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John R
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« Reply #75 on: December 12, 2009, 23:14:36 » |
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The footbridge looks rather over-engineered for a rural station. We'll have to get used to that though with accessibility being required with any changes to existing facilities.
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devon_metro
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« Reply #76 on: December 12, 2009, 23:30:04 » |
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The footbridge looks rather over-engineered for a rural station. We'll have to get used to that though with accessibility being required with any changes to existing facilities.
Unfortunately the lifts are still broken, however it seemed like a fairly simple metal structure. |
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Timmer
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« Reply #77 on: December 14, 2009, 18:22:41 » |
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News item from SWT▸ website about the new timetable on the West of England line http://www.southwesttrains.co.uk/westofenglandline.aspxCustomers in the West of England have received an early Christmas present in the form of a new, hourly train service between Exeter St Davids and London Waterloo. Launched on Sunday 13 December as part of South West Trains Winter timetable change, the new services also provide faster journey times between Exeter St Davids and Waterloo, as well as an improved weekday late night service.
The new and improved services, which have been enabled through a ^22million infrastructure improvement programme by Network Rail, will provide customers with far greater choice, a more reliable train service and some great value tickets. With prices starting from just ^12 for an Advance single ticket from Exeter St Davids to Waterloo, customers will have the choice of 15 trains a day on Mondays to Saturdays to London, providing a faster and more convenient way to enjoy a day out in the Capital.
Andy Pitt, Managing Director for South West Trains comments: ^The introduction of these new services marks a significant step forward for our customers and the team at South West Trains, and we would like to pay tribute to everybody who helped us to turn this ambition into a reality.
^Good transport links to major cities such as Exeter and of course, our Capital city, play a crucial role in helping to keep the local economy growing, and we are certain that our customers will enjoy using these new hourly services.^
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paul7575
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« Reply #79 on: December 14, 2009, 20:09:01 » |
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I liked this bit: "New regular hourly West of England line services between Exeter St Davids and Waterloo for the first time in the line^s history." Some people seem to reckon it is all doom and gloom on the line and the new service is no big deal, but if that statement is true (and I've no reason to doubt it) it should be applauded. One of the regulars in uk.railway, who has timetables going back donkey's years, reckons the current times (with far more stops) also compare very well with the so called expresses of years ago, which only ran once or twice a day... Paul |
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John R
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« Reply #80 on: December 14, 2009, 21:55:54 » |
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In 1970 there were 7 services from Waterloo to Exeter taking around 3 hrs 50 mins. Beyond Salisbury was only every 2 hourly throughout the day, compared with half hourly now in the evening peak as far as Yeovil.
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Chafford1
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« Reply #81 on: December 15, 2009, 19:12:58 » |
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During steam days (up to September 1964), there were 5 through weekday services between Waterloo and Exeter, the fastest being the 11am Atlantic Coast Express (2 hours 56 minutes in 1961) with two stops at Salisbury and Sidmouth Junction and through coaches to Plymouth, North Devon and North Cornwall.
The following timings are for the Warship hauled semi-fast services between London and Exeter Central (the Warships replaced the Bulleids on West of England services in September 1964 with the regular interval semi-fasts starting in June 1965 and the line being singled in 1967):
Fastest timings (Waterloo - Exeter Central):
1965: 3h39m (9 stops) by the 1300 from Waterloo
1967: 3h47m (11 stops) by the 0620 from Exeter Central
3h40m (6 stops) by the 1000 Summer Saturdays from Waterloo
1968: 3h23m (8 stops) by the 0910 from Waterloo
3h07m (6 stops) by the 1110 Summer Saturdays from Exeter Central
(Many thanks to the gentlemen who took the trouble to research this information)
By comparison, the new hourly timetable provides 14 through trains a day with a fastest run of 3h15m between Waterloo and Exeter Central (15 intermediate stops), a much better through service for most stations than in steam days.
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paul7575
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« Reply #82 on: December 17, 2009, 12:07:40 » |
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Super Guard
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« Reply #83 on: December 18, 2009, 01:44:28 » |
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Express & Echo... enough said  |
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Any opinions made on this forum are purely personal and my own. I am in no way speaking for, or offering the views of First Great Western or First Group.
If my employer feels I have broken any aspect of the Social Media Policy, please PM me immediately, so I can rectify without delay.
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Bob_Blakey
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« Reply #84 on: December 18, 2009, 07:14:36 » |
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This wonderful publication is often referred to as the 'Express & Error' - with good reason!
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paul7575
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« Reply #85 on: December 18, 2009, 10:54:41 » |
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I emailed them, and the 'web editor' replied quickly, saying she'd try and find out who wrote the article.  That was about 24 hrs ago... Paul |
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6 OF 2 redundant adjunct of unimatrix 01
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« Reply #86 on: December 18, 2009, 18:22:05 » |
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seems to be alot of delays since the service started running... only 10 mins here or there but it seems to be at the loop
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paul7575
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« Reply #87 on: December 18, 2009, 19:19:41 » |
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seems to be alot of delays since the service started running... only 10 mins here or there but it seems to be at the loop
OTOH▸ I've checked LDBs on and off all week, and the only major delays so far corresponded to major disruption at Exeter, affecting all services. Paul |
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