation was "outside of our control".

One passenger, Kiera, 17, from Oldham, told the BBC she and her boyfriend faced a 20-hour wait in the airport until they could get another flight tomorrow. She said it had cost her mother about £520 for new flights, but that they would be going to Gatwick, not Manchester.

She added: "We got here at seven-thirty for our flight at eleven so were super early. We got to Border Control and it was a massive queue of people. I wasn't feeling great anyway because I think I'd got food poisoning. At about ten-fifty they brought some water over for people, and when we got to the front of the queue someone asked us if we were going to Manchester, and told us our flight had just gone. There were only about 30 people got on the plane, and about 100 people didn't."

(BBC article continues)


Re: Two in hospital after bus crashes down embankment on A9 near Aviemore: 12/4/2026
In "Buses and other ways to travel" [374115/31867/5]
Posted by ChrisB at 18:32, 12th April 2026
 
Looks like a coach to me

Re: Crackdown on traditional carriages threatens ‘Hogwarts Express’ trains
In "Heritage railways, Railtours, buses, canals, steamships and other public transport based attractions" [374114/28578/47]
Posted by ChrisB at 18:23, 12th April 2026
 
So....last year they used Mk 2 coaches, but *still* failed to fit central locking to their Mk 1 coaches.

Why? They must make a profit running this otherwise they wouldn't. So I'm glad it seems as though the ORR has stamped their foot at last.

Re: Swindon's Mechanics' Institute saga drags on
In "London to Swindon and Bristol" [374113/11236/10]
Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 18:18, 12th April 2026
 
Apologies for the duplication: grahame and I were posting simultaneously.

Two versions of the same story is fine - I'm puzzled as to why I wasn't flagged on duplicating by the software


To be fair, I think it may have happened (or, rather, not happened) because I had already posted, but then went back to edit my post as it apparently produced an anomaly from our 'abbreviations and acronyms page'.

CfN.

Re: Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway (GWSR) - heritage line
In "Heritage railways, Railtours, buses, canals, steamships and other public transport based attractions" [374112/2350/47]
Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 18:08, 12th April 2026
Already liked by PrestburyRoad
 
From the BBC:

A step back in time at Gloucestershire vintage vehicle event


The team behind the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway put on a whole weekend of transport delights

Vintage vehicle lovers were treated to a behind-the-scenes view of a heritage railway this weekend.

Stations along the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway (GWSR) put on a full timetable of train services during its annual vintage event and visitors got a close-up view of more than 100 cars, motorbikes and buses.

GWSR is a volunteer-led heritage railway line which runs between Cheltenham and Broadway.

Here are some highlights from some of the stations on the circuit.



Back in time: Visitors could take a trip on a classic Great Western Railway railcar.



Time for tea: Gotherington Station looked like something straight out of the Railway Children, with visitors able to enjoy a nice cup of tea and a cake in the April sunshine.


Re: "The lost waterway of Melksham"
In "The Lighter Side" [374111/31863/30]
Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 17:23, 12th April 2026
Already liked by Richard Fairhurst
 
From the BBC:

The hidden history of a town's lost waterways


The canals were abandoned and largely filled in more than 100 years ago

For more than a century, narrowboats pulled by horses and donkeys walking alongside Wiltshire's canals transported items like stone, timber, salt, beer, flour, beans and oil.

But if you take a look around Melksham now, there is little evidence of the town's watery history.

The canal between Semington and Lacock in Wiltshire stopped being used more than 100 years ago, largely due to intense competition from the railways. It was abandoned and largely filled in following its final closure in 1914.

Writer Peter Williams is now hoping to shed light on the lost history of the waterways in and around Melksham, which were once so important to the area. The music teacher from Chippenham has spent 30 years gathering maps, letters, receipts, newspaper articles and dozens of archive images and sketches for his free book The Lost Waterway of Melksham.

He told BBC Radio Wiltshire he was "amazed" by the amount of information he managed to uncover. "It's fascinating to think that narrowboats were travelling where homes and gardens stand today," Williams said.

He said locals described memories of skating to Chippenham when the canal froze over in winter and coal barges being cleaned out for groups to enjoy annual outings to the town in the summer.


Peter Williams has been researching the topic for 30 years

The route of the canal stretched from the Semington junction, where there was a toll collector's house, and past Berryfields. It then carried on to Melksham Wharf, where there was once a wharf keeper's cottage, cranes and warehouses - now home to a development of flats called Wharf Court.

The former rope factory at modern-day Rope Walk is also featured in the book, as well as a list of names of local boatmen, boatbuilders and lockkeepers.

So are there any echoes of the canals' presence left in Melksham? Williams said there were a number of clues people could still find. The first is a hump in Spa Road where the Wharf Court residential home is - marking where a bridge once was. He also pointed to the bridge parapet at the junction of Lowbourne Road and Forest Road. He added some small parts of the towpath were now public rights of way between houses.

"There was also a big embankment over Clackers Brook, which is just off Ruskin Avenue. It would have been huge in 1795 when it was constructed. It was like the M4 of its time. The people of Melksham must have been quite amazed by this huge engineering feature which came through the town," Williams said.

He was inspired to start the project after volunteering with the Melksham, Chippenham and Calne branch of the Wilts & Berks Canal Trust.

The charity is hoping to receive planning permission for a "Melksham Link", which would uncover and reconnect the town's waterways with the nearby Kennet & Avon Canal. The plans are currently being discussed by Wiltshire Council and the Environment Agency.

Mike Gibbin, CEO of Wilts & Berks Canal Trust, said: "Peter has produced an excellent book, and we are delighted he has kindly offered to share it with everyone free of charge. We hope it encourages people to learn about the amazing story of this wonderful waterway and our ambitious plans to bring it back to life."


Travel warning in Gloucestershire as works take place on railway line - April
In "Swindon to Gloucester / Cheltenham" [374110/31869/38]
Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 17:07, 12th April 2026
 
From the BBC:

Travel warning as works take place on railway line


The railway line in Gloucestershire is temporarily closed for the next two weekends

Railway passengers travelling through Gloucestershire over the next two weekends are urged to plan ahead as engineering works are taking place.

Network Rail said the railway will be temporarily closed while new rails and track equipment are installed, and drainage works to improve the resilience of the railway are completed.

Work will also continue on the construction of Charfield Station, whilst further improvements will be made at Cheltenham Spa and Kemble.

Mark Parker, Network Rail lead portfolio manager, said: "Make sure to plan ahead as some journeys will be altered with bus replacement services on some routes."

On Saturday and Sunday, buses will replace some Great Western Railway (GWR) trains between Gloucester and Bristol Parkway, Gloucester and Stroud (Saturdays) and Gloucester and Swindon (Sundays), repeating next weekend.

CrossCountry trains will still run between Cheltenham Spa and Bristol Parkway using an alternative route. These trains will also call at Gloucester and Newport. Trains will also run between Gloucester and Cheltenham Spa.

"We'll be working non-stop over the next two weekends to complete this essential work to improve journeys for passengers throughout Gloucestershire," said Mr Parker.

Chloe Coglan, GWR's station manager for Cheltenham and Gloucester, said: "We apologise for the inconvenience this may cause, but the work planned will help to maintain train services across Gloucestershire for years to come. Trains between Cheltenham Spa or Gloucester and London Paddington will start or terminate at Stroud on Saturdays, but these won't run on Sundays. To help customer to complete their journeys, replacement road transport will be provided for those stations affected on both weekends. It's important customers are aware these alternative travel arrangements may make journey times much longer, so please plan ahead."


Re: Bodmin & Wenford Railway
In "Heritage railways, Railtours, buses, canals, steamships and other public transport based attractions" [374109/21446/47]
Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 16:38, 12th April 2026
 
From the BBC:

Cornwall vintage railway targeted in two burglaries


A spokesperson said visitors had been unable to get "the full experience"

A vintage railway has said staff and visitors are feeling the impact after two break-ins.

Bodmin & Wenford Railway has been targeted twice in recent weeks, with access to the carriage forced and alcohol and food stolen.

Police are appealing for witnesses to the break-ins. They said the most recent incident happened overnight between 26 and 27 March, a week after the first incident.

A spokesperson for Bodmin & Wenford Railway said they believed £800 to £1,000 worth of goods were stolen.

The spokesperson said: "We've had to keep our little bar that we have on the train closed for a week over the Easter holidays - so obviously there's a loss of earnings - but there's damage to the carriage and obviously all the stuff that he actually stole as well."

"The thief broke into the donation box as well and took all the money out that people have donated so quite a big impact for a little charity heritage railway." They added visitors had also been impacted because they weren't able to get the "full experience" as they were unable to go to the bar on board.

The spokesperson said the crew had fixed the damage so the attraction was now open but were having to empty the train every evening in case the thief returns. "It makes it really unnerving actually because sometimes we work until late and it goes dark on the station and it's actually made us feel quite insecure about being here by ourselves in the dark," the spokesperson said.


Free veteran bus travel scheme launches in Worcestershire - April 2026
In "Buses and other ways to travel" [374108/31868/5]
Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 16:07, 12th April 2026
 
From the BBC:

Free veteran bus travel scheme launches

Veterans and people currently serving in the armed forces from Worcestershire can travel for free on local buses.

The new scheme means former and current members of the military without a concessionary bus pass can use both the county's commercial network and the Worcestershire on-demand service.

On-demand routes were made available for free on 1 April, while commercial routes will be opened up to veterans and those currently serving from 13 April.

It comes after councillors voted on the proposal to introduce the scheme in November.

To travel for free, those eligible must show their veteran card or present their military ID.

According to the council, Worcestershire is home to more than 21,000 veterans and more than 500 regular armed forces personnel.


Re: Electronic Travel Authorisation if coming in to the UK
In "The Wider Picture Overseas" [374107/29537/52]
Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 15:39, 12th April 2026
 
From the BBC:

Dual national Londoner stranded in Spain by new border rule


Natasha Cochrane De La Rosa is staying with family in Spain until the issues are resolved

A London-born woman has been left stranded in Spain and "petrified" for her career after being caught out by a recent overhaul of UK border rules.

Natasha Cochrane De La Rosa, a 26-year-old British-Spanish dual national, was born and raised in Islington and has lived in the UK her entire life. However, she was denied boarding on a return flight from Amsterdam on 2 April using her Spanish passport.

Under rules introduced on 25 February, dual nationals can no longer enter the UK using a foreign passport alone. They must now present either a British or Irish passport, or possess a digital certificate of entitlement. The Home Office said the move brings the UK in line with international standards.

Cochrane De La Rosa said it was an "utter surprise" and she had no idea the rules had changed for dual nationals, when she booked the trip to Amsterdam with friends. She had previously travelled back and forth from the UK on her Spanish passport without issue before the rule change.

After being denied boarding on the Amsterdam to Luton Airport flight, she spent a night in the Dutch capital before travelling to Spain to stay with family. "I have a career, family and friends in the UK. My whole life is in the UK," she said. She told BBC London her case was "nuanced" due to historical nationality laws because her parents were unmarried when she was born in 1999, which meant her British father could not automatically pass on his citizenship.

Despite paying taxes and voting in the UK, she said immigration lawyers had told her the situation put her in a legal "grey area". Cochrane De La Rosanow faces the difficult choice of applying for a British passport, which could take about six weeks and risks rejection due to her birth circumstances, or paying £589 for a digital certificate of entitlement.

"It's terrifying and I'm petrified," she said, pointing to the risks to her employment if she is forced to remain outside country for a long period. "The country has a duty of care. I am 100% a dual national," she said. "[The government] has all the relevant information, how has this been missed."

Cochrane De La Rosa criticised the Home Office's communication of the new rules and how they would impact dual nationals. She said the changes were "not amplified" and if she had known she would not have travelled and "sorted out my paperwork from the comfort of my home".

"No one has slept. My family have been up all night. My sisters and parents are distraught," the Londoner added. "This isn't just about my story but the effect these changes will have on others. Others who don't have the same resources, connections, maybe even literacy, [and] financial security to be able to cope with these changes."

The Home Office said the move brings the UK in line with countries like the US and Australia, which require citizens to travel on national documents. A spokesperson said: "Since 25 February 2026, all dual British citizens need to present either a valid British passport or certificate of entitlement when travelling to the UK." They defended the government's communication of the changes, stating that a "substantive" campaign had been running since 2023, with specific guidance for dual nationals available since October 2024.

While overseas passport applications can be processed in as little as four weeks, those without one can apply for a digital certificate of entitlement, which the Home Office says now only needs to be applied for once, the spokesperson added.


Re: Crackdown on traditional carriages threatens ‘Hogwarts Express’ trains
In "Heritage railways, Railtours, buses, canals, steamships and other public transport based attractions" [374106/28578/47]
Posted by bradshaw at 15:25, 12th April 2026
 
Rail Advent has this article

  West Coast Railways has reached an agreement with the Office of Rail and Road that will see Central Door Locking installed across the fleet of Mark 1 carriages that they use on the mainline.

These carriages have been used on charter services, including the ever-popular Jacobite, for 25 years, and WCRC says that they understand how much passengers value this as part of their experience.

Last year, The Jacobite used Mark 2 carriages, but following feedback and an evaluation of the costs associated with this coaching stock, the operator has approached the Office of Rail and Road to bring back Mark 1 coaches into use.

The charter operator is working with the ORR to finalise a timeline of CDL fitment so that the 2026 Jacobite season can start.

The start of the 2026 season has been delayed but a start date is not yet known but will be shared as soon as possible. West Coast says it is working with the ORR to come up with a plan that “balances the technical requirements of the installation with the goal of commencing the 2026 Jacobite season”.

https://www.railadvent.co.uk/2026/04/jacobite-steam-train-will-run-in-2026-as-cdl-deal-agreed-with-orr.html

Re: EU Border control delays - entry / exit system
In "The Wider Picture Overseas" [374105/29537/52]
Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 15:14, 12th April 2026
 
Media seems "full" of this ... did we have a coffee shop thread wider than just Eurostar?

We did - so I'll combine them into this specific topic here.

CfN.

Two in hospital after bus crashes down embankment on A9 near Aviemore: 12/4/2026
In "Buses and other ways to travel" [374104/31867/5]
Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 15:04, 12th April 2026
 
From the BBC:

Two in hospital after bus crashes down embankment on A9


The bus left the A9 just north of Aviemore

Two people have been taken to hospital after a bus crashed down an embankment on the A9 north of Aviemore.

A large emergency response involving firefighters, ambulance crews and police was triggered after it left the road near the Granish Junction at about 9:40 on Sunday.

Police Scotland said two people were taken to hospital for treatment but no details were given about the extent of their injuries.

The bus is believed to be an electric vehicle operated by Ember. The A9 was closed for about two hours but has now reopened.


Re: Squirrels - red, grey or albino, on the railways or otherwise - ongoing discussion
In "The Lighter Side" [374102/5560/30]
Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 13:18, 12th April 2026
 
An update from the Yorkshire Dales, from the BBC:

'I'm selling the red squirrel reserve my parents created'


Red squirrels are native to the UK but their population has been driven to the verge of extinction by grey squirrels

When Jane and Hugh Kemp started planting Christmas trees in their woodland in the Yorkshire Dales in the 1960s, they had no idea what would take up residence in the conifers 25 years later.

At first, they were in disbelief. But the newcomers' striking orange-red colour and bushy tails were unmistakable.

Red squirrels had moved into Mirk Pot Woods, near Snaizeholme, and they remain there today on a reserve where they can live wild while the land is managed to protect them.

The Kemps have now both passed away and their son Magnus is selling the 37-acre site in the hope that it will be taken on by a wildlife enthusiast who will continue his parents' legacy.

"We couldn't figure out how they got here. We still don't know how they got here. Red squirrels had not been seen in this area before."

Red squirrels are mostly found in Northumberland and Cumbria, and there are thought to be less than 40,000 left in the country, according to Forestry England's squirrel policy advisor.

The endangered species' biggest threat is the grey squirrel which carries - but is not affected by - a pox that causes red squirrels to die.

The Mirk Pot squirrels have thrived and are now seen in gardens in nearby Hawes and Bainbridge, and in 2025 a new colony was identified in a sitka spruce plantation in an undisclosed location nearby, which the landowners agreed to support.

Magnus and his brother have inherited the woods as well as the farmhouse where they grew up. Much of the surrounding land is still managed for commercial forestry, but the squirrel refuge his parents built is tranquil and undisturbed.

"My mother was a massive naturalist. For my father, although he started off being very keen on trees, the enthusiasm for nature wore off on him, and he became very enthusiastic about protecting those squirrels and the environment."

In collaboration with the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, the late landowners created the viewing area and trail for the public and continued to ensure that all decisions regarding planting and woodland management prioritised wildlife conservation and ecological health.

The woods are for sale with a guide price of £500,000, as the Kemps' sons do not live in Yorkshire and are unable to continue their work.

Jane died at the age of 92 in 2021, and her husband Hugh a decade earlier aged 84.

"It was my parents' dream. It makes me quite emotional to think about what they did," said Magnus, 59. "When they came here, the place was a barren hillside and all of the trees that you can see were planted by them. In terms of wildlife, there was none, and now the place is teeming with birds, and we've got the red squirrels. Their legacy is incredible."

The sympathetic woodland management meant other forest species, such as Scottish crossbills and roe deer, flourished as well, and the presence of the rare pine marten has been suspected over the years.

The Woodland Trust and Yorkshire Wildlife Trust have both supported and recognised the Kemps' work. As the Christmas tree plantation was wound down, native broadleaf species were planted in their place. "We've still got plenty of conifers of cone-bearing age so there is going to be plenty of food for the squirrels for a long time."

Chartered surveyors Jonathan Wallis have been handling the sale of Mirk Pot Woods since they first went on the market around a year ago. They said the sale of the property offered a "rare opportunity" to take on a meaningful role in preserving the woods and their wildlife.

"Its rich mix of planting and sensitive stewardship has made it an important part of wider conservation efforts across northern England. Beyond its ecological significance, the woodland has become a much-loved destination for visitors, offering a peaceful retreat for walkers, birdwatchers, and nature enthusiasts alike. Its unique character and accessibility have allowed many people to connect with and appreciate this exceptional environment."


Re: Swindon <-> Westbury service updates and amendments, ongoing discussion - 2026
In "TransWilts line" [374100/31359/18]
Posted by grahame at 12:03, 12th April 2026
 
12:13 Westbury to Swindon due 12:57
13:34 Swindon to Westbury due 14:14

13:34 Swindon to Westbury due 14:14 will be cancelled.
This is due to a fault on this train.

Last Updated:12/04/2026 11:43

Re: New Oxford - Bristol direct service, ongoing developments and discussion
In "Oxford, Didcot and Reading from the West" [374098/28355/22]
Posted by IndustryInsider at 10:42, 12th April 2026
 
However on the 13th June (a Saturday) there are trips from Bristol to Oxford and back.

And, interestingly, they are on the alternative hour to the proposed weekday service (with the different headcodes).  So, perhaps that's how the Saturday service will shape up?

Re: "The lost waterway of Melksham"
In "The Lighter Side" [374097/31863/30]
Posted by Mark A at 10:14, 12th April 2026
 
No, I couldn't find it either. Perhaps a work in progress.

Mark

Re: "The lost waterway of Melksham"
In "The Lighter Side" [374095/31863/30]
Posted by matth1j at 09:56, 12th April 2026
 
English version is on BBC News (Wiltshire): https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce3dxpveqnxo

It says:
Mike Gibbin, CEO of Wilts & Berks Canal Trust, said: "Peter has produced an excellent book, and we are delighted he has kindly offered to share it with everyone free of charge.
But I can't see it mentioned on their website: https://wbct.org.uk/

Although there is a 2 page pdf: https://wbct.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Melksham_lost_waterway_v2_r.pdf
Is that the 'book'?

We are in the money, or the story of the Southampton lifts
In "South Western services" [374093/31865/42]
Posted by CyclingSid at 09:18, 12th April 2026
 
Starting tomorrow, Monday 13/4/26, they are refurbishing the lifts at Southampton Central

https://www.southwesternrailway.com/travelling-with-us/at-the-station/southampton-central-lift-refurbishment

Nice little earner for the Southampton taxi drivers ferrying people from one side of the station to the other. Will the detour via other stations be in additional fare for those needing to use platforms 2 & 3? Not sure about this if they have a weekend like this one with lines closed in the Southampton area. Was stuck at Eastleigh for three quarters of an hour, think there was a problem with the crossing at Dean. Cardiff train terminated at Fareham, apparently the driver was running short of hours. Anyway I have finally seen the use of platform 2 at Fareham.

Not quite sure why the lift job will take four months at the height of the tourist and cruise season.

Re: New Oxford - Bristol direct service, ongoing developments and discussion
In "Oxford, Didcot and Reading from the West" [374092/28355/22]
Posted by Bob_Blakey at 08:46, 12th April 2026
Already liked by IndustryInsider
 
The through EXD > OXF service, which is part of a Stoke Gifford > BRI > EXD > BRI >TAU > BRI > EXD > OXF > Stoke Gifford diagram, appears to be due to a temporary recasting of the normal Saturday timetable consequent upon the 23/05 to 08/06 Severn Tunnel closure. The normal EXD <> CDF Saturday services restart on 13th June.

At least that is according to RTT!

Re: EU Border control delays - entry / exit system
In "The Wider Picture Overseas" [374091/29537/52]
Posted by John D at 08:46, 12th April 2026
Already liked by Mark A, Surrey 455
 
Currently on holiday, and it did cause few minutes delay on arrival whilst did fingerprint scan etc.    Maybe 10 minutes in passport queue.

But when got through bags had arrived on carousel.   I have been straight through immigration and waited 20 minutes for bags before.

One thing can do, and media doesn't seem to highlight this is previous week, look up arrivals at airport travelling to and see how many non Schengen flights arrive just before yours.  Gives you good indication if they will still be processing arrivals from previous flights.   (note flight times can vary by day of week so best to check same time previous week)

 
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