Recent Public Posts - [guest]
| Re: North Cotswold line delays and cancellations - 2026 In "London to the Cotswolds" [375693/31371/14] Posted by Witham Bobby at 16:39, 1st June 2026 |      |
15:52 London Paddington to Great Malvern due 18:26 will be cancelled.
This is due to more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time.
Last Updated:01/06/2026 15:13
This is due to more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time.
Last Updated:01/06/2026 15:13
19:02 Great Malvern to London Paddington due 21:29 will be cancelled.
This is due to more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time.
Last Updated:01/06/2026 15:13
This is due to more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time.
Last Updated:01/06/2026 15:13
"More trains than usual blah blah" Why don't they just admit that they have, for some time now, proposed a timetable to the public for which they have neither sufficient rolling stock nor traincrew?
The "unusual" number of trains needing repair seems to have become quite a regular number of trains needing repair, with nothing "unusual" about it at all
| Re: Thames Valley infrastructure problems causing disruption elsewhere - 2026 In "Across the West" [375692/31163/26] Posted by bobm at 16:11, 1st June 2026 | |
Edward Burnett was formerly at the Swindon Advertiser and became noted for his restaurant reviews.
He is now at the Oxford Mail and I suspect filling in at fellow Newsquest title, the Reading Chronicle.
| Re: Thames Valley infrastructure problems causing disruption elsewhere - 2026 In "Across the West" [375691/31163/26] Posted by Marlburian at 15:16, 1st June 2026 | |
A new reporter has joined the Reading Chronicle team, though this article does not make for a happy start: "Several trains to London trains and vice versa pass through Reading."
| Re: Why are these people travelling by train? In "Introductions and chat" [375690/32090/1] Posted by ChrisB at 14:49, 1st June 2026 Already liked by Witham Bobby | |
Need to deal successfully with capacity pinchpoints first.
There are far too many currently which will severely hinder any attempt to encourage travellers
| Re: IET wi-fi upgrades - pilot scheme on West of England trains In "Across the West" [375689/31108/26] Posted by Richard Fairhurst at 14:24, 1st June 2026 | |
I tend to use my own 5G data connection when on board, rather than the "free" low performance WiFi
Likewise. GWR's wifi consistently doesn't work for me, either on phone or laptop, even in areas of good signal. I doubt the reason is hard to diagnose:
| Re: Project Churchward - future regional fleet for the West, new rolling stock to replace DMUs In "Looking forward - the next 2, 5, 10 and 20 years" [375688/27482/40] Posted by John D at 13:17, 1st June 2026 Already liked by Witham Bobby | |
This thread has been a live for over 3 years, and it has been all talk, not even a PIN (prior Information Notice) ahead of a tender. Zero on ordering or assembling new trains.
Wonder how much time has been incurred, or money spent on consultants, to be basically same place as were over 3 years ago.
Of course there is a difference to 3 years ago, lots of European railways have placed orders for hundreds of vehicles (examples Portugal, Italy, Switzerland, Poland, Berlin etc). So most (or all) the train components factories now have good order books and presumably long lead times. So any new train is probably 2-4 years away before construction can start after order placed, or nearer 5-7 years before fleet will be available for service.
Don't think Treasury understands consequences of not placing orders for long lead time components, vs the tens/hundreds of millions cost of patching up old trains whose expensive parts need replacing
| Re: Possible Launceston/Okehampton (- maybe Bodmin) Railway bypass In "Looking forward - the next 2, 5, 10 and 20 years" [375687/32092/40] Posted by John D at 13:03, 1st June 2026 Already liked by GBM, Witham Bobby | |
I think if looking at a 125mph (or higher) double track electric main line, then no chance.
If looking at a 100-110mph line that mainly uses earthworks for A30 (or some of the parallel dead bits where road was realigned, regraded and widened, or where bridges replaced wide flat junctions), or reusing lengths of closed lines and bypassed (now closed) roads, then might work economically as many miles will not need as much construction.
The real value is if mining resumes on decent scale in Cornwall, and current route would need expensive expansion to carry the freight. If going to have to spend hundreds of millions anyway, then maybe having a less vulnerable alternate route makes sense.
| Re: Kernow Connect - a new Okehampton to Bodmin line In "Campaigns for new and improved services" [375686/32014/28] Posted by GBM at 12:56, 1st June 2026 | |
Apologies mod(s).
Duplicate/similar post here!
https://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=32092.msg375685#msg375685
| Re: Possible Launceston/Okehampton (- maybe Bodmin) Railway bypass In "Looking forward - the next 2, 5, 10 and 20 years" [375685/32092/40] Posted by GBM at 12:32, 1st June 2026 | |
Andy Bowes Roden also saying it's pie in the sky.
Cornwall Council also looking to take prospective tin and lithium exports via this new line.
| Re: Kernow Connect - a new Okehampton to Bodmin line In "Campaigns for new and improved services" [375684/32014/28] Posted by Andy at 12:21, 1st June 2026 | |
There's a report on the project on BBC News Cornwall, with a separate feature on the Bodmin heritage railway's 40th anniversary.
https://www.bbc.com/news/england/cornwall
| Re: IET wi-fi upgrades - pilot scheme on West of England trains In "Across the West" [375683/31108/26] Posted by Clan Line at 11:53, 1st June 2026 Already liked by GBM, Witham Bobby, Mark A | |
Once they have sorted out the WiFi, wouldn't it be nice to enjoy it whilst sitting in a comfortable seat ? Or is that asking for some technical marvel that is beyond the understanding of our rolling stock procurers ?
| Re: Trial for new hovercraft route welcomed In "Buses and other ways to travel" [375682/32089/5] Posted by Ralph Ayres at 11:22, 1st June 2026 Already liked by GBM | |
No mention of where on the IoW. Unless everyone is going to take a bike over or has a tame friend/relative to provide a lift, it will need to have good onward bus/rail connections which rather limits the options.
| Re: IET wi-fi upgrades - pilot scheme on West of England trains In "Across the West" [375681/31108/26] Posted by Witham Bobby at 10:30, 1st June 2026 | |
I tend to use my own 5G data connection when on board, rather than the "free" low performance WiFi
| Re: Why are these people travelling by train? In "Introductions and chat" [375680/32090/1] Posted by Witham Bobby at 10:21, 1st June 2026 | |
I'd suggest that
Dependable timetables
Great connections
Seats for all travellers
Aircon & heating that actually worked; sufficient fresh air and no toilet pong
Welcoming stations
Great information
Affordable fares
Service frequency to match demand
Information and back-up for when things don't go to plan, with hold-ups resolved fast
Comfortable seats
Clean trains
Would all work to bring more people to travel by train, for whatever reason
But, as things stand at present, I can't see much encouragement to bring about a shift from personal to public transport beyond present levels
| Re: Possible Launceston/Okehampton (- maybe Bodmin) Railway bypass In "Looking forward - the next 2, 5, 10 and 20 years" [375679/32092/40] Posted by Witham Bobby at 10:09, 1st June 2026 Already liked by Kernow Otter | |
I got to the word "multibillion" and immediately thought "not a chance"
Not enough voters in the West Country to unleash "multibillions" from the purse at HM Treasury
| Re: Trial for new hovercraft route welcomed In "Buses and other ways to travel" [375678/32089/5] Posted by JohnM at 09:45, 1st June 2026 | |
I'd be interested to know what sort of (hover)craft they'll be using - some new design, or something that's already being used elsewhere with a proven track record?
| Re: Thames Valley infrastructure problems causing disruption elsewhere - 2026 In "Across the West" [375677/31163/26] Posted by bobm at 09:16, 1st June 2026 Already liked by Witham Bobby, GBM | |
Electrical failure affecting the points at Dolphin Junction near Slough and one signal in the area.
Hope to be resolved in the next hour.
| Possible Launceston/Okehampton (- maybe Bodmin) Railway bypass In "Looking forward - the next 2, 5, 10 and 20 years" [375676/32092/40] Posted by GBM at 09:12, 1st June 2026 | |
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0m2ner2yvjo
Railway feasibility study 'huge step forward'
A study into whether a multibillion-pound rail link through Cornwall would work has been hailed as a "huge step forward" by campaigners.
They said the proposed line would link Okehampton, in Devon, to Launceston, continuing onto a new station near Bodmin and joining the existing Cornish mainline.
Cornwall Council said it would now look at a more detailed study into the scheme - admitting it had the potential to improve rail resilience and open up the opportunity for more freight trains.
.........snip.............
| Re: Trial for new hovercraft route welcomed In "Buses and other ways to travel" [375675/32089/5] Posted by ChrisB at 09:11, 1st June 2026 Already liked by JohnM | |
| Re: Thames Valley infrastructure problems causing disruption elsewhere - 2026 In "Across the West" [375674/31163/26] Posted by TaplowGreen at 08:42, 1st June 2026 Already liked by Witham Bobby, GBM | |
Normal weather - normal service
Cancellations to services between Reading and London Paddington
Due to a points failure between Reading and London Paddington some lines are blocked.
Train services running to and from these stations may be cancelled or delayed. Disruption is expected until 08:01 01/06.
Cancellations to services between Reading and London Paddington
Due to a points failure between Reading and London Paddington some lines are blocked.
Train services running to and from these stations may be cancelled or delayed. Disruption is expected until 08:01 01/06.
Now going to take extra 7 hours to fix disruption
Disruption is expected until 15:00 01/06.
Now been expanded to "all routes".
Cancellations to services on all routes
Due to a points failure between Reading and London Paddington fewer trains are able to run on some lines.
Train services running across the whole Great Western Railway network may be cancelled, delayed or revised. Disruption is expected until 15:00 01/06.
Customer Advice
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What has happened?
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There has been a points failure between Reading and London Paddington. A points failure is a fault with the movable pieces of track that enable trains to change tracks.
................I got to Taplow at around 0540 to find everything being cancelled in both directions, hung around for half an hour, advised to go to Maidenhead although there was very little moving from there either and no taxis available for at least half an hour, so am working from home - fortunately I am able to although there were other customers arriving at the station who clearly weren't, and were extremely concerned/frustrated about how they were going to get to work.
What a (woeful) mess.
| Re: Class 175s to Great Western Railway (GWR) In "Across the West" [375673/28982/26] Posted by JohnM at 08:19, 1st June 2026 | |
Yeah the 175s avoid the cooked sewage problem, but there is a stale urine smell on some units, probably linked to their storage.
Don't know if this ties in with your observations (and it might just be making stuff up, wouldn't be the first time...):My previous breakdown missed a specific flaw that is very real for the Class 175s.
They absolutely do have their own distinct effluent tank smell issue, and it comes down to a different design vulnerability than the Voyagers.
On the Class 175s, the problem is caused by the underfloor air conditioning condenser units. Unlike the Voyagers (which sucked air in from under the chassis), the 175s have their fresh air intakes on the roof. However, their air conditioning condensers—which handle the heat exchange process—are located on the underframe.
Because of how Alstom tightly packed the underframe components, these condenser units sit directly adjacent to the toilet retention tank breather vents. When the train is in motion, the aerodynamic pull around the underframe creates a pressure differential. The air con condensers end up pulling the vented air directly from the effluent tanks and circulating it through the cooling systems. The result is a highly localized, distinct sewage odor that regularly sweeps through the passenger saloons, especially when the toilets are heavily used or the tanks are near capacity.
It turns out both fleets suffer from toilet odor issues, just via entirely different engineering headaches—Bombardier cooked the sewage from the exhaust, while Alstom's layout caused the cooling system to accidentally draft from the tank vents.
They absolutely do have their own distinct effluent tank smell issue, and it comes down to a different design vulnerability than the Voyagers.
On the Class 175s, the problem is caused by the underfloor air conditioning condenser units. Unlike the Voyagers (which sucked air in from under the chassis), the 175s have their fresh air intakes on the roof. However, their air conditioning condensers—which handle the heat exchange process—are located on the underframe.
Because of how Alstom tightly packed the underframe components, these condenser units sit directly adjacent to the toilet retention tank breather vents. When the train is in motion, the aerodynamic pull around the underframe creates a pressure differential. The air con condensers end up pulling the vented air directly from the effluent tanks and circulating it through the cooling systems. The result is a highly localized, distinct sewage odor that regularly sweeps through the passenger saloons, especially when the toilets are heavily used or the tanks are near capacity.
It turns out both fleets suffer from toilet odor issues, just via entirely different engineering headaches—Bombardier cooked the sewage from the exhaust, while Alstom's layout caused the cooling system to accidentally draft from the tank vents.
| Re: Manvers Street, Bath, disrupted for reconstruction works for 6 months from May. In "Buses and other ways to travel" [375672/31887/5] Posted by Mark A at 08:12, 1st June 2026 | |
By 2030, B&NES is intending to remodel the road layout at the City end of Broad Street, pedestrianising it. It's not at all clear as to where they intend to route the buses that currently use Walcot Street and also Broad Street. The results of a complete block might slightly resemble the M.O. that's in place for the next couple of weeks. I'm going to ask them about their intentions.
Mark
| Re: Trial for new hovercraft route welcomed In "Buses and other ways to travel" [375671/32089/5] Posted by JohnM at 08:11, 1st June 2026 | |
(BBC link appears to be broken)
| Re: Thames Valley infrastructure problems causing disruption elsewhere - 2026 In "Across the West" [375670/31163/26] Posted by John D at 08:10, 1st June 2026 | |
Normal weather - normal service
Cancellations to services between Reading and London Paddington
Due to a points failure between Reading and London Paddington some lines are blocked.
Train services running to and from these stations may be cancelled or delayed. Disruption is expected until 08:01 01/06.
Cancellations to services between Reading and London Paddington
Due to a points failure between Reading and London Paddington some lines are blocked.
Train services running to and from these stations may be cancelled or delayed. Disruption is expected until 08:01 01/06.
Now going to take extra 7 hours to fix disruption
Disruption is expected until 15:00 01/06.
| Re: Thames Valley infrastructure problems causing disruption elsewhere - 2026 In "Across the West" [375669/31163/26] Posted by Mark A at 08:07, 1st June 2026 | |
Coffeeshop map's a mess, or rather, reflecting a mess, and a lot of cancellations from the likes of Oxford.
Mark
| Re: Why are these people travelling by train? In "Introductions and chat" [375668/32090/1] Posted by CyclingSid at 06:39, 1st June 2026 | |
Leisure, business, commute? How you grow these different sectors can be in conflict. Having this weekend travelled from Reading to Brockenhurst, for Lymington. Cross Country have reinstated the Brockenhurst stop, quite a few got off.
The return journey by SWR was telling on a 444 or 450 didn't check which, classic commuter trains and not suited to most passengers seeming to have two massive suitcases and possibly a buggy. Not to mention an old geezer with a bike cluttering up the place because of inadequate and inappropriate bike storage.
| Re: Trial for new hovercraft route welcomed In "Buses and other ways to travel" [375667/32089/5] Posted by CyclingSid at 06:31, 1st June 2026 Already liked by Witham Bobby | |
The proposed route will set off from the slipway at the Hovercraft Museum
There is some deep irony here, being old enough to remember the regular departure of Services hovercraft from HMS Daedalus (Lee on the Solent airfield). Be interesting to see where they would actually run a permanent service from. I don't think the slipway on its own is big enough, and the old entrance to Daedalus has been taken over by a transport company from the Hovercraft Museum. Not sure traffic lights on the road (as used to be) would be resoundingly popular with the local motorists.
| Why are these people travelling by train? In "Introductions and chat" [375665/32090/1] Posted by grahame at 05:33, 1st June 2026 | |
Why do people travel by train? How can we attract more to train travel?
Here is a selection of pictures of passengers whom I have - in many cases hence the crap picture quality - caught in my lens in the last few days. Worthy of thought to ask "why are they travelling", "why are they using the train" and "How [in the UK] can we encourage more passengers travelling for what me might guess are these reasons".
| Re: Thames Valley infrastructure problems causing disruption elsewhere - 2026 In "Across the West" [375664/31163/26] Posted by TaplowGreen at 05:20, 1st June 2026 Already liked by Witham Bobby | |
Normal weather - normal service
Cancellations to services between Reading and London Paddington
Due to a points failure between Reading and London Paddington some lines are blocked.
Train services running to and from these stations may be cancelled or delayed. Disruption is expected until 08:01 01/06.
