Recent Public Posts - [guest]
| Re: Ferries across waterways - whether by vehicle, foot or both (merged posts) In "Buses and other ways to travel" [378590/3662/5] Posted by Mark A at 10:02, 23rd August 2026 |      |
Upward-only rent reviews more generally and the frankly feudal nature of landlord-tenant law. *Shakes head*.
Mark
| Re: Ferries across waterways - whether by vehicle, foot or both (merged posts) In "Buses and other ways to travel" [378589/3662/5] Posted by grahame at 09:26, 23rd August 2026 Already liked by Mark A | |
This is the Kylerhea to Glenelg ferry, which I also have fond memories of. The location is stunning, high mountains all around and much wildlife in the turbulent waters. The ferry operation is extraordinary to watch as they turn the turntable around in midstream.
To reach it involves climbing over 1,000 feet up narrow mountain passes on both sides. I cycled this route and it was wonderful, as was the b&b in Glenelg which had one of the most helpful landladies I have ever met. From Glenelg there is a 10 mile dead-end road down the loch (well definitely up and down and running roughly parallel with the loch), which reaches a tiny hamlet in the middle of nowhere, where red deer graze on the beach and the very last terraced house does teas. At one point this road crosses a large scree slope on a 3,000 feet mountainside. Absolutely beautiful and remote.
The ferry is reported to be under threat and there's a petition to save it - at 38 degrees
https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/save-the-glenelg-skye-ferry
Friends will know how very, very rarely I sign petitions but I have signed this one and I encourage other to do so. I have very fond memories of this ferry - "romantic" isn't quite the word; making use of it what must have been around 50 years ago in a long hot summer around 1976, with my grandmother - Gran - who would have been 133 years old today (we made a strange touring couple).
"Over the sea to Skye" has changed with the opening of the bridge near Kyle of Lochalsh, with the ferry there closing and the other ferry routes at Mallaig to Armadale and Glenelg to Kylerhea becoming less significant in terms of connectivity. The Glenelg ferry is indeed seasonal (was it always?) and I would not like to see a top-weight HGV on it; very much a tourist thing these days as I suspect that the local traffic between residents on both sides of the kyles is minimal. A very, very long way around if it's not running. Having said that, the trade and business it brings them is surely significant - important - as is noted by the somewhat overegged talk about the numbers of staff employed on the ferry and at the tearooms.
A petition that vilifies an individual in the way this one does concerns me slightly, and part of me suspects that the bloke probably isn't going to be minded to take actions that eliminate his annual income unless he has other intents - so I partly suspect the petition might be something of a negotiating ploy. But then I also wonder if the income isn't a significant income to him, and it's more trouble than it's worth. What price the overrunning of this quiet "Ring of Bright Water" land? I can't see the area as being ripe for new housing or other development ... but you never know. Anyway - signed though with some concerns; the petition also provides wonderful publicity for the ferry and its operators and may bolster their business so they can afford the fees even if they stay on current terms.
| Re: Sunday 23/08/26 - No Crosscountry services In "Cross Country services" [378588/32397/43] Posted by John D at 09:18, 23rd August 2026 | |
Seems to be lack of contingency plan at work here.
Staff on the ground have mobile phones, staff at control centre could have emergency contact method if their main building is not available
Very similar to the recent Manchester area disruption, no proper back up power for critical computers, or slower older reserve that can be used instead
| Re: Sunday 23/08/26 - No Crosscountry services In "Cross Country services" [378586/32397/43] Posted by grahame at 08:37, 23rd August 2026 | |
ALL Crosscountry services suspended [removed from timetable] due to a power failure at their control centre.
Several additional calls at Tiverton Parkway by GWR to cover.
Several additional calls at Tiverton Parkway by GWR to cover.
09:14 Plymouth to London Paddington due 12:27
09:14 Plymouth to London Paddington due 12:27 will call additionally at Tiverton Parkway.
This is due to the train making extra stops because of service disruption.
09:14 Plymouth to London Paddington due 12:27 will call additionally at Tiverton Parkway.
This is due to the train making extra stops because of service disruption.
"I was going out for the day to Birmingham. Oh - never mind - I'll go to Reading instead"
... there will be some slow old journeys, especially north from Cheltenham Spa, won't there?| Re: Swindon <-> Westbury service updates and amendments, ongoing discussion - 2026 In "TransWilts line - Swindon, Chippenham, Melksham, Trowbridge, Westbury, Salisbury" [378585/31359/18] Posted by grahame at 08:29, 23rd August 2026 Already liked by Chris from Nailsea, GBM | |
18:35 Westbury to Swindon due 19:17
19:44 Swindon to Westbury due 20:29
19:44 Swindon to Westbury due 20:29 will be cancelled.
This is due to passengers causing a disturbance on a train.
Last Updated:22/08/2026 18:18
19:44 Swindon to Westbury due 20:29
19:44 Swindon to Westbury due 20:29 will be cancelled.
This is due to passengers causing a disturbance on a train.
Last Updated:22/08/2026 18:18
I'm on the 18:18 Paddington to Swansea train and was planning to change into the train GWR have just cancelled at Swindon. No indication on Journeycheck of alternative arrangements and no staff have passed through to ask (as yet). Will ne interesting to see what happens.
Home - and at about the time I would have been anyway if the train had run. Catering trolley came through at around Shrivenham. Chap looked up the train on his phone and confirmed it was cancelled, and also confirmed there was no alternative train; that news seems to surprise him. Suggested I have a word with the folks on the platform in orange jackets who would be able to help with an alternative.
Chap on platform after dispatching the Swansea told me for Melksham to catch the 19:25 to Bath Spa and change there onto a train there to get to Melksham. I inwardly rolled my eyes, but then when I heard him repeating that advice to others, I asked if this was something new as there aren't normally trains from Bath to Melksham ... I asked if we would be better getting the 19:25 to Chippenham and whether road transport would be provided, and he felt that was a good idea.
Got to Chippenham at around 19:35 ... train dispatcher tells me to have a word with gateline staff when I ask, and a group of us do. The departure boards just say "cancelled" without offering an alternative, with screens and facilities with more room say "will call at Melksham, Trowbridge and Westbury" when clearly it won't. "Thank goodness you know who to ask / where to go" say a couple of folks who are sticking beside me. Over the bridge, into the station entrance barriers and a chat with the gateline staff there, who are all too familiar with the circumstance.
Cancelled train had been due 19:59. "Can't do anything until the 19:56 arrival from Bristol in case anyone is connecting" which at face value makes sense - except we had a full taxi load already ... and in the end we set off in a full taxi on a "chit" that GWR will pay for the cab a few minutes later and got to Melksham on time.
As is familiar "territory"/experience, at least two other taxis set off for Melksham at the same time, hired by other groups / people clubbing together and agreeing how they would pay - same experience the world over (St Margreten to Bregenz, for example) and by making private arrangements, some benefit for the passengers gained in that they can ride that final mile home rather than being dropped at the station. But that does men that GWR get off "on the cheap" and the disruption and upset to journeys does not get registered in their pocket.
Into Melksham at around 20:00 to 20:05 / home at 20:45 (having stopped in town to order, await preparation and collect a takeaway). Taxi driver dropped us off - with our unanimous agreement - at the top of Station Approach, and confirmed he knows the Chippenham to Melksham Station run very well indeed. "Always doing it".
Disruptions are a learning experience.
Had we gone on to Bath, a train double back via Trowbridge would have got us there to Melksham Station at 21:38 - 90 minutes later than scheduled. That's as per advise from [name redacted] on platform at Swindon.
Or ... had we waited for the final train of the day from Swindon / Chippenham, we would have got to Melksham Station at 22:42 - 154 minutes later than scheduled. Had we gone to Bath Spa and the station staff had provided taxis, I guestimate we might have got to Melksham Station around 25 minutes later than scheduled. Had we gone to Bath Spa, walked up to the Guildhall and caught the next available bus - the 21:00 - it would have passed close to Melksham Station at around 21:40 - again 90 minutes later than scheduled.
Also learned - somewhat though not sharing more about fellow passengers arriving into Melksham / taxi sharing - travelling from Oxford (that flow again!) on personal / family business, and headed for a location in Melksham that's a significant walk from the station there.
| Re: Station fire at Paignton. Footbridge? In "Shorter journeys in Devon - Central, North and South" [378584/32262/24] Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 08:05, 23rd August 2026 | |
Thanks for posting that detailed update here, REVUpminster.
| Re: Station fire at Paignton. Footbridge? In "Shorter journeys in Devon - Central, North and South" [378582/32262/24] Posted by REVUpminster at 07:38, 23rd August 2026 | |
Some more photos: Bearing in mind no work takes place at the weekends.
20260815_103715 by Robert, on FlickrThis was after canopy removed. There is very little damage to the shed. The plastic bin bag is untouched, the ticket machine, advertising panels. The public toilets beyond the main shed have been open since the station first reopened.
Paignton station fire 15 August 2026. by Robert, on FlickrMetal shutters where the newsagents (closed for more than 15 years) stall was.
Paignton station 22 August 2026 by Robert, on FlickrFrontage boarded off by 21 August 2026
Paignton Station side by Robert, on Flickr
Paignton station new exit 22 August 2026 by Robert, on FlickrNew exit from staff accommodation to side of station.
| Re: NPPF revisions - more homes can be built near stations? In "Looking forward - the next 2, 5, 10 and 20 years" [378581/32385/40] Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 07:29, 23rd August 2026 | |
From the BBC:
Mayors to get powers to overrule local councils on planning decisions
Mayors across England will be given new powers to overrule local councils on some planning decisions.
The change would apply to proposals with more than 150 homes, more than 15,000 square metres of commercial space or buildings over 30 metres.
Mayors in 13 areas including Manchester, Liverpool, the West of England and the West Midlands will gain similar powers to Sir Sadiq Khan in London, who is already able to "call in" planning decisions.
Housing minister Matthew Pennycook said the powers were an "essential part of the toolkit that mayors need to effectively deliver new homes and regeneration".
The Conservatives questioned whether it was right for councils to lose the "ability to make planning decisions in their own communities".
The powers will also be available to mayors in the Combined Authorities in North East England, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, York and North Yorkshire, Hull and East Yorkshire, Greater Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, East Midlands, and Tees Valley.
Housebuilding has fallen in London in recent years, but Pennycook insisted the "call in" powers had helped the mayor "unblock strategic growth sites" in the capital.
In the 2024 general election, the Labour government promised to build 1.5 million homes in England by the end of the decade but housebuilders have warned the target could be missed.
Pennycook said the government was "absolutely determined to stick with that ambition". He acknowledged the target was "really stretching" but said nearly 180,000 children were in temporary accommodation and "any smaller target wouldn't be commensurate with the scale of the challenge".
In addition to gaining the new "call-in" powers, mayors are set to be able to grant "up-front permission", which the government says will allow building to begin "without a developer having to apply".
A consultation on how the powers will work is due to be published next week.
The government has sought to stress that local councils will continue to decide the majority of applications and that all decisions must still follow planning rules. It has also said mayors will get a "bigger say" over how housing funding is spent in their area, with the government directing national agency Homes England to focus on local mayors' priorities.
New Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who served as mayor for Greater Manchester for nearly a decade, has repeatedly expressed his desire to transfer more powers to local mayors. "Challenge does need to be made to local decision-making and actually it cuts both ways," he told the Sunday Times. "Sometimes it's the other way round. It's the local authority putting forward something that's unacceptable in terms of the impact on the community. It's a two-way street."
Last month, Burnham promised to give all mayors a share of income tax revenue, saying he wanted to "bring power home" to "every postcode". Earlier this week, he announced a secondment programme to send high-performing civil servants to work in mayoral offices.
The approach has faced criticism from some in his own party and the Liberal Democrats, who fear it could create a "two-tier system" that discriminates against those areas that do not have an elected mayor.
Responding to the new powers for mayors, Sir James Cleverly, the shadow housing secretary, said the government was "simultaneously stripping councils across the country of their ability to make planning decisions in their own communities, while making it easier to build traveller sites against local wishes".
Sir James also suggested Labour mayors had failed to meet housing targets, adding: "The Conservatives are the only party with a plan to get Britain building and moving again with our plan to scrap stamp duty on the family home."
Gideon Amos, the Liberal Democrat housing and planning spokesperson, said "taking powers away from communities and local councillors is taking powers away from local people. Instead of silencing residents and handing mayors a blank cheque, the government should be empowering local councils with the resources to deliver genuinely affordable homes alongside the infrastructure to support them," he added.
Mothin Ali, deputy leader of the Greens, said "more powers for mayors to direct local councils" was "more tinkering from the Labour government when local authorities continue to be forced by government into austerity budgets".
Reform UK accused Labour of "centralisation in disguise", saying: "Westminster is stretching its tentacles outward instead of giving real power, resources and decision-making capabilities to devolved authorities."
Mayors across England will be given new powers to overrule local councils on some planning decisions.
The change would apply to proposals with more than 150 homes, more than 15,000 square metres of commercial space or buildings over 30 metres.
Mayors in 13 areas including Manchester, Liverpool, the West of England and the West Midlands will gain similar powers to Sir Sadiq Khan in London, who is already able to "call in" planning decisions.
Housing minister Matthew Pennycook said the powers were an "essential part of the toolkit that mayors need to effectively deliver new homes and regeneration".
The Conservatives questioned whether it was right for councils to lose the "ability to make planning decisions in their own communities".
The powers will also be available to mayors in the Combined Authorities in North East England, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, York and North Yorkshire, Hull and East Yorkshire, Greater Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, East Midlands, and Tees Valley.
Housebuilding has fallen in London in recent years, but Pennycook insisted the "call in" powers had helped the mayor "unblock strategic growth sites" in the capital.
In the 2024 general election, the Labour government promised to build 1.5 million homes in England by the end of the decade but housebuilders have warned the target could be missed.
Pennycook said the government was "absolutely determined to stick with that ambition". He acknowledged the target was "really stretching" but said nearly 180,000 children were in temporary accommodation and "any smaller target wouldn't be commensurate with the scale of the challenge".
In addition to gaining the new "call-in" powers, mayors are set to be able to grant "up-front permission", which the government says will allow building to begin "without a developer having to apply".
A consultation on how the powers will work is due to be published next week.
The government has sought to stress that local councils will continue to decide the majority of applications and that all decisions must still follow planning rules. It has also said mayors will get a "bigger say" over how housing funding is spent in their area, with the government directing national agency Homes England to focus on local mayors' priorities.
New Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who served as mayor for Greater Manchester for nearly a decade, has repeatedly expressed his desire to transfer more powers to local mayors. "Challenge does need to be made to local decision-making and actually it cuts both ways," he told the Sunday Times. "Sometimes it's the other way round. It's the local authority putting forward something that's unacceptable in terms of the impact on the community. It's a two-way street."
Last month, Burnham promised to give all mayors a share of income tax revenue, saying he wanted to "bring power home" to "every postcode". Earlier this week, he announced a secondment programme to send high-performing civil servants to work in mayoral offices.
The approach has faced criticism from some in his own party and the Liberal Democrats, who fear it could create a "two-tier system" that discriminates against those areas that do not have an elected mayor.
Responding to the new powers for mayors, Sir James Cleverly, the shadow housing secretary, said the government was "simultaneously stripping councils across the country of their ability to make planning decisions in their own communities, while making it easier to build traveller sites against local wishes".
Sir James also suggested Labour mayors had failed to meet housing targets, adding: "The Conservatives are the only party with a plan to get Britain building and moving again with our plan to scrap stamp duty on the family home."
Gideon Amos, the Liberal Democrat housing and planning spokesperson, said "taking powers away from communities and local councillors is taking powers away from local people. Instead of silencing residents and handing mayors a blank cheque, the government should be empowering local councils with the resources to deliver genuinely affordable homes alongside the infrastructure to support them," he added.
Mothin Ali, deputy leader of the Greens, said "more powers for mayors to direct local councils" was "more tinkering from the Labour government when local authorities continue to be forced by government into austerity budgets".
Reform UK accused Labour of "centralisation in disguise", saying: "Westminster is stretching its tentacles outward instead of giving real power, resources and decision-making capabilities to devolved authorities."
| Re: Michael Bond CBE - 1926 -2017 In "The West - but NOT trains in the West" [378580/18405/31] Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 07:11, 23rd August 2026 | |
Infoman,
See a reply to your previous post on this subject, at https://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=29972.msg359862#msg359862
CfN.
| IET's question In "Your rights and redress" [378579/32398/6] Posted by infoman at 06:50, 23rd August 2026 | |
apart from the normal timetable for IET's,are they passed on other routes,
like beyond Westbury to Portsmouth and Brighton.
Milford haven and Pembroke
Worcester heading North
| Re: Michael Bond CBE - 1926 -2017 In "The West - but NOT trains in the West" [378578/18405/31] Posted by infoman at 06:40, 23rd August 2026 | |
Can any one recall going back a few years ago that Paddington was housed in a plastic box at Paddington station,
and got stolen by I think I am correct in saying by two students from "across the pond"?
| Sunday 23/08/26 - No Crosscountry services In "Cross Country services" [378577/32397/43] Posted by plymothian at 06:30, 23rd August 2026 | |
ALL Crosscountry services suspended [removed from timetable] due to a power failure at their control centre.
Several additional calls at Tiverton Parkway by GWR to cover.
| Re: Cornwall - Trelawney, Trevithick, the miners and many others - Will Keating In "The Lighter Side" [378576/32030/30] Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 03:37, 23rd August 2026 Already liked by GBM | |
Thanks, GBM.
Meanwhile, I continue to publicise Richard Trevithick, rather than George Stephenson, as the earlier inventor of the steam engine railway locomotive.
From YouTube.
CfN.
| River Bann: Is it a bus? Is it a boat? The former Citybus taking to the water In "The Lighter Side" [378575/32396/30] Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 03:08, 23rd August 2026 | |
I'm posting this item here, simply because it doesn't seem to fit into any of our more formal Coffee Shop forum boards.
From the BBC:
Is it a bus? Is it a boat? The former Citybus taking to the water
The final destination on this journey is Portadown
Steamed-up windows, lumpy seats and heating that often did not provide much warmth - all familiar memories of the journey to school for generations of children. But in retirement, one former Citybus is proving that it has hidden talents.
Thanks to the artistry and captainship of Paddy Bloomer the vehicle has been turned into a boat and is making its way on a journey along the River Bann.
"I'm interested in cobbling stuff together out of bits of junk and my scale has been increasing recently so things have been getting bigger," he said.
Paddy describes himself as an "artist, inventor, explorer and plumber based in Belfast".
His previous projects have included installations in sewers and abandoned factories, while his workshops and talks have taken him as far afield as the US, Portugal and Slovenia. In 2018, he contributed to the BBC's Make It series.
Paddy was inspired for this, his biggest project, by journeys he made on buses when he was younger. "A bus was a kind of social space," he said. "You went for a trip and your friends were on the bus and you looked out the window and you met people. I met some very weird people on buses I suppose, but also had plenty of craic on them."
Paddy's vessel once carried passengers on the streets of Belfast
He came across the bus that would become his boat in a scrapyard and first got to work on making it float as part of the Belfast 2024 festival of creative arts. It started work as a Citybus - the forerunner of Translink's Metro service - in the mid-1980s into the 21st Century before being bought by a company in County Donegal and later offering sightseeing tours of Belfast.
Paddy made the hull out of the mast from a scrap wind turbine before welding a bow and a stern on and then adding an engine. "The reason I did it was because I had the idea in my head and I had to get it out," he said. "It seems like a very simple thing doesn't it? Make a boat and set a bus on top. It's just a boat and a bus, it's only two parts, it seems simple enough."
(BBC article continues)
The final destination on this journey is Portadown
Steamed-up windows, lumpy seats and heating that often did not provide much warmth - all familiar memories of the journey to school for generations of children. But in retirement, one former Citybus is proving that it has hidden talents.
Thanks to the artistry and captainship of Paddy Bloomer the vehicle has been turned into a boat and is making its way on a journey along the River Bann.
"I'm interested in cobbling stuff together out of bits of junk and my scale has been increasing recently so things have been getting bigger," he said.
Paddy describes himself as an "artist, inventor, explorer and plumber based in Belfast".
His previous projects have included installations in sewers and abandoned factories, while his workshops and talks have taken him as far afield as the US, Portugal and Slovenia. In 2018, he contributed to the BBC's Make It series.
Paddy was inspired for this, his biggest project, by journeys he made on buses when he was younger. "A bus was a kind of social space," he said. "You went for a trip and your friends were on the bus and you looked out the window and you met people. I met some very weird people on buses I suppose, but also had plenty of craic on them."
Paddy's vessel once carried passengers on the streets of Belfast
He came across the bus that would become his boat in a scrapyard and first got to work on making it float as part of the Belfast 2024 festival of creative arts. It started work as a Citybus - the forerunner of Translink's Metro service - in the mid-1980s into the 21st Century before being bought by a company in County Donegal and later offering sightseeing tours of Belfast.
Paddy made the hull out of the mast from a scrap wind turbine before welding a bow and a stern on and then adding an engine. "The reason I did it was because I had the idea in my head and I had to get it out," he said. "It seems like a very simple thing doesn't it? Make a boat and set a bus on top. It's just a boat and a bus, it's only two parts, it seems simple enough."
(BBC article continues)
| Re: RMT union plans rail strikes over train safety concerns at East Midlands Railway In "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" [378574/32266/51] Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 02:11, 23rd August 2026 | |
An update, from the BBC:
RMT Union plans new strikes over train safety concerns
The Rail, Maritime and Transport union has been in dispute with East Midlands Railway since April - Image © PA Media
Fresh strike dates have been announced for union members working at East Midlands Railway (EMR) over "safety concerns" with a new fleet of trains.
The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union has been in dispute with EMR since April following the rollout of the Aurora (Class 810 fleet), which it said had been operating with a "significant number" of faults.
The union said its members would strike for 48 hours from 30 August - the bank holiday weekend - and for 24 hours on 16 September, following three strikes on Saturdays in August.
EMR previously said "no safety-critical faults have been identified that prevent the trains from meeting regulatory requirements for passenger service".
RMT members are continuing to take action "short of strike", including refusing to work on Class 810 trains, which were brought into service in December 2025.
Ahead of the strikes in August, the union said 16 trains in service required "a full auxiliary reset, leaving trains with no active safety systems including loss of communication between train drivers, dispatchers and trackside".
The union's general secretary Eddie Dempsey highlighted faulty toilets, broken air con systems, communication and door issues, as well as seeing trains stranded on the track as the issues. He said: "RMT is demanding that whilst these faults exist and until these trains are shown to be operating properly, they should be taken out of service. It is now time for EMR management to act on the safety concerns of our members."
On Friday, EMR said it had met union representatives six times for "constructive discussions" and said it was working with Hitachi Rail to ensure concerns were being properly addressed.
The new Aurora (Class 810) trains were brought into service in December 2025 - Image © East Midlands Railway
Philippa Cresswell, EMR customer experience director, said: "We understand how important it is for our customers to have certainty about their travel plans and recognise the uncertainty and disruption this strike action will cause, particularly over the August bank holiday. Our teams are currently working through the detail of our service plan and assessing what services we will be able to operate on the affected days."
The railway firm added EMR Regional services will not be affected by the strike action.
The newly announced strikes will run from for 24 hours from 00:01 BST on 30 August to 23:59 on 31 August, and for 12 hours from 16 September to 11:59 on 17 September.
EMR reduced services in July due to "reliability issues" with the new Class 810 trains.
Hitachi Rail previously said it had increased its capacity for "modifications and testing", and was working with all partners to resolve the issues.
EMR has since announced it will reinstate some cancelled Intercity services from the end of August.
The Rail, Maritime and Transport union has been in dispute with East Midlands Railway since April - Image © PA Media
Fresh strike dates have been announced for union members working at East Midlands Railway (EMR) over "safety concerns" with a new fleet of trains.
The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union has been in dispute with EMR since April following the rollout of the Aurora (Class 810 fleet), which it said had been operating with a "significant number" of faults.
The union said its members would strike for 48 hours from 30 August - the bank holiday weekend - and for 24 hours on 16 September, following three strikes on Saturdays in August.
EMR previously said "no safety-critical faults have been identified that prevent the trains from meeting regulatory requirements for passenger service".
RMT members are continuing to take action "short of strike", including refusing to work on Class 810 trains, which were brought into service in December 2025.
Ahead of the strikes in August, the union said 16 trains in service required "a full auxiliary reset, leaving trains with no active safety systems including loss of communication between train drivers, dispatchers and trackside".
The union's general secretary Eddie Dempsey highlighted faulty toilets, broken air con systems, communication and door issues, as well as seeing trains stranded on the track as the issues. He said: "RMT is demanding that whilst these faults exist and until these trains are shown to be operating properly, they should be taken out of service. It is now time for EMR management to act on the safety concerns of our members."
On Friday, EMR said it had met union representatives six times for "constructive discussions" and said it was working with Hitachi Rail to ensure concerns were being properly addressed.
The new Aurora (Class 810) trains were brought into service in December 2025 - Image © East Midlands Railway
Philippa Cresswell, EMR customer experience director, said: "We understand how important it is for our customers to have certainty about their travel plans and recognise the uncertainty and disruption this strike action will cause, particularly over the August bank holiday. Our teams are currently working through the detail of our service plan and assessing what services we will be able to operate on the affected days."
The railway firm added EMR Regional services will not be affected by the strike action.
The newly announced strikes will run from for 24 hours from 00:01 BST on 30 August to 23:59 on 31 August, and for 12 hours from 16 September to 11:59 on 17 September.
EMR reduced services in July due to "reliability issues" with the new Class 810 trains.
Hitachi Rail previously said it had increased its capacity for "modifications and testing", and was working with all partners to resolve the issues.
EMR has since announced it will reinstate some cancelled Intercity services from the end of August.
| Re: Michael Bond CBE - 1926 -2017 In "The West - but NOT trains in the West" [378573/18405/31] Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 01:32, 23rd August 2026 | |
An update, from the BBC:
Blue plaque unveiled at home of Paddington creator
Haslemere mayor Jacquie Keen (pictured on the left) with Bond's daughter, Karen Jankel, at Saturday's unveiling - Image © Dawn Brown
The unveiling of a blue plaque at the former Surrey home of Paddington Bear creator Michael Bond was a "lovely" occasion with an unexpected surprise, the organiser has said.
Bond, who died in 2017 at the age of 91, moved to Fairacre in Haslemere in 1968, where he spent the next 10 years writing several Paddington books alongside the scripts for the original television series.
The unveiling on Saturday took place with the permission of current owners, Steph and Neil Stephenson, and was attended by Bond's daughter, Karen Jankel, who presented them with a special gift.
"It was the [Paddington] Bear that was Karen's as a child," Haslemere Society chairman Chris Harrison said.
The Haslemere Society, including chairman Chris Harrison, organised the unveiling - Image © Dawn Brown
Harrison said about 25 guests were invited but "the same [number] again" turned up to see the unveiling. A number of those were "people who remembered the family" living there, including Jankel. "Quite a few friends were reunited today," Harrison said.
Also among the attendees were the owners before the Stephensons, who Harrison said had travelled all the way from Exeter in Devon.
Speaking earlier this week, Steph Stephenson said the pair had suspicions but only learned of their home's history after the Haslemere Society wrote to them.
The chairman said the success of the day had sparked conversations about the possibility of a Paddington statue in Haslemere. "We'll have to crowdfund for that!," he added.
Haslemere mayor Jacquie Keen (pictured on the left) with Bond's daughter, Karen Jankel, at Saturday's unveiling - Image © Dawn Brown
The unveiling of a blue plaque at the former Surrey home of Paddington Bear creator Michael Bond was a "lovely" occasion with an unexpected surprise, the organiser has said.
Bond, who died in 2017 at the age of 91, moved to Fairacre in Haslemere in 1968, where he spent the next 10 years writing several Paddington books alongside the scripts for the original television series.
The unveiling on Saturday took place with the permission of current owners, Steph and Neil Stephenson, and was attended by Bond's daughter, Karen Jankel, who presented them with a special gift.
"It was the [Paddington] Bear that was Karen's as a child," Haslemere Society chairman Chris Harrison said.
The Haslemere Society, including chairman Chris Harrison, organised the unveiling - Image © Dawn Brown
Harrison said about 25 guests were invited but "the same [number] again" turned up to see the unveiling. A number of those were "people who remembered the family" living there, including Jankel. "Quite a few friends were reunited today," Harrison said.
Also among the attendees were the owners before the Stephensons, who Harrison said had travelled all the way from Exeter in Devon.
Speaking earlier this week, Steph Stephenson said the pair had suspicions but only learned of their home's history after the Haslemere Society wrote to them.
The chairman said the success of the day had sparked conversations about the possibility of a Paddington statue in Haslemere. "We'll have to crowdfund for that!," he added.
| Re: Station fire at Paignton. Footbridge? In "Shorter journeys in Devon - Central, North and South" [378572/32262/24] Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 20:32, 22nd August 2026 | |
An update, from the BBC:
Station reopens to long distance trains after fire
The station was badly damaged by fire last month
A train station platform has reopened a month after a devastating fire.
Network Rail and Great Western Railway (GWR) said full-length access will resume at platform two at Paignton Station in Devon from Monday, allowing nine-carriage trains four days earlier than previously expected.
Long-distance trains have been unable to call at the station, although it reopened to local stopping services between Paignton and Newton Abbot which could use the far end of the platform, a week after the fire on 21 July.
The ticket office, the main station entrance, and footbridge remain closed whilst repair work continues.
The stairs between the platforms was damaged in the fire - Image © Julia Gregory/BBC
A temporary ticket office is in use during the restoration work and passengers are accessing platform one via a ramp at the end of the platform next to the level crossing.
Network Rail route infrastructure engineer, Daniel Parkes, said: "Reinstating access to the full length of platform two ahead of schedule is the result of a huge team effort from colleagues across the railway industry who have worked tirelessly since the fire to ensure we could restore long-distance services to Paignton as safely and as swiftly as possible."
Stephanie Chapman, GWR station manager for South Devon said: "This milestone means more passengers can travel to and from Paignton as normal, taking full advantage of the benefits of rail once more."
The station was badly damaged by fire last month
A train station platform has reopened a month after a devastating fire.
Network Rail and Great Western Railway (GWR) said full-length access will resume at platform two at Paignton Station in Devon from Monday, allowing nine-carriage trains four days earlier than previously expected.
Long-distance trains have been unable to call at the station, although it reopened to local stopping services between Paignton and Newton Abbot which could use the far end of the platform, a week after the fire on 21 July.
The ticket office, the main station entrance, and footbridge remain closed whilst repair work continues.
The stairs between the platforms was damaged in the fire - Image © Julia Gregory/BBC
A temporary ticket office is in use during the restoration work and passengers are accessing platform one via a ramp at the end of the platform next to the level crossing.
Network Rail route infrastructure engineer, Daniel Parkes, said: "Reinstating access to the full length of platform two ahead of schedule is the result of a huge team effort from colleagues across the railway industry who have worked tirelessly since the fire to ensure we could restore long-distance services to Paignton as safely and as swiftly as possible."
Stephanie Chapman, GWR station manager for South Devon said: "This milestone means more passengers can travel to and from Paignton as normal, taking full advantage of the benefits of rail once more."
| Re: Swindon <-> Westbury service updates and amendments, ongoing discussion - 2026 In "TransWilts line - Swindon, Chippenham, Melksham, Trowbridge, Westbury, Salisbury" [378571/31359/18] Posted by grahame at 18:40, 22nd August 2026 | |
18:35 Westbury to Swindon due 19:17
19:44 Swindon to Westbury due 20:29
19:44 Swindon to Westbury due 20:29 will be cancelled.
This is due to passengers causing a disturbance on a train.
Last Updated:22/08/2026 18:18
19:44 Swindon to Westbury due 20:29
19:44 Swindon to Westbury due 20:29 will be cancelled.
This is due to passengers causing a disturbance on a train.
Last Updated:22/08/2026 18:18
I'm on the 18:18 Paddington to Swansea train and was planning to change into the train GWR have just cancelled at Swindon. No indication on Journeycheck of alternative arrangements and no staff have passed through to ask (as yet). Will ne interesting to see what happens.
| Re: Swindon <-> Westbury service updates and amendments, ongoing discussion - 2026 In "TransWilts line - Swindon, Chippenham, Melksham, Trowbridge, Westbury, Salisbury" [378570/31359/18] Posted by ChrisB at 18:34, 22nd August 2026 | |
I estimate around 150 people left Swindon on the 08:44 this morning - and it looked like a good proportion were headed for the seaside. Hope they all get home OK.
Leaving aside some that will travel earlier, it's a couple of buses/coaches. Hopefully booked them as soon as the staff shortage was noted
| Re: Melksham to Bristol Parkway - no fare, mis-advertised, mis-sold, not corrected In "Fare's Fair" [378569/32392/4] Posted by ChrisB at 18:31, 22nd August 2026 | |
No - atleast you have 8 trains a day.....how many round the loop?
| Re: Swindon <-> Westbury service updates and amendments, ongoing discussion - 2026 In "TransWilts line - Swindon, Chippenham, Melksham, Trowbridge, Westbury, Salisbury" [378568/31359/18] Posted by grahame at 18:31, 22nd August 2026 | |
18:35 Westbury to Swindon due 19:17
19:44 Swindon to Westbury due 20:29
19:44 Swindon to Westbury due 20:29 will be cancelled.
This is due to passengers causing a disturbance on a train.
Last Updated:22/08/2026 18:18
19:44 Swindon to Westbury due 20:29
19:44 Swindon to Westbury due 20:29 will be cancelled.
This is due to passengers causing a disturbance on a train.
Last Updated:22/08/2026 18:18
| Re: Brighton Belle - Victoria Station in London to Brighton In "Heritage railways, Railtours, buses, canals, steamships and other public transport based attractions" [378567/20826/47] Posted by grahame at 18:28, 22nd August 2026 | |
From the group's newsletter
“The train visited Alstom’s Derby plant for commencement of third-rail testing at
their dedicated facility, travelling out from Crewe on Tuesday 11th August and
returning to Crewe as booked on Thursday 13th August.
The results have now been reviewed by Locomotive Services Limited who are
commissioning the train, and further work on the Belle has been identified.
Following some modifications over the next few weeks, the train will return and
undertake further testing at Derby.”
their dedicated facility, travelling out from Crewe on Tuesday 11th August and
returning to Crewe as booked on Thursday 13th August.
The results have now been reviewed by Locomotive Services Limited who are
commissioning the train, and further work on the Belle has been identified.
Following some modifications over the next few weeks, the train will return and
undertake further testing at Derby.”
| Re: Melksham to Bristol Parkway - no fare, mis-advertised, mis-sold, not corrected In "Fare's Fair" [378566/32392/4] Posted by grahame at 18:16, 22nd August 2026 | |
| Re: Swindon <-> Westbury service updates and amendments, ongoing discussion - 2026 In "TransWilts line - Swindon, Chippenham, Melksham, Trowbridge, Westbury, Salisbury" [378565/31359/18] Posted by grahame at 18:16, 22nd August 2026 | |
17:35 Swindon to Westbury due 18:18
17:35 Swindon to Westbury due 18:18 is being delayed at Swindon.
This is due to passengers causing a disturbance on this train.
17:35 Swindon to Westbury due 18:18 is being delayed at Swindon.
This is due to passengers causing a disturbance on this train.
| Re: Swindon <-> Westbury service updates and amendments, ongoing discussion - 2026 In "TransWilts line - Swindon, Chippenham, Melksham, Trowbridge, Westbury, Salisbury" [378564/31359/18] Posted by grahame at 18:15, 22nd August 2026 | |
19:38 Weymouth to Swindon due 22:00
19:38 Weymouth to Swindon due 22:00 will be started from Westbury.
It will no longer call at Weymouth, Dorchester West, Maiden Newton, Chetnole, Yetminster, Thornford, Yeovil Pen Mill, Castle Cary and Frome.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.
19:38 Weymouth to Swindon due 22:00 will be started from Westbury.
It will no longer call at Weymouth, Dorchester West, Maiden Newton, Chetnole, Yetminster, Thornford, Yeovil Pen Mill, Castle Cary and Frome.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.
I estimate around 150 people left Swindon on the 08:44 this morning - and it looked like a good proportion were headed for the seaside. Hope they all get home OK.
| Re: NPPF revisions - more homes can be built near stations? In "Looking forward - the next 2, 5, 10 and 20 years" [378563/32385/40] Posted by IndustryInsider at 17:53, 22nd August 2026 | |
Isn't that what this planning change is all about; more housing.
Yes. More housing in sensible locations.
As for infrastructure move the crossing to Coleford junction to make a dual track and not two single tracks. It should have been done when the original Okehampton was improved. It would benefit Barnstaple travellers as well.
Moving the crossing will also mean changing/upgrading all the signalling on the line which is currently operated locally from Crediton Signal Box with tokens. Perhaps that might make sense if the equipment is being replaced anyway, but will come at quite a cost otherwise. Opening the line to Okehampton would not have happened if the cost of those works had been included at the time.
All this to give a tiny constrained village station a second train per hour.
| Re: Melksham to Bristol Parkway - no fare, mis-advertised, mis-sold, not corrected In "Fare's Fair" [378562/32392/4] Posted by ChrisB at 17:24, 22nd August 2026 | |
Round the rhubarb loop - not from Melksham I meant
| Re: Melksham to Bristol Parkway - no fare, mis-advertised, mis-sold, not corrected In "Fare's Fair" [378561/32392/4] Posted by grahame at 15:50, 22nd August 2026 | |
By 'reliably', I meant throughout the day, regularly. Say at least every hour?
Ah - right. So that means you can never reliably travel in either direction from Melksham, with gaps up to 2 hours 40 minutes, and only once a day in one direction only do two trains run at better than your definition.
It makes a huge difference to the users or potential users. I have just turned up (elsewhere) for a service that runs every 30 minutes, knowing I can get a train soon - and I did; catching up from the train. I am now working out how to get home - and the last leg is the interesting one.
