Recent Public Posts - [guest]
| Re: Would you give up your seat on the London Tube for me? In "Transport for London" [375221/32039/46] Posted by Marlburian at 10:45, 18th May 2026 |      |
Back in 2012, a member of Romania's yachting team insisted that I take his seat on a bus on the outskirts of London and in the next few years such offers increased; once I was strap-hanging on the Tube and ducked my head to look out of the window, prompting a young lady in the seat below me me to offer it to me. In those days I could smile "no thanks" and boast of ten-hour walks and half-days of voluntary environmental work.
Now I think that age and health problems justify me in taking a bus seat designated for less-able people and I usually get one, especially on outward journeys into town. But then the bus starts to fill up, with some passengers obviously more infirm than I. On my last bus ride, about half of those on board seemed worthy of designated seats, posing the moral dilemma of whether I should offer mine.
| Prevention of reading and replying In "News, Help and Assistance" [375220/32042/29] Posted by Phantom at 10:45, 18th May 2026 | |
I have had an ongoing problem now, that appears on both my work laptops and my mobile phone - so different servers and web browsers.
When I open this site, I always click the "Update topics" and "Recent unread topics" hyperlinks to show me the updated posts etc.
But after I open the 4th / 5th page I get a holding warning page telling me I am unable to post or view anymore.
I then get this page on anything I view, and have to leave the site for about an hour before I can try again.
I wasn't sure if this was something that can be looked into please?
It means that if I find a thread that I want to reply to, I get stopped by this contact page
Grateful for any assistance or advice
| Re: Wolf Rock Lighthouse - video clip from YouTube In "The Lighter Side" [375219/32040/30] Posted by GBM at 09:33, 18th May 2026 Already liked by Chris from Nailsea | |
An adjacent reference, so slightly off topic.
In the same geographic area however,
I was fortunate enough to fly out to the Seven Stones Light many years ago during a routine maintenance visit.
Wasn't there to work, just a quick look around the ship itself.
My Father had designed her and she was built by the yard he worked for (Philip and Son at Dartmouth).
I worked at Landsend Radio, and we used to take several daily weather reports from the Stones to pass on to the Met Office.
The Wolf light must have been automated as I don't recall any communications from her.
Wolf light recently featured in the Saving Lives at Sea (BBC2, Series 10, Episode 10 when the Sennen and Penlee Lifeboats went out to the Wolf as a bulk carrier Mazarine grounded on the light.
| Re: HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) - Government proposals, alternative routes, discussion In "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" [375218/5138/51] Posted by TaplowGreen at 09:26, 18th May 2026 | |
Reads like an obituary.
| Re: New Oxford - Bristol direct service, ongoing developments and discussion In "Oxford, Didcot and Reading from the West" [375217/28355/22] Posted by TaplowGreen at 09:11, 18th May 2026 | |
The people of Chippenham greeting the arrival of the inaugural service to Oxford with wild enthusiasm this morning! (from elsewhere on social media)
| Re: New Oxford - Bristol direct service, ongoing developments and discussion In "Oxford, Didcot and Reading from the West" [375216/28355/22] Posted by bobm at 09:09, 18th May 2026 | |
Among those at Swindon to join the first Oxford bound train were Swindon South MP and Secretary of State for Transport Heidi Alexander, Mark Hopwood MD of GWR and Will Stone Swindon North MP.
| Re: Mid Cornwall Metro - Newquay, St Austell, Truro & Falmouth In "Shorter journeys in Plymouth and Cornwall" [375215/27102/25] Posted by RailCornwall at 08:36, 18th May 2026 Already liked by Witham Bobby | |
I hope there's reason behind it but the apparent lack of connectivity with services on the main GWML at Par appears shocking, Some Newquay services in the mornings departing Par three minutes before the arrival of services from Penzance will appear annoying and thats being kind.
| Re: If it's Sunday it must be ... In "The Lighter Side" [375214/32036/30] Posted by grahame at 07:57, 18th May 2026 | |
3 could be Hengele, and 2? well I've seen that picture before . . . Oh yes 2 minutes ago on this very same forum.
Yeah ... no. 2 turned out to be the only "art at station" picture I had for my major Munster post. Sorry - 3 is not, quite, Hengele but not far from there. A different international station!
| Re: If it's Sunday it must be ... In "The Lighter Side" [375213/32036/30] Posted by rogerpatenall at 07:43, 18th May 2026 | |
3 could be Hengele, and 2? well I've seen that picture before . . . Oh yes 2 minutes ago on this very same forum.
| Bristol narrowboat Redshank named UK flagship of the year - 12 May 2026 In "The West - but NOT trains in the West" [375212/32041/31] Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 06:18, 18th May 2026 | |
From the BBC:
Electric narrowboat named UK's flagship of the year
Skipper Jude Taljaard said the makeover had made Redshank "beautiful"
A 90-year-old narrowboat that was converted to fully electric propulsion has been named the UK's flagship of the year.
Redshank, which takes passengers on tours around Bristol Harbour and on the River Avon, was awarded the title by maritime body National Historic Ships UK.
In 2023, having barely left the water in its lengthy service, the boat's traditional diesel engine was replaced with lithium battery packs, allowing it to operate all day on electric power.
Skipper Jude Taljaard said Redshank was "paving the way for future boat conversions".
Redshank received the award on 12 May and to mark the occasion her operator, Bristol Packet Boat Trips, was offering trips for just £1 on Sunday.
Built in 1936 and first christened "Reading", the vessel had a long career shipping cargo such as coal, timber and even lime juice between Birmingham and London. In 1954 it was sold to another operator and renamed Redshank, but continued its work carrying goods between UK cities.
Simon Stevens, of National Historic Ships, said: "Before motorways and lorries came along, this was how you got your cargo from A to B - from the collieries to the sea and vice versa.
Redshank has been working Britain's waterways for 90 years
"They carried bricks, manure - a whole range of things.. They were literally just iron buckets - elongated iron buckets to carry stuff."
In 1970, as the age of canal freight came to a close, Redshank carried its final commercial load, and four years later she was bought to the West to work the waterways around Bristol.
There are now five boats in the Bristol Packet fleet, and Taljaard said he loves Redshank's new incarnation as an electric vessel. "Before it was very smelly, very loud. Now it's this beautiful electric boat," he said. "It's green and we are paving the way for future boat conversions - making sure other people can see how to turn a boat like this into something green for the future."
Skipper Jude Taljaard said the makeover had made Redshank "beautiful"
A 90-year-old narrowboat that was converted to fully electric propulsion has been named the UK's flagship of the year.
Redshank, which takes passengers on tours around Bristol Harbour and on the River Avon, was awarded the title by maritime body National Historic Ships UK.
In 2023, having barely left the water in its lengthy service, the boat's traditional diesel engine was replaced with lithium battery packs, allowing it to operate all day on electric power.
Skipper Jude Taljaard said Redshank was "paving the way for future boat conversions".
Redshank received the award on 12 May and to mark the occasion her operator, Bristol Packet Boat Trips, was offering trips for just £1 on Sunday.
Built in 1936 and first christened "Reading", the vessel had a long career shipping cargo such as coal, timber and even lime juice between Birmingham and London. In 1954 it was sold to another operator and renamed Redshank, but continued its work carrying goods between UK cities.
Simon Stevens, of National Historic Ships, said: "Before motorways and lorries came along, this was how you got your cargo from A to B - from the collieries to the sea and vice versa.
Redshank has been working Britain's waterways for 90 years
"They carried bricks, manure - a whole range of things.. They were literally just iron buckets - elongated iron buckets to carry stuff."
In 1970, as the age of canal freight came to a close, Redshank carried its final commercial load, and four years later she was bought to the West to work the waterways around Bristol.
There are now five boats in the Bristol Packet fleet, and Taljaard said he loves Redshank's new incarnation as an electric vessel. "Before it was very smelly, very loud. Now it's this beautiful electric boat," he said. "It's green and we are paving the way for future boat conversions - making sure other people can see how to turn a boat like this into something green for the future."
| Re: Some good examples of how they do it in Germany In "The Wider Picture Overseas" [375211/32037/52] Posted by grahame at 06:13, 18th May 2026 | |
From my own recent travels in Germany, I would say that the two things that really set an example that GBR could learn from are the train information at stations/on trains and (but not in all main stations) the extended hours and variety of catering and retail outlets.
Indeed
However, signage for getting around stations internally was in my experience (based on experience at Aachen, Osnabruck, Hannover, Hamburg HBF and Lubeck) patchy or poor. In particular, Osnabruck, with its complex two level structure for a station of its size was apparently lacking in simple signage getting you between platforms on different levels and to the retail/main entrance.
As - Osnabruck! I know it well enough to ignore the direction signs. But thinking about it, last Tuesday taking cousins from Long Beach through there, they looked a bit "wondering" to put it mildly. Mind, it was the 4th change of the day. Hamburg HbF I similarly know, Lubeck I found easy enough.
Another aspect I liked was the regional liveries applied to local trains, albeit that some are a little garish. My favourite (as you may gather from an earlier post) is the blue Schleswig-Holstein one, with a slogan proclaiming with regional pride "Schleswig-Holstein - der Echte Nordern" - "Schleswig-Holstein - the northern corner". Can we have something like that for our Thames Valley and South-west local trains, please GBR?
They make for an area and a nice variety element. How independent are the operations though?
| Re: HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) - Government proposals, alternative routes, discussion In "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" [375210/5138/51] Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 05:42, 18th May 2026 | |
From the BBC:
HS2 failings blamed on high-speed focus and political pressure
The HS2 rail line failed due in part to a focus on achieving the highest possible speeds and political pressure, a review is expected to find.
The scheme has been undergoing a "reset", and in March Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander asked HS2 bosses to look at lowering top speeds to save money.
This latest report into HS2, expected to be published this week, is authored by former National Security Adviser Sir Stephen Lovegrove and has considered the implications for the civil service and public sector. Its findings are expected to agree with a previous review, external that HS2's so-called "original sins" included changing political priorities and ballooning costs.
The review is also expected to highlight the "gold-plating" of the high-speed concept, "resulting in [a] bespoke and highly engineered design".
In the coming days, Alexander is expected to confirm that trains won't start running by the current target date of 2033 and will also provide an updated price tag for the project. It has been widely expected that costs will exceed £100bn.
HS2's main purpose was to increase capacity on the rail network but it has suffered rising costs and delays.
Under the initial plans, first confirmed in 2012, the rail line would have run from London to Birmingham, and then on two separate lines to Leeds and Manchester.
However, in 2021, the government said it was cancelling the eastern leg going to Leeds. Two years later, the section between Manchester and Birmingham was also ditched.
In June 2025, Alexander said that after "a litany of failure" she was "drawing a line in the sand" and the government would get HS2 delivered.
Mark Wild, chief executive of the project's delivery company HS2 Ltd, was tasked with carrying out comprehensive "reset".
Earlier this year the transport secretary said she was "determined to explore every opportunity" to "bring down costs and delivery timetables" including reducing the top speeds of trains on the line.
HS2 had been designed to allow trains to run up to 360 km/h (224 mph), which would have made the line faster than any other conventional railway in the world. Most high-speed trains in the UK run at around 220 km/h, while HS1, the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, reaches speeds of up to 300 km/h.
Although it will be years before the railway opens, HS2 is in its peak construction phase. A number of key structures have been completed, for example the 10-mile tunnel under the Chilterns, and the Colne Valley viaduct.
As part of efforts to get the project back on track, HS2 Ltd has previously said it would slow or pause work such as the line towards Handsacre, so it could focus spend on areas which had fallen behind; notably the central section across Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Northamptonshire.
The HS2 rail line failed due in part to a focus on achieving the highest possible speeds and political pressure, a review is expected to find.
The scheme has been undergoing a "reset", and in March Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander asked HS2 bosses to look at lowering top speeds to save money.
This latest report into HS2, expected to be published this week, is authored by former National Security Adviser Sir Stephen Lovegrove and has considered the implications for the civil service and public sector. Its findings are expected to agree with a previous review, external that HS2's so-called "original sins" included changing political priorities and ballooning costs.
The review is also expected to highlight the "gold-plating" of the high-speed concept, "resulting in [a] bespoke and highly engineered design".
In the coming days, Alexander is expected to confirm that trains won't start running by the current target date of 2033 and will also provide an updated price tag for the project. It has been widely expected that costs will exceed £100bn.
HS2's main purpose was to increase capacity on the rail network but it has suffered rising costs and delays.
Under the initial plans, first confirmed in 2012, the rail line would have run from London to Birmingham, and then on two separate lines to Leeds and Manchester.
However, in 2021, the government said it was cancelling the eastern leg going to Leeds. Two years later, the section between Manchester and Birmingham was also ditched.
In June 2025, Alexander said that after "a litany of failure" she was "drawing a line in the sand" and the government would get HS2 delivered.
Mark Wild, chief executive of the project's delivery company HS2 Ltd, was tasked with carrying out comprehensive "reset".
Earlier this year the transport secretary said she was "determined to explore every opportunity" to "bring down costs and delivery timetables" including reducing the top speeds of trains on the line.
HS2 had been designed to allow trains to run up to 360 km/h (224 mph), which would have made the line faster than any other conventional railway in the world. Most high-speed trains in the UK run at around 220 km/h, while HS1, the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, reaches speeds of up to 300 km/h.
Although it will be years before the railway opens, HS2 is in its peak construction phase. A number of key structures have been completed, for example the 10-mile tunnel under the Chilterns, and the Colne Valley viaduct.
As part of efforts to get the project back on track, HS2 Ltd has previously said it would slow or pause work such as the line towards Handsacre, so it could focus spend on areas which had fallen behind; notably the central section across Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Northamptonshire.
| Re: Would you give up your seat on the London Tube for me? In "Transport for London" [375209/32039/46] Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 05:29, 18th May 2026 | |
Again, I'm going off at something of a tangent, but I do like this nine minute clip, 'Darkest Hour | Winston Churchill Takes the Tube', from YouTube.
| Re: Multiple stabbings on a London bound train in Cambridgeshire - 01 Nov 25 In "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" [375208/31017/51] Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 04:50, 18th May 2026 | |
From the BBC:
Footballer in mass train attack reveals he was stabbed seven times
"I was on the train, just chilling. Suddenly, someone's come over my shoulder, and stabbed me."
Footballer Jonathan Gjoshe pauses as he recalls the harrowing events of 1 November last year.
Just weeks into his first season at Scunthorpe United, the 23 year-old had been travelling from Doncaster back to his home in London. But about an hour into the journey, the unimaginable happened.
Gjoshe was among the 11 passengers seriously injured in a knife attack on a train as it travelled through Cambridgeshire.
While it soon emerged that Gjoshe had been hurt in an incident that made headlines around the world, the defender chose to decline the many interview requests received by the club, and focus instead on his long road to recovery.
But six months on, he is finally ready to speak publicly about his ordeal for the first time. And why he is now looking for a new club.
(BBC article continues)
"I was on the train, just chilling. Suddenly, someone's come over my shoulder, and stabbed me."
Footballer Jonathan Gjoshe pauses as he recalls the harrowing events of 1 November last year.
Just weeks into his first season at Scunthorpe United, the 23 year-old had been travelling from Doncaster back to his home in London. But about an hour into the journey, the unimaginable happened.
Gjoshe was among the 11 passengers seriously injured in a knife attack on a train as it travelled through Cambridgeshire.
While it soon emerged that Gjoshe had been hurt in an incident that made headlines around the world, the defender chose to decline the many interview requests received by the club, and focus instead on his long road to recovery.
But six months on, he is finally ready to speak publicly about his ordeal for the first time. And why he is now looking for a new club.
(BBC article continues)
| Wolf Rock Lighthouse - video clip from YouTube In "The Lighter Side" [375207/32040/30] Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 22:56, 17th May 2026 | |
I'm posting this here, in 'The Lighter Side' because ... well, it is in the lighthouse side.
From YouTube, see '12 days working on Wolf Rock Lighthouse'
| Re: Cardiff bride takes Transport for Wales train to get to wedding In "Shorter journeys in South and West Wales" [375206/32035/23] Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 22:15, 17th May 2026 | |
I can't (well, I can, but I shouldn't
) 'like' my own posts - but I do think this topic is worthy of wider coverage.With my congratulations and best wishes to Bethan and Chris.
| Re: Would you give up your seat on the London Tube for me? In "Transport for London" [375205/32039/46] Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 22:01, 17th May 2026 Already liked by PrestburyRoad | |
I remember, many years ago in my commuting days out of Bristol Temple Meads, sitting in one of the four vacant seats on a whole table, waiting for the train to depart, while I read some office paperwork. A family group approached along the aisle, discussing their wish for a family seating of four at a table. I promptly stood up and invited them to take all of those four seats, while I took a perfectly adequate alternative airline seat, further back in the carriage.
They were so appreciative, and vocal in their thanks - when all I had done was to have effectively reserved their table for them.
| Re: Would you give up your seat on the London Tube for me? In "Transport for London" [375204/32039/46] Posted by Oxonhutch at 21:37, 17th May 2026 Already liked by grahame | |
It recently came as a shock on the underground when someone offered to give up their seat for me !
| Re: Thames Valley infrastructure problems causing disruption elsewhere - 2026 In "Across the West" [375203/31163/26] Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 20:55, 17th May 2026 Already liked by Witham Bobby | |
Network Rail have been carrying out planned engineering work in the London Paddington area. They have informed us that this will not be finished on time.
Don't panic: it will all go so much smoother when we have civil servants doing it.
| Re: New Oxford - Bristol direct service, ongoing developments and discussion In "Oxford, Didcot and Reading from the West" [375202/28355/22] Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 18:36, 17th May 2026 | |
Why is Sunday running not included in these services? Demand to travel between major tourist centres (Oxford, Bath and Bristol) is likely to be at least as high on a Sunday as any other day.
It wasn't in the Section 22A application to the (ORR) either for the 2-hourly service from tomorrow, or the hourly service from next May.The two most likely reasons:
1) Availability of paths on a Sunday due to engineering works.
2) Availability of staff on a Sunday due to historic reasons.
Agreed it would be nice, and appropriate, to provide a Sunday service as well. Perhaps when Sunday's are in the working week?
'When' the civil servants at GBR actually grapple / deal with that issue. While they are working on an occasional Sunday, perhaps?
By the way:
2) Availability of staff on a Sunday due to historic reasons.
Barbeques, mostly, with credit to member Taplow Green for that source. | Would you give up your seat on the London Tube for me? In "Transport for London" [375201/32039/46] Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 18:20, 17th May 2026 | |
From the BBC:
Would you give up your seat on the Tube for me?
TfL is encouraging commuters to be aware of those who might need their seat more - Image © Getty Images
It's a small badge that made a big difference. For the past 20 years, Transport for London's "Baby on Board" scheme has reshaped behaviour on public transport through a simple social signal. But does it still work?
I recently observed a lady wearing her Baby on Board badge waiting, like me, for the northbound Victoria line at Oxford Circus during the rush hour commute home. I clocked the familiar look of wariness as she scanned the Tube seats as the train pulled into the platform.
I too became anxious for her. If no one offered their seat up, I was prepared to give up their seat for them - they just didn't know it yet.
As the doors slid open, she made a beeline through the throng for the closest priority seat occupied by a young woman. She asked to sit down. The exchange happened swiftly and without drama. I sighed with relief for her.
I don't mean to sound so dramatic but watching her brought back vivid memories of my experience navigating the Tube during both my pregnancies.
(BBC article continues)
TfL is encouraging commuters to be aware of those who might need their seat more - Image © Getty Images
It's a small badge that made a big difference. For the past 20 years, Transport for London's "Baby on Board" scheme has reshaped behaviour on public transport through a simple social signal. But does it still work?
I recently observed a lady wearing her Baby on Board badge waiting, like me, for the northbound Victoria line at Oxford Circus during the rush hour commute home. I clocked the familiar look of wariness as she scanned the Tube seats as the train pulled into the platform.
I too became anxious for her. If no one offered their seat up, I was prepared to give up their seat for them - they just didn't know it yet.
As the doors slid open, she made a beeline through the throng for the closest priority seat occupied by a young woman. She asked to sit down. The exchange happened swiftly and without drama. I sighed with relief for her.
I don't mean to sound so dramatic but watching her brought back vivid memories of my experience navigating the Tube during both my pregnancies.
(BBC article continues)
| Re: New Oxford - Bristol direct service, ongoing developments and discussion In "Oxford, Didcot and Reading from the West" [375200/28355/22] Posted by TaplowGreen at 17:25, 17th May 2026 | |
Why is Sunday running not included in these services? Demand to travel between major tourist centres (Oxford, Bath and Bristol) is likely to be at least as high on a Sunday as any other day.
It wasn't in the Section 22A application to the (ORR) either for the 2-hourly service from tomorrow, or the hourly service from next May.
The two most likely reasons:
1) Availability of paths on a Sunday due to engineering works.
2) Availability of staff on a Sunday due to historic reasons.
Agreed it would be nice, and appropriate, to provide a Sunday service as well. Perhaps when Sunday's are in the working week?
"When" doing the heavy lifting there!
| Remains of "lifted" line on the Henley branch In "Thames Valley Branches" [375199/32038/13] Posted by Marlburian at 15:58, 17th May 2026 Already liked by Witham Bobby | |
Walking in the Shiplake locality this morning, I was delighted to come across the supports of the "lifted" track of the Henley branch where it crosses the Thames near Wargrave. Substantial remains to find on such a short branch.
(And just south of Shiplake Station there are less-impressive brick supports where the Thames Path goes under the railway after leaving the river.)
I guess that it was Regatta traffic that justified the doubling of the track - seems quite an investment for just a couple of weeks a year. The line was singled in 1961.
Wikipedia
| Re: Some good examples of how they do it in Germany In "The Wider Picture Overseas" [375198/32037/52] Posted by eightonedee at 14:23, 17th May 2026 | |
From my own recent travels in Germany, I would say that the two things that really set an example that GBR could learn from are the train information at stations/on trains and (but not in all main stations) the extended hours and variety of catering and retail outlets.
However, signage for getting around stations internally was in my experience (based on experience at Aachen, Osnabruck, Hannover, Hamburg HBF and Lubeck) patchy or poor. In particular, Osnabruck, with its complex two level structure for a station of its size was apparently lacking in simple signage getting you between platforms on different levels and to the retail/main entrance.
It also has to be said that German stations do seem to be a magnet for drunks and down-and-outs, sadly.
What does strike you (and feel familiar) is the considerable difference in the ambience of stations. As in the UK, you have a mixture of tired stations that look like they need investment, grand old ones that either still "cut it" (e.g Lubeck) or look overdue a refresh (e.g Hamburg HBF), some that are just pleasant and adequate (e.g Aachen) or are modern, fresh and pleasant (e.g Hannover). But then, that matches what I've seen in Belgium, Netherlands and France too.
Another aspect I liked was the regional liveries applied to local trains, albeit that some are a little garish. My favourite (as you may gather from an earlier post) is the blue Schleswig-Holstein one, with a slogan proclaiming with regional pride "Schleswig-Holstein - der Echte Nordern" - "Schleswig-Holstein - the northern corner". Can we have something like that for our Thames Valley and South-west local trains, please GBR?
| Re: [otd] 17th May 1876 - first through Exeter - Plymouth train via Okehampton In "Campaigns for new and improved services" [375197/27502/28] Posted by grahame at 13:49, 17th May 2026 Already liked by Witham Bobby | |
150 years ago today - the first through train from Exeter to Plymouth via Okehampton and Tavistock.
| Some good examples of how they do it in Germany In "The Wider Picture Overseas" [375196/32037/52] Posted by grahame at 12:40, 17th May 2026 Already liked by PrestburyRoad, eightonedee, johnneyw | |
I passed through Muenster (Westphalia) this (Sunday) morning ... and it struck me just how joined up and information and facilities rich the public transport is in this city - which (by population) is perhaps 20% larger that Swindon, just over two times the size of Bath. Readers are welcome to make comparisons to they find in Bath, or Swindon, or Bristol or Salisbury or on the public transport between them. I am going to focus here on good things.
On train displays telling you more that just the next station - following stations, where to change and to which platform for ongoing services, and where the various regional and local buses are to be found. The displays alternating between German and English.
The railway station has the buses right outside, and as you come off the trains there are directions to the buses. And as you come off the buses, there are directioons to the trains
For the newcomer, there are maps of the city centre, city centre transport, urban area transport, and transport beyond.
Dirctions to the various facilities too
A modern, airy, friendly feel - plenty of light, and automatic doors that keep the wind out and the warm air in.
The selection of cafes is wide and the products copious, attractive and reasonable priced, with smiling staff who are happy so serve with a smile.
There is a wider range of shops / outlets too - a veritable shopping mall where you'll be temped to make far more than just emergency purchase whilst you wince at station prices.
For those who want them, McDonalds and KFC are right there in the station
Boards along the platorms tell you where to stand - where the various parts of the train will be in clearly lettered zones.
The trains are modern, attractive, and in lots of colours and operators.
Most trains electric, and running clock face at the same time in each hour. Freight services also sharing the tracks and also electric hauled.
Plenty of bicycle space and passenger space on a six carrige train, and useable cycle clips
Comfortable seats on longer distance trains
"See it, say it, sorted" with good explanation of what and how to report
Security to make you feel safe
Discreet Artwork
Automated facilites
Departure tables / details applying daily, notifying platform numbers way in advance
Platform sections clearly indicated and on-plaform displays helping you find the right place in the train
Yes - I have seen trains so overcrowded I could not get on. Cancelled services. Delayed services where the initial delay creeps upward from a few minutes to quarter of an hour. Loos, doors, escalators out of action. Trains diverted from the main station so giving a need to make a new, later and more complex connection, and in train displays that are clearly out of sync. I am not suggesting that the German system is perfect - far from it, but there are lessons we could learn. Passenger friendly lessons that, perhaps, would encourge people to use public transport so much more and replay the investment in providing and maintaining them many times over.
| Re: If it's Sunday it must be ... In "The Lighter Side" [375195/32036/30] Posted by stuving at 12:28, 17th May 2026 Already liked by grahame | |
1. is another view of Osnabrück Hbf you've not shown us before. Prompted maybe by the new "man on thingumy" conversation piece.
| If it's Sunday it must be ... In "The Lighter Side" [375194/32036/30] Posted by grahame at 11:51, 17th May 2026 | |
Still travelling ....
1.
2.
3.
| Re: Swindon <-> Westbury service updates and amendments, ongoing discussion - 2026 In "TransWilts line" [375193/31359/18] Posted by grahame at 11:11, 17th May 2026 | |
10:38 Weymouth to Swindon due 12:57
10:38 Weymouth to Swindon due 12:57 will be started from Westbury.
It will no longer call at Weymouth, Upwey, Dorchester West, Maiden Newton, Chetnole, Yetminster, Thornford, Yeovil Pen Mill, Castle Cary, Bruton and Frome.
This is due to a fault on this train.
10:38 Weymouth to Swindon due 12:57 will be started from Westbury.
It will no longer call at Weymouth, Upwey, Dorchester West, Maiden Newton, Chetnole, Yetminster, Thornford, Yeovil Pen Mill, Castle Cary, Bruton and Frome.
This is due to a fault on this train.
| Re: New Oxford - Bristol direct service, ongoing developments and discussion In "Oxford, Didcot and Reading from the West" [375192/28355/22] Posted by IndustryInsider at 10:35, 17th May 2026 Already liked by grahame, GBM | |
Why is Sunday running not included in these services? Demand to travel between major tourist centres (Oxford, Bath and Bristol) is likely to be at least as high on a Sunday as any other day.
It wasn't in the Section 22A application to the (ORR) either for the 2-hourly service from tomorrow, or the hourly service from next May.
The two most likely reasons:
1) Availability of paths on a Sunday due to engineering works.
2) Availability of staff on a Sunday due to historic reasons.
Agreed it would be nice, and appropriate, to provide a Sunday service as well. Perhaps when Sunday's are in the working week?
