Recent Public Posts - [guest]
| Re: 50th anniversary of the introduction of HST's on the route In "London to Swindon and Bristol" [380615/32580/10] Posted by Electric train at 17:28, 8th October 2026 Already liked by PrestburyRoad |      |
Whilst the HSTs were a big leap forward, and funding restrictions meant there was never enough of them nationally, it is also other anniversaries
45 years ago, France introduced the TGV, initially restricted to 260km/h (162mph), later increased to 270km/h (168mph), with later generations rated at 300km/h (186mph) and latest at 320km/h (199mph)
The HST was good at over 2 miles a minute, but nowadays seems slow with trains doing 3.3 miles a minute
45 years ago, France introduced the TGV, initially restricted to 260km/h (162mph), later increased to 270km/h (168mph), with later generations rated at 300km/h (186mph) and latest at 320km/h (199mph)
The HST was good at over 2 miles a minute, but nowadays seems slow with trains doing 3.3 miles a minute
The difference being the HST ran at 125 mph on existing mixed traffic track (with very little changes to the infrastructure) whereas the TGV for 186 mph required new dedicated track
| Re: South Western Railways Waterloo - Bristol services axed In "South Western services" [380614/25368/42] Posted by Mark A at 17:20, 8th October 2026 Already liked by Phil | |
For a service that was axed 5 years ago, the Waterloo trains are still present
Two very recent examples: 'London Theatre Magazine' in an article on day visits to theatres outside London. In the paragraph on Bath:
"How to get there from London: Direct train from London Paddington or Waterloo to Bath Spa, takes about 1 hour and 20 minutes."
(1 hour and 20 minutes to Bath from Waterloo is a dream - Eurostar days did see 2 hours 10 minutes, the trains running non-stop between Westbury and Warminster and then between Warminster and... was it Andover or Basingstoke?)
Then, from Network Rail, in of all places, in one of their planning application docs for the platform extensions at Bath Spa, as a description of services at Bath Spa we find:
"All Bath's rail services run through Bath Spa station. The station has regular half-hourly inter-
city services to London Paddington via Swindon, Reading and Chippenham and to Bristol
Temple Meads. The station is served hourly by the Cardiff Central to Portsmouth Harbour and
Gloucester and Bristol to Westbury and Weymouth regional trains. A limited service to London
Waterloo via Salisbury and Basingstoke operated by South Western Railway, which operates
three direct services per day Monday-Saturday and two on Sunday. An early morning
Basingstoke to Bristol Temple Meads service calls at Bath Spa. A late-evening Bristol Temple
Meads to Salisbury service is the last train of the day to Warminster railway station and
Salisbury."
| Re: HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) - Government proposals, alternative routes, discussion In "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" [380613/5138/51] Posted by TaplowGreen at 16:51, 8th October 2026 | |
Just to note, that's from the Daily Mail. 
The survey was nothing to do with the Daily Mail, they've just printed the outcome from Uswitch
It is 13 years old however, so who knows if Solihull remains such an idyllic location these days!
| Re: Portishead Line reopening for passengers - ongoing discussion In "Campaigns for new and improved services" [380612/231/28] Posted by Mark A at 15:41, 8th October 2026 | |
The Pill in question.
| Re: HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) - Government proposals, alternative routes, discussion In "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" [380611/5138/51] Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 14:15, 8th October 2026 | |
Just to note, that's from the Daily Mail.
| Re: Portishead Line reopening for passengers - ongoing discussion In "Campaigns for new and improved services" [380609/231/28] Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 13:42, 8th October 2026 | |
With thanks to my learned friend for the information, I have updated and added those to our Coffee Shop 'abbreviations & acronyms' page.
CfN.
| Re: Portishead Line reopening for passengers - ongoing discussion In "Campaigns for new and improved services" [380607/231/28] Posted by Red Squirrel at 13:10, 8th October 2026 | |
Our spies have spotted (courtesy of RTT) that the CRS codes for Pill and Portishead will be PIA and POH.
PIA came as a bit of a surprise to me, but PIL is of course Pilning! I suppose PLL would be too similar to PIL; bit like the reason Temple Meads is BRI not BTM which is too similar to BTH…
| Re: HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) - Government proposals, alternative routes, discussion In "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" [380600/5138/51] Posted by IndustryInsider at 11:12, 8th October 2026 Already liked by TaplowGreen | |
HS2, for more than twice the price, at some indeterminate time in the future, will be able to get you from West London to..............Solihull.
Well it has been voted the best place to live in the UK...
https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-2506917/Best-place-live-UK-Er-Solihull.html
| Re: Lostwithiel - footbridge, services and sidings (merged topic) In "Shorter journeys in Plymouth and Cornwall" [380599/2681/25] Posted by Andy at 11:07, 8th October 2026 Already liked by Mark A | |
Will the proposed footbridge mean that the former Fowey bay platform can never be re-used?
| Re: HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) - Government proposals, alternative routes, discussion In "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" [380598/5138/51] Posted by TaplowGreen at 10:38, 8th October 2026 Already liked by Witham Bobby | |
Just noticed from this video on You Tube that the Heathrow expansion will cost £49bn. And people were complaining that HS2 is going to cost £100bn. HS2 seems like better value for money than Heathrow expansion.
Both costing far too much and ridiculously delayed.
However............
Heathrow is a national and international flagship and can get you from West London to almost anywhere in the World.
HS2, for more than twice the price, at some indeterminate time in the future, will be able to get you from West London to..............Solihull.
Happy to talk value
| Re: HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) - Government proposals, alternative routes, discussion In "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" [380596/5138/51] Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 10:06, 8th October 2026 Already liked by Witham Bobby, johnneyw | |
I remain puzzled as how any such figures are produced.
For example, how was such a precise 'figure' of £49,000,000,000 calculated?
Perhaps,
Planning permission applications, £8,000,000;
Civil engineering and construction costs, £10,000,000,000
Consultants fees, £38,992,000,000
Total = £49 billion.
Ah, now I see.
| Re: Winterstoke Road Bridge, Weston super Mare - closed for two years In "The West - but NOT trains in the West" [380595/31150/31] Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 09:32, 8th October 2026 | |
An update, from the BBC:
Bridge replacement delayed due to summer heatwaves
The key route will have shut to traffic for more than two years by the time it opens - Image © North Somerset Council
The replacement of a key 85-year-old bridge which has been shut since 2025 has been delayed due to the summer's heatwaves.
Winterstoke Road Bridge, a key transport link through Weston-super-Mare, was supposed to reopen to traffic in the summer of 2027, however North Somerset Council said this has been delayed to early 2028.
The delay to the new £11m bridge, which closed to traffic in November 2025, was caused by the summer's persistent hot weather sparking safety concerns for the railway track.
North Somerset Council leader Mike Bell apologised for the delay, adding the council's priority "is to get the route open to vehicles as early as possible".
(BBC article continues)
The key route will have shut to traffic for more than two years by the time it opens - Image © North Somerset Council
The replacement of a key 85-year-old bridge which has been shut since 2025 has been delayed due to the summer's heatwaves.
Winterstoke Road Bridge, a key transport link through Weston-super-Mare, was supposed to reopen to traffic in the summer of 2027, however North Somerset Council said this has been delayed to early 2028.
The delay to the new £11m bridge, which closed to traffic in November 2025, was caused by the summer's persistent hot weather sparking safety concerns for the railway track.
North Somerset Council leader Mike Bell apologised for the delay, adding the council's priority "is to get the route open to vehicles as early as possible".
(BBC article continues)
| Re: HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) - Government proposals, alternative routes, discussion In "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" [380594/5138/51] Posted by ray951 at 09:28, 8th October 2026 | |
Just noticed from this video on You Tube that the Heathrow expansion will cost £49bn. And people were complaining that HS2 is going to cost £100bn. HS2 seems like better value for money than Heathrow expansion.
More likely both are overpriced and aren't value for money.
| Re: Weston-super-Mare - Birnbeck Pier restoration: ongoing developments and discussion In "The West - but NOT trains in the West" [380593/16547/31] Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 08:46, 8th October 2026 | |
From the BBC:
What to expect from a restored Birnbeck Pier
After closing due to safety reasons in 1994, Birnbeck Pier is due to reopen in summer 2027 - Image © Getty Images
After years of a complex and costly refurbishment, Birnbeck Pier in Weston-super-Mare is due to reopen in 2027.
The iconic pier, the only one in the UK to link the mainland to an island, opened in 1867 and was visited by millions before safety concerns led to its closure in 1994. But from next summer, visitors will be able to walk over to Birnbeck Island for the first time in a generation.
As the ambitious restoration works now have a completion date, here's everything you need to know about what visitors can expect.
...
In its heyday, the 19th Century pier hosted funfair rides and drew crowds of visitors who stopped off in Weston-super-Mare on pleasure steamers. But after a storm caused severe damage in 1990, Birnbeck Pier partially collapsed into the sea.
Then after years of it crumbling away, plans began to restore it to its former glory in 2006, but they have were repeatedly shelved over the years due to changes in ownership and financial concerns.
North Somerset Council - which bought the pier in 2023 - almost scrapped the restoration project in September 2025 after the RNLI, which used to be based on the pier, backed out of the plans, but in March the government provided the £19m of funding required to finish the restoration.
The council now says the pier is on track to reopen in the summer of 2027.
...
The future of the former RNLI lifeboat station on the other side of the pier remains uncertain.
An RNLI spokesperson said: "We remain committed to lifesaving in Weston super Mare and are continuing to work closely with our volunteers and North Somerset Council to find a suitable permanent location within the community."
After closing due to safety reasons in 1994, Birnbeck Pier is due to reopen in summer 2027 - Image © Getty Images
After years of a complex and costly refurbishment, Birnbeck Pier in Weston-super-Mare is due to reopen in 2027.
The iconic pier, the only one in the UK to link the mainland to an island, opened in 1867 and was visited by millions before safety concerns led to its closure in 1994. But from next summer, visitors will be able to walk over to Birnbeck Island for the first time in a generation.
As the ambitious restoration works now have a completion date, here's everything you need to know about what visitors can expect.
...
In its heyday, the 19th Century pier hosted funfair rides and drew crowds of visitors who stopped off in Weston-super-Mare on pleasure steamers. But after a storm caused severe damage in 1990, Birnbeck Pier partially collapsed into the sea.
Then after years of it crumbling away, plans began to restore it to its former glory in 2006, but they have were repeatedly shelved over the years due to changes in ownership and financial concerns.
North Somerset Council - which bought the pier in 2023 - almost scrapped the restoration project in September 2025 after the RNLI, which used to be based on the pier, backed out of the plans, but in March the government provided the £19m of funding required to finish the restoration.
The council now says the pier is on track to reopen in the summer of 2027.
...
The future of the former RNLI lifeboat station on the other side of the pier remains uncertain.
An RNLI spokesperson said: "We remain committed to lifesaving in Weston super Mare and are continuing to work closely with our volunteers and North Somerset Council to find a suitable permanent location within the community."
The BBC item contains much more detail - I have selected just some aspects to quote here. Please do click on the BBC article to view more.
CfN.
| Re: Disused rail viaduct over the Spey at Garmouth fails In "Railway History and related topics" [380592/31260/55] Posted by Richard Fairhurst at 07:16, 8th October 2026 | |
More than a small whiff of AI about that briefing!
| Re: Thames Valley infrastructure problems causing disruption elsewhere - 2026 In "Across the West" [380591/31163/26] Posted by TaplowGreen at 06:42, 8th October 2026 | |
From National Rail.
Route(s) affected
through London Paddington
Description
A fault with the signalling system at London Paddington means that Elizabeth line services must run at a reduced speed on some lines.
As a result, Elizabeth line services to / from this station may be cancelled, delayed or revised.
Disruption is expected until 10:00.
| West Wiltshire Rail User Group / 2027 meetings In "Diary - what's happening when?" [380590/32593/34] Posted by grahame at 04:15, 8th October 2026 Already liked by Chris from Nailsea | |
West Wiltshire Rail User Group / public meetings for 2027. These are provisional dates from (last night's) Committee Meeting - to be confirmed with the hall. On past record, they are sufficiently probably for you to put them into your diaries
17th March 2027
19th May 2027
15th September 2027
24th November 2027
We are holding Saturday, 5th June for a 90th birthday party for Dilton Marsh Station. Although a pensioner in human years, in some ways Dilton Marsh is our "child", being the most recent completely new station opened in Wiltshire.
For 2027, we are looking to booking the hall (*) half an hour earlier and starting the talk 30 minutes earlier too (hall open at 18:30 for a 19:00 meeting). This better fits trains arriving from Swindon, Chippenham and Melksham, and the local trains from both Avoncliff and Dilton Marsh. This means that the evening may end a few minutes earlier - noting the need for speakers and some departures to be on the train at a couple of minutes to 9. Other trains remain in place just after 9:20 and I'm sure networking will extend for those catching them.
Committee meetings are held in the evening of the first Monday of the (usually) alternate month at 5 p.m. in the ASDA community room. We have one committee member nominated to speak for each of the seven stations, and chair, treasurer and secretary who also may double up to speak for a particular station. The Committee is elected at the AGM but the nomination / elections process is a friendly and not-really-competitive one, and we can co-opt along the way if we wish. With the retirement of Rosemary this year, we have a bit of a gap and would welcome someone to update us and speak for and about Warminster. We are also aware of "out of town" interest - whilst we are very much West Wiltshire in our geography, there are fuzzy edges; we have a committee rep for Frome, and also look outwards and welcome members from Chippenham and Bath Spa who would also be welcomed onto the committee with an interest in services into West Wilts from those places.
(*) - Bethesda Church Hall, Gloucester Road, Trowbridge - about 100 yards from the station. There is (sshhh!) free onsite parking for people attending meetings - you do need to check in on the machine in the hall. There is also wheelchair access to the hall.
| Re: Harrow & Wealdstone 8th October 1952 & Nursing Lieutenant Abbie Sweetwine. In "Railway History and related topics" [380589/25546/55] Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 00:44, 8th October 2026 | |
The link to YouTube which I posted above still works, and I have just watched it again, on this sad anniversary.
It is worth 37 minutes of your time, members and guests of the Coffee Shop forum, as a sombre reminder of what could have / did go wrong.
Chris from Nailsea.
| Re: 5th October 2026 - "History of Melksham Station" talk in Atworth - 5th Oct 2026 In "Diary - what's happening when?" [380588/32416/34] Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 00:28, 8th October 2026 | |
| MOVED: Clifton Suspension Bridge - toll road bridge in Bristol In "Buses and other ways to travel" [380587/32592/5] Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 00:08, 8th October 2026 | |
This topic has been moved to The West - but NOT trains in the West.
https://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=1888.0
| Re: Clifton Suspension Bridge - toll road bridge across the Avon in Bristol - designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel In "The West - but NOT trains in the West" [380586/1888/31] Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 00:02, 8th October 2026 | |
An update, from the BBC:
Two-year revamp of suspension bridge is complete
Clifton Suspension Bridge, designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel in the 19th Century, has undergone a major refurbishment - Image © Clifton Suspension Bridge Trust
The multi-million pound refurbishment of one of the world's oldest surviving iron suspension bridges has been completed.
Work to restore Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol began in April 2024, focusing on protecting its historic ironwork and installing an environmentally sustainable lighting system.
The project, which was funded through bridge tolls, represents the most significant conservation investment since the structure opened in 1864.
Bridge master Tristan Ralph, who oversaw the work, said it demonstrated the "long‑term responsibility to protect Brunel's extraordinary structure".
"Something that is a really key thing for us is that our only funding comes from the tolls," he said. "We don't get any money from local or central government."
The Clifton Suspension Bridge Trust said the conservation process will protect the ironwork from corrosion for the next 25 years. The work involved specialist engineers hand-painting more than 4,000 original iron chain links, many of which are more than 180 years old.
Ralph said: "The chains are incredibly difficult to get to, and very complicated to paint. We had to clean each of them individually and re-apply the paint. It was very meticulous work, using toothbrushes to get into every nook and cranny."
The project also saw the installation of a new lighting system designed to minimise light pollution and improve energy efficiency. The new illuminations will also allow the bridge to be lit up to mark significant moments in its history.
Ralph added: "The old lighting system was actually expired and unreliable, so this was a good time to change the lights. We will be lighting up for different themed-events celebrating the bridge's engineering and heritage, and significant cultural events, which is really exciting."
Clifton Suspension Bridge, designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel in the 19th Century, has undergone a major refurbishment - Image © Clifton Suspension Bridge Trust
The multi-million pound refurbishment of one of the world's oldest surviving iron suspension bridges has been completed.
Work to restore Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol began in April 2024, focusing on protecting its historic ironwork and installing an environmentally sustainable lighting system.
The project, which was funded through bridge tolls, represents the most significant conservation investment since the structure opened in 1864.
Bridge master Tristan Ralph, who oversaw the work, said it demonstrated the "long‑term responsibility to protect Brunel's extraordinary structure".
"Something that is a really key thing for us is that our only funding comes from the tolls," he said. "We don't get any money from local or central government."
The Clifton Suspension Bridge Trust said the conservation process will protect the ironwork from corrosion for the next 25 years. The work involved specialist engineers hand-painting more than 4,000 original iron chain links, many of which are more than 180 years old.
Ralph said: "The chains are incredibly difficult to get to, and very complicated to paint. We had to clean each of them individually and re-apply the paint. It was very meticulous work, using toothbrushes to get into every nook and cranny."
The project also saw the installation of a new lighting system designed to minimise light pollution and improve energy efficiency. The new illuminations will also allow the bridge to be lit up to mark significant moments in its history.
Ralph added: "The old lighting system was actually expired and unreliable, so this was a good time to change the lights. We will be lighting up for different themed-events celebrating the bridge's engineering and heritage, and significant cultural events, which is really exciting."
