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17
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All across the Great Western territory / Active travel: Cyclists and walkers, including how the railways deal with them / Re: Difficult to argue with e-bike/scooter rules?
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on: April 09, 2024, 15:57:22
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They have to be banned unless regulation-use batteries are used, simple. Registration maybe required as someone will die otherwise from use of unregulated battery explosion
These batteries are invariably imported from places of doubtful reputation. The makers will apply whatever approval marks or certificates that are required for the intended market. including CE marking, UL listed, or any other standard. Better regulation and clearer laws will no doubt help - the current free-for-all cannot continue. If you pass laws that make JustEat and the like directly responsible for ensuring their riders use proper equipment (perhaps by supplying it, or offering incentive schemes through approved retailers) and don't break the law then that will help enormously IMHO▸ . Forcing them to provide proper contracts of employment rather than treating them as contractors and letting them get on with sourcing their own bikes and (lack of) equipment will also help. Being paid per delivery only encourages them to buy unsuitable equipment and ride it irresponsibly. It might end up making their businesses unviable which is tough.
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26
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Journey by Journey / TransWilts line / Re: 2024 - Service update and amendment log, Swindon <-> Westbury
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on: March 30, 2024, 05:31:31
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Thanks, II for that insight into the complexity of staff rostering.
I guess that calling it a planning error could be justified as the late running of the inbound train from Paddington would have been predictable from about 13:15. Time sufficient to organise a taxi for the crew?
However, the recent posts of the thread have been to draw attention to the reasons given to the public and their less-than-credible nature sometimes. Communication of delays has for a long time been something flagged for "must do better".
Please don't take this as personal criticism. I value your input to the forum.
I quite agree, and no personal criticism taken - it’s nice to have the opportunity to help explain sometimes. To be fair to GWR▸ the level of detail in explaining disruption in layman’s terms has become much better over the last year or so. As a forum our collective knowledge is better than most of the passengers that GWR provides for, and I think we need to remember that when deciding what the best way of explaining a delay is that is sufficient for most people to understand. That being said, there are examples when I think they have got that balance wrong. The TM‡ yesterday booked on duty to travel on that train so I don’t know how long a taxi might take to St. Erth but it might not have been in time for the train that ended up being cancelled anyway? It’s also quite possible that nobody realised it might be an issue due to the general levels of disruption and a small team trying to oversee it all from within control. Local supervisors in days gone by would have been more likely to notice it. When things go wrong, there are several things that now make it worse: - The aforementioned lack of local supervisors.
- The slow erosion of route knowledge that a-driver mentioned.
- And the stupid rostering of staff in the last few years meaning small efficiency gains that result in multiple unnecessary changes of crew enroute. Looks fine on paper, but in reality makes managing disruption far harder.
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27
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Journey by Journey / TransWilts line / Re: 2024 - Service update and amendment log, Swindon <-> Westbury
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on: March 29, 2024, 17:39:00
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I'm shocked...............I'm sure you wouldn't wish to suggest that GWR▸ would be anything other than 100% honest with their valued and respected customers? Journeycheck/greatwesternrailway: 17:03 St Ives to St Erth due 17:14 will be cancelled. This is due to heavy rain flooding the railway. One service each way lost due to flooding? Or would you rather believe RTT» : This service was cancelled due to a planning error (TA). Depends how far you want to trace back a delay? The TM‡ for that round trip from St. Erth to St. Ives travels on 1A96, the 16:15 from Penzance which was 32 minutes late arriving at St. Erth, so if it had run it would have been with at least a 10 minute delay. The 16:15 from Penzance was delayed by late arrival of the inward working from London, which was delayed by the flooding.
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30
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All across the Great Western territory / Smoke and Mirrors / Re: Notification of different standards - Bedwyn and Melksham
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on: March 25, 2024, 15:18:40
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Yes - sort of. But the extra track is (or has been) routinely used to harbour freight trains for significant periods, so would not be available for passenger trains. I understand that with a change in the freight operator, there may have been changes in the use of Westbury yard, and if that's the case perhaps - just perhaps - the option to extend the platform out to the remaining line might be back on the table. I do recall that when a train split the points to the west (knocking out platforms 1, 2 and 3) that a limited non-stop service was provided via the back line, so it may already be signalled for passenger trains.
It's currently a PF▸ (Permissive Freight) line, so that excludes any passenger trains except by special arrangement (such as the case you mention). There's also a tight radius at the western end which means Class 158s (and 153s, not that there are any of those in the area anymore) are barred at that end.
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