Leaves a southbound timetable gap from 06:29 to 11:31.  On a frequency like ours, every train matters.

I think in this case the good reason was the train involved may well already have been on the Avon Valley line when it was stopped.   Realtimetrains shows the delay was at the junction, but following trains towards Chippenham were not disrupted so the line must have been clear.  It could have been put into the goods loop but I am not sure that is cleared for passenger use.

<soapbox>Co-incidentally, I was just in the process of (locally) writing up our summer Melksham timetables for this summer as your email landed, and chatting with Lisa as to how we simply tell people about the best way from our town into Bristol which is such a major regional destination.   Google came up with six options for an immediate departure, all different routes, over the next two hours … and then we got on to talking about how the information is combined and available, pos and cons, and the fares.

The journey from Melksham to Bristol is such that you can more or less walk up to any one of eight different routes as far as Bath.  Returning home, it’s a bit of a nightmare as the routes diverge from each other in Bath and you have to know / research which one there happens to be a service on next or indeed if it’s running outside core hours and how long the wait is for the next service.   The icing on that unholy cake is also being aware of fares and fare implications, and whether services are running to time or you are going to be dumped at [change place] with a wait of 2 hours plus …

Joining up better is so much overdue.  I was talking that through with a community friend the other day and it’s a given that in London this works already.


And I would hope more that just “cities and towns”.  How about all public transport irrespective of whether passengers are travelling through brown or green?
</soapbox>

Better Connected: tap-and-go travel across trains, trams and buses announced in government's new transport strategy

Strategy sets the direction for a more joined-up transport network that works better for passengers, drivers and communities across England.

Tap-and-go travel across buses, trains, and trams will benefit more cities and towns across England after the government announced more local powers for contactless travel today (2 April 2026). 

Local leaders are being given the tools to replicate joined-up systems already in place in areas like Liverpool, London and Nottingham, where passengers travel seamlessly across the city on different transport while tapping their bank card as payment – without juggling multiple tickets or apps. 

Limpley Stoke bridge again.  Stopped the stock from Bristol reaching Westbury.

07:45 Westbury to Swindon due 08:34

07:45 Westbury to Swindon due 08:34 has been cancelled.

This is due to a road vehicle colliding with a bridge earlier today.

08:44 Swindon to Westbury due 09:26

08:44 Swindon to Westbury due 09:26 will be cancelled.

This is due to a road vehicle colliding with a bridge earlier today.

Was it all just one big April Fool's Joke?

What other really close stations are there?  Culrain to Invershin?

date?

Twenty years ago today, Wessex Trains, Thames Trains and Great Western were combined into a single franchise, run by First, that operated most of the passenger trains in the Thames Valley west from London, Wessex, the Cotswolds,and the South West, with incursions into South Wales.

April 1st anybody?