Recent Public Posts - [guest]
| Re: To 'stockpile food' is now our Government's official policy, apparently In "The West - but NOT trains in the West" [379561/32456/31] Posted by PrestburyRoad at 16:19, 14th September 2026 | ![]() |
Police special constables were not allowed to carry truncheons. But they were allowed to bring their own 6-cell Maglite. I believe the impact would be similar.
| Re: Class 175s to Great Western Railway (GWR) In "Across the West" [379560/28982/26] Posted by JohnM at 15:48, 14th September 2026 | ![]() |
After reading so much about them I was somewhat surprised to find myself on a 175 last week, just for the short hop between St Erth and Penzance. It worked
although we wouldn't have caught it if it hadn't have been running about 20 mins late; we were expecting to have to wait about that long for the next service we'd planned on catching 
We were staying in Carbis Bay - like Melksham its station is on a single track line, but unlike Melksham the services are every half hour, in each direction
(To be fair that's because it's just a short dead end branch line between St Erth and St Ives; the same train just shuttles back and forth.)| Re: Thames Valley infrastructure problems causing disruption elsewhere - 2026 In "Across the West" [379559/31163/26] Posted by TaplowGreen at 15:25, 14th September 2026 Already liked by NickB | ![]() |
I believe that the Marlow-Maidenhead issue is one and the same as the Twyford incident but with train crews caught out of position/unable to get to depot.
Very happy to be corrected.
There were 2 in Devon/Cornwall over the weekend, we are moving into the season for it I guess

| Re: Change to Number 8 service at Temple Meads In "Buses and other ways to travel" [379558/32445/5] Posted by Phantom at 14:34, 14th September 2026 Already liked by Phantom | ![]() |
I was denied access at the east entrance today when asking to use the ticket office and even showed my disabled railcard . I was told we dont want the public using this as a walkway. You will have to go back down cattle market road and up the ramp....surely this isn't right.....
That is correct
If it not a public pathway, it is an additional entrance to a train station
Like any station people can't be passed through onto the station without a valid ticket
| Re: Direct Birmingham to Manchester Airport trains due to start in 2027 In "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" [379557/32499/51] Posted by IndustryInsider at 13:58, 14th September 2026 | ![]() |
Looks like a positive development.
In Darlaston and Willenhall's case it looks like they are perfectly spread out with the existing Shrewsbury service in one direction - 30 or so minutes apart heading towards Wolverhampton, but very badly spaced the other way, just four minutes apart, giving two trains an hour to Birmingham New Street, but with a 56 minute gap.
| Re: Thames Valley infrastructure problems causing disruption elsewhere - 2026 In "Across the West" [379556/31163/26] Posted by IndustryInsider at 13:49, 14th September 2026 | ![]() |
Journey Check seems to have a habit of thinking "once delayed, then delayed for the rest to the journey", even for trains like the sleeper, and the 05:11 Gloucester to Southampton which when running to schedule twiddles its thumbs at Salisbury and often makes up.
Yes, I've always thought that a bit odd. Other internal and public systems, RTT for example, do make allowance for allowances (if I can put it like that?) and even if they're usually a little on the optimistic side...a delayed train is more likely not to get 'greens all the way'...they are often not too far wide of the mark.
| Re: Thames Valley infrastructure problems causing disruption elsewhere - 2026 In "Across the West" [379555/31163/26] Posted by JohnM at 13:41, 14th September 2026 | ![]() |
Bristol -> Paddington services still disrupted, 14:30 and 15:30 cancelled.
| Re: Longest taxi ride? On this day, 15th September 1988 In "Buses and other ways to travel" [379554/32501/5] Posted by rogerw at 13:38, 14th September 2026 Already liked by grahame, Mark A | ![]() |
My longest is Shrewsbury to Pwllheli
| Re: Thames Valley infrastructure problems causing disruption elsewhere - 2026 In "Across the West" [379553/31163/26] Posted by grahame at 13:22, 14th September 2026 | ![]() |
It's very hard to provide accurate data with serious disruption anyway - you have a small number of control staff trying to deal with dozens of trains at several locations at once. But there have been recent cutbacks to some operations staff - for example the morning Area Operations Manager shift at Oxford has now gone - which means the number of staff trying to coordinate things is woefully short. And then we have the chop-and-change diagramming which means more trains have a change of staff en-route than they used to, which works fine when things are going well, but adds another layer of complication when things go wrong.
Perhaps AI can help sort it out before it takes over the world?
Perhaps AI can help sort it out before it takes over the world?
Agreed on how hard and human intense the systems are at the moment. It feels like they are too much "fair weather specified" systems at present - and the example at Oxford rather confirms this.
AI? We already have machine intelligence of a sort - AI is a fancification of that, if you like - but much of it is rudimentary. Many of us can look at what we are told, especially at times of service going wrong, and quietly chuckle.
It's a fast moving world, so some of these things may have been fixed, but examples I have seen include multiple trains expected from the same platform at the same time (at Trowbridge), and also a Swindon train show as "On Time" when the incoming train hasn't even passed on its way to Westbury and there's no way without time travel that it will arrive on time. Journey Check seems to have a habit of thinking "once delayed, then delayed for the rest to the journey", even for trains like the sleeper, and the 05:11 Gloucester to Southampton which when running to schedule twiddles its thumbs at Salisbury and often makes up.
| Re: Change to Number 8 service at Temple Meads In "Buses and other ways to travel" [379552/32445/5] Posted by grahame at 13:09, 14th September 2026 | ![]() |
I was denied access at the east entrance today when asking to use the ticket office and even showed my disabled railcard . I was told we dont want the public using this as a walkway. You will have to go back down cattle market road and up the ramp....surely this isn't right.....
It would be very interesting to know if that's official policy or something decided or guessed at by a member of the gate staff.
And it has me thinking - what happens if you want to access the lost property office but aren't on a train journey at the time?
| Re: Thames Valley infrastructure problems causing disruption elsewhere - 2026 In "Across the West" [379551/31163/26] Posted by IndustryInsider at 12:56, 14th September 2026 Already liked by Mark A | ![]() |
It’s seems this mornings incident has caused data feeds to stop. Looking across various sites (this one, RTT, GWR, National Rail) you get a very different picture painted of actual trains running.
Very hard for the average traveler to determine what is correct. Clearly a very fluid and disruptive situation, where accurate data for the traveler would help.
Just an observation on the state of our travel assistance websites.
Very hard for the average traveler to determine what is correct. Clearly a very fluid and disruptive situation, where accurate data for the traveler would help.
Just an observation on the state of our travel assistance websites.
It's very hard to provide accurate data with serious disruption anyway - you have a small number of control staff trying to deal with dozens of trains at several locations at once. But there have been recent cutbacks to some operations staff - for example the morning Area Operations Manager shift at Oxford has now gone - which means the number of staff trying to coordinate things is woefully short. And then we have the chop-and-change diagramming which means more trains have a change of staff en-route than they used to, which works fine when things are going well, but adds another layer of complication when things go wrong.
Perhaps AI can help sort it out before it takes over the world?
| Re: Thames Valley infrastructure problems causing disruption elsewhere - 2026 In "Across the West" [379550/31163/26] Posted by NickB at 12:56, 14th September 2026 | ![]() |
I believe that the Marlow-Maidenhead issue is one and the same as the Twyford incident but with train crews caught out of position/unable to get to depot.
| Re: Change to Number 8 service at Temple Meads In "Buses and other ways to travel" [379549/32445/5] Posted by chuffed at 12:51, 14th September 2026 | ![]() |
I was denied access at the east entrance today when asking to use the ticket office and even showed my disabled railcard . I was told we dont want the public using this as a walkway. You will have to go back down cattle market road and up the ramp....surely this isn't right.....
| Re: Thames Valley infrastructure problems causing disruption elsewhere - 2026 In "Across the West" [379548/31163/26] Posted by TaplowGreen at 12:28, 14th September 2026 | ![]() |
Lines now reopened according to National Rail but as can be seen from the map, cancellations and delays continuing for some time, although there now seems to be a similar incident between Maidenhead and Marlow.
| Re: Automatic can use multi-operator if train cancelled In "Fare's Fair" [379547/32502/4] Posted by grahame at 12:27, 14th September 2026 | ![]() |
A step in the right direction ... and of potential general use. What about SWR?
SWR is already in the scheme, the list from Sunday is :
[snip]
That makes sense, thank you. In the GWR area, then, the only exceptions where it may not apply when GWR cancel a service are Cheltenham Spa to Gloucester and Severn Tunnel Junction to Pembroke Dock inclusive of all intermediate stations.
| Re: Class 175s to Great Western Railway (GWR) In "Across the West" [379546/28982/26] Posted by a-driver at 12:22, 14th September 2026 | ![]() |
Wolverton : 9 : 175005 by road. 175102/103/105/106/107/108/109/110. 175008 (half) Bold are Green
as of 10 September 2026. No trains from Wolverton since the 23 June 2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3Pxs7EZLo0&t=81s
24 September 2026 is earmarked as the date for the first “refreshed” one to be delivered to Laira.
Other units planned to go back to Wolverton from Laira.
| Re: Automatic can use multi-operator if train cancelled In "Fare's Fair" [379545/32502/4] Posted by John D at 12:19, 14th September 2026 | ![]() |
GWR is joining the scheme where a passenger whose train is cancelled can use any train up to 2 hours before or 2 hours after with original ticket even if it alternative train is with another operator (or by any reasonable alternative route) No need to buy replacement or extra ticket.
Avanti West Coast, Chiltern, Cross Country also joining.
East Midlands will remain outside common scheme for now (don't think it applies to TfW, Scotrail, Merseyside either)
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/your-cancellations-covered-new-scheme-to-help-stranded-rail-passengers-arrives-this-weekend
Avanti West Coast, Chiltern, Cross Country also joining.
East Midlands will remain outside common scheme for now (don't think it applies to TfW, Scotrail, Merseyside either)
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/your-cancellations-covered-new-scheme-to-help-stranded-rail-passengers-arrives-this-weekend
A step in the right direction ... and of potential general use. What about SWR?
SWR is already in the scheme, the list from Sunday is :
c2c
Gatwick Express
Greater Anglia
Great Northern
LNER
London Northwestern Railway
Northern
Southeastern
Southern
Thameslink
South Western Railway
Transpennine Express
West Midlands Railway
Avanti West Coast (new)
Chiltern Railways (new)
CrossCountry (new)
Great Western Railway (new)
| Re: Change to Number 8 service at Temple Meads In "Buses and other ways to travel" [379544/32445/5] Posted by Phantom at 12:09, 14th September 2026 Already liked by grahame | ![]() |
Thank you for the replies, I am not sure why, but I am unable to "like" a post
That has been "nagging" at me. I suspect it's beccause our "like" function may communicate with the server(s) using http rather than https protocols and security settings in your browser are too tight to let that through / or you have some anti-tracking software running that thinks your "like" is a tracking mechanism. It's probably not a sensible use of what could be a lot of time to replicate, fix and test when the "like" mechanism as a whole needs sorting - sorry!

The downside of my laptop having tight security, I do have second laptop but through a Government network, I will give that a try later
| Re: Isles of Scilly sea ferry and air services - merged posts In "Buses and other ways to travel" [379543/11098/5] Posted by Witham Bobby at 12:06, 14th September 2026 | ![]() |
I remember a crossing to St Peter Port, Guernsey, from Weymouth back in the late 1980s on the "Condor" hydrofoil. There is no way you could describe it as "comfortable" even though the sea was moderate. There was much swaying, bumping and banging. Good fun for the seasoned traveller. Less so for those who had to resort to the brown bags supplied
The return journey was by air because the sea was too rough for the hydrofoil, which was cancelled
| Re: Cambridge Guided Busway - ongoing discussion and updates In "Buses and other ways to travel" [379542/3987/5] Posted by Mark A at 10:35, 14th September 2026 | ![]() |
**snip**
Details of how cars will be prevented from accessing the C2C busway will be decided during the detailed design stage. Whilst car traps remain an option, so do gates and ANPR cameras.
Details of how cars will be prevented from accessing the C2C busway will be decided during the detailed design stage. Whilst car traps remain an option, so do gates and ANPR cameras.
Bus-only roads are hardly exotic and standard road signage covers this. Also, since it's a road, and the bus has a driver aboard...
| Re: Automatic can use multi-operator if train cancelled In "Fare's Fair" [379541/32502/4] Posted by grahame at 10:22, 14th September 2026 | ![]() |
GWR is joining the scheme where a passenger whose train is cancelled can use any train up to 2 hours before or 2 hours after with original ticket even if it alternative train is with another operator (or by any reasonable alternative route) No need to buy replacement or extra ticket.
Avanti West Coast, Chiltern, Cross Country also joining.
East Midlands will remain outside common scheme for now (don't think it applies to TfW, Scotrail, Merseyside either)
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/your-cancellations-covered-new-scheme-to-help-stranded-rail-passengers-arrives-this-weekend
Avanti West Coast, Chiltern, Cross Country also joining.
East Midlands will remain outside common scheme for now (don't think it applies to TfW, Scotrail, Merseyside either)
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/your-cancellations-covered-new-scheme-to-help-stranded-rail-passengers-arrives-this-weekend
A step in the right direction ... and of potential general use. What about SWR? One can only hope that this applies uniformly across all train operators once nationalised (so perhaps not lines like Paignton to Kingswear). One can only dream of this applying to intermodal changes allowing you to use a following train if the bus is late, or a following bus if the train is late.
| Re: North Cotswold line delays and cancellations - 2026 In "London to the Cotswolds" [379540/31371/14] Posted by Richard Fairhurst at 10:21, 14th September 2026 | ![]() |
Signalling cable theft (according to the on-train announcements) between Evesham and Worcester messed everything up yesterday - the 1428 from Hereford sat at Norton Junction for 50 minutes, was changed to be non-stop from Oxford to Paddington, and arrived 93 minutes late. Several other hour-plus delays and cancellations.
Today isn't looking much better!
| Re: Thames Valley infrastructure problems causing disruption elsewhere - 2026 In "Across the West" [379539/31163/26] Posted by bobm at 10:02, 14th September 2026 | ![]() |
Trains just starting to move on the relief lines through Twyford now.
1A02 (presumably the unfortunate train involved in the incident) is blocking the up main just past Twyford station.
1A02 (presumably the unfortunate train involved in the incident) is blocking the up main just past Twyford station.
One freight train was allowed through on the up relief to allow a rescue train behind to crossover at Twyford East and draw up alongside the train involved; possibly to evacuate passengers who have been stranded for around three hours. Currently all lines are closed again.
| Re: Cambridge Guided Busway - ongoing discussion and updates In "Buses and other ways to travel" [379538/3987/5] Posted by grahame at 10:01, 14th September 2026 | ![]() |
And from the BBC
After years of uncertainty, permission has now been given to build a new busway between Cambourne and Cambridge.
Known locally as the C2C, it has been in the planning for more than a decade and has been the subject of a lot of opposition.
Opponents said the route over greenbelt land and through an orchard was the wrong route to choose. Supporters say it will provide a direct route to Cambridge for thousands of new homes being built in the area.
Cambridgeshire already has a guided busway between St Ives and Cambridge. A shorter one also links the main Cambridge rail station and the biomedical campus.
Known locally as the C2C, it has been in the planning for more than a decade and has been the subject of a lot of opposition.
Opponents said the route over greenbelt land and through an orchard was the wrong route to choose. Supporters say it will provide a direct route to Cambridge for thousands of new homes being built in the area.
Cambridgeshire already has a guided busway between St Ives and Cambridge. A shorter one also links the main Cambridge rail station and the biomedical campus.
Oh look - a new standard incompatible with the old one?
The existing busway is constructed of concrete guideways which require special buses with side guide wheels. This means bus companies have to invest in the specialist vehicles and train their drivers to use them.
However, the Cambourne to Cambridge route will use different technology. It will look like a normal road but will use lane markings and sensors on buses to guide the vehicle. It will work much in the same way as the lane sensors in modern cars.
Private cars are prevented from accessing the existing busway with car traps, which prevent vehicles from travelling onto the guideway.
Details of how cars will be prevented from accessing the C2C busway will be decided during the detailed design stage. Whilst car traps remain an option, so do gates and ANPR cameras.
However, the Cambourne to Cambridge route will use different technology. It will look like a normal road but will use lane markings and sensors on buses to guide the vehicle. It will work much in the same way as the lane sensors in modern cars.
Private cars are prevented from accessing the existing busway with car traps, which prevent vehicles from travelling onto the guideway.
Details of how cars will be prevented from accessing the C2C busway will be decided during the detailed design stage. Whilst car traps remain an option, so do gates and ANPR cameras.
To some extent it's right that technologies move on and modern systems are used, but the fragmentation of vehicle and trackway standards is unfortunate.
| Re: West Wilts Rail User Group - 16th September 2026 In "Diary - what's happening when?" [379537/32313/34] Posted by Mark A at 09:28, 14th September 2026 | ![]() |
On Wednesday evening (14.9.2026), Peter West, OBE, will be speaking to the West Wiltshire Rail User Group in Trowbridge (at the Bethesda Church Hall). All welcome.
I can't make this, but this meeting especially, anyone who is thinking of attending, please go along. When the WWRUG says 'All welcome', that's sincerely meant, and especially at the moment, the more people who are well informed about two or three issues with Wiltshire's rail service the better.
| Re: Thames Valley infrastructure problems causing disruption elsewhere - 2026 In "Across the West" [379536/31163/26] Posted by TaplowGreen at 09:22, 14th September 2026 | ![]() |
It’s seems this mornings incident has caused data feeds to stop. Looking across various sites (this one, RTT, GWR, National Rail) you get a very different picture painted of actual trains running.
Very hard for the average traveler to determine what is correct. Clearly a very fluid and disruptive situation, where accurate data for the traveler would help.
Just an observation on the state of our travel assistance websites.
Very hard for the average traveler to determine what is correct. Clearly a very fluid and disruptive situation, where accurate data for the traveler would help.
Just an observation on the state of our travel assistance websites.
National Rail tends to be the most reliable and informative in my experience - they have major disruption now until midday......(updated 0900)
https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/service-disruptions/maidenhead-20260914/
| Automatic can use multi-operator if train cancelled In "Fare's Fair" [379535/32502/4] Posted by John D at 09:18, 14th September 2026 Already liked by IndustryInsider | ![]() |
GWR is joining the scheme where a passenger whose train is cancelled can use any train up to 2 hours before or 2 hours after with original ticket even if it alternative train is with another operator (or by any reasonable alternative route) No need to buy replacement or extra ticket.
Avanti West Coast, Chiltern, Cross Country also joining.
East Midlands will remain outside common scheme for now (don't think it applies to TfW, Scotrail, Merseyside either)
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/your-cancellations-covered-new-scheme-to-help-stranded-rail-passengers-arrives-this-weekend
| Re: Thames Valley infrastructure problems causing disruption elsewhere - 2026 In "Across the West" [379534/31163/26] Posted by lbraine at 09:05, 14th September 2026 | ![]() |
Trains just starting to move on the relief lines through Twyford now.
1A02 (presumably the unfortunate train involved in the incident) is blocking the up main just past Twyford station.
| Re: Thames Valley infrastructure problems causing disruption elsewhere - 2026 In "Across the West" [379533/31163/26] Posted by lbraine at 09:00, 14th September 2026 | ![]() |
It’s seems this mornings incident has caused data feeds to stop. Looking across various sites (this one, RTT, GWR, National Rail) you get a very different picture painted of actual trains running.
Very hard for the average traveler to determine what is correct. Clearly a very fluid and disruptive situation, where accurate data for the traveler would help.
Just an observation on the state of our travel assistance websites.
| Re: Longest taxi ride? On this day, 15th September 1988 In "Buses and other ways to travel" [379532/32501/5] Posted by Bob_Blakey at 07:51, 14th September 2026 | ![]() |
From memory the 'best' taxi ride I can do is 29 miles; on 17th August 1986 I was returning to Singapore after a short break in the UK and got caught up in the Cogload Junction cement train derailment delays. Got as far as Taunton where we were put on an RRB to Temple Meads. Then took a train to Reading where I had intended to use the Railair bus to Heathrow. But realising I did not have enough time the journey was done by taxi and I made my flight 'Gate Closing' with 15 minutes to spare.














