I've long thought that, at stations like Paddington and Reading, the high-level PIS^▸ (Passenger Information System) displays on the platforms could be used to indicate where to board:

1505 PENZANCE
Calling at: etc. etc.
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...as they do in some places on Le Continong. People are accustomed to looking at the displays, more so than announcements and certainly obscure stuff like 'Purple Zone'.

But given the difficulty in getting the new Turbo displays to say anything apart from "This train is now arriving at Tilehurst" no matter where you are, that might be a bit optimistic.

Travelling north on an FGW^▸ (First Great Western) service between Oxford and Banbury today at 09.10ish, I saw a flash of purple travelling south - it sounded like five carriages, and there's no southbound Turbo timetabled at that time AIUI^▸ (as I understand it), but I turned too late to see whether it was an Adelante. Any clues (or was I dreaming the whole thing...)?

About 10 late at Charlbury. Apparently one of the engines failed!

180103.

As a Connect2 project, the scheme is lottery-funded, rather than central government funds as you're implying. Connect2 was chosen by the public to receive the funds after a TV vote.

Personally I think ^100k on improving a cycle path is a better use of money than the Conservatives' current attempt to revive Predict & Provide for the road network, but each to their own.

It's a difficult one. 1 makes the most sense for cycle-toting Hanborough passengers (with Combe and Finstock in the front compartment, and Charlbury in the rear), but I'd be (pleasantly) surprised if it was permitted.

2 - absolutely, and this should happen anyway... except that it effectively requires many people to buy two bikes, one for each end of the journey (until Oxford, Reading et al get Boris Bike-like schemes). And you're then leaving a bike on the Oxford (or wherever) cycle racks overnight and at weekends... and hoping it's still in one piece when you return.

3 isn't quite as easy as it sounds: Combe is in the middle of nowhere, Hanborough is at the end of a long cycle path from Witney, and Finstock is on a steep hill with fairly heavy traffic - none of them particularly suitable for little folding bikes. It's fine for people commuting from within Charlbury, but again, there are quite a few people who commute by bike from Enstone to Charlbury station, and again that's not a bunch of fun on a folder.

I wish I knew what the answer was.

Oxman - good point. There are currently posters at Cotswold Line stations advising that the down halts train can "only" carry eight bikes! And Adelante bike accommodation is a PITA^▸ (Pain in the A**e) - my one gripe with otherwise very comfortable trains.

Btline - if you go to Hanborough and see the number of cars parked up on the A4095 verge every day (to the exasperation of villagers) then you'll understand exactly why they're doing this. Similarly, it's not at all rare to see the "Sorry, car park full" board up at Charlbury.

Thanks for that. I presume not passenger-carrying?!

Not on the Cotswold Line, they don't. I've never heard of a Worcester-Oxford fast in 12 years of living here.

Tom has posted here, I believe, though not for several years!

The parsing stuff is seriously impressive. These aren't trivial data formats.

Pendolinos have through-access from passenger accommodation to the bike compartment in the "crumple zone", so it's possible. However, the external door to the bike compartment can only be unlocked by staff, and this can (and does) lead to delays.

I didn't get to see the Adelante sadly - despite spending lots of the day walking from Moreton to Kingham close to the railway!

But I did see this on the return journey. First time I've ever seen a more-than-three-coach Turbo on the Cotswold Line. Needless to say, the back three were locked out of use.

And much though I like the Adelantes, Turbos are much, much easier to load a bike onto, so personally I'll be glad to keep them at weekends!

Good interview with Mark Hopwood in the latest Modern Railways in which he sets out more about the plans for the Adelantes, including the possibility of eventually fitting wifi to them.

One simple thing I'd love to see FGW^▸ (First Great Western) do is paint "quiet coach" on the outside of the carriage - i.e. on the carriage door. SWT^▸ (South West Trains) do it and it seems to make a difference. Much of the time on the Cotswold Line people don't seem to realise they're entering the coach - especially kids from Evesham to Worcester. There shouldn't be any significant boarding-time penalty as the one entrance to carriage A is next to carriage B...